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Mindfulness Essentials #10
Como Sonreir / How to Smile
The final book in the bestselling How To simple, refreshing meditations of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh give us inspiration and tools for transforming our suffering and cultivating happiness
In inspiring passages and simple exercises, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us what he calls “the art of suffering.” He gives us teachings and tools for transforming suffering as well as ways to touch moments of happiness and smile even while suffering is still there.
Written with characteristic simplicity and wisdom, these insightful meditations—born from the Zen master’s lifetime of Zen practice and peacemaking—teach us how to come back to ourselves, calm our body and mind, and not let suffering overwhelm us. When we’re willing to face our suffering and look deeply into it, we begin to understand its origins. Transformation and healing become possible, and along with it a greater capacity to understand the suffering of others and resolve conflicts in our relationships. Creating peace and understanding in ourselves and our relationships in this way is essential for helping create true understanding and peace in our communities, society, and the world. Thich Nhat Hanh offers practices for transforming our own suffering, listening deeply to the suffering of others, and especially how to cultivate our own smile and happiness.
All Mindfulness Essentials books are illustrated with playful sumi-ink drawings by California artist Jason DeAntonis.
In inspiring passages and simple exercises, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us what he calls “the art of suffering.” He gives us teachings and tools for transforming suffering as well as ways to touch moments of happiness and smile even while suffering is still there.
Written with characteristic simplicity and wisdom, these insightful meditations—born from the Zen master’s lifetime of Zen practice and peacemaking—teach us how to come back to ourselves, calm our body and mind, and not let suffering overwhelm us. When we’re willing to face our suffering and look deeply into it, we begin to understand its origins. Transformation and healing become possible, and along with it a greater capacity to understand the suffering of others and resolve conflicts in our relationships. Creating peace and understanding in ourselves and our relationships in this way is essential for helping create true understanding and peace in our communities, society, and the world. Thich Nhat Hanh offers practices for transforming our own suffering, listening deeply to the suffering of others, and especially how to cultivate our own smile and happiness.
All Mindfulness Essentials books are illustrated with playful sumi-ink drawings by California artist Jason DeAntonis.
136 pages, Paperback
Published June 11, 2025
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh
1,063 books13.3k 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 94 reviews
June 6, 2024
After enjoying Thich Nhat Hanh’s How to Relax, I picked up How to Smile with high expectations. Unfortunately, it was a letdown. The book felt boring and repetitive, lacking new insights and original content. Much of it consists of quotes from his other books, often unrelated to smiling, making the text feel disjointed and unfocused. How to Smile seems more like a filler publication than a meaningful addition to his body of work. I would recommend skipping this one and exploring his other titles instead.
August 23, 2026
Favorite takeaways:
Walking as a form of meditation
Embracing aimlessness — slow down!
A compassionate society requires a change of consciousness to allow for interdependence.
Taking care of anger
This is a teeny tiny book full of huge truths and simple ways of looking at the world that can change your focus, perspective, and improve your quality of life. Definitely worth taking an afternoon to read through it and absorb the ideas!
Walking as a form of meditation
Embracing aimlessness — slow down!
A compassionate society requires a change of consciousness to allow for interdependence.
Taking care of anger
This is a teeny tiny book full of huge truths and simple ways of looking at the world that can change your focus, perspective, and improve your quality of life. Definitely worth taking an afternoon to read through it and absorb the ideas!
September 28, 2024
This book helped me to see things from a different perspective and to stay calm when my mind was in chaos.
I’ll probably reread it.
I’ll probably reread it.
January 30, 2025
If you’ve read the other books in the Mindfulness Essentials series (or other works from TNH) … you can skip this one. It repeats a lot from the other books (sometimes word for word), and I found myself skipping passages I’ve read before. I also felt like the other books in the series tie back closely to the “theme,” but many of these passages were a stretch for the theme of “smiling / happiness” and some were not related at all, in my opinion.
I would only recommend this if you’re new to the concept of mindfulness or Thich Naht Hanh.
I would only recommend this if you’re new to the concept of mindfulness or Thich Naht Hanh.
October 2, 2026
I enjoyed this book because its message is simple and its easy to understand. It shows that happiness does not always come from something big and instead we can find a smile in friends and family. It shows that we can find happiness in any way and that it is easy to smile. An important lesson I learned is also that simple things can help us relax. We can walk, eat, and sit to help us relax. Also, that smiling is something that we should do all the time because life is a beautiful thing.
September 18, 2025
está bonito
September 19, 2024
My poor review of this book originates from the almost complete mismatch between its title and the contents.
