Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realise your ideal of compassion.
Nhat HanhRead
The Noble Eight-Fold Path is the path of living in awareness. Mindfulness is the foundation. By practicing mindfulness, you can develop concentration, which enables you to attain understanding. Thanks to right concentration, you realize right awareness, thoughts, speech, action, livelihood and effort. The understanding which develops can liberate you from every shackle of suffering and give birth to true peace and joy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of mindfulness as a foundation for enlightenment and liberation from suffering.
In this quote, Thich Nhat Hanh describes the Noble Eight-Fold Path as a holistic approach to living with awareness and mindfulness. He explains that mindfulness is crucial for developing concentration and understanding, which in turn allows individuals to cultivate right thoughts, speech, actions, and efforts. The ultimate goal of this practice is to liberate oneself from suffering and attain true peace and joy.
Themes
MindfulnessAwarenessConcentrationUnderstandingPeaceJoyPath
In practice
Example use cases
In a meditation retreat, I shared this quote to emphasize the importance of mindfulness in our daily practices.
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The therapist does not treat patients by simply giving them another set of beliefs. He or she tries to help them see which kinds of ideas and beliefs have led to their suffering. Many patients want to get rid of their painful feelings, but they do not want to get rid of their beliefs, the viewpoints that are the very roots of their feelings.
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Scientists tell us that we have enough technology to save our planet. . . . Yet we don't take advantage of this new technology. . . . The technological has to work hand-in-hand with the spiritual. Our spiritual life is the element that can bring about the energies of peace, calm, brotherhood, understanding, and compassion. Without that, our planet doesn't stand a chance.
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