Thich Nhat Hanh's comments

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “If those who teach Buddhism in the West keep in mind that all dharmas are Buddhadharma, they will not feel like a drop of oil in a glass of water. If you practice in exactly the same way we practice in Vietnam, Tibet, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Japan, or Korea, the oil drops will always remain separate from the water.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “If we are washing dishes and thinking of others who are enjoying themselves doing nothing, we cannot enjoy washing the dishes. We may have a few clean dishes afterwards, but our happiness is smaller than one teaspoon. If, however, we wash the dishes with a serene mind, our happiness will be boundless. This is already liberation. The words of the sutra are very much related to our daily life.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “When we can see the non-rose elements when looking at a rose, it is safe for us to use the word ‘rose.’ When we look at A and see that A is not A, we know that A is truly A. Then A is no longer a dangerous obstacle for us.”

Thich Nhat Hahn says, “Upon attaining enlightenment, all buddhas and bodhisattvas open a new world for people on the path of realization who want to study and practice with them. After a period of practice, if you have some attainment and peace, you may wish to share them with others and establish a small practice community. But this should always be done in the spirit of formlessness. Do not be bound by the practice center you establish.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Because all objects of mind are neither high nor low, this is called ‘the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind.’ In our thoughts, the moon may be full or new, bright or dim, present or not present, but the moon itself has none of these characteristics. The moon is just the moon. All objects of the mind are equal.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “This paragraph gives us the impression that even as the Diamond Sutra was being written down, it was already being condemned by some who probably criticized these teachings as not being the original words of the Buddha.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “In fact, we should make just as great an effort to look for the Buddha where the thirty-two marks are absent—in stagnant water and in beggars who have leprosy. When we can see the Buddha in these kinds of places, we have a signless view of the Buddha.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “When we first learn to meditate, we may visualize the Buddha with his thirty-two special marks. But once our wounds are healed, we should leave those images and see the Buddha in birth, sickness, old age, and death. Nirvana is made of the same substance as attachment, and awakening of the same substance as ignorance. We should be able to sow the seeds of awakening right here on Earth and not just in empty space. The beautiful lotus grows out of the mud. Without afflictions and suffering, we cannot make a Buddha.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “When we look at a table, a flower, or the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, if we see that they exist independently of other objects of mind, we are caught in the view of permanence. On the other hand, if we think that everything is non-existent, we are caught in the view of annihilation. The middle way taught by the Buddha is a way free of these two views. Liberation is not to cut ourselves off from life or to try to reach nonbeing.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “All concepts co-arise and are empty of a separate self. If the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind is empty, then the perceptions of self and so on are also empty. So why should we discriminate or be afraid of them? All concepts are dharmas, objects of mind, signs. Look deeply into one dharma, and you will see all dharmas. Once we understand that a concept is just a concept, we can go beyond that concept and be free of the dharma that concept represents.”