In the Mindfulness of Breathing text, the Buddha proposes 16 exercises on the subject. It’s very practical, and everyone can do it. It’s not complicated and the effect of the practice is noticeable after just an hour or two. These are the first four exercises of mindful breathing recommended by the Buddha so that we […]
Visualize a physician who has to meet many sick people. He may say, “How can I enjoy my health if many people around me are sick?” And if the doctor himself is sick, there is no hope for anyone. Therefore, the duty of a doctor is to keep himself healthy, so that he can help […]
In this short teaching, which is available on the Plum Village App, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the wisdom of nondiscrimination, and three complexes which cause much suffering: the superiority complex, the inferiority complex, and the equality complex. This is an excerpt from a Dharma Talk from 2004. [This transcript has been edited […]
During question-and-answer sessions at retreats in 2013 and 2014, Thay was asked about forgiveness: whether we ought to forgive everything, and how to practice compassion towards those that harm us or those dear to us. Below are his answers. [This transcript has been edited for readability.] How to forgive everything All of us are unskillful […]
Love Letter to the Earth was first published in 2013 by Parallax Press, and is one of Thay’s works most relevant to these trying times for us and the Earth. In it, Thay calls for a “spiritual revolution” driven by love as the best way to confront the environmental challenges that face us, since “real […]
During a question-and-answer session at a 2012 retreat in the UK, Thay was asked, “What is this consciousness, this mind? Is it just a part of my physical body? Or is it something else? What is it and where does it come from?” Below is Thay’s answer. [This transcript has been edited for readability.] In […]
