Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, known as Thay by his followers, is famous for his teachings on happiness. One of his teachings is that happiness and suffering inter-are. That is, happiness and suffering are interdependent on each other. You can’t have one without the other. Many of us exist in a state of constant suffering. […]
Dharma Talk by Lama Surya Das
June 3, 2014 by
This fragment of a dharma talk by Lama Surya Das came to me by email last week. Many lines in it support my rantings about meditation practices. I hope you enjoy this. “Dear Friends and Countrymen, lend me your tears and fears: Let me carry them for you. I have not come to praise you […]
A True Sanctuary
May 29, 2014 by
The Buddha once said, “It is the sanctuary of nature’s silent places, with mindful attention, that the true liberation of the heart can be attained.” –The Buddha There many places on Earth where this statement has meaning. For example, the Tibetan monasteries in Tibet, Nepal, and Northern India all have the sanctuary of nature’s silent […]
Advice for Daily Practice
May 10, 2014 by
On Wednesday night, we had a wonderful gathering at Mindfulness in Healing. Our practice center is undergoing some changes because we are merging with another sangha in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, who we call Thay. We meet in this wonderful Chinese medical clinic, the Pine Street Clinic in San Anselmo. The […]
The Happiness of the Buddha
May 8, 2014 by
Today, we have words of wisdom from two respected teachers on the happiness of the Buddha. The first quote is from Ajahn Chah, the great Thai forest teacher of Theravada Buddhism who taught the likes of Jack Kornfield and inspired the formation of many practice centers all over the world. His reputation as a spiritual […]
Birth and Death
May 2, 2014 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, known as Thay by his followers, spends a lot of time talking about birth and death, being and not-being, and interbeing. The insight of interbeing is that nothing can exist by itself alone – everything has to inter-be with everything else. He also talks about no birth and no death. […]
Love Letter to Planet Earth
April 28, 2014 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a love letter to planet Earth. It is in the form of a book that is based on dharma talks he has given in Plum Village and other places. This book is an appeal to political and business leaders for ecological mindfulness and strengthening of our relationship to Mother […]
Wisdom and Compassion
April 26, 2014 by
Wisdom and compassion are the cornerstones of Buddha’s teachings. Wisdom includes the teaching of emptiness. Compassion includes the teaching of interbeing or interdependence and altruism based on the insight of interbeing. What do we mean by emptiness? When you say that something is empty, you must ask, “Empty of what?” Take that mug on the […]
Bells of Mindfulness
April 22, 2014 by
Today is Earth Day, and there is no one I know who is more committed to save Mother Earth than Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He uses the bells of mindfulness to try to wake us up and look deeply at the condition of Mother Earth. In recent years, we have had many mindfulness bells, […]
The End Of Suffering
April 19, 2014 by
As we move towards Easter Sunday, we witness the blossoming of spring and the warmer days of summer approaching. We prepare to celebrate Earth Day on April 22. We bring our love and compassion to Mother Earth and pray for the end of suffering. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh puts is so beautifully in this […]
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