Bieu Huynh

“I laugh when I think how I once sought paradise as a realm outside of the world of birth and death. It is right in the world of birth and death that the miraculous truth is revealed.
-But this is not the laughter of someone who suddenly acquires a great fortune; neither is it the laughter of one who has won a victory. It is, rather, the laughter of one who; after having painfully searched for something for a long time, finds it one morning in the pocket of his coat. -Thich Nhat Hanh”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh

“When we talk about the theology of “God is dead,”
this means that the notion of God must be dead in order
for God to reveal himself as a reality. The theologians, if
they only use concepts, words, and not direct
experience, are not very helpful. The same goes for
nirvana, which is something to be touched and lived and
not discussed and described. We have notions that
distort truth, reality.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh

“When an enlightened person appears, the Way echoes like the majestic sound of the rising tide. When the tide rises, all false views are swept away.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha

“Because I exist, you exist. Because I exist, the pebbles and the distant clouds exist. If all of these don’t truly exist, how can I?
- The existence of a speck of dust makes everything else possible. If dust does not exist, neither does the universe, nor you, nor I.” I am happy to be on this earth.
--The river reflects everything in herself. Thanks to the river’s flow, the flux of life is possible. And death lies within life, because without death there could be no life. Let us welcome the flow. Let us welcome impermanence and non-self.
-- Thanks to impermanence and non-self, we have the beautiful world praised by Zen poets — the sheen of banana trees, the tall and perfumed areca trees reaching to the sun.
-- The earth is filled with dust. Our eyes are filled with dust. There is no need to seek a Pure Land somewhere else. We only need lift our heads and see the moon and the stars.
--The essential quality is awareness. If we open our eyes, we will see. I am sure that heaven has areca, starfruit, lime, and grapefruit trees.
-- I laugh when I think how I once sought paradise as a realm outside of the world of birth and death. It is right in the world of birth and death that the miraculous truth is revealed.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh