I don't think there will ever be a Thich Nhat Hanh writing/book that I don't enjoy or annotate wildly. Amazing to read this knowing he will be approaching his 95th birthday in a few weeks this October. Loved the reflections on mindfulness and on death and humanity.

Too many to quote even half of what I enjoyed, but here are some of my favorites:

Humanity has given rise to many talented artists, musicians, and architects, but how many of us have mastered the art of creating a happy moment—for ourselves and those around us?

In this very moment all of us are dying. Some of us are dying more slowly and some of us more quickly. If we can be alive now, it is because we’re dying at every moment. We might think that someone else is dying and we’re not. But we shouldn’t be fooled by appearances.

We cannot assert that after death there is nothing. Something can never become nothing. The cloud that was in the sky earlier may seem to have disappeared. But if we look deeply, we see that the same elements that made up the cloud have now become rain, mist, or even snow. The true nature of the cloud, H²O, is still there, existing in new forms. It is impossible for H²O to pass from something into nothing, from being into nonbeing.

No one else can create happiness for us; we have to create it ourselves. With mindfulness and gratitude we can be happy right away. Our idea of happiness may be the very obstacle standing in the way of our happiness.

How long do you have left to live? What is so important that you let it get in the way of your chance to live deeply and happily? When you get your priorities straight, you can let go of the restlessness, frustration, anxiety, and resentment you’ve been carrying.

We should not be afraid of suffering. We should be afraid of only one thing, and that is not knowing how to deal with our suffering. Handling our suffering is an art. If we know how to suffer, we suffer much less, and we’re no longer afraid of being overwhelmed by the suffering inside.

We have to remove the pressures that society puts on us. We have to resist. Simply our way of walking from the parking lot to our office is a way of reacting: “I refuse to run. I resist. I will not lose a single moment or a single step. I reclaim my freedom, peace, and joy with every step. This is my life, and I want to live it deeply.”

I've been reading his books these last several months and so far I think this one was my favorite. And if you're going to listen to them like I do you will love Edoardo Ballerini's voice!

Interesting musings of life, death, transformation, mindfulness.

The 5 rememberences:
- 'I am of the nature to grow old'
- 'I am of the nature to have ill health'
- 'I am of the nature to die'
- 'all that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.'
- 'my actions are my only true belongings.'

Quotes:
- "handling our suffering is an art."
- "If we don't experience suffering, how can we ever generate understanding and compassion?  Compassion is born from understanding suffering, and without understanding and compassion, we cannot be a happy person....we cannot create happiness in a place without suffering.... lotuses cannot grow on marble."
- " Breathing in, I see all my ancestors in me: my mineral ancestors, plant ancestors, mammal ancestors, and human ancestors. My ancestors are always present, alive in every cell of my body, and I play a part in their immortality."