Doors to Happiness

“There are many doors to happiness. 
If you open all of them,

then happiness has many ways to come to you. 

But if the situation is that you

have closed all the doors except one,

then that is why happiness cannot come. 

Perhaps happiness can’t come

through that one door. 

So don’t close any of the doors. 

Open all the doors. 

Don’t commit yourself

to just one idea of happiness. 

Remove the idea of happiness that you have,

and then happiness can come …”

“If a piece of driftwood is stuck on the side of the river,

then it stops. 

It can’t continue and will not reach the ocean. 

It doesn’t matter on which side of the river

you are stuck, you’re still stuck. 

Moving through the center,

not attached to any shore, 
is … taking the middle way.”

“Each one of us is sovereign over the territory

of our own being and the five elements we are made: 

form (body), feelings, perceptions,

mental formations and consciousness. 

Our practice is to look deeply into these five elements

 and discover the true nature of our being –

the true nature of our suffering, our happiness,

our peace and our fearlessness. 

But most of us have run away from our own territory

and allowed conflicts and disorder to arise …”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

“Fidelity”