thich nhat hanh book peace is every step

…If you are mindful in the morning and try to nourish mindfulness throughout the day, you may be able to come home at the end of the day with a smile, which proves that mindfulness is still there.” When anger is born in us, we can be aware that anger is an energy in us, and we can accept that energy in order to transform it into another kind of energy. To suppress or chase it away is to suppress or chase away our self. …When we are angry, our anger is our very self. Breathing out, I know that I am my anger.” If we follow our breathing closely while we identify and mindfully observe our anger, it can no longer monopolize our consciousness. We can say to ourselves, “Breathing in, I know that anger is in me. When our anger is placed under the lamp of mindfulness, it immediately begins to lose some of its destructive nature. The absence of anger is the basis of real happiness, the basis of love and compassion. A mind without anger is cool, fresh, and sane. Anger and hatred are the materials from which hell is made. When someone is angry, we can see clearly that he or she is abiding in hell. It is like a blazing flame that burns up our self-control and causes us to say and do things we regret later. We have to transcend the tendency to take sides.

We cannot just blame one side or the other.

We have to look deeply into the situation, and we will see the roots of war. “The roots of war are in the way we live our daily lives–the way we develop our industries, build up our society, and consume goods. Nhất Hạnh at Phu Bai International Airport on his 2007 trip to Vietnam (aged 80) Wikipedia

Thich nhat hanh book peace is every step