Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, considered the father of mindfulness in the west, passed on last week, on 22nd January 2022.

He was someone that didn’t just talk about mindfulness - he lived it every moment of his life. I had the fortune to hear him give talks in France and England, and each time I could feel the energy of mindfulness pass on from him to myself and all those around me. It was incredibly moving.

Here are five amazing quotes from Thay (a short version of his name that is often used).

Taking time to reflect on each of these quotes is a meditation in itself.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet

Meditation isn’t the only way to be mindful. You can be more mindful whilst walking too. One way to do that is to be aware of your feet as they touch the floor. But real mindfulness brings kindness into it too. In this quote, Thay emphasises to walk in a loving way, so that both you and the earth heal together.

When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.

This is a message of peace. When someone hurts us, the immediate reaction of many of us is to either hurt them back, or run away. Fight or flight is in operation. Thay reminds us of the wisdom and power of understanding. Rather than immediately reacting with punishment, you can see this situation in another way. It’s radically different to how many people see the situation, but one that I find very inspiring and hopeful.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Just reading this quote makes me smile! The cool fact about this quote is that it’s been shown to be true in experiments too. When we smile, and our smile muscles are engaged, it makes us feel better. It can even be a tiny smile - what I playfully call the 1% smile. I invite you to try it now for a minute and let me know if it works for you. We do it regularly in our daily mindfulness club!

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

Most people don’t realise that the heart of mindfulness is not calmness or relaxation - the heart of mindfulness is acceptace. A kind and loving acceptance of our current thoughts, feelings and sensations. And beyond that, mindfulness teaches us to accept ourselves. Not because we are perfect, but because we are imperfect.

By accepting and embracing our imperfections, we accept the imperfections of others too. Eventually, we realise everything is imperfect and that imperfection is what makes everything beautiful. Don’t believe me? Just look at any tree and you’ll find both imperfections and beauty in that imperfection. Thay invites us to see ourselves in that same way too.

Thank you Thich Nhat Hanh for your service to humanity. Your teachings live on in each of us, each time we take a mindful breath or take a conscious step and kiss the earth with our feet. Rest in peace.

If you’d like a more extensive list of quotes on mindfulness, visit our mindfulness quotes page.