Thich Nhat Hanh, peace activist, meditation teacher, one of the world's foremost Zen masters, and ally of Dr. Martin Luther King, died on Saturday at his home in the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam, at the age of 95.

 

Thich Nhat Hanh had a powerful influence in teaching mindfulness everywhere. Many of Ross School's core values resonate strongly with his teachings. He emphasized practices that support being well and how, if we take care to know ourselves, we can be better caretakers of our world.

 

"We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal."

 

"We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we'll also have a lot more joy in living."

 

"To meditate means to go home to yourself. Then you know how to take care of the things that are happening inside you, and you know how to take care of the things that happen around you."

 

Here is a short talk by Thich Nhat Hanh about taking time to nourish ourselves: Living Without Stress or Fear.