Teachers

Thich Nhat Hanh

Contents

Biography

Quotations

Writings

Notes

Bibliography

Links

Biography

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk, poet, peace activist, and the author of Being Peace,

The Miracle of Mindfulness, and many other books. He lives in a monastic community in southwestern France called Plum Village, where he teaches, writes, gardens, and
works to help refugees worldwide. He conducts retreats throughout the world on the art

of mindful living, and has conducted special retreats for American Vietnam War veterans, psychotherapists, artists, environmental activists and children.

 

He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by his friend, Martin Luther King,  for his

work for Peace during the Vietnam War. He has a world-wide following and is amazing

to see in person.  See notes for information about his scheduled visit to the United States

this Fall 1999.

Quotations

Our own life is the instrument with which we experiment with the truth.

There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.

Living in this marvelous reality ~ living in peace, is something we all want.
But I would like to ask: Do we have the capacity of enjoying peace?
If peace is there, will we be able to enjoy it, or will we find it boring?
To me, peace and happiness and joy and life go together,
and we can experience the peace of the divine reality right in the present moment.
It is available, inside us and around us.  If we are not able to enjoy that peace,
how can we make peace grow?

 

 

 

Gathas from Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Beginning the day,

I see that life is a miracle.

Attentive to each moment,

I keep my mind clear like a calm river.

Writings

 

Please Call Me by My True Names

Don't say that I will depart tomorrow--even today I am still arriving.

Look deeply: every second I am arriving to be a bud on a Spring branch,

to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,

learning to sing in my new nest,

to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,

to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

 

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, to fear and to hope.

The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that is alive.

I am a mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river.

And I am the bird that swoops down to swallow the mayfly.

I am a frog swimming happily in the clear water of a pond.

And I am the grass-snake that silently feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks.

And I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.

I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,

who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate.

And I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands.

And I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to my people

dying slowly in a forced-labor camp.

My joy is like Spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.

My pain is like a river of tears, so vast it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once,

so I can see that my joy and my pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can wake up and the door of my heart could be left open,

the door of compassion.

~  Thich Nhat Hanh

Hear Thay read Call Me By My True Names

http://www.parallax.org/scripts/parallax/index

The Five Mindfulness Trainings


First Mindfulness Training

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to
cultivating compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals,
plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to
condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.

Second Mindfulness Training

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social justice, stealing, and
oppression, I am committed to cultivating loving kindness and learning ways to
work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I will practice
generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are
in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should
belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but will prevent others
from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.

Third Mindfulness Training

Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to
cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of
individuals, couples, families, and society. I am determined not to engage in
sexual relations without love and a long- term commitment. To preserve the
happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and
the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children
from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by
sexual misconduct.

Fourth Mindfulness Training

Aware of the suffering caused by
unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to
cultivating loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to
others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create
happiness or suffering, I am determined to speak truthfully, with words that
inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I will not spread news that I do not know
to be certain and will not criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will
refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause
the family or the community to break. I am determined to make all efforts to
reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.

Fifth Mindfulness Training

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am determined to
cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my
society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will ingest only
items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness,
and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am
determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other
items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films,
and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness
with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future
generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in
myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand
that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of
society.


from "For a Future To Be Possible"

Notes

Thich Nhat Hanh returns to the United States in 1999

His tenative schedule is

Selected Bibliography

Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step  

Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation  

Thich Nhat Hanh, Teachings on Love  

Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ

Links

Thich Nhat Hanh/Parallax Books   http://www.parallax.org/

Plum Village Community  http://www.plumvillage.org/

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