[T]he flower is made of non-flower elements. We can describe the flower as being full of everything. There is nothing that is not present in the flower. We see sunshine, we see the rain, we see clouds, we see the earth, and we also see time and space in the flower. A flower, like everything else, is made entirely of non-flower elements. The whole cosmos has come together in order to help the flower manifest herself, The flower is full of everything except one thing: a separate self, a separate identity. The flower cannot be by herself alone. The flower has to inter-be with the sunshine, the cloud and everything in the cosmos. If we understand being in terms of inter-being, then we are much closer to the truth. Inter-being is not being and it is not non-being. Inter-being means being empty of a separate identity, empty of a separate self, . Thich Nhat Hanh
Some Similar Quotes
  1. Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow. - Catherynne M. Valente

  2. Baseless victimhood is usually the last stage before outright aggression. - Stefan Molyneux

  3. We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got this from our parents. Carried... - Thich Nhat Hanh

  4. The present is all we have, yet it is the one thing we will never learn to hold in our hands. - Madeleine Thien

  5. Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality. - Robin S. Sharma

More Quotes By Thich Nhat Hanh
  1. Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be...

  2. If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love.

  3. Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

  4. Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

  5. Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We...

Related Topics