My Master's Robe Quotes

“The peaceful life of the monastery, where true brotherhood was possible, was a small oasis in the midst of the suffering of war.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“Merit or fortune is created by the individual; it does not come about by accident or chance.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“The task of reforming Buddhism demands a revolution in the teachings and the regulations of the Buddhist institutes. When the training can form a sufficient number of good students, then there can be a real reform of Buddhism. We have no choice but to bring Buddhism back into everyday life. War has waged disaster. Separation and hatred has reached a high degree. There are so many agonizing cries of death, hunger, and imprisonment. How can anyone feel peace of mind by dwelling undisturbed in a monastery?”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“Although there may be ten thousand different forms of the Buddhist teachings, the different schools and different systems are merely different faces of the one reality.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“When living in an era where there is no Buddha, taking care of one's parents is as virtuous and meritorious as taking care of the Buddha.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“To practice as monks is to train ourselves in mindfulness and awakening, to first free ourselves from suffering and then to help others do the same.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“Those who do not share the concerns of the Sangha cannot be a part of the Sangha.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“The practice community is not a refuge for souls saddened by disappointment.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“If a person is disappointed and weary of life, it means a strong will is lacking. And if there is no strong will, how is it possible to live the life of someone who needs to practice perseverance and perhaps endure some hardship?”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“Of course you did not practice sitting meditation all day when you entered the temple. For months and sometimes years you had to take care of the cows, collect dry twigs and leaves, carry water, pound rice, and collect wood for the fire. Every time my mother came to visit from our village, which was far away, she would regard these things as being the challenges of the first stage of practice. At first my mother was concerned for my health, but as I grew healthier, she stopped worrying about me. As for me, I knew that these were not challenges — they were themselves the practice. If you enter this life you will see for yourself. If there was no taking care of the cows, no collecting of twigs and leaves, no carrying water, no growing potatoes, then there would no means for the practice of meditation.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“We all worked, but we didn't work all day. There was time for us to study the sutras, practice writing, listen to the teachings given by our teacher, chant, and meditate. Most important was meditation. My teacher taught that meditation was the door to understanding, and the career of monks and nuns.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“My temple followed the Zen tradition; therefore every one of us from the highest monk to the newest member equally followed the principle of "no work, no food.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk

“Soldiers fear the frontier post, monks fear the Surangama Dharani!”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk