Phyllis L. Thompson
  • Home
  • Writing
    • "Everything Moves"
    • "Paradox"
    • Publications and Grants
  • Teaching
    • "Betsy's Invitation"
    • "Cheating or Cooperation?"
    • Workshops and Lectures
  • Performing
    • Collaborations
    • "10 Minutes in Deep Space"
    • Tai Yi Yo Long Gongfu
    • "Empty / Full"
    • Dramatic Readings and Awards
  • Contact me
  • Explorations
  • Academic Experience
  • Explorations archive

2B. Thich Nhat Hanh on being peace

11/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk now based in Plum Village, France. Both in Vietnam and around the world he has seen great suffering, and still he finds ways to feel peaceful in the present.

​"Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time.
 
"If we are not happy, if we are not peaceful, we cannot share peace and happiness with others, even those we love. If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. . . . Wherever we are, any time, we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine, the presence of each other, even the sensation of our breathing. We don't need to go to China to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to travel into the future to enjoy our breathing. We can be in touch with these things right now. It would be a pity if we were only aware of suffering.
 
"If a child smiles, if an adult smiles, that is very important. If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work."
​
pp. 3-5 in Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh
(Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press, 1987, 1996)


What do you think about the idea that we can be peaceful
and smiling at the same time we are aware of suffering?
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    As a reader, I like essays and novels that are informed by ideas. Annie Dillard. Michael Ondaatje. I am hoping here to join others who feel the same. I look forward to thoughtful conversations!

    Archives

    October 2020
    June 2020
    August 2019
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017

    Categories

    All
    Between Sea & Sky
    Creativity
    Nature
    Peace
    Spirit

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Writing
    • "Everything Moves"
    • "Paradox"
    • Publications and Grants
  • Teaching
    • "Betsy's Invitation"
    • "Cheating or Cooperation?"
    • Workshops and Lectures
  • Performing
    • Collaborations
    • "10 Minutes in Deep Space"
    • Tai Yi Yo Long Gongfu
    • "Empty / Full"
    • Dramatic Readings and Awards
  • Contact me
  • Explorations
  • Academic Experience
  • Explorations archive