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La paz está en tu interior. Prácticas diarias de mindfulness
En sus viajes por su país y el mundo, el maestro zen y Thich Nhat Hanh observó una creciente infelicidad entre las personas que iba conociendo. El ritmo desenfrenado de nuestras vidas cotidianas erosiona nuestra salud y bienestar. En respuesta, el célebre maestro se sentó a escribir La paz está en tu interior, un libro que hace accesibles a todos las enseñanzas esenciales del Buda. Thich Nhat Hanh nos muestra cómo podemos trascender la prisa febril de nuestros días y descubrir en el aquí y el ahora nuestra capacidad innata de experimentar la paz y felicidad interior
Con la caligrafía original de Thich Nhat Hanh, La paz está en tu interior es un libro oportuno, lleno de sabiduría atemporal y consejos prácticos.
Con la caligrafía original de Thich Nhat Hanh, La paz está en tu interior es un libro oportuno, lleno de sabiduría atemporal y consejos prácticos.
141 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
2363 people are currently reading
78995 people want to read
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh
982 books12.9k followersThích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who then lived in southwest France where he was in exile for many years. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He was often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,695 reviews
April 24, 2025
One spectacular autumn day about twenty years ago, my wife and I departed from the awesome Saguenay valley for the long trip back to Ontario, by Greyhound coach.
We had been visiting my mother-in-law, who was then living in a seniors’ home. I remember well that my brother-in-law had made the faux pas of dropping us off at the city bus depot instead of the Greyhound stop.
Boy, did we have to scramble...
But we made it with time to spare!
Once seated in that high coach, as we went our long, fascinated way through that spectacular region of the Canadian Shield, a line of Mallarme came to me, as we passed beneath the endless ranks of towering evergreens:
“Already it is the Home of all our True Groves!”
You see, this primitive splendour was much like the Heaven of C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, for Peace had descended over me like a sudden benediction.
And it stuck around that day.
And this book, too, is all about finding Peace.
A peace that’s so deucedly difficult to find in this harried, mixed-up world of ours. Yes, that faraway lucky day I found it - and you can too!
So thank you, my dear and gentle friend from over on the other, war-torn side of the twentieth century world...
Only today have I remembered how I savoured your hopeful words in this book so many years ago.
But with those wonderful memories there springs up the bitter taste of the hard and unforgiving workaday world I daily inhabited at that time.
And as the noise of that world rose to a deafening crescendo, I turned - and this will sound strange to your saintly ears - to the comfort of an old-fashioned duality, in my former traditional faith.
That will sound ominous to someone like you, in your nondual and nonjudgemental world!
But I was getting old and cranky, and I saw that the very real harm that people were doing to each other was growing, not shrinking.
You see, my quiet friend, there seemed no recourse for me to combat Evil other than with the Goodness of God. As plainly and obviously as I could - with all my heart AND mind!
And your views were too gently vague for that.
You see, ours is such an hard, ironclad world, and this world WINKS at Evil.
Yet I offer to you today my heartfelt thanks for showing me the beginnings of the Way of the Spirit...
Please know that, now that I am an old man, we aged somewhat similarly. My feeble muscles mimic your peaceful gestures, and my illusions, like yours, have all but disappeared.
And now you have gone, and I can look a bit further along in my life, and see the quiet radiance of Eternity not much farther ahead of me!
It has been a long road.
And it was worth it, though for you it came after the simple stubbornness of lifelong forbearance, humility and service. But for undisciplined me, it comes now after a hard lifelong struggle to do the right thing in a mixed-up world.
It was - yes, you’re right - a struggle against myself!
But nature and God have done their work, and have nearly worn out my self out in spite of myself. But I have yet to learn to listen at all times to that still, quiet voice within.
So go in peace, my friend.
You did your work well.
You gave the world - and me - the Hope of Peace in place of the world’s Endless Violent Rage.
We had been visiting my mother-in-law, who was then living in a seniors’ home. I remember well that my brother-in-law had made the faux pas of dropping us off at the city bus depot instead of the Greyhound stop.
Boy, did we have to scramble...
But we made it with time to spare!
Once seated in that high coach, as we went our long, fascinated way through that spectacular region of the Canadian Shield, a line of Mallarme came to me, as we passed beneath the endless ranks of towering evergreens:
“Already it is the Home of all our True Groves!”
You see, this primitive splendour was much like the Heaven of C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, for Peace had descended over me like a sudden benediction.
And it stuck around that day.
And this book, too, is all about finding Peace.
A peace that’s so deucedly difficult to find in this harried, mixed-up world of ours. Yes, that faraway lucky day I found it - and you can too!
So thank you, my dear and gentle friend from over on the other, war-torn side of the twentieth century world...
Only today have I remembered how I savoured your hopeful words in this book so many years ago.
But with those wonderful memories there springs up the bitter taste of the hard and unforgiving workaday world I daily inhabited at that time.
And as the noise of that world rose to a deafening crescendo, I turned - and this will sound strange to your saintly ears - to the comfort of an old-fashioned duality, in my former traditional faith.
That will sound ominous to someone like you, in your nondual and nonjudgemental world!
But I was getting old and cranky, and I saw that the very real harm that people were doing to each other was growing, not shrinking.
You see, my quiet friend, there seemed no recourse for me to combat Evil other than with the Goodness of God. As plainly and obviously as I could - with all my heart AND mind!
And your views were too gently vague for that.
You see, ours is such an hard, ironclad world, and this world WINKS at Evil.
Yet I offer to you today my heartfelt thanks for showing me the beginnings of the Way of the Spirit...
Please know that, now that I am an old man, we aged somewhat similarly. My feeble muscles mimic your peaceful gestures, and my illusions, like yours, have all but disappeared.
And now you have gone, and I can look a bit further along in my life, and see the quiet radiance of Eternity not much farther ahead of me!
It has been a long road.
And it was worth it, though for you it came after the simple stubbornness of lifelong forbearance, humility and service. But for undisciplined me, it comes now after a hard lifelong struggle to do the right thing in a mixed-up world.
It was - yes, you’re right - a struggle against myself!
But nature and God have done their work, and have nearly worn out my self out in spite of myself. But I have yet to learn to listen at all times to that still, quiet voice within.
So go in peace, my friend.
You did your work well.
You gave the world - and me - the Hope of Peace in place of the world’s Endless Violent Rage.
September 9, 2007
I first read this book in college, when my friend Maran told me it was her favorite book ever. It's a little book, and I finished it quickly, and while I really liked it, not much of it stuck with me. It wasn't until I read it again that I realized how genius it really is. I'm never going to be a Buddhist monk, or even a proper Buddhist, but Thich Nhat Hanh talks about slowing down, connecting with the moment, and how to deal with stress and negative emotions in such a loving, gentle way that it feels like anyone could do it.
September 23, 2012
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Thich Nhat Hanh is a man who has lived his principles. Exiled from his native Vietnam for his active engagement in the peace movement as a Buddhist monk, he has lived in exile in France for years. He has an extraordinary bibliography of spiritual writing, from slim books to guide meditation to a length biography of the Buddha.
I am not certain he would thank me for providing that short biography. I think he would have preferred for me to start with a focus on the breath, on a gentle step, on the clear sound of a bell, on a dahlia waving in breeze, on an oak tree's cool shade.
I started to read his writings because of my efforts to employ mindfulness meditation to deal with anxiety and fear. I took a course based on Jon Kabat-Zinn's UMass program described in Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. For a while, like so many others, I was struggling with anxiety -- shortness of breath, catastrophic thinking, heart palpitations, the full gamut of fight or flight reactions. Mindfulness meditation helped me to slow down, to focus on the present, to sit with fear until it left of its own accord.
However, out of the structure of a weekly class, it can be extremely difficult to keep up the practice. It is all to easy to let life interfere. So, earlier this week I picked up Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life and started to read it throughout the week. And as i hoped, it helped me to tap into that center of calm when I most needed to do so.
The volume is divided into three sections: "Breathe! You Are Alive," which presents mindfulness principles in the context of everyday life in the West; "Transformation and Healing," which drew my attention in this reading for Thich Nhat Hanh's gentle and insightful discussion of how to best deal with destructive emotions through meditation; and "Peace is Every Step," in which he provides an overview of how we can all approach peace work with help from meditation.
This is an excellent book for novice meditators. It is not written with an assumption that the reader is a practicing Buddhist or has practiced much meditation. The chapters are very short, often just a page or two, so they can be read as devotional texts anchoring the reader in her day. And his tone throughout is gentle and encouraging, even as Thich Nhat Hanh addresses some difficult topics:
"Mindful observation is based on the principle of 'non-duality': our feeling is not separate from us or caused merely by something outside us; our feeling is us, and for that moment, we are that feeling. We are neither drowned nor terrorized by the feeling, nor do we reject it. Our attitude of not clinging to or rejecting our feelings is the attitude of letting go, an important part of meditation practice." (62)
"Our conscious, reasoning mind knows that negative feelings such as anger, fear, & regret are not wholly acceptable to ourselves or society, so it finds ways to repress them, to push them into remote areas of our consciousness in order to forget them. Because we want to avoid suffering, we create defense mechanisms that deny the existence of these negative feelings & give us the impression we have peace within ourselves. But our internal formations are always looking for ways to manifest as destructive images, feelings, thoughts, words, or behavior." (78)
Thich Nhat Hanh also provides some humorous passages:
"Some of us may prefer to go into our room, lock the door, and punch a pillow. We call this 'getting in touch with our anger." But I don't think this is getting in touch with our anger at all. In fact, I don't think it is even getting in touch with our pillow. If we are really in touch with the pillow, we know what a pillow is and we won't hit it." (71)
In the end, this is a book that acknowledges the many challenges and sorrows in life, but draws our attention to the power of the present, the everyday, the real, in the midst of the phantoms of yesterday and tomorrow that plague us. This is a book that is diffused with hope, compassion and love:
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
Thich Nhat Hanh is a man who has lived his principles. Exiled from his native Vietnam for his active engagement in the peace movement as a Buddhist monk, he has lived in exile in France for years. He has an extraordinary bibliography of spiritual writing, from slim books to guide meditation to a length biography of the Buddha.
I am not certain he would thank me for providing that short biography. I think he would have preferred for me to start with a focus on the breath, on a gentle step, on the clear sound of a bell, on a dahlia waving in breeze, on an oak tree's cool shade.
I started to read his writings because of my efforts to employ mindfulness meditation to deal with anxiety and fear. I took a course based on Jon Kabat-Zinn's UMass program described in Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. For a while, like so many others, I was struggling with anxiety -- shortness of breath, catastrophic thinking, heart palpitations, the full gamut of fight or flight reactions. Mindfulness meditation helped me to slow down, to focus on the present, to sit with fear until it left of its own accord.
However, out of the structure of a weekly class, it can be extremely difficult to keep up the practice. It is all to easy to let life interfere. So, earlier this week I picked up Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life and started to read it throughout the week. And as i hoped, it helped me to tap into that center of calm when I most needed to do so.
The volume is divided into three sections: "Breathe! You Are Alive," which presents mindfulness principles in the context of everyday life in the West; "Transformation and Healing," which drew my attention in this reading for Thich Nhat Hanh's gentle and insightful discussion of how to best deal with destructive emotions through meditation; and "Peace is Every Step," in which he provides an overview of how we can all approach peace work with help from meditation.
This is an excellent book for novice meditators. It is not written with an assumption that the reader is a practicing Buddhist or has practiced much meditation. The chapters are very short, often just a page or two, so they can be read as devotional texts anchoring the reader in her day. And his tone throughout is gentle and encouraging, even as Thich Nhat Hanh addresses some difficult topics:
"Mindful observation is based on the principle of 'non-duality': our feeling is not separate from us or caused merely by something outside us; our feeling is us, and for that moment, we are that feeling. We are neither drowned nor terrorized by the feeling, nor do we reject it. Our attitude of not clinging to or rejecting our feelings is the attitude of letting go, an important part of meditation practice." (62)
"Our conscious, reasoning mind knows that negative feelings such as anger, fear, & regret are not wholly acceptable to ourselves or society, so it finds ways to repress them, to push them into remote areas of our consciousness in order to forget them. Because we want to avoid suffering, we create defense mechanisms that deny the existence of these negative feelings & give us the impression we have peace within ourselves. But our internal formations are always looking for ways to manifest as destructive images, feelings, thoughts, words, or behavior." (78)
Thich Nhat Hanh also provides some humorous passages:
"Some of us may prefer to go into our room, lock the door, and punch a pillow. We call this 'getting in touch with our anger." But I don't think this is getting in touch with our anger at all. In fact, I don't think it is even getting in touch with our pillow. If we are really in touch with the pillow, we know what a pillow is and we won't hit it." (71)
In the end, this is a book that acknowledges the many challenges and sorrows in life, but draws our attention to the power of the present, the everyday, the real, in the midst of the phantoms of yesterday and tomorrow that plague us. This is a book that is diffused with hope, compassion and love:
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
April 5, 2024
Peace is every step that you make
when you take your brother's hand
and give him a plate of food
or a handful of clothing
And the peace is there
when you shelter him from the storm
whether it is in his heart or on the land
Peace is every step when you breathe
in and when you breathe out
not thinking of your anger
only of solutions.
And when you shelter yourself
from the storm
you shelter all by
giving them a way to continue on.
Many years have passed since I was at Deer Park Monastery. The first time I went I just thought of going,
for it was a leaving time for me as well as a beginning.
I sat in the meditation room waiting for a dharma talk to begin when Thich Nhat Hanh walked into the room. He walked in peacefulness, and when he talked it is was only of kindness.
I never saw him again for I only went several more times to his monastery, and I never knew when he would be back in town. Only his disciples knew.
I loved many of the Buddhist teachings, but I had a few of my own beliefs that I could never relinquish, not that I was asked . Some are in the poem here; others are in my heart.
when you take your brother's hand
and give him a plate of food
or a handful of clothing
And the peace is there
when you shelter him from the storm
whether it is in his heart or on the land
Peace is every step when you breathe
in and when you breathe out
not thinking of your anger
only of solutions.
And when you shelter yourself
from the storm
you shelter all by
giving them a way to continue on.
Many years have passed since I was at Deer Park Monastery. The first time I went I just thought of going,
for it was a leaving time for me as well as a beginning.
I sat in the meditation room waiting for a dharma talk to begin when Thich Nhat Hanh walked into the room. He walked in peacefulness, and when he talked it is was only of kindness.
I never saw him again for I only went several more times to his monastery, and I never knew when he would be back in town. Only his disciples knew.
I loved many of the Buddhist teachings, but I had a few of my own beliefs that I could never relinquish, not that I was asked . Some are in the poem here; others are in my heart.
August 4, 2022
I have followed Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings since many years. This book is best read after “The Miracle of Mindfulness”. It moves beyond the basic introduction to how we can inculcate mindfulness in all aspects of our life. The sincerity of the advice shines and even just listening to the audiobook brought about a sense of calm. We first need to be what we seek – for peace in our world, we need to embody peace. And we can do that as part of our everyday life and activities, by bringing a heightened sense of awareness in all we do.
If you are in initial stages of mindfulness practice, this book is a great companion you can turn to.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
If you are in initial stages of mindfulness practice, this book is a great companion you can turn to.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
February 4, 2021
"Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step."
The main driving force of this book is the pertinent idea that happiness is a choice; it is a decision we each make and a response we can choose no matter what our internal or external situation may be: it is entirely dependent on us.
This idea is undeniably and irrevocably true. We can choose to be happy; however, the true difficulty resides in attaining the said happiness. And learning exactly how to choose it. It is not simple. It requires great willpower, a monk like detachment from ourselves and achieving a state of complete emptiness. And how do we achieve such a feat?
Mindfulness. Zen. Balance. Understanding that very step is important, and every action is significant to our wellbeing and to the wellbeing of others. We can choose to radiate positive energy and to make the world a better place. We can learn to see beauty in the simple things, and we can train our minds to appreciate what we have rather than what we do not have.
Thich Nhat Hanh is an incredible human being and his words are pure and altruistic. I will spend a lifetime trying to embrace them.
___________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step."
The main driving force of this book is the pertinent idea that happiness is a choice; it is a decision we each make and a response we can choose no matter what our internal or external situation may be: it is entirely dependent on us.
This idea is undeniably and irrevocably true. We can choose to be happy; however, the true difficulty resides in attaining the said happiness. And learning exactly how to choose it. It is not simple. It requires great willpower, a monk like detachment from ourselves and achieving a state of complete emptiness. And how do we achieve such a feat?
Mindfulness. Zen. Balance. Understanding that very step is important, and every action is significant to our wellbeing and to the wellbeing of others. We can choose to radiate positive energy and to make the world a better place. We can learn to see beauty in the simple things, and we can train our minds to appreciate what we have rather than what we do not have.
Thich Nhat Hanh is an incredible human being and his words are pure and altruistic. I will spend a lifetime trying to embrace them.
___________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
February 15, 2010
'when you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. you look into the reasons it is not doing well. it may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. you never blame the lettuce. yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. but if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like lettuce. blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. that is my experience. no blame, no reasoning, nor arguments, just understanding. if you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.'
thich nhat hanh
peace is every step
i read this book about a thousand years ago, and then the other day a friend of mine gave me the most wonderful gift-- she handed me this book, my own book, from my own shelf. it can look and read like something a little embarrassing-- an easy self-help manual, or treacly pop buddhism. i can't answer this except to say, somewhat vaguely, that this is that rarest thing-- a simple book that rewards multiple readings. while a first reading may provide a facile sense of revelation, i suppose that the only real transformative power comes with simple repetition (which is only to be expected, given the central role of simple repetition in buddhist pratice, as i understand it).
thich nhat hanh
peace is every step
i read this book about a thousand years ago, and then the other day a friend of mine gave me the most wonderful gift-- she handed me this book, my own book, from my own shelf. it can look and read like something a little embarrassing-- an easy self-help manual, or treacly pop buddhism. i can't answer this except to say, somewhat vaguely, that this is that rarest thing-- a simple book that rewards multiple readings. while a first reading may provide a facile sense of revelation, i suppose that the only real transformative power comes with simple repetition (which is only to be expected, given the central role of simple repetition in buddhist pratice, as i understand it).
Read
October 22, 2007Thich Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. He'll go on and on with stories about tree-hugging or metaphors involving raw potatoes; he'll tell you how to eat mindfully, even how to breathe and walk; he'll suggest looking closely at a flower and to see the sun as your heart. As the Zen teacher Richard Baker commented, however, Nhat Hanh is "a cross between a cloud, a snail, and piece of heavy machinery." Sooner or later, it begins to sink in that Nhat Hanh is conveying a depth of psychology and a world outlook that require nothing less than a complete paradigm shift. Through his cute stories and compassionate admonitions, he gradually builds up to his philosophy of interbeing, the notion that none of us is separately, but rather that we inter-are. The ramifications are explosive. How can we mindlessly and selfishly pursue our individual ends, when we are inextricably bound up with everyone and everything else? We see an enemy not as focus of anger but as a human with a complex history, who could be us if we had the same history. Suffice it to say, that after reading Peace Is Every Step, you'll never look at a plastic bag the same way again, and you may even develop a penchant for hugging trees. --Brian Bruya
August 1, 2007
I can't tell if he sounds "pop" because pop-buddism followed him or if he is advocating "buddism lite." He ideas are certainly beautiful and his personal history is amazing (though a few less references by his followers to his nomination for a nobel peace prize would be welcome). My problem comes from the fact that I'm not sure I could be around him or those who follow him for long without going batshit crazy. Maybe i am not that peaceful
April 12, 2010
This book is full of beneficial guidelines for living a mindful, peaceful life and helping those around you do the same. Even if it confirms what you already know, it is a pleasurable read and a beautiful inspiration to actively appreciate the positive aspects of living.
Like most other Buddhist works, it is centered around living in the present. I wasn't expecting him to devote a section to the idea of hope as an obstacle, but it made good sense. It's very easy to keep looking toward tomorrow, wishing for better days, but in doing that you're practicing avoidance. Facing your current situation and dealing with it head-on isn't always easy, but it's heavily encouraged here.
I also appreciated Thich Nhat Hanh's encouragement to eliminate distractions. We waste so much time being "entertained" that we forget to live our own lives to the fullest. Not being a fan of most television programming myself, I am all for turning off the TV and foregoing the 40,000 some-odd murders we see a year, the 80,000 or so companies shoving products and services in our faces that we must "buy now," and the made-up numbers I use to talk about these unnecessary absurdities.
What's more dangerous than violence and guerrilla advertising, I think, is what we neglect when we decide we'd rather be entertained than really alive. When we fall into the fantasy worlds TV, games, and online environments provide, we are putting aside the important people who comprise our actual worlds. If you have 30 minutes to kill, why not take a walk or write a letter to someone you haven't seen in awhile? Even if you're dirt poor and in the middle of nowhere, you can still meditate. It'll clear out your mind and improve your mood over whatever the latest reality show is pushing.
Another main point of this book is to deepen your understanding of your friends and enemies alike. And then, it's not enough to just understand, you have to act on this understanding. In order to reconcile your differences, you have to talk to the other person to test your real strength. Having the peace of mind to do this in a calm, well-executed fashion is tough, but when you come upon challenges like this, it is comforting to have this simple yet powerful book to lay the framework for some good meditation sessions.
"Peace Is Every Step" came at a good time for me. At this point in my life where everything seems to be in upheaval, it's nice to remember that I can decide to be centered whenever I want. I need not depend on outside circumstances or other people to relax and find my own true happiness.
Like most other Buddhist works, it is centered around living in the present. I wasn't expecting him to devote a section to the idea of hope as an obstacle, but it made good sense. It's very easy to keep looking toward tomorrow, wishing for better days, but in doing that you're practicing avoidance. Facing your current situation and dealing with it head-on isn't always easy, but it's heavily encouraged here.
I also appreciated Thich Nhat Hanh's encouragement to eliminate distractions. We waste so much time being "entertained" that we forget to live our own lives to the fullest. Not being a fan of most television programming myself, I am all for turning off the TV and foregoing the 40,000 some-odd murders we see a year, the 80,000 or so companies shoving products and services in our faces that we must "buy now," and the made-up numbers I use to talk about these unnecessary absurdities.
What's more dangerous than violence and guerrilla advertising, I think, is what we neglect when we decide we'd rather be entertained than really alive. When we fall into the fantasy worlds TV, games, and online environments provide, we are putting aside the important people who comprise our actual worlds. If you have 30 minutes to kill, why not take a walk or write a letter to someone you haven't seen in awhile? Even if you're dirt poor and in the middle of nowhere, you can still meditate. It'll clear out your mind and improve your mood over whatever the latest reality show is pushing.
Another main point of this book is to deepen your understanding of your friends and enemies alike. And then, it's not enough to just understand, you have to act on this understanding. In order to reconcile your differences, you have to talk to the other person to test your real strength. Having the peace of mind to do this in a calm, well-executed fashion is tough, but when you come upon challenges like this, it is comforting to have this simple yet powerful book to lay the framework for some good meditation sessions.
"Peace Is Every Step" came at a good time for me. At this point in my life where everything seems to be in upheaval, it's nice to remember that I can decide to be centered whenever I want. I need not depend on outside circumstances or other people to relax and find my own true happiness.
April 11, 2022
With the passing of Thich Nhat Hanh this book came back to mind. It was something I read after my divorce and passing of my daughter. I found a lot of insight and calmness in his words. While I read it years ago it still speaks to me today.
November 6, 2018
This is the second Thich Nhat Hanh book I read in a a month, and I have to say I like his writing. This book is a bit simpler than the one I read last. It doesn’t cover as much ground, but what it does cover, it does so beautifully.
He talks about his view of life, activism, and Buddhism without being overly preachy. And he also talks about his life, and he has lead an interesting one. Because of his work during the Vietnam war he can’t go back to his native country. It seems that because he and his followers didn’t take sides during the war they got into trouble with both sides.
Peace is every step is an idea that is central to his views on life. Peace and mindfulness isn’t something to do just at a specific place, but rather something to keep with you at all times, in every step.
When he started to talk about anger, and how that can rule a person, I couldn’t help thinking about the news that we are bombarded with every day. There are so many people that let anger, and hate do their driving, too many resorting to killing because of it. How much of it, is their anger, and how much of it is inherited? However a person gets to the point of letting their anger do the driving, it too often ends up making things even worse.
In short, this book is not that heavy on Buddhism. It centers more around mindfulness, and how to find it. There are times when he paint a little bit too rosy picture for me, but most of the time I just think what he says is beautiful, and I think he does have a point about a lot of things. I really liked it. I’d recommend it to anyone that is interested in mindfulness.
He talks about his view of life, activism, and Buddhism without being overly preachy. And he also talks about his life, and he has lead an interesting one. Because of his work during the Vietnam war he can’t go back to his native country. It seems that because he and his followers didn’t take sides during the war they got into trouble with both sides.
Peace is every step is an idea that is central to his views on life. Peace and mindfulness isn’t something to do just at a specific place, but rather something to keep with you at all times, in every step.
When he started to talk about anger, and how that can rule a person, I couldn’t help thinking about the news that we are bombarded with every day. There are so many people that let anger, and hate do their driving, too many resorting to killing because of it. How much of it, is their anger, and how much of it is inherited? However a person gets to the point of letting their anger do the driving, it too often ends up making things even worse.
In short, this book is not that heavy on Buddhism. It centers more around mindfulness, and how to find it. There are times when he paint a little bit too rosy picture for me, but most of the time I just think what he says is beautiful, and I think he does have a point about a lot of things. I really liked it. I’d recommend it to anyone that is interested in mindfulness.
November 3, 2019
I feel pretty bad that I didn't like this more because overall, I respect Thich Nhat Hanh, his teachings, and the influence he has had in shaping Western Buddhism.
Overall, I found this book out-0f-touch and mildly obnoxious. This is the first Buddhist book I have not really liked at all. It is the first TNH book that I have read, although I did read a book before (One Buddha is not Enough) mostly written by the monks & nuns of plum village that was very much informed by his teachings. I liked that one quite a bit.
Writing style played a big part in my dislike. I know his first language is Vietnamese, and so there are cultural and linguistic differences playing a role in the style, but the woodenness of his writing bothered me. He meanders from one topic to another, providing blunt instructions for living. Every time he gave advice to married couples I had to laugh - especially since in these imagined conversations one is always addressing one's spouse as "darling." Who says that!? A minor point, but it just seemed so dated to me. It's not that his advice around marital conflict was bad, per se - taking a step back to breathe is a good thing - but the way he represents the conflict and the dialogue around it would make it clear to anyone who didn't already know that he's been a monk since he was 16 that he has never been married.
There were also political points on which I simply disagreed with him. For example, the way he represents sex work was really troubling to me (he can't imagine anything other than scenarios where woman are trafficked and/or feel deep shame about their situation - indeed he seems to think they *should* feel shame); he believes sex should only happen within committed, monogamous relationships; he says TV is rotting our brains, period; his de-growthist environmentalism came across to me as regressive (progress is what is killing us); he asks us to have as much love for the rapist as the person assaulted (sure, people are products of their environment to a large degree, and we need to understand that, as well as the reasons assault happens, but I feel he lets violent men too much off the hook here - people still need to be held accountable for their actions).
I can get behind his basic teachings - look for moments of mindfulness, practice kindness, find ways of dissipating your anger (ie. by mindful breathing) rather than directing it at other people, find ways to tread gently on the earth (minimize harmful environmental impact), and be grateful for what we have. Sounds good. But there are other writers who give the same teachings in a much more relatable form.
There's a thing that seems to happen when people reach a certain stage of celebrity, whether they're scientists or entertainers or religious figures or public intellectuals, where they're asked or take it upon themselves to comment about anything and everything--including things beyond the scope of their knowledge. I don't really want to know Hanh's opinions on sex or marriage or rape. There are plenty of people out there speaking with both compassion AND nuance on these topics, coming from the perspective of people with lived experience. Up until now I've been able to deal with the element within Buddhism that universalizes human experience, but my tolerance level was exceeded here.
Overall, I found this book out-0f-touch and mildly obnoxious. This is the first Buddhist book I have not really liked at all. It is the first TNH book that I have read, although I did read a book before (One Buddha is not Enough) mostly written by the monks & nuns of plum village that was very much informed by his teachings. I liked that one quite a bit.
Writing style played a big part in my dislike. I know his first language is Vietnamese, and so there are cultural and linguistic differences playing a role in the style, but the woodenness of his writing bothered me. He meanders from one topic to another, providing blunt instructions for living. Every time he gave advice to married couples I had to laugh - especially since in these imagined conversations one is always addressing one's spouse as "darling." Who says that!? A minor point, but it just seemed so dated to me. It's not that his advice around marital conflict was bad, per se - taking a step back to breathe is a good thing - but the way he represents the conflict and the dialogue around it would make it clear to anyone who didn't already know that he's been a monk since he was 16 that he has never been married.
There were also political points on which I simply disagreed with him. For example, the way he represents sex work was really troubling to me (he can't imagine anything other than scenarios where woman are trafficked and/or feel deep shame about their situation - indeed he seems to think they *should* feel shame); he believes sex should only happen within committed, monogamous relationships; he says TV is rotting our brains, period; his de-growthist environmentalism came across to me as regressive (progress is what is killing us); he asks us to have as much love for the rapist as the person assaulted (sure, people are products of their environment to a large degree, and we need to understand that, as well as the reasons assault happens, but I feel he lets violent men too much off the hook here - people still need to be held accountable for their actions).
I can get behind his basic teachings - look for moments of mindfulness, practice kindness, find ways of dissipating your anger (ie. by mindful breathing) rather than directing it at other people, find ways to tread gently on the earth (minimize harmful environmental impact), and be grateful for what we have. Sounds good. But there are other writers who give the same teachings in a much more relatable form.
There's a thing that seems to happen when people reach a certain stage of celebrity, whether they're scientists or entertainers or religious figures or public intellectuals, where they're asked or take it upon themselves to comment about anything and everything--including things beyond the scope of their knowledge. I don't really want to know Hanh's opinions on sex or marriage or rape. There are plenty of people out there speaking with both compassion AND nuance on these topics, coming from the perspective of people with lived experience. Up until now I've been able to deal with the element within Buddhism that universalizes human experience, but my tolerance level was exceeded here.
September 2, 2008
Some of Thich Nhat Hanh's writings are mostly informational, like Old Path, White Clouds, his biography of the Buddha. Others, like this book, are meant to be experienced.
In each short section of this book, Thich Nhat Hanh tells a story, or seeks to describe an experience to which the reader may relate. Some of them, like washing the dishes, deal with being in the present moment, and being deeply involved in whatever one is doing solely for the joy of having that experience. Others, like his descriptions of a sheet of paper or eating a tangerine, show the interconnectedness of life. In the case of the sheet of paper, the sun, the rain, the tree, the man who cut the tree down, and other factors go into the making of the paper. Without the "non-paper" elements, the paper would not be.
Contemplation of a tangerine is another favorite: one day Thich Nhat Hanh gave some children tangerines. They contemplated not just the fruit in their hands, but also its mother, the tree that bore the fruit. Then they visualized the blossoms in the sunshine and the rain, and the growth of the tiny fruit. Then the children were invited to peel the tangerine, taking in the sensations of the spray of the mist from the peel, the smell of the fruit, and its texture. Finally, they were invited to taste it.
I have eaten a tangerine with Thich Nhat Hanh, and if the exercise is entered into sincerely, it is a mind-blowing experience. To think that this man who has such a deep reverence for the simplest things of life has also endured the self-immolation of his brothers in the Order of Interbeing in protest of the war in his homeland, the tragedy of the Vietnamese boat people, and life for so many years in exile, brings an almost unendurable sorrow.
And yet, the tangerine remains.
In each short section of this book, Thich Nhat Hanh tells a story, or seeks to describe an experience to which the reader may relate. Some of them, like washing the dishes, deal with being in the present moment, and being deeply involved in whatever one is doing solely for the joy of having that experience. Others, like his descriptions of a sheet of paper or eating a tangerine, show the interconnectedness of life. In the case of the sheet of paper, the sun, the rain, the tree, the man who cut the tree down, and other factors go into the making of the paper. Without the "non-paper" elements, the paper would not be.
Contemplation of a tangerine is another favorite: one day Thich Nhat Hanh gave some children tangerines. They contemplated not just the fruit in their hands, but also its mother, the tree that bore the fruit. Then they visualized the blossoms in the sunshine and the rain, and the growth of the tiny fruit. Then the children were invited to peel the tangerine, taking in the sensations of the spray of the mist from the peel, the smell of the fruit, and its texture. Finally, they were invited to taste it.
I have eaten a tangerine with Thich Nhat Hanh, and if the exercise is entered into sincerely, it is a mind-blowing experience. To think that this man who has such a deep reverence for the simplest things of life has also endured the self-immolation of his brothers in the Order of Interbeing in protest of the war in his homeland, the tragedy of the Vietnamese boat people, and life for so many years in exile, brings an almost unendurable sorrow.
And yet, the tangerine remains.
August 25, 2014
In the beginning of my studying of Buddhism, I quickly came to appreciate Hanh as a wise Buddhist Monk. I've watched many of his video interviews and lectures. This was the first book of his that I read. I was excited at first to begin reading and learning, but quickly I realized that this wasn't the book for me. It's too simplistic, and not in a good way. Although some might say that over complicating peace and mindfulness is exactly what Hanh would advise against, I would argue that some content needs to be expanded upon, rather than narrated as though this is a children's book. His silly metaphors and examples of speaking to inanimate objects just didn't appeal to me. If you have any prior knowledge of Buddha's teachings, you will likely not learn much from this book.
It's difficult to give this book a numerical rating, since it probably means different things to different people.
Perhaps if you are experiencing a particularly difficult time in your life, or you're being challenged with stressful situations, this book could help guide you towards inner peace. In which case this book is 4 stars.
If you're like me and you're seeking to learn more about Buddhism or Hanh's teachings beyond the most basic theories of mindfulness, this book may be not be for you. In which case this book is 1 star.
It's difficult to give this book a numerical rating, since it probably means different things to different people.
Perhaps if you are experiencing a particularly difficult time in your life, or you're being challenged with stressful situations, this book could help guide you towards inner peace. In which case this book is 4 stars.
If you're like me and you're seeking to learn more about Buddhism or Hanh's teachings beyond the most basic theories of mindfulness, this book may be not be for you. In which case this book is 1 star.
January 24, 2022
This book reminds me of the quote from Master Oogway:
“Yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery,
and today is a gift...
that's why they call it the present”
Certainly, there are books that deliver content in such a rush, which seem fascinating since they partly represent the constantly changing reality of the world. Whereas, there are some which purely exude the energy of serenity, with a view to reminding oneself of mindfulness, of living in peace, in the present moment.
This book, without a doubt, falls into the latter category.
Rest in peace and fonding memories of many, thầy Thích Nhất Hạnh 🙏
“Yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery,
and today is a gift...
that's why they call it the present”
Certainly, there are books that deliver content in such a rush, which seem fascinating since they partly represent the constantly changing reality of the world. Whereas, there are some which purely exude the energy of serenity, with a view to reminding oneself of mindfulness, of living in peace, in the present moment.
This book, without a doubt, falls into the latter category.
Rest in peace and fonding memories of many, thầy Thích Nhất Hạnh 🙏
October 23, 2021
4.5
Thich Nhat Hanh od svojih sedamdeset pet knjiga koje je napisao, "Mir je svaki korak" je vodič obličen u knjižicu koja podučava svjesnost uz disanje. Ti mali trenutci udisaja i izdisaja pomažu nam da iscijelimo i izmijenimo stanja svijesti koji nam ne odgovaraju.
Cijeli osvrt pronađite ovdje: https://knjige-u-svom-filmu.webador.c...
Thich Nhat Hanh od svojih sedamdeset pet knjiga koje je napisao, "Mir je svaki korak" je vodič obličen u knjižicu koja podučava svjesnost uz disanje. Ti mali trenutci udisaja i izdisaja pomažu nam da iscijelimo i izmijenimo stanja svijesti koji nam ne odgovaraju.
Cijeli osvrt pronađite ovdje: https://knjige-u-svom-filmu.webador.c...
July 16, 2023
This book came to me at the time when I was planning to visit a psychiatrist out of huge suffering and emotional issues. It provided me relief and made me feel confident from the very first day. I was able to get back in touch with my inner soul, my peace, my self worth. Although this is a long path, but even if you have thought of reading this book, please do read.
'I learned how important it is to appreciate the appointment of your consciousness with present, mindfulness just by 2 simple breath only, the importance of suffering, ways to convert all these seeds into compassion and peace. The story of river in the end is love.'
I can not thank enough my friend who suggested me this book saying 'this will not remove your struggle like a magic wand, but this surely will help you to gain confidence in what you are and on that path you are going.' 💛💙
'I learned how important it is to appreciate the appointment of your consciousness with present, mindfulness just by 2 simple breath only, the importance of suffering, ways to convert all these seeds into compassion and peace. The story of river in the end is love.'
I can not thank enough my friend who suggested me this book saying 'this will not remove your struggle like a magic wand, but this surely will help you to gain confidence in what you are and on that path you are going.' 💛💙
February 16, 2022
Thich Nhat Hanh has always struck me as more 'self help' than spiritual leader, but I thought upon his passing I would try a few of his books, with so many gushing reviews and eulogies from people I admire. One was a collection of clips from old retreats; one was this, and one was "Reconciliation."
I could not finish Reconciliation, and the clips-from-retreats didn't strike me as a book; and also, they are so similar and have so many identical passages that it didn't feel like reading three separate books. It felt like reading chunks of the same book three times. So rather than posting separate reviews, I'm reviewing this one, the actual book that I got to the end of.
There are many lovely things in this book. The concept of Interbeing is beautiful (though, notably, not exclusive to TNH, Buddhism or even religion. You can find similar concepts in many ecological philosophies, without the baggage I'll get into in a minute). Compassion and empathy are wonderful (it should go without saying).
But so much of his works are given over to gaslighting, enabling bullshit of abusers that my opinion of him has gone from "self-help more than spiritual leader" to "has probably contributed to the deaths of children."
His perspective--argued over in endless passages, repeated nearly identically between all three books--is that a victim should have compassion for their abuser, that the only cause for the abuse can be the abuser's greater suffering, and that the victim should take it upon themselves to love their abuser and thereby fix the abuse.
This isn't even original. This is exactly the same kind of fluffy enabling bullshit that victims of family abuse regularly hear and have to work hard to overcome to separate themselves from abusive families and become safe.
In Reconciliation he went so far as to brag that his retreats and teachings had encouraged actual children to return to the parents who had hurt them, because they understood how important it was to have compassion for their parents' greater suffering.
Look: I have plenty of compassion for my parents, particularly my father, who was clearly shaped as an adult by the abuse he experienced as a child. But that compassion does not require me to expose myself to being harmed by them. And IT DOESN'T WORK. My entire extended family has tried to 'compassion' my mother out of her narcissism and abuse for *decades.* "She can't help it! She must be suffering to cause such suffering to others! I don't want to punish her for behaviour she can't control by severing my relationship with her!" That is 100% the sole and exclusive response anyone has had to her behaviour, ever, going back to childhood (when it began; I really think she has a neurological issue that makes it impossible for her to experience empathy or realize other humans are people). Except me.
In response, my mother has come to see such coddling as an entitlement, and actively punishes anyone who refuses to put themselves in line for her abuse.
There was, in all three books, ONE sentence --ONE! -- about the safety of victims. It was followed by pages and pages and pages of the above. This undercuts its sincerity and effectiveness somewhat.
Not only does this approach not work, and put victims in line for endless abuse, it is entirely illogical.
I call this the "pit viper principle": certain wild animals, by virtue of their biology, are very dangerous to people. They can't help it. It's not personal. They don't mean to kill or hurt you. You can't blame them for hurting you, if you put yourself in their way; they're just following their own natures. Like pit vipers. You can have compassion for them if you'd like. You can even admire them, in their own habitat. But do you invite them into your living room for tea?
No. Precisely because they can't help it, it's in their nature, and they can't be blamed, a reasonable and responsible human adult takes on the responsibility of maintaining distance from these animals.
Similarly, there are some people who, through biology and circumstance, are very dangerous to other people. They can't help it. It's not personal. They don't mean to kill or hurt you. Maybe you feel you can't blame them for an issue that appears to be so beyond their own control. You can have all the compassion in the world for their helplessness, and the isolation and other consequences their nature causes for them. And that is precisely why you don't have a relationship with them: they will never be able to stop themselves from hurting you.
If you are talking about a family of origin somewhat less poisonous than a pit viper, then maybe there is something in the philosophy here of value to you.
But if you, too, have parents or caregivers who seemed fundamentally unable to care for you or anyone, I give you full permission to give this philosophy the middle finger and go on with your life, happily estranged from the ones who harmed you.
I could not finish Reconciliation, and the clips-from-retreats didn't strike me as a book; and also, they are so similar and have so many identical passages that it didn't feel like reading three separate books. It felt like reading chunks of the same book three times. So rather than posting separate reviews, I'm reviewing this one, the actual book that I got to the end of.
There are many lovely things in this book. The concept of Interbeing is beautiful (though, notably, not exclusive to TNH, Buddhism or even religion. You can find similar concepts in many ecological philosophies, without the baggage I'll get into in a minute). Compassion and empathy are wonderful (it should go without saying).
But so much of his works are given over to gaslighting, enabling bullshit of abusers that my opinion of him has gone from "self-help more than spiritual leader" to "has probably contributed to the deaths of children."
His perspective--argued over in endless passages, repeated nearly identically between all three books--is that a victim should have compassion for their abuser, that the only cause for the abuse can be the abuser's greater suffering, and that the victim should take it upon themselves to love their abuser and thereby fix the abuse.
This isn't even original. This is exactly the same kind of fluffy enabling bullshit that victims of family abuse regularly hear and have to work hard to overcome to separate themselves from abusive families and become safe.
In Reconciliation he went so far as to brag that his retreats and teachings had encouraged actual children to return to the parents who had hurt them, because they understood how important it was to have compassion for their parents' greater suffering.
Look: I have plenty of compassion for my parents, particularly my father, who was clearly shaped as an adult by the abuse he experienced as a child. But that compassion does not require me to expose myself to being harmed by them. And IT DOESN'T WORK. My entire extended family has tried to 'compassion' my mother out of her narcissism and abuse for *decades.* "She can't help it! She must be suffering to cause such suffering to others! I don't want to punish her for behaviour she can't control by severing my relationship with her!" That is 100% the sole and exclusive response anyone has had to her behaviour, ever, going back to childhood (when it began; I really think she has a neurological issue that makes it impossible for her to experience empathy or realize other humans are people). Except me.
In response, my mother has come to see such coddling as an entitlement, and actively punishes anyone who refuses to put themselves in line for her abuse.
There was, in all three books, ONE sentence --ONE! -- about the safety of victims. It was followed by pages and pages and pages of the above. This undercuts its sincerity and effectiveness somewhat.
Not only does this approach not work, and put victims in line for endless abuse, it is entirely illogical.
I call this the "pit viper principle": certain wild animals, by virtue of their biology, are very dangerous to people. They can't help it. It's not personal. They don't mean to kill or hurt you. You can't blame them for hurting you, if you put yourself in their way; they're just following their own natures. Like pit vipers. You can have compassion for them if you'd like. You can even admire them, in their own habitat. But do you invite them into your living room for tea?
No. Precisely because they can't help it, it's in their nature, and they can't be blamed, a reasonable and responsible human adult takes on the responsibility of maintaining distance from these animals.
Similarly, there are some people who, through biology and circumstance, are very dangerous to other people. They can't help it. It's not personal. They don't mean to kill or hurt you. Maybe you feel you can't blame them for an issue that appears to be so beyond their own control. You can have all the compassion in the world for their helplessness, and the isolation and other consequences their nature causes for them. And that is precisely why you don't have a relationship with them: they will never be able to stop themselves from hurting you.
If you are talking about a family of origin somewhat less poisonous than a pit viper, then maybe there is something in the philosophy here of value to you.
But if you, too, have parents or caregivers who seemed fundamentally unable to care for you or anyone, I give you full permission to give this philosophy the middle finger and go on with your life, happily estranged from the ones who harmed you.
February 5, 2022
During this ugly time in our collective discourse, it’s worth gaining advice and wisdom from a more contemplative source. Thich Nhat Hanh’s words are a calm, soothing, inspirational hush in our loud world. Through anecdotes and metaphors he offers a charming calming alternative mindset for oneself to get through a tough day. Something we desperately need in these times
June 16, 2016
I am not much of one for mindfulness and meditation. But this audible book contains some beautiful language and suggestions about how to live life. It is something to be aware of your breathing in and breathing out. It is something to be aware that everything is part of everything else. The book is not complicated and the chapters are short but the thinking is deep. There is a challenge here about some different ways to view the world and your role in it.
October 28, 2023
"Everything around you is keeping your smile for you." 😊
"Mindful eating can cultivate seeds of compassion and understanding that will strengthen us to do something to help hungry and lowly people be nourished."
Thich Nhat Hanh has penned a pleasurable book of Spiritual Meditation. Living in a world seemingly busier each day, Peacefulness, Mindfulness, Meditation, and a Fruitful life is the essential Goal. What would Life be without Joyful smiles to go right along with Compassion? 🌟
I embraced all of the Wisdom from this initial read by this author. This book exhibits techniques to help readers 'Dwell in the present' instead of carrying the woes of our pasts. Thich Nhat Hanh's prodigious Wisdom within these short chapters are life-changing for everyone.
I LOVED Every piece of this Beauty! Yet, these are the ones that captured me even more...
* The Dandelion Has My Smile
* Conscious Breathing
* The Roots of Anger
* Flowers and Garbage
As a reader, stepping into the "Reconciliation" chapter only makes this reading journey even Greater as it leads to "Call Me By My True Names" and onward to "Suffering Nourishes Compassion."
Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful 🌟.
"Mindful eating can cultivate seeds of compassion and understanding that will strengthen us to do something to help hungry and lowly people be nourished."
Thich Nhat Hanh has penned a pleasurable book of Spiritual Meditation. Living in a world seemingly busier each day, Peacefulness, Mindfulness, Meditation, and a Fruitful life is the essential Goal. What would Life be without Joyful smiles to go right along with Compassion? 🌟
I embraced all of the Wisdom from this initial read by this author. This book exhibits techniques to help readers 'Dwell in the present' instead of carrying the woes of our pasts. Thich Nhat Hanh's prodigious Wisdom within these short chapters are life-changing for everyone.
I LOVED Every piece of this Beauty! Yet, these are the ones that captured me even more...
* The Dandelion Has My Smile
* Conscious Breathing
* The Roots of Anger
* Flowers and Garbage
As a reader, stepping into the "Reconciliation" chapter only makes this reading journey even Greater as it leads to "Call Me By My True Names" and onward to "Suffering Nourishes Compassion."
Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful 🌟.
February 7, 2017
Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who led the effort towards peace during the Vietnam war, and has worked for many years in other countries to help refugees and to spread his philosophy of peace. In this book, he speaks about the individual's journey towards inner peace. He maintains that to achieve peace around the world, individuals themselves must achieve inner peace, because peace is not something you can will to exist or force on others, but is rather, a collective understanding of one another in societies and between societies. This philosophy reminds me of Rumi's quote, "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world; today I am wise, so I am changing myself." This is a quote I have lived by for a couple of years now, and the depth of this quote has now become much greater through my knowledge of Hanh's philosophy.
The first part of this book discusses the the basics of meditation and what mindfulness is. Meditation is not actually just the act of sitting down and concentrating on one's breath, but can also be being aware of oneself throughout the day and being aware of the details around oneself. Breathing is a method to be aware of oneself, and by practicing conscious breathing during parts of the day, you can know that you are truly in the present and the world is truly here. Appreciation starts in the present.
The second part of the book discusses how this practice can be used during intensely emotional or violent situations, either within yourself of between others. The version of me from a year ago would've been resentful towards Hanh's writing, insisting that no one can demand this sort of behavior from me if the rest of the world is so terrible. But now, I understand. No one is demanding this out of me. I behave peacefully and become peaceful to take care of my own mind and self and to not torture myself with ill feelings. As for the rest of the world, how I deal with conflict and how I impact others can be improved through my peaceful behavior.
The third part of the book discusses the interconnected-ness of a human being to other human beings and other aspects of the world. To read this book, I depended on a publishing house to develop this ink on this paper. To get this paper, I depended on a logger to cut a tree. To have that tree, I depended on the soil, the clouds, and the Sun. In addition, the crime of others are not entirely their fault; though they must accept the responsibility of their actions, we must also realize that society had a role in cultivating such violence. The wealth of others does mean the poverty of the rest.
Ultimately, I am very, very glad that someone recommended this book to me. This has given me so much to work with everyday. As a young person, I seek to shape my mind to understand the complexities and nuances of the world and understand myself and my actions. I now would like to learn more about mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism.
The first part of this book discusses the the basics of meditation and what mindfulness is. Meditation is not actually just the act of sitting down and concentrating on one's breath, but can also be being aware of oneself throughout the day and being aware of the details around oneself. Breathing is a method to be aware of oneself, and by practicing conscious breathing during parts of the day, you can know that you are truly in the present and the world is truly here. Appreciation starts in the present.
The second part of the book discusses how this practice can be used during intensely emotional or violent situations, either within yourself of between others. The version of me from a year ago would've been resentful towards Hanh's writing, insisting that no one can demand this sort of behavior from me if the rest of the world is so terrible. But now, I understand. No one is demanding this out of me. I behave peacefully and become peaceful to take care of my own mind and self and to not torture myself with ill feelings. As for the rest of the world, how I deal with conflict and how I impact others can be improved through my peaceful behavior.
The third part of the book discusses the interconnected-ness of a human being to other human beings and other aspects of the world. To read this book, I depended on a publishing house to develop this ink on this paper. To get this paper, I depended on a logger to cut a tree. To have that tree, I depended on the soil, the clouds, and the Sun. In addition, the crime of others are not entirely their fault; though they must accept the responsibility of their actions, we must also realize that society had a role in cultivating such violence. The wealth of others does mean the poverty of the rest.
Ultimately, I am very, very glad that someone recommended this book to me. This has given me so much to work with everyday. As a young person, I seek to shape my mind to understand the complexities and nuances of the world and understand myself and my actions. I now would like to learn more about mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism.
June 21, 2018
A life changing book. Thick Nhat Hagh’s ‘Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness In Everyday Life’ is an extraordinary book, offering the reader thoughts on how to look within oneself, outside oneself and beyond oneself. He shares thoughts on how we can live in peace and harmony despite the uncomfortable emotions we experience on a daily basis. I love this book so much that I plan on buying several copies for all of my family members to read. Get ready to be transformed!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2014
A beautiful little book, this is.
Few people would argue if you told them life feels like chaos sometimes. Or maybe all the time. Stopping to breathe and find peace is, in today’s world, almost unheard of. Particularly in our lovely little over-caffeinated, double-booked, mindless-drone American society, slowing down is practically Original Sin (because everyone knows that lunch breaks and adequate sleep predicated the fall of mankind, duh).
But why do this to ourselves? And, ultimately, to each other? And to the planet that we call home?
I’m no guru, but I can tell you that a thoroughly oxygenated, centered Sarah feels quite a bit better than a so-insanely-anxious-and-insecure-that-I-can-barely-function Sarah. A little focus on my breath to calm that cyclone is well worth the price of a few minutes. And actually, as it turns out, that calm, quiet, set-aside time is LITERAL BLISS. Who knew?!
There’s a bonus, too. When I breathe and find peace, I’m able to be a better human creature, a better social worker, and a better me. (Shocking that all this is shocking, by the way).
Doing and being good in this world takes presence of mind and a steadfast sense of interconnectedness (inter-being, as it were). Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that this is all possible if we take a minute to slow our roll, inhale some air, and reacquaint ourselves with beautiful, terrifying, oh-so-vast Reality.
Few people would argue if you told them life feels like chaos sometimes. Or maybe all the time. Stopping to breathe and find peace is, in today’s world, almost unheard of. Particularly in our lovely little over-caffeinated, double-booked, mindless-drone American society, slowing down is practically Original Sin (because everyone knows that lunch breaks and adequate sleep predicated the fall of mankind, duh).
But why do this to ourselves? And, ultimately, to each other? And to the planet that we call home?
I’m no guru, but I can tell you that a thoroughly oxygenated, centered Sarah feels quite a bit better than a so-insanely-anxious-and-insecure-that-I-can-barely-function Sarah. A little focus on my breath to calm that cyclone is well worth the price of a few minutes. And actually, as it turns out, that calm, quiet, set-aside time is LITERAL BLISS. Who knew?!
There’s a bonus, too. When I breathe and find peace, I’m able to be a better human creature, a better social worker, and a better me. (Shocking that all this is shocking, by the way).
Doing and being good in this world takes presence of mind and a steadfast sense of interconnectedness (inter-being, as it were). Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that this is all possible if we take a minute to slow our roll, inhale some air, and reacquaint ourselves with beautiful, terrifying, oh-so-vast Reality.
August 17, 2017
A book that I think would make a difference in our modern day civilization if only more people would read it. It is a book of reminders, but not just any reminders, fundamental and essential reminders. We are reminded to breathe deeply and learn to be at peace and experience joy with the present moment. We are reminded of how many of our lives are overflowing with blessings that could easily make us weep in appreciation and gratefulness. We have food, we still have some Nature around us (we should definitely work to take a much deeper care of her), some of us have family close to us, and many other treasures that we usually forget to value as such in our daily lives. By remembering to stop and having a look at all of these amazing blessings, our lives improve dramatically, no pay raise involved, no new sports car needed, or no fancy jewelry required. The key to happiness, and therefore to collective peace, then, is simply creating a daily habit of breathing and noticing how fortunate we are. From this we will also garner the strength needed to face our daily challenges. This is the gift that this book gave me.
February 18, 2022
1. Reading Thich Nhat Hanh in English is much more therapeutic than in Vietnamese.
2. I read his book for the first time after I broke up with my first boyfriend. That book didn't help much, just because at the time, my mind wasn't as clear as it is today. Then I learn that, at the end of the day, books cannot save you, but reading them with a crystal clear mind, you can make yourself stronger.
3. I decided to read Thich Nhat Hanh after watching the anime Mirai, which somehow embodies the concept of "non-duality" mentioned in this book:
"When he looks into his hand, he can see thousands of generations before him and thousands of generations after him. He can see that he exists not only in the evolutionary tree branching along the axis of time, but also in the network of interdependent relations. He told me that he never feels lonely"
How wonderful it is... the way I see such a thought-provoking notion in such an adorable anime!
2. I read his book for the first time after I broke up with my first boyfriend. That book didn't help much, just because at the time, my mind wasn't as clear as it is today. Then I learn that, at the end of the day, books cannot save you, but reading them with a crystal clear mind, you can make yourself stronger.
3. I decided to read Thich Nhat Hanh after watching the anime Mirai, which somehow embodies the concept of "non-duality" mentioned in this book:
"When he looks into his hand, he can see thousands of generations before him and thousands of generations after him. He can see that he exists not only in the evolutionary tree branching along the axis of time, but also in the network of interdependent relations. He told me that he never feels lonely"
How wonderful it is... the way I see such a thought-provoking notion in such an adorable anime!
May 5, 2011
I loved this gem of a book. Each tiny chapter give you something to reflect upon for weeks. It is about finding peace and happiness in your life and sharing that with the world. He talks about the importance of mindfulness so you can be aware of your inter-relatedness in the entire universe. This book was a Mother's Day gift one year ago and it added greater peace and understanding to my life.
December 14, 2023
A very thought provoking read, definitely helped me realized how important meditation can be.
April 6, 2017
I know...the guy is a basically a living saint, and yet I gave the book 1 star. It feels weird, and even a bit unfair, but hear me out. For the most part everything he has to say is good to hear, mostly true, and well worth reading or hearing. HOWEVER, there is really nothing new or all that insightful in here, especially if you've read some of his other works or have spent some time studying mindfulness. As such, maybe your reaction will depend on where you're coming from in terms of immersion in this stuff. Hanh's sections on environmental stewardship are praiseworthy, but they also are about as original and deep as a grade school essay. Yes, "mother" earth is lovely, and we have to protect "her." But I don't believe the earth is actually alive with a spirit we can talk to. I don't think rocks are actually alive and I don't think talking to them is really a good idea. I don't think we should spend long stretches of time hugging and talking to trees because,, unlike Hanh, I don't really think they have souls. I agree with all his notions of compassion, but I also think his writing on such a challenging topic for so many people is so simplistic that it comes off more like well meaning platitudes than actionable coaching. Maybe the best way to approach this book is by simply reading one entry per day. That way the repetitiveness might become less tiresome and the somewhat brief, random, and simplistic entries will serve as brief reminders at the start of the day to slow down, be mindful, take time throughout the day to focus on your breath and the moment, be aware of the miracle of being alive and the world around you, and to look for ways to treat others with love and compassion. Those are all good things that the book exhorts the reader to do, but, sadly, I just found the writing and format to make them appear tedious, childish, and trite.
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