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Modern Spiritual Masters
Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings
Zen master, poet, monk and peace advocate, Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has lived in exile in France for 30 years. Through his writings and retreats he has helped countless people of all religious backgrounds to live mindfully in the present moment, to uproot sources of anger and distrust, and to achieve relationships of love and understanding.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
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3671 people want to read
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh
970 books12.8k 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 64 reviews
January 13, 2010
Some basic things about Buddhism, most of which I already knew, but some new teachings. I especially enjoyed the second chapter, My Sun My Heart. Hanh's message is exactly that of my favorite poem by Louise Gluck, that we are made up of the elements of the earth and will return to them and in them we have eternal life. He talks about the interdependence of all people and things and this has always been the primary focus of my spirituality. I didn't realize before I read this book that those were Buddhist ideas! He even quoted Walt Whitman, who is one of my favorite poets. I love all the Transcendentalists, though I think they emphasize self-reliance quite a bit which is antithetical to Buddhism. Perhaps studying them and other literature in college led me to these same beliefs, but by a different path than the Buddhist one.
I also liked that he showed ways that Buddhism doesn't conflict with other religions. In fact, he says that Buddhism is not a religion, but a way of life.
I also liked that he showed ways that Buddhism doesn't conflict with other religions. In fact, he says that Buddhism is not a religion, but a way of life.
February 19, 2010
I enjoyed Thich Nhat Hahn's essential writings from cover to cover. I had the privllege of hearing him speak in Oakland California many years ago and was mesmerized by his wisdom and grace. Since then I have been a fan of his work.
There is no more loving and caring person of humanity than Thich Nhat Hahn. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr - and I understand why.
There is no more loving and caring person of humanity than Thich Nhat Hahn. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr - and I understand why.
July 16, 2021
beautiful book on thich naht hanhs life and buddhist teachings of love and compassion. The concept of interbeing is worth the read alone which is that compassion for others is fundamentally the same as compassion for yourself because we all come from the same roots and at the deepest level there is no separation between you and me. but that doesn't mean that my super fries is your super fries. get your own food dude
July 23, 2012
I loved this book, and felt it really changed my life for the better. I actually consider this to be one of my favorite books of all time.
Simple, yet beautiful - reading this felt like talking to a loving friend. Thich Naht Hahn is an amazing man, the book is well written, and I highly recommend it!
Simple, yet beautiful - reading this felt like talking to a loving friend. Thich Naht Hahn is an amazing man, the book is well written, and I highly recommend it!
October 24, 2011
I found this to be a good introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh’s work. With commentary by Annabel Laity his writings are grouped with similar themes and drawn from a number of works. Thich Nhat Hanh has the ability to take the complex themes of Buddhism and simplify them to concepts that are easier to grasp at the onset, applicable to daily life and still allow for deep reflection. I look forward to reading more of his work and can see myself revisiting it time and time again.
May 7, 2012
To say that I was captivated by this man and his writings would be an understatement! His writings speak of peacefulness, of oneness.loving kindness and mindful meditation. The power of these simple practices can change the world!
April 22, 2013
What a beautiful, compassionate man Thich Nhat Hanh is. I throughoughly enjoyed the excerpts of his detailed in this book as I have been stepping into this rehelm of mindfulness and compassion myself. I sincerely look forward to reading more of his books.
January 28, 2009
I ALWAY'S feel so awsome after reading his books!
March 25, 2009
had to dust this baby off my shelf again...whenever i feel off track, this helps me chart my path again.
February 5, 2011
My life changed so I would read this book and this book changed my life.
May 22, 2011
This is a collection of essays from the prolific Thich Nhat Hanh. The stories are simple, powerful, kind, and filled with wisdom. I would recommend this to any person.
April 30, 2016
A gift of a book. One page after the next contains a fresh concept on how to be in the world.
June 29, 2021
I don't know why it's taken me, a Buddhist of many years, so long to finally get around to reading some core TNH. All I can really say is that I cried the entire time I read it, heart-opening tears of joy and recognition and compassion, the same tears I always cry when I hear or read about the dharma.
September 19, 2023
My first book by "Thây".
As the name suggests, the collection of his writings.
It definitely offered new perspectives to expansion of known Buddhist concepts for me.
As the name suggests, the collection of his writings.
It definitely offered new perspectives to expansion of known Buddhist concepts for me.
February 22, 2017
'"Dwelling in the present moment.' While I sit here, I don't think of somewhere else, of the future or the past. I sit here, and I know where I am. This is very important. We tend to be alive in the future, not now. We say, 'Wait until I finish school and get my Ph.D. degree, and then I will be really alive.' When we have it, and it's not easy to get, we say to ourselves, 'I have to wait until I have a job in order to be really alive.' And then after the job, a car. After the car, a house. We are not capable of being alive in the present moment. We tend to postpone being alive to the future, the distant future, we don't know when. Now is not the moment to be alive. We may never be alive at all in our entire life. Therefore, the technique, if we have to speak of a technique, is to be in the present moment, to be aware that we are here and now, and the only moment to be alive is the present moment." (p. 26)
"Our ecology should be a deep ecology--not only deep, but universal. There is pollution in our consciousness. Television, films, and newspapers are forms of pollution for us and our children. They sow seeds of violence and anxiety in us and pollute our consciousness, just as we destroy our environment by farming with chemicals, clear-cutting the trees, and polluting the water. We need to protect the ecology of the Earth and the ecology of the mind, or this kind of violence and recklessness will spill over into even more areas of life." (p. 69)
"Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in tough with both aspects. Please do not think we must be solemn in order to meditate. In fact, to meditate well, we have to smile a lot." (pp. 24, 25)
"I believe that what the Buddha said, what Jesus said, is not as important as the way the Buddha or Jesus said it. If you are able to perceive that, you will get close to the Buddha or to Jesus. But if you try to analyze, try to find out the deep meaning of the words without realizing the kind of relationships between the one who spoke and those who listened, I think that you very easily miss not only the point but the man. I think that theologians tend to forget that approach." (p. 136)
"Our ecology should be a deep ecology--not only deep, but universal. There is pollution in our consciousness. Television, films, and newspapers are forms of pollution for us and our children. They sow seeds of violence and anxiety in us and pollute our consciousness, just as we destroy our environment by farming with chemicals, clear-cutting the trees, and polluting the water. We need to protect the ecology of the Earth and the ecology of the mind, or this kind of violence and recklessness will spill over into even more areas of life." (p. 69)
"Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in tough with both aspects. Please do not think we must be solemn in order to meditate. In fact, to meditate well, we have to smile a lot." (pp. 24, 25)
"I believe that what the Buddha said, what Jesus said, is not as important as the way the Buddha or Jesus said it. If you are able to perceive that, you will get close to the Buddha or to Jesus. But if you try to analyze, try to find out the deep meaning of the words without realizing the kind of relationships between the one who spoke and those who listened, I think that you very easily miss not only the point but the man. I think that theologians tend to forget that approach." (p. 136)
August 19, 2008
Interesting philosophy about "Mindfulness" in which the teacher preaches about enjoying the present for what it is. We spend so much time rushing around and forgetting about what it is we are doing now. He states that we shouldn't cook our food in order to complete the task and eat but to cook our food for the enjoyment of cooking. How often do we rush through our lives and treat each task as labor and rush to get to the end? Life is a journey, enjoy the ride. It's the journey not the destination that we need to be more concerned with. Pretty basic stuff if you sit down and think about it but how often do we think about it? I know for me personally I can't wait to finish things so I can lay around on my lazy butt. I am trying to become more aware so I can slow down, think of others instead of focusing all my attention on my own selfish wants, and appreciate all of the luxuries in life that I take for granted each and every day. I need to be reminded of this daily!
