'When will we ever be happy?'
In fact, happiness is not a destination.
This is the path you are walking on

Thich Nhat Hanh kindly guides us
Right here, right now
The law of happiness that allows you to enjoy joy and peace!

“We believe that happiness and well-being are impossible here and now.
That belief is deeply ingrained in us. Isn't it true? We believe that to truly be happy, we must fulfill something we lack now, strive harder, and sacrifice today for a better tomorrow.
But Thich Nhat Hanh says that is not the case.
The past is already gone, and the future has not yet arrived.
The monk says that the path to true happiness is to fully experience the joy and peace of this present moment in which we live.


So how can we live "fully in the present moment"? Thich Nhat Hanh, who found the answer in mindfulness and meditation, says there's no need to go to a special place or make a great effort to meditate.
This book teaches meditation that can be practiced in every small, ordinary moment of everyday life.
It contains methods to discover present joy and happiness through mindfulness while breathing, walking, talking on the phone, preparing a meal in the kitchen, eating, drinking tea, and even when doing nothing.

Chapters 1 through 3 of the book cover how to find peace and happiness within yourself through the practice of mindfulness meditation, and from Chapter 4 onwards, it covers how to exist as a complete self and live with family, friends, and children through that process.
Throughout his life, Thich Nhat Hanh taught the concept of “interbeing,” emphasizing that all things in the world are connected and that none of us can exist alone.
The monk's teachings, written in a simple and friendly manner, will teach modern people, who live in a constantly rushed state, how to feel completely happy and connect with the world at their own pace.

The seed of mindfulness is within each of us, but we often forget to water it.
If we learn to make our breath and steps our refuge, we can touch the seeds of peace and joy and nurture them into even greater joy.

--- p.9

Walking meditation is simply walking for the sake of enjoying walking.
Not walking to get somewhere, that's the skill.
In Sanskrit, there is a word called apra?ihita (無願, wishless).
It means 'no hope' or 'no purpose', meaning that there is nothing in front of you and you do not pursue it.
When we do walking meditation, we walk with this spirit.

--- p.28

I wake up this morning and smile / A new 24 hours await me / I vow to live every moment faithfully / To look upon all living beings with eyes of mercy
--- p.35

Love is impossible without understanding.
To understand another person, you must know them, become their body, and feel them.
At such times, we can treat them with compassion.
The source of love is our fully awake heart.

--- p.36

Stopping running is a very important practice.
We've been running all our lives.
We believe that peace, happiness, and success exist in different places and times.
They don't realize that peace, happiness, stability, and everything else are to be found here and now.
This place, the intersection of now and here, is the address of life.

--- p.53

We are like a ship crossing the sea.
If a ship encounters a storm and everyone panics, the ship will capsize.
But if just one person can remain calm, others will be inspired to remain calm.
Then the ship will be filled with hope.
Who can remain calm in such a calamitous situation? Each of us.
We depend on each other.

--- p.57

Our lives should have meaning, and that meaning should help people experience less suffering and access the joys of life.
When we have compassion in our hearts and realize that we can help others suffer less, our lives begin to take on more meaning.

--- p.72

Caring for yourself is caring for the whole community.

--- p.86

The original meaning of 'to be' is 'to inter-be'.
Flowers depend on sunlight, clouds, and earth to exist.
We are too.
None of us can exist alone.
Interbeing is the Buddha's teaching that everything is created and constituted by everything else.

--- p.113

You must be able to tell yourself, “I am listening to the other person because I want to ease his or her pain.”
This is what is called listening with compassion, or attentiveness.

--- p.136

Strong emotions are like storms and can cause great damage.
(…) It is our practice to keep our body and mind safe from the storm.
With each passing storm, we become stronger and more resilient, and soon we no longer fear the storm.
We no longer pray for peaceful skies and calm seas.
Instead, we pray for wisdom and strength to deal with the challenges that arise in life.

--- p.139

It is not that things are impermanent and therefore suffer.
We suffer because we do not know that things are impermanent, even though they are.

--- p.142

Not being caught up in the past, not being swept up in the future or the crowd, always being present, body and mind united, aware of what is happening in the present moment—this is how we practice the ideal solitude defined by the Buddha.
Without the ability to be alone, we become poorer and poorer.
There is not enough food for oneself and not much to offer to others.

--- p.156

Living alone doesn't mean being cut off from other people.
Because I am lonely, I can connect with the world.
I feel connected to you because I am completely myself.

--- p.158

You think you're wasting time when you're doing nothing.
That's wrong.
Your time is, first and foremost, time for you to exist.
It is a time to be alive, peaceful, joyful and loving.
(…) We usually say this.
“Don’t just sit there, do something.” But if we turn that around, we can say, “Don’t do anything, just sit there.” Only then can peace, understanding, and compassion become possible.

--- p.163

Peace begins with me.
Reconciliation begins with me.
Healing also begins with me.

--- p.186

It is very difficult to feel happy if there is not enough space in your heart.
When you arrange flowers, you understand that flowers need space around them to radiate their beauty.
People need some space too.
If you love someone, one of the most precious things you can give them is space.
(…) Imagine the moon sailing across the sky.
The moon has a lot of space around it, and that's part of its beauty.
Many of the Buddha's disciples depicted him as a full moon sailing across an empty sky.
--- p.223~224

All the practices introduced in this book share a common underlying purpose.
It is about sending the mind back into the body, creating our true being, becoming vividly alive, and allowing everything to occur in the light of mindfulness.
Each practice is very simple.
(…) But this very simple practice can help us get in touch with our true nature, which is without birth or death or separation.

--- p.243