The Novice Quotes

“Listening to the bell I feel the afflictions in me begin to dissolve. My mind becomes calm, my body relaxed, and a smile is born on my lips. Following the sound of the bell, my breath guides me back to the safe island of mindfulness. In the garden of my heart, the flower of peace blooms beautifully.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, The Novice: A Timeless Buddhist Parable of Self-Discovery and Peace from Thich Nhat Hanh

“Thien Si did not know how to really live his life. He thought only of exams and of being a government official. He did not know how to appreciate the gift of living with his loved ones. To him, literature and academic studies were just a means to advance him in society and were not in themselves sources of happiness in life.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Novice: A Timeless Buddhist Parable of Self-Discovery and Peace from Thich Nhat Hanh

“People, it seemed, were always allowing jealousy, sadness, anger, and pride to determine their behavior. So much suffering was caused by misunderstandings and erroneous perceptions about one another.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Novice: A Timeless Buddhist Parable of Self-Discovery and Peace from Thich Nhat Hanh

“May the sound of this bell penetrate deeply into the cosmos. In even the darkest places, may living beings hear it clearly so that understanding comes to their hearts, and without much hardship, they transcend the cycle of birth and death. or:”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Novice: A Timeless Buddhist Parable of Self-Discovery and Peace from Thich Nhat Hanh