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- As practitioners, we know very well that without a sangha, we cannot go far. The sangha is our body and we are like the cells of the same organism (or drops of water in the same river). When we walk, we walk as one. When we sit, we sit as one. We practice collectively and move forward on our spiritual path as one body of water.
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- The lotus cannot be there without the mud. Likewise, happiness cannot be there without suffering. Looking deeply into our suffering, we gain an understanding of it, which enables happiness to have a chance to blossom. Thus, the lotus does not have to reject the mud, and the beauty of the lotus actually gives value to the mud.
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- Just breathing and becoming aware that we are still alive can bring us great happiness. When we breathe mindfully, we reclaim our territory of body and mind and we encounter life in the present moment.
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- When we smile, our facial muscles and our whole body relax. Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I relax. Breathing in, I know you are there. Breathing out, I smile. A genuine smile is the mark of acceptance and love. It is a message of peace and happiness that we can offer to ourselves and to everyone around us.
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- It has multiple significance: 1) Emptiness, 2) Full of the cosmo, 3) Space, 4) Everything inter-is.
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- Thay writing calligraphy at his hermitage in the south of France. Copyright © UBC, Inc.
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- Thay giving a talk in Plum Village, France in 2009. Photo by Hanspeter Liniger Copyright © UBC, Inc.
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- Thay and the Plum Village monastic at UCI Public talk, 2004 Photo by mCosturos Copyright © UBC, Inc.
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- Thay and the Plum Village monastic at a public peace walk in Paris, 2007. Copyright © UBC, Inc.
