Nhat Hanh

"A teacher cannot give you the truth The truth is already in you You only need to open yourself – body, mind and heart- so that his or her teachings will penetrate your own seeds of understanding and enlightenment If you let the words enter you, the soil and the seeds will do the rest of the work"

23 likes

Source: Nhất Hạnh (Thích.), Thich Nhat Hanh (1998). “The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy, & Liberation : the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, & Other Basic Buddhist Teachings”

About the author

Nhat Hanh

Nhat Hanh

Zen Master, Author

Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Zen master known for his teachings on mindfulness, compassion, and peace, particularly through his influential book 'The Miracle of Mindfulness.'

All quotes by Nhat Hanh →

Same author

More quotes by Nhat Hanh

See all →
Nhat Hanh Zen Master, Author

"The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

Read quote
Nhat Hanh Zen Master, Author

"To be beautiful means to be yourself.You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself."

Read quote
Nhat Hanh Zen Master, Author

"Silence is essential. We need silence just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there is no space for us."

Read quote
Nhat Hanh Zen Master, Author

"We humans think we are smart, but an orchid, for example, knows how to produce noble, symmetrical flowers, and a snail knows how to make a beautiful, well-proportioned shell. Compared with their knowledge, ours is not worth much at all. We should bow deeply before the orchid and the snail and join our palms reverently before the monarch butterfly and the magnolia tree. The feeling of respect for all species will help us recognize the noblest nature in ourselves."

Read quote
Nhat Hanh Zen Master, Author

"Around us, life bursts with miracles, a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops."

Read quote