Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced “tik not hahn”) is referred to as the most beloved Buddhist teacher in the west. Thich Nhat Hanh was born in central Vietnam in 1926 and joined the monkhood at the age of 16. His teachings and practices appeal to people from various religious, spiritual and political backgrounds. He offers a practice of “mindfulness” that is beneficial for people of all faiths, by helping us resist and transform the speed and violence of our modern society.

Peace Meditation

By THICH NHAT HANH

As we are together, praying for peace, let us be truly with each other.
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Let us be at peace with our bodies and our minds.
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Let us maintain a half-smile on our faces.
Let us be aware of the source of being common to us all and to all
living things.
Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion, let us fill our
hearts with our own compassion – towards ourselves and
towards all living beings.
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all brothers
and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to
each other.
Let us plead with ourselves to live in a way which will not deprive
other beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live.
With humility, with awareness of the existence of life, and of the
sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the
establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.

Amen

Recorded peace meditation:

Words of Thick Nhat Hanh with permission of Parallax Press, www.Parallax.org. (All words of Thich Nhat Hanh are copyrighted to his organization, of which Parallax Press is the publishing arm).
Recorded by Ursula Pottinga.