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.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

You who are journalists, writers, citizens, you have the right and duty to say to those you have elected that they must practice mindfulness, calm and deep listening, and loving speech. This is a universal thing, taught by all religions.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Relief, Peace, well-being, joy and better relations with others will be possible if we practice mndfulness in our everyday life. I am convinced that everybody can practice mindfulness, even politicians, political parties, even the Congress. This is a body that holds the responsibility for knowing the nation's situation well, and knowledge of this kind requires the practice of looking deeply. If our elected officials are not calm enough, do not have enough concentration, how can they see things deeply?
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace. It is not by going out for a demonstration against nuclear missiles that we can bring about peace. It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being peace that we can make peace.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

The terms Sunyata (or Shunyata), void and emptiness are synonyms in Buddhist philosophy. They are ways of expressing the sense that all we see, feel and observe is relative, in fact non-essential and not self-sustaining. This insight is called prajna paramita. To find the essential, that is the challenge that Tibetan Buddhism offers us. One clue can be given: compassion, insight and calmness in the mind are part of the essence of things.

"Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh

"No single tradition monopolizes the truth. We must glean the best values of all traditions and work together to remove the tensions between traditions in order to give peace a chance. We need to join together and look deeply for ways to help people get re-rooted. We need to propose the best physical, mental, and spiritual health plan for our nation and for the earth. For a future to be possible, I urge you to study and practice the best values of your religious tradition and to share them with young people in ways they can understand. If we meditate together as a family, a community, a city, and a nation, we will be able to identify the causes of our suffering and find ways out. . . . For us to achieve results, our enlightenment has to be collective."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.
~Buddha

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
~Buddha

The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings.
~Buddha

May all that have life be delivered from suffering. ~ Buddha

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. ~ Buddha

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills. ~ Buddha

Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. ~ Buddha

To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
~Buddha

All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain? ~ Buddha

Seek refuge in the Three Gems - Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

The Five Precepts

For the purpose of training I vow to refrain from taking life
For the purpose of training I vow to refrain from taking what is not given
For the purpose of training I vow to refrain from sexual misconduct
For the purpose of training I vow to refrain from false speech
For the purpose of training I vow to refrain from intoxicants which lead to carelessness
These Five Precepts are a vehicle of happiness, a vehicle of good fortune, a vehicle for liberation. Let our virtue therefore be purified and shine forth.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship ~ Buddha

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else ~ Buddha

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.

However many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them? - Buddha

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense -- Buddha

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him - Buddha

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves -- Buddha

All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain? - Buddha

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. Buddha

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker - Buddha

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it. Buddha

Drink deeply, live in serenity and joy, the wise person delights in the truth, and follows the law of the awakened. The farmer channels water to his land, the fletcher whittles his arrows, and the carpenter turns his wood. So the wise directs their mind - Buddha

The Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Sakya tribe of Nepal, in approximately 566 BC. When he was twentynine years old, he left the comforts of his home to seek the meaning of the suffering he saw around him. After six years of arduous yogic training, he abandoned the way of self-mortification and instead sat in mindful meditation beneath a bodhi tree.

On the full moon of May, with the rising of the morning star, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, the enlightened one.

The Buddha wandered the plains of northeastern India for 45 years more, teaching the path or Dharma he had realized in that moment. Around him developed a community or Sangha of monks and, later, nuns, drawn from every tribe and caste, devoted to practicing this path. In approximately 486 BC, at the age of 80, the Buddha died. His last words are said to be...
Impermanent are all created things;
Strive on with awareness.

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

- Buddha

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
- The Buddha

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

- Buddha

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
- Buddha

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
~ Buddha

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
~ Buddha

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
~ Buddha

Greetings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama

to Buddhist Women

From a message sent by His Holiness to the fourth International Conference of Buddhist Women, held in Ladakh, August 1995. (Reprinted from Sakyadita, the magazine of the International Association of Buddhist Women, Spring, 1996.)

Converting other people to Buddhism is not my concern. I am interested in how we Buddhists can contribute to human society. The Buddha gave us an example of contentment and tolerance, through serving others unselfishly. I believe that his teaching and example can still contribute to global peace and individual happiness.

The Buddha was born an ordinary person like ourselves. But after observing the suffering of human beings, that they grow old, fall sick and die, he totally renounced the worldly way of life in his determination to find a solution. Having undertaken severe physical penances, he purified and illumined his mind through intense meditation and attained supreme enlightenment. He showed that purifying the mind is not easy. It takes a lot of time and hard work. But this is also true of any human enterprise. You need tremendous will-power and determination right from the start, accepting that there will be many obstacles, and resolving that despite them all you will continue until you have attained your goal.

Moved by a spontaneous concern to help others, the Buddha spent the rest of his life as a homeless monk, sharing his experience with everyone who wished to listen. Both the view of dependent arising and his advice not to harm anyone, but to help whoever you can, emphasize the practice of nonviolence. This remains one of the most potent forces for good in the world today, for nonviolence means to be of service to our fellow beings.

It is the nature of human beings to yearn for freedom, equality and dignity. If we accept that others have a right to peace and happiness equal to our own, do we not have a responsibility to help those in need? All human beings, whatever their cultural or historical background, suffer when they are intimidated, imprisoned, tortured or discriminated against. The question of human rights is so fundamentally important that there should be no difference of views on this.

Our rich diversity of cultures and tradition should help to strengthen fundamental human rights in all communities. Mere tradition can never justify violations of human rights. Thus, discrimination against persons of a different race, against women, and against weaker sections of society may be traditional in some places, but because they are inconsistent with universally recognized human rights, these forms of behaviour should change. The universal principle of the equality of all human beings must take precedence.

Whenever Buddhism has taken root in a new land there has always been a certain variation in the style in which it is observed. This evolves over time. The Buddha himself taught different things according to the place, the occasion and the situation of those who were listening to him. What distinguishes the contemporary situation is that almost the entire array of Buddhist traditions that evolved in different lands are now accessible to anyone who is interested. Especially heartening is that Buddhist women are casting off traditional and outmoded restraints and dedicating themselves to implementing and promoting Buddhist practice.

Peaceful living is about trusting those on whom we depend and caring for those who depend on us. Even if only a few individuals try to create mental peace and happiness within themselves and act responsibly and kind-heartedly towards others, they will have a positive influence in their community. As well as being equally capable, women have an equal responsibility to do this.

Remembering the kind influence of my own mother, I pray that women working for inner peace and, through that, peace in the world, may be blessed with success.

Quotes from The Dalai Lama
Happiness:
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
Kindness:
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
Helping:
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
Appreciation:
The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.
Kindness:
The various features and aspects of human life, such as longevity, good health, success, happiness, and so forth, which we consider desirable, are all dependent on kindness and a good heart.
Religion:
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
~ Buddha

Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.
~ Buddha

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

- The Buddha

The basic sources of happiness are a good heart, compassion, and love. If we have these mental attitudes, even if we are surrounded by hostility, we feel little disturbance. On the other hand, if we lack compassion and our mental state is filled with anger or hatred we will not have peace.

-His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Fill Your Heart With Compassion

- the Buddha