If the title had presented the book as a generic commentary on mindfulness, I would have assigned it a full five stars without hesitance. It is representative of the excellence of Thich Nhat Hanh the man -- his guidance played a main role in helping me persevere through and triumph over the illness induced agony of my twenties. Reading it generates the same soothing effect as his other works
Unfortunately, perhaps 2 percent of this book makes any mention of meditative methods for smiling.
Not a high point in the "Mindfulness Essentials Series," which is on the whole supreme. I noticed this book was published in 2023, which happens to be the year Hanh passed from the world. I wonder if the faultiness of this book owes to being an editorial compilation of Hanh's commentary rather than an actual work of his.
If the title had presented the book as a generic commentary on mindfulness, I would have assigned it a full five stars without hesitance. It is representative of the excellence of Thich Nhat Hanh the man -- his guidance played a main role in helping me persevere through and triumph over the illness induced agony of my twenties. Reading it generates the same soothing effect as his other works
Unfortunately, perhaps 2 percent of this book makes any mention of meditative methods for smiling.
Not a high point in the "Mindfulness Essentials Series," which is on the whole supreme. I noticed this book was published in 2023, which happens to be the year Hanh passed from the world. I wonder if the faultiness of this book owes to being an editorial compilation of Hanh's commentary rather than an actual work of his.
September 27, 2025
Golden Life Lessons by Thich Nhat Hanh. Short, crisp one-pagers contain wisdom that is essential to leading a fulfilling, peaceful life. He talks about how practising awareness and being present in the moment will help us turn inward and discover the happiness and joy which is already within us.
January 3, 2024
A good one sitting read about mindfulness, meditation, and interbeing. The simplicity of the text allows lots of space for your own reflections.
January 11, 2024
This book only has quotes from other Thich Nhat Hanh's books. If you have read other books by him, there's no need to buy this one.
November 10, 2024
I’m in love!!! Everything Vipassana taught me is compacted in this really small book, totally recommend it. It made me smile everytime
Read
January 6, 2025Smiling is the easiest form of peace work!
January 8, 2025
Great morning read. It's one of those books that can be read again and again .
July 5, 2025
I didn't understand some of the concepts, but for the ones I did understand, I learned that being present and being aware of the now brings happiness.
September 30, 2026
Helped me through a very hard time
July 25, 2024
A fantastic little book worth picking up.
September 9, 2024
Lots of great ideas. Easy to pick up and turn to a random page and be reminded of something meaningful.
December 16, 2023
Peace is every smile.
December 8, 2023
Knowing that Thich Nhat Hanh died in 2022 I'm really hoping that he was writing it or had finished before his death. I keep thinking that his followers are going to continue this series and keep putting his name on it like so many other book series with dead authors. Those thoughts were on my mind when I got this to read even though I promised myself no more books on this topic. A quick read self help book like all the others that is geared towards certain types of people. The author did fail because I barely smile and I hate strangers people telling me that I should.
The biggest issue for me is when he brings up the subject of suicide. First off is the use of the term committed which many no longer use due to how hurtful it is. Another is when he says that those who do kill themselves is because of strong emotions and you shouldn't kill yourself because of an emotion. People who die by suicide do so because of many reasons not just from an emotion. Or when he says that you will continue on in many ways after death by suicide and that you will continue to suffer even after you die can you imagine telling this to families going through that loss.
This just shows how dangerous these ideas can be especially with the people who believe it and pass it on.
The biggest issue for me is when he brings up the subject of suicide. First off is the use of the term committed which many no longer use due to how hurtful it is. Another is when he says that those who do kill themselves is because of strong emotions and you shouldn't kill yourself because of an emotion. People who die by suicide do so because of many reasons not just from an emotion. Or when he says that you will continue on in many ways after death by suicide and that you will continue to suffer even after you die can you imagine telling this to families going through that loss.
This just shows how dangerous these ideas can be especially with the people who believe it and pass it on.
September 13, 2025
What a lovely tiny book. I tried to take my time with it. I want to explore more of Tich Nhat Han and the magic of the present moment. So glad I got this tbh top book of 2025 even one page can change the course of your day, your week, your life!
July 7, 2025
Enfatiza en la belleza y transformación que tiene la práctica de sonreír. No quedando atrapado en las quejas, penas y sufrimiento; sino en apreciar la naturaleza, la vida en las actividades cotidianas. ¿Cómo? Sonriendo cada día.
Desde que conocí al autor, me encantan sus enseñanzas.
Lectura imprescindible para quienes buscan enseñanzas prácticas y profundas de Thich Nhat Hanh para su vida diaria.
Citas
■ “Reconocer y aceptar
Si podemos reconocer y aceptar nuestro dolor sin huir de él, descubriremos que aunque el dolor esta ahí, la alegría también puede estar allí al mismo tiempo”. [Pág 12]
■ “Podemos elegir el canal
Un amigo me preguntó una vez: "¿Cómo puedo obligarme a sonreír cuando estoy lleno de tristeza? No es natural". Le dije que debía ser capaz de sonreírle, porque somos más que nuestro dolor. Un ser humano es como un televisor con millones de canales. Si entendemos la conciencia, somos con-ciencia. Si encendemos la tristeza, somos dolor. Si encendemos una sonrisa, realmente somos la sonrisa. No podemos dejar que solo un canal nos domine. Tenemos las semillas de todo dentro”. [Pág 22]
■ “Casa en llamas
Si su casa está en llamas, lo más urgente es volver e intentar apagar el fuego, no correr después de la persona que cree que es el incendio. Si corres después de la persona que sospecha que ha prestado fuego a tu casa, la casa se quemará mientras las persigue. Lo sabio es volver y apagar el fuego. Cuando estás enojado, si continúas interactuando o discutiendo con la otra persona o si intentas castigarlos, estás actuando exactamente como alguien que corre después del incendio mientras todo sube en llamas.
[8/7/2025 08:10] Johanna: La esencia de la felicidad es un cuerpo que no está en dolor y un corazón y una mente que no están oprimidos por la an-siedad, el miedo o el odio. Sentados en la meditación, podemos llegar a un sentimiento estable de alegría, dándonos cuenta de la quietud del cuerpo y la claridad mental”. [Pág 37]
■ “Dentro de cien años
Cuando estés enojado con alguien que amas, respira conscientemente con los ojos cerrados y trae tu mente al futuro lejano. Su cuerpo y el cuerpo de la persona con la que estás enojado se habrán disuelto en polvo. Cuando vemos que nuestras vidas son tan efímeras, no queremos perder nuestro tiempo en enojado el uno con el otro”. [Pág 42]
■ “Como una nube
Mientras su ser querido todavía está vivo y contigo, ten en cuenta que son como una nube. Usted también es como una nube y no está del todo en este cuerpo, porque cada día produce pensamientos, discursos y acciones que continúan independientemente de usted; Son su continuación. Incluso cuando la nube todavía está en el cielo, podemos ver su continuación, como lluvia, nieve o granizo. Debemos meditar para ver que no solo estamos en nuestro cuerpo, sino que también estamos fuera de él. Puedo verme no solo en este cuerpo, sino también en mis amigos, mis discípulos, mi trabajo, en muchas cosas. Si quieres reconocerme, no mires en esta dirección; Este cuerpo es solo una pequeña parte de mí.
Seguiré siendo.
Pero tienes que tener mucho cuidado de verme.
Seré una flor, una hoja o una nube.
Estaré en esos formularios y te enviaré un saludo.
Si eres lo suficientemente consciente, me reconocerás
Y me sonreirás.
Estaré muy feliz”. [Pág 83]
Desde que conocí al autor, me encantan sus enseñanzas.
Lectura imprescindible para quienes buscan enseñanzas prácticas y profundas de Thich Nhat Hanh para su vida diaria.
Citas
■ “Reconocer y aceptar
Si podemos reconocer y aceptar nuestro dolor sin huir de él, descubriremos que aunque el dolor esta ahí, la alegría también puede estar allí al mismo tiempo”. [Pág 12]
■ “Podemos elegir el canal
Un amigo me preguntó una vez: "¿Cómo puedo obligarme a sonreír cuando estoy lleno de tristeza? No es natural". Le dije que debía ser capaz de sonreírle, porque somos más que nuestro dolor. Un ser humano es como un televisor con millones de canales. Si entendemos la conciencia, somos con-ciencia. Si encendemos la tristeza, somos dolor. Si encendemos una sonrisa, realmente somos la sonrisa. No podemos dejar que solo un canal nos domine. Tenemos las semillas de todo dentro”. [Pág 22]
■ “Casa en llamas
Si su casa está en llamas, lo más urgente es volver e intentar apagar el fuego, no correr después de la persona que cree que es el incendio. Si corres después de la persona que sospecha que ha prestado fuego a tu casa, la casa se quemará mientras las persigue. Lo sabio es volver y apagar el fuego. Cuando estás enojado, si continúas interactuando o discutiendo con la otra persona o si intentas castigarlos, estás actuando exactamente como alguien que corre después del incendio mientras todo sube en llamas.