April 19, 2012
Thich Nhat Hanh = a wise guy with a heart of gold(en sunlight). It would almost surely be a pleasure to be able to spend time with him. He has many intelligent and worthwhile things to say and says them frequently and often and repeatedly, typically with little or no variation in terminology. At least he embraces the only medium by which instruction, teaching, and dissemination of wisdom is possible, though, namely the sincere use of human language, which is something i believe cannot be said for many Buddhist teachers, especially the Buddha himself and much of the Zen i've ever read. (If you know of a straight-shooting book on Zen, please P.M. me. Remember, my happiness = the world's happiness [and vice versa, i guess].)
May 29, 2009
Wow...I really enjoyed this book and read it slowly. Beautiful writing, simple illustration of ideas. I liked the essay about the piece of paper and his examples of interbeing, his emphasis on the present moment. I've read about many of the same ideas before, but he explains them better than others. He acknowledges the magnitude of suffering in the world, but he sees the bliss as well. I was also moved by his work with the American Vietnam War veterans. This is a book I will definitely pick up again.
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November 7, 2011Like Peace is Every Step, I'm declining to rate this book because it can't compare to most other books I read, and it's hard to rate very wise advice from a Buddhist monk.
This collection echoes all the thoughts of PIES, but it gives some more precepts. Precepts (rules, as it were, though the author would never call them such) are always helpful for a bureaucrat like me. I like concrete guidelines, especially since the practice of mindfulness is so difficult.
This collection echoes all the thoughts of PIES, but it gives some more precepts. Precepts (rules, as it were, though the author would never call them such) are always helpful for a bureaucrat like me. I like concrete guidelines, especially since the practice of mindfulness is so difficult.
March 5, 2014
This is a collection of some of Thay's teachings over the years and from various of his books. I particularly enjoy having this on my reader as I can have a collection of his works with me at all times. His words are very inspirational and calming. He has been and remains one of my favorite wisdom teachers. I have many of his books on my shelf and now have a piece of many to take with me when I travel.
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August 30, 2016I don't normally like these kinds of anthologies very much, but despite the multiple sources and lack of context, Thich Nhat Hanh's clear vision and peaceful spirit manage to come through strongly.
"Redemption and resurrection are neither words nor objects of belief. They are our daily practice."
I tend to agree with Martin Luther King's statement that, "His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity."
"Redemption and resurrection are neither words nor objects of belief. They are our daily practice."
I tend to agree with Martin Luther King's statement that, "His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity."
March 5, 2017
My favourite part is insights on emotion, as inner child or as TV programs, in Buddhist psychology.
Thay's loving words surely make people felt calm and grateful.
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一本thay的集子。Thay总是能够给人带来平静的力量。
从Thay的书中学到了什么呢？第一是要be consciously aware to live in the present moment, the art of mindfulness. 第二是use the power of compassion to care for your negative emotions 第三是realize the ultimate dimension and the cycle of life are receipical
Thay's loving words surely make people felt calm and grateful.
-----------
一本thay的集子。Thay总是能够给人带来平静的力量。
从Thay的书中学到了什么呢？第一是要be consciously aware to live in the present moment, the art of mindfulness. 第二是use the power of compassion to care for your negative emotions 第三是realize the ultimate dimension and the cycle of life are receipical
September 18, 2012
I have liked Thich Nhat Hanh's writings for a long time. Although I don't necessarily agree with some of what he has to say (as faith-based), I always find his words have a lyrical poetic quality to them. They play mellifluously in my mind. This book is an excellent compendium of some of his best work.
Liz
Liz
November 16, 2007
Thich writes in an accessible way, easy to take in what he's writing and to apply to daily life. 80+ and still kicking ass.
December 15, 2007
A Truly a beautiful and lovely book that really spoke to me and was an incredible and wonderful advice-filled narrative.
April 21, 2008
he is truly a gentle soul
April 26, 2011
Beautiful writing about cultivating kindness and practicing peace. He's a lovely human.
August 2, 2009
good prose to learn about mindfulness
July 7, 2009
Oh to be a zen master!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews