A student asked Master Weizhen: “Why do we care for the bodyif everything is impermanent?” “He is like a mandala, ” said Weizhen.“We spend hours, days, sometimes even weekscreating an almost perfect mandala.But when it is finished,we offer it to the riverand let it dissolve.” The student was confused. “Why all this effortif it is destroyed?” The master replied: “Precisely because it passes,we care for it.This is the practice of life.” Then he continued: “This body is my manda

When Thich Nhat Hanh was still a young novice,one evening he was polishing the temple bell. The rain began — softly at first, then heavier. He listened as the drops fell on the roof, uneven yet harmonious in their rhythm. His hand moved in the same flow, his breath followed the sound. In that moment, everything merged —rain, sound, breath, movement. He no longer perceived any separation between himself and what was happening. There was only doing — and complete presence. Late

A student asked the Master: “Master, how can I know if my soul is at peace?” The Master lit a small lantern and placed it in the wind. The flame flickered, but he said nothing. After a while, the student spoke: “The flame trembles — perhaps my soul is the same.” The Master blew out the lantern.“And now?” he asked. The student was silent. The Master smiled: “When the path remains bright even without the light —then your soul is at rest.”