[8/7/2025 08:10] Johanna: La esencia de la felicidad es un cuerpo que no está en dolor y un corazón y una mente que no están oprimidos por la an-siedad, el miedo o el odio. Sentados en la meditación, podemos llegar a un sentimiento estable de alegría, dándonos cuenta de la quietud del cuerpo y la claridad mental”. [Pág 37]
■ “Dentro de cien años
Cuando estés enojado con alguien que amas, respira conscientemente con los ojos cerrados y trae tu mente al futuro lejano. Su cuerpo y el cuerpo de la persona con la que estás enojado se habrán disuelto en polvo. Cuando vemos que nuestras vidas son tan efímeras, no queremos perder nuestro tiempo en enojado el uno con el otro”. [Pág 42]
■ “Como una nube
Mientras su ser querido todavía está vivo y contigo, ten en cuenta que son como una nube. Usted también es como una nube y no está del todo en este cuerpo, porque cada día produce pensamientos, discursos y acciones que continúan independientemente de usted; Son su continuación. Incluso cuando la nube todavía está en el cielo, podemos ver su continuación, como lluvia, nieve o granizo. Debemos meditar para ver que no solo estamos en nuestro cuerpo, sino que también estamos fuera de él. Puedo verme no solo en este cuerpo, sino también en mis amigos, mis discípulos, mi trabajo, en muchas cosas. Si quieres reconocerme, no mires en esta dirección; Este cuerpo es solo una pequeña parte de mí.
Seguiré siendo.
Pero tienes que tener mucho cuidado de verme.
Seré una flor, una hoja o una nube.
Estaré en esos formularios y te enviaré un saludo.
Si eres lo suficientemente consciente, me reconocerás
Y me sonreirás.
Estaré muy feliz”. [Pág 83]
January 13, 2024
A short simple transformative book on the power of mindfulness and smile. Bifurcated in two parts – notes on smiling and practices for smiling. The first part is long that has many short essays or say prose-like notes that encourage us to live a life full of mindfulness. The book presents the simple and the basic mindfulness concepts of Buddhism. Like a friend, it chugs ahead by laying emphasis on the beauty of life that we have on earth. Some concepts that can change our mind are not only soothing but also powerful…for instance how to transform your neutral mood to positive.
The author urges us that we should not be complaining about life’s sorrow and pains. He asks us to look at the sky, feel the Mother Nature, and appreciate life in every movement while walking sitting and in other chores. That can be achieved by smiling every day, every moment…it is like lamp in our heart that keeps us light. Mindfulness is another major message in the book. In fact it’s a Buddhist technique to tackle burdens, grief, and sorrows. Being aware of everything…every moment of life is mindfulness. It lets us live peacefully.
What sets this book apart is its sublime subtle appeal. The author has explained the basics of life in short minute details. In between I loved his teachings and travels and anecdotes that he put on for more profundity. Hedonistic chaos circles our life; however, this book stands out as a beacon of light, offering readers a compelling invitation to embrace the power of mindfulness in their daily lives. It’s a must-read for those seeking practical yet profound teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh in their daily lives.
The author urges us that we should not be complaining about life’s sorrow and pains. He asks us to look at the sky, feel the Mother Nature, and appreciate life in every movement while walking sitting and in other chores. That can be achieved by smiling every day, every moment…it is like lamp in our heart that keeps us light. Mindfulness is another major message in the book. In fact it’s a Buddhist technique to tackle burdens, grief, and sorrows. Being aware of everything…every moment of life is mindfulness. It lets us live peacefully.
What sets this book apart is its sublime subtle appeal. The author has explained the basics of life in short minute details. In between I loved his teachings and travels and anecdotes that he put on for more profundity. Hedonistic chaos circles our life; however, this book stands out as a beacon of light, offering readers a compelling invitation to embrace the power of mindfulness in their daily lives. It’s a must-read for those seeking practical yet profound teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh in their daily lives.
June 19, 2024
How beautiful a book with a simple concept smile..
I truly believe in the power of a smile.. uplifting and peaceful at the same time.
When I go for my walks in the morning and there are people on their own walks who smile.. it makes a great start to my day..
Nowadays I smile when I wake up because I get to see the sunrise. It's a beautiful feeling..
Highlights from the book 📖
True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.
When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don’t try to be a magnolia flower.
BE YOURSELF To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.
Equanimity isn’t cold or indifferent. It means you love without discrimination and include everyone in your love.
