Happy Monday, gents!
This week, several celebrities passed away, including the widely influential Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh (or Thay, meaning "teacher", as he was affectionately called). It would be hard to find an advocate of mindfulness today who hasn't been impacted, directly or indirectly, by his teachings.
Thay was a key figure in importing Buddhist practices and making them more accessible to people outside of Eastern culture and monastery walls. And like most things that have become normalized, the term "mindfulness" has become super popular. Diluted, even. So rather than type out our own take on the power and necessity of mindfulness, below are some quotes directly from the source.
Looking forward to seeing some of you tonight at our Monday circle!
P.S. A reminder that we will be hosting two new free virtual groups starting at the end of February: a women's circle (Mondays at 6:30pm) and an open, all gender circle (Thursdays at 8:00pm). Keep an eye on your inbox and socials for more details - and thank you in advance for your help in spreading the word!
And now, some wisdom from the late, great Thich Nhat Hanh:
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”
“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”
“The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.”
“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
“Our own life has to be our message.”
“When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.”