This is the art of loving speech. Listening is also a deep practice. We listen in a way that we understand the suffering of others. We empty ourselves and leave space so we can listen well
I truly believe in the power of a smile.. uplifting and peaceful at the same time.
When I go for my walks in the morning and there are people on their own walks who smile.. it makes a great start to my day..
Nowadays I smile when I wake up because I get to see the sunrise. It's a beautiful feeling..
Highlights from the book 📖
True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.
When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don’t try to be a magnolia flower.
BE YOURSELF To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.
Equanimity isn’t cold or indifferent. It means you love without discrimination and include everyone in your love.
This is the art of loving speech. Listening is also a deep practice. We listen in a way that we understand the suffering of others. We empty ourselves and leave space so we can listen well
July 31, 2024
Compact, soothing and wise, just like the other books by Thich Nhat Hanh in the "How to..." series. Whenever I see this book, I will remind myself to smile, as that's the best gift we can give others AND ourselves. What I also learnt from this reading experience that were novel and useful for me are the Buddhist concepts of:
1) "signless-ness" (i.e. looking at each other beyond our external labels),
2) "aimlessness" (i.e. not chasing goals but enjoying the present moment) and
3) "interbeing" (i.e. the interconnectedness of all beings).
Imagine a world where we all slow down and enjoy the present moment, not judge each other, make an effort to understand each other beyond our "labels" and recognize that our pain, suffering and existence are all interconnected with those of others. How much more loving and peaceful would that world be? This book would have garnered a 5 stars rating from me had I not been familiar with most of the contents, as I have read quite a few books by Thich Nhat Hanh. However, for someone unfamiliar with Buddhism or someone who simply wants to live an easygoing life, this is a charming little guide :)
1) "signless-ness" (i.e. looking at each other beyond our external labels),
2) "aimlessness" (i.e. not chasing goals but enjoying the present moment) and
3) "interbeing" (i.e. the interconnectedness of all beings).
Imagine a world where we all slow down and enjoy the present moment, not judge each other, make an effort to understand each other beyond our "labels" and recognize that our pain, suffering and existence are all interconnected with those of others. How much more loving and peaceful would that world be? This book would have garnered a 5 stars rating from me had I not been familiar with most of the contents, as I have read quite a few books by Thich Nhat Hanh. However, for someone unfamiliar with Buddhism or someone who simply wants to live an easygoing life, this is a charming little guide :)
January 15, 2026
By practicing loving speech and deep listening in order to understand, we can help each other because happiness is not an individual matter. If the other person is not happy, we will not be happy either. We have to learn to calm ourselves and become a flower before we speak; this is the art of loving speech. We listen in a way that we understand the suffering of others. We empty ourselves and leave space so we can listen well. Equanimity is an important element of true love. It means you love without discrimination and include everyone in your love. It means seeing the whole situation without taking sides. When you simply love, then you are loving without discrimination and practicing true love. We should start our day with a smile because our smile affirms our awareness and determination to live in peace and joy. The source of a true smile is an awakened mind. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding.
July 8, 2024
Great book by Vietnamese Thìên Buddhist monk and activist, Thich Nhat Hanh! Each page of this compact book has a short paragraph or couple of sentences about mindfulness, how we are all interwoven, compassion, and the power of a smile. There are so many more great things that can be taken from this book as well. I have studied the teachings of many different religions and Buddhism was one that instantly made me want to study it further and begin practicing what I had learned. After 25 years of living life with these practices, I have never felt so at peace with the world around me and with myself. I loved the reminders this book gave about how to deal with hard times and anger or other difficult emotions. I will be looking for more books by Thich Nhat Hanh.
April 9, 2026
I appreciate Thay Thich Nhat Hanh’s books as they make me learn to think of life from a different perspective. Compared to other books written by Thay, How to Smile is rather short and concise - and I actually wish it could have offered a deeper dive into the topic of understanding how smiling can bring about changes in one’s life. Smiling is a wonderful way for us to remind ourselves that life is always going to be life, hardships will always be there and our smiles let us know that we are still alive and doing well. The reading experience brought me peace in mind and I am grateful for everything that gave me this life.
June 3, 2026
"Inside each of us is a young, suffering child. We've all had times of difficulty as children and many of us have experienced trauma. To protect ourselves from further suffering, we try to forget those painful times. But the wounded child is always there, calling for our attention. We have to go back to tenderly embrace and listen to the child inside. We can talk to the child with the language of love, saying, "My dear, I know you've suffered. I've neglected you. I'm sorry. I won't leave you alone again." ... When you go on a walk, contemplate the sunset, or climb up a beautiful mountain, invite them to enjoy it with you."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews