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How to Live When a Loved One Dies: Healing Meditations for Grief and Loss
In this comforting book that will offer relief to anyone moving through intense grief and loss, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh shares accessible, healing words of wisdom to transform our suffering.
In the immediate aftermath of a loss, sometimes it is all we can do to keep breathing. With his signature clarity and compassion, Thich Nhat Hanh will guide you through the storm of emotions surrounding the death of a loved one.
How To Live When A Loved One Dies offers powerful practices such as mindful breathing that will help you reconcile with death and loss, feel connected to your loved one long after they have gone, and transform your grief into healing and joy.
In the immediate aftermath of a loss, sometimes it is all we can do to keep breathing. With his signature clarity and compassion, Thich Nhat Hanh will guide you through the storm of emotions surrounding the death of a loved one.
How To Live When A Loved One Dies offers powerful practices such as mindful breathing that will help you reconcile with death and loss, feel connected to your loved one long after they have gone, and transform your grief into healing and joy.
176 pages, Paperback
Published July 19, 2021
386 people are currently reading
1254 people want to read
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh
971 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 98 reviews
November 13, 2022
A book that requires a walk afterwards. One without music or a podcast. Just quiet and still
October 21, 2021
Idk how to rate this book but I would recommend it to anyone struggling through a major loss right now. I am famously not a fan of mindfulness but this collection of meditations brought me comfort, understanding, and a little bit of peace.
August 19, 2021
“Our thoughts, words, and deeds are our legacy. They live on long after we are no longer there”
A collection of Thich Nhat Hahn teachings that reminds us of the inter-being of birth, life and death. Lessons that are combined with contemplative practices.
This small book contains many great lessons for how to live our lives and how to see and remember our loved ones after they die.
“When you touch your loved one in the ultimate dimensions, you see that they are still with you.”
“We are like candles. We send light out all around us, radiating in all directions. All our thoughts, words, and actions are our light.”
A collection of Thich Nhat Hahn teachings that reminds us of the inter-being of birth, life and death. Lessons that are combined with contemplative practices.
This small book contains many great lessons for how to live our lives and how to see and remember our loved ones after they die.
“When you touch your loved one in the ultimate dimensions, you see that they are still with you.”
“We are like candles. We send light out all around us, radiating in all directions. All our thoughts, words, and actions are our light.”
September 9, 2021
This book is too Buddhist for me. I cried through a lot of it because Thich Nhat Hanh kept reiterating that our loved ones are not really dead because they live on through us. I get that concept; but the simple fact is I miss my Mom and no amount of meditation or communing with the earth or sky is going to allow her to sit beside me and talk and laugh ever again.
The one thing that Thich suggested that I can get behind is to ask for stories about our loved ones from the people who knew them.
The one thing that Thich suggested that I can get behind is to ask for stories about our loved ones from the people who knew them.
March 24, 2025
A collection of spiritual cliches that mostly suggest that going for a walk and taking some deep breaths will somehow magically erase the life-altering grief of having someone close to you die. Airy, detached nonsense that only a monk could get away with.
October 26, 2021
I may give this one another try later on, as I usually find comfort in & am a fan of his writing. Currently I am just extra salty/snarky, though at least can acknowledge it & let it (hopefully) pass over me. There really is no getting around the fact that grief is weird, nonlinear & world altering. While there are obviously a million things still around connecting you with whoever is lost, it does not bring them back.
August 4, 2022
It’s not easy to rate a book about grief while grieving, but it’s important to read about it and this book brings a lot of understanding and comfort. I recommend it for anyone who is dealing with the loss of someone, it may not hold the answers of a less painful suffering but it brings a beautiful way to view death.
May 17, 2025
An essential read of great value. This is a compendium of excerpts of Thich Nhat Hanh's teaching on death, life and the interconnectedness of all things. It is not necessary to be a Buddhist to appreciate the importance of compassion and love - and the universal concept of life continuing through our descendants. Highly recommend.
September 16, 2021
Thanks first to Parallax Press for allowing me access to this new book! It is a beautiful book inside and out.
A guide of breathing, meditation and mindfulness to deal with losing someone you love. I can't think of a more timely read.
This book took me longer than usual to read. I didn't want to just binge it. I took it in chunks and tried some of the exercises as I read.
I would definitely suggest this book to anyone suffering with loss right now or even those who are preparing themselves for it as so many are right now. Very happy I got the opportunity to read this! You should pick up a copy today visit Parallax Press and please let me know how you liked it!
☕☕☕☕☕/5
A guide of breathing, meditation and mindfulness to deal with losing someone you love. I can't think of a more timely read.
This book took me longer than usual to read. I didn't want to just binge it. I took it in chunks and tried some of the exercises as I read.
I would definitely suggest this book to anyone suffering with loss right now or even those who are preparing themselves for it as so many are right now. Very happy I got the opportunity to read this! You should pick up a copy today visit Parallax Press and please let me know how you liked it!
☕☕☕☕☕/5
December 22, 2022
I read this book slowly, practiced the meditations that felt right in the moment and bookmarked the ones I know I could use in the future.
It is a book that asks for reflection and honesty with oneself, and I definitely had to put it down at times because I was not ready for the words on the page.
It is a book that asks for reflection and honesty with oneself, and I definitely had to put it down at times because I was not ready for the words on the page.
March 29, 2025
Legendary book. Should be required reading for being human.
July 19, 2024
I feel ashamed to give it 3 stars as this book will surely be more impactful for someone in a different circumstance than I, but that is the rating for me. This book is structured like a poetry book, a format in which Thây has written a ton of books, but this style is not so much for me. The chapters are more so brief passages, so each big idea is only slightly zoomed in on. Though where depth falls short, poetic beauty absolutely shines. I liked the incorporation of poems/mantras/meditations through the main teaching, I just had a hard time giving each one an appropriate amount of time in the context of trying to get through a book and not taking so long. This is definitely the wrong way of looking at it but nonetheless I couldn’t seem to slow down enough to experience it any differently, that’s part of the practice I guess. I would say this style of writing from Thich Nhat Khan is perfect for many people, I prefer his bigger and more comprehensive books on buddhist practice over his shorter poetry-esque books. In the scope of the promise of the book, there was plenty of great advice and practices to follow in coming to peace with the death of a loved one.
March 6, 2023
3.5
"Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,
sacred thresholds on our journey.
Birth and death are a game of hide-and-seek.
So laugh with me,
hold my hand,
let us say good-bye,
say good-bye, to meet again soon."
Losing our loved ones is hard because we understand that they are no longer here with us. Thich Nhat Hanh explains that our loved ones are actually not gone, they have transformed. And the legacy that our loved ones left is continuing and living within us and within the people that they've met.
I will definitely revisit this book to practice in how to commemorate my loved ones with mindfulness.
"Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,
sacred thresholds on our journey.
Birth and death are a game of hide-and-seek.
So laugh with me,
hold my hand,
let us say good-bye,
say good-bye, to meet again soon."
Losing our loved ones is hard because we understand that they are no longer here with us. Thich Nhat Hanh explains that our loved ones are actually not gone, they have transformed. And the legacy that our loved ones left is continuing and living within us and within the people that they've met.
I will definitely revisit this book to practice in how to commemorate my loved ones with mindfulness.
January 10, 2022
Menghadapi kematian seseorang yang dicintai seringkali kuasosiasikan dengan dikuliti hidup-hidup dalam sekejap. Perihnya tak terkira, hingga pada bulan-bulan pertama menjalani hidup tanpanya, aku merasa bahwa perihnya infeksi telinga kronis yang kualami selama hampir setengah tahun bukanlah apa-apa dibandingkan dengan perihnya ditinggal mati orang yang sangat kukasihi. Setelah lewat dua tahun berlalu, narasi-narasi yang mungkin bisa membantuku memahami serta melalui hari-hari dalam dunia tanpanya masih terus menarik perhatianku. Buku ini salah satunya, apalagi buku ini ditulis oleh salah satu guru zen yang kuhormati.
Seperti meditasi cinta kasih itu sendiri, Thay (panggilan akrab penulis) mendahului tiap panduan meditasi dalam buku ini dengan narasi-narasi yang diupayakan untuk memahami apa yang kita rasakan atas kematian orang yang kita cintai. Thay melengkapi narasi-narasi tersebut dengan analogi-analogi yang membuatnya lebih mudah dimengerti. Salah satu bagian yang paling menyentuhku adalah bagian yang mengingatkan kembali bahwa mendiang yang kita cintai hampir pasti turut berharap kita dapat merasakan kebahagiaan setelah kematiannya secara fisik. Bahwa untuk merasakah kebahagiaan, kita tidak harus menunggu sampai duka dan penderitaan kita berakhir sama sekali. Bahwa inilah saatnya melatih diri untuk melimpahkan cinta kasih kepada diri kita sendiri. Aku kembali mengingat betapa ibuku selalu mengenang bagaimana cara mendiang suamiku memandangku dengan penuh kasih. Ada kalanya mengingat itu semua terasa berat sehingga aku merasa perlu mengambil sedikit jeda untuk menyerap tangisku sendiri selama membaca buku ini.
Panduan-panduan meditasinya sendiri dikhususkan untuk mereka yang ingin memahami dan berdamai dengan perasaan-perasaan tersebut. Ada yang mengkritik bahwa buku-buku Thay cenderung repetitif dan ujung-ujungnya kembali ke praktek meditasi dan memantrai diri dengan bait-bait mengenai mindfulness, tapi aku mengamati bahwa praktek-praktek yang disarankan dalam buku ini tidaklah sekadar praktek meditasi duduk atau berjalan berikut mantra-mantra yang dapat diucapkan untuk menenangkan hati. Selain praktek-praktek tradisional tersebut, ada pula praktek-praktek lainnya yang lebih khusus seperti menulis surat untuk mendiang yang kita cintai atau berhenti sejenak dari segala kegiatan secara berkala untuk "reconnect" dengan kesadaran kita di masa kini. Lebih jauh lagi, panduan-panduan yang disajikan pada gilirannya kembali mengingatkan manfaat yang dapat dirasakan melalui analogi-analogi yang bisa dikatakan masuk akal. Aku terutama menyukai saran untuk mengidentifikasi emosi-emosi yang kita rasakan dan menamainya dengan nama yang sesungguhnya sehingga kita dapat merangkulnya, mendengar keluh kesahnya dan pada gilirannya menjinakkan gejolaknya dalam jiwa kita. Mungkin itu terdengar sederhana, tapi tidakkah ada kalanya kita dilanda denial terhadap apa yang kita rasakan sendiri? Kurasa praktek seperti itu dapat membantu kita untuk membebaskan diri dari penyakit denial tersebut dan berdamai dengan perasaan-perasaan kita sendiri. Kalau dibilang beberapa bagian terasa repetitif, aku merasa bahwa itu justru menunjukkan bahwa praktek meditasi dapat diaplikasikan secara universal alih-alih dianggap sebagai domain eksklusif agama atau keyakinan tertentu saja, dan manfaatnya dapat dirasakan dalam berbagai situasi.
Terlepas dari itu semua, aku merasa bahwa tidak semua bagian yang dibahas dan disarankan dalam buku mengena atau dapat diaplikasikan secara umun. Misalnya, pemahaman bahwasanya sebagian dari mendiang yang kita cintai masih hidup dalam diri kita sendiri sejujurnya tidak menghiburku. Aku ingin dia hadir di sisi atau di hadapanku, bukan di dalam diriku! Meskipun seringkali aku merasa bahwa sejak kepergian dirinya, banyak sekali bagian dari dirinya yang seolah terserap dalam diriku. Praktek "menyentuh tanah" yang posisinya hampir identik dengan posisi sujud juga tidak bisa dilakukan semua orang karena latar belakang budaya dan agama yang tidak mengijinkan. Selain itu, aku merasa bahwa konsep anattā (ketiadaan diri) dan anicca (impermanence) kurang sesuai untuk dihadirkan sebagai pelipur lara bagi orang awam (yang tidak familiar dengan doktrin-doktrin Buddhisme) yang kehilangan orang yang dicintainya. Meskipun mendiang bertransformasi menjadi bentuk-bentuk lain yang berpencar di sekeliling kita bahkan menjadi bagian diri kita, bukankah sosok yang kita cintai adalah kesatuan tertentu yang kini telah tiada? Jika ia telah buyar dan bertransformasi, tidakkah pecahan-pecahan dan turunan-turunannya bukan lagi sosok kesatuan yang kita cintai? Pada akhirnya, bukankah cinta yang berduka atas berakhirnya sebuah hidup pun adalah sebentuk kemelekatan? Kurasa, mengenang dan mengapresiasi peninggalan (legacy) mendiang masih lebih dapat dipahami dan dipraktekkan secara umum. Di sisi lain, dari sudut pandang praktisi, penerapan konsep-konsep tersebut dalam memahami apa yang tengah kita hadapi bisa dijadikan bahan untuk menempuh tahap selanjutnya setelah kita dapat berdamai dengan rasa duka kita.
Secara keseluruhan, menurutku buku ini cukup baik sebagai panduan praktis maupun sebagai pelipur lara bagi para penyintas kematian orang yang dikasihinya. Ada beberapa hal yang baik untuk dijadikan pengingat dan dapat dipraktekkan secara universal, meski tidak seluruhnya demikian.
Seperti meditasi cinta kasih itu sendiri, Thay (panggilan akrab penulis) mendahului tiap panduan meditasi dalam buku ini dengan narasi-narasi yang diupayakan untuk memahami apa yang kita rasakan atas kematian orang yang kita cintai. Thay melengkapi narasi-narasi tersebut dengan analogi-analogi yang membuatnya lebih mudah dimengerti. Salah satu bagian yang paling menyentuhku adalah bagian yang mengingatkan kembali bahwa mendiang yang kita cintai hampir pasti turut berharap kita dapat merasakan kebahagiaan setelah kematiannya secara fisik. Bahwa untuk merasakah kebahagiaan, kita tidak harus menunggu sampai duka dan penderitaan kita berakhir sama sekali. Bahwa inilah saatnya melatih diri untuk melimpahkan cinta kasih kepada diri kita sendiri. Aku kembali mengingat betapa ibuku selalu mengenang bagaimana cara mendiang suamiku memandangku dengan penuh kasih. Ada kalanya mengingat itu semua terasa berat sehingga aku merasa perlu mengambil sedikit jeda untuk menyerap tangisku sendiri selama membaca buku ini.
Panduan-panduan meditasinya sendiri dikhususkan untuk mereka yang ingin memahami dan berdamai dengan perasaan-perasaan tersebut. Ada yang mengkritik bahwa buku-buku Thay cenderung repetitif dan ujung-ujungnya kembali ke praktek meditasi dan memantrai diri dengan bait-bait mengenai mindfulness, tapi aku mengamati bahwa praktek-praktek yang disarankan dalam buku ini tidaklah sekadar praktek meditasi duduk atau berjalan berikut mantra-mantra yang dapat diucapkan untuk menenangkan hati. Selain praktek-praktek tradisional tersebut, ada pula praktek-praktek lainnya yang lebih khusus seperti menulis surat untuk mendiang yang kita cintai atau berhenti sejenak dari segala kegiatan secara berkala untuk "reconnect" dengan kesadaran kita di masa kini. Lebih jauh lagi, panduan-panduan yang disajikan pada gilirannya kembali mengingatkan manfaat yang dapat dirasakan melalui analogi-analogi yang bisa dikatakan masuk akal. Aku terutama menyukai saran untuk mengidentifikasi emosi-emosi yang kita rasakan dan menamainya dengan nama yang sesungguhnya sehingga kita dapat merangkulnya, mendengar keluh kesahnya dan pada gilirannya menjinakkan gejolaknya dalam jiwa kita. Mungkin itu terdengar sederhana, tapi tidakkah ada kalanya kita dilanda denial terhadap apa yang kita rasakan sendiri? Kurasa praktek seperti itu dapat membantu kita untuk membebaskan diri dari penyakit denial tersebut dan berdamai dengan perasaan-perasaan kita sendiri. Kalau dibilang beberapa bagian terasa repetitif, aku merasa bahwa itu justru menunjukkan bahwa praktek meditasi dapat diaplikasikan secara universal alih-alih dianggap sebagai domain eksklusif agama atau keyakinan tertentu saja, dan manfaatnya dapat dirasakan dalam berbagai situasi.
Terlepas dari itu semua, aku merasa bahwa tidak semua bagian yang dibahas dan disarankan dalam buku mengena atau dapat diaplikasikan secara umun. Misalnya, pemahaman bahwasanya sebagian dari mendiang yang kita cintai masih hidup dalam diri kita sendiri sejujurnya tidak menghiburku. Aku ingin dia hadir di sisi atau di hadapanku, bukan di dalam diriku! Meskipun seringkali aku merasa bahwa sejak kepergian dirinya, banyak sekali bagian dari dirinya yang seolah terserap dalam diriku. Praktek "menyentuh tanah" yang posisinya hampir identik dengan posisi sujud juga tidak bisa dilakukan semua orang karena latar belakang budaya dan agama yang tidak mengijinkan. Selain itu, aku merasa bahwa konsep anattā (ketiadaan diri) dan anicca (impermanence) kurang sesuai untuk dihadirkan sebagai pelipur lara bagi orang awam (yang tidak familiar dengan doktrin-doktrin Buddhisme) yang kehilangan orang yang dicintainya. Meskipun mendiang bertransformasi menjadi bentuk-bentuk lain yang berpencar di sekeliling kita bahkan menjadi bagian diri kita, bukankah sosok yang kita cintai adalah kesatuan tertentu yang kini telah tiada? Jika ia telah buyar dan bertransformasi, tidakkah pecahan-pecahan dan turunan-turunannya bukan lagi sosok kesatuan yang kita cintai? Pada akhirnya, bukankah cinta yang berduka atas berakhirnya sebuah hidup pun adalah sebentuk kemelekatan? Kurasa, mengenang dan mengapresiasi peninggalan (legacy) mendiang masih lebih dapat dipahami dan dipraktekkan secara umum. Di sisi lain, dari sudut pandang praktisi, penerapan konsep-konsep tersebut dalam memahami apa yang tengah kita hadapi bisa dijadikan bahan untuk menempuh tahap selanjutnya setelah kita dapat berdamai dengan rasa duka kita.
Secara keseluruhan, menurutku buku ini cukup baik sebagai panduan praktis maupun sebagai pelipur lara bagi para penyintas kematian orang yang dikasihinya. Ada beberapa hal yang baik untuk dijadikan pengingat dan dapat dipraktekkan secara universal, meski tidak seluruhnya demikian.
June 18, 2024
“There is no way to healing; healing is the way.”
One of my favorite books on grief I’ve ever read. Insightful, peaceful, comforting. Some of my favorite Buddhist principles of all time, all applied to grief and suffering in the most brilliant ways. Some other favorite passages:
- “Our loved ones live on in us and we can speak to them whenever we want.”
- “All our shared experiences and everything they have ever thought, said, or done, lives on within us and cannot be undone or taken out of us. To reconnect with them, we only need to go inward and reconnect with ourselves.”
- “Understanding and compassion are possible only when we've come in touch with suffering.”
- “Just as a surgeon may judge a patient too weak to undergo surgery and recommend that the patient first get some rest and nourishment to build up their strength so they can survive the surgery, we need to strengthen our foundation of joy and happiness before focusing on our suffering.”
- “There is no creation, only manifestation. There is no death, only transformation.”
One of my favorite books on grief I’ve ever read. Insightful, peaceful, comforting. Some of my favorite Buddhist principles of all time, all applied to grief and suffering in the most brilliant ways. Some other favorite passages:
- “Our loved ones live on in us and we can speak to them whenever we want.”
- “All our shared experiences and everything they have ever thought, said, or done, lives on within us and cannot be undone or taken out of us. To reconnect with them, we only need to go inward and reconnect with ourselves.”
- “Understanding and compassion are possible only when we've come in touch with suffering.”
- “Just as a surgeon may judge a patient too weak to undergo surgery and recommend that the patient first get some rest and nourishment to build up their strength so they can survive the surgery, we need to strengthen our foundation of joy and happiness before focusing on our suffering.”
- “There is no creation, only manifestation. There is no death, only transformation.”
December 19, 2024
I’m not usually one for meditative/self-reflective books, but this one was recommended. It was a short and easy read, yet it took me a bit longer to complete since I felt like I needed to dedicate a space for it and couldn’t just read it during my lunch break.
There were a few lines and analogies that I appreciated, like how ~ freshly pressed apple juice is first difficult to see through, but once it settles it becomes clearer.
The section on guilt and compassion for yourself was the most emotional one for me.
Overall it was a sweet gesture and definitely good for moments of reflection.
There were a few lines and analogies that I appreciated, like how ~ freshly pressed apple juice is first difficult to see through, but once it settles it becomes clearer.
The section on guilt and compassion for yourself was the most emotional one for me.
Overall it was a sweet gesture and definitely good for moments of reflection.
April 10, 2024
Those leaving bad reviews are not using this book properly. It’s supposed to be read while you’re grieving. Do not read it just for the sake of it. This book serves a specific purpose and does it brilliantly.
June 13, 2022
Very short audiobook with guided mediations for self-care in times fo grief!
September 11, 2023
Succinct, compassionate, and comforting. The perfect little book for not just navigating grief, but any overwhelming emotions or loneliness.
February 20, 2024
3.5. Many beautiful passages and meditations, but overall very repetitive.
January 24, 2025
I will be coming back to this again and again, for myself and for being with my loved ones.
November 20, 2025
Thank you
January 22, 2024
A nice check-in on grief and how to better help yourself process it. Not super meaty, but didn’t need to be. Didn’t agree with everything, but you don’t need to. Take what’s for you and do your best.
April 12, 2023
I did really love this book, it was definitely validating that so far the strategies I’ve done on my own grief journey have been mentioned in this book.
It talks a lot about returning to the earth to heal and I have been trying to get out into nature as much as I could recently.
Sometimes I feel like depression is stalking me through my grief.
Like falling apart is right around the corner every day. Yet every morning - I drag myself up and care for the people around me instead of falling apart. I know it’s what my mother would want me to do.
But the book talks a lot about honouring ones suffering and ones feelings. Nurturing ones pain like a mother nurturing a baby. I think that is the right thing to do.
I’ve lent this book to my father - because I think it will be good for him too. I recommend it to anyone suffering through grief and loss.
It talks a lot about returning to the earth to heal and I have been trying to get out into nature as much as I could recently.
Sometimes I feel like depression is stalking me through my grief.
Like falling apart is right around the corner every day. Yet every morning - I drag myself up and care for the people around me instead of falling apart. I know it’s what my mother would want me to do.
But the book talks a lot about honouring ones suffering and ones feelings. Nurturing ones pain like a mother nurturing a baby. I think that is the right thing to do.
I’ve lent this book to my father - because I think it will be good for him too. I recommend it to anyone suffering through grief and loss.
January 1, 2024
What a wonderful and wise volume by Thich Nhat Hanh, a much needed book. Reading Thich’s writing is like coming home and being nourished by good thoughts, words, and deeds.
July 7, 2025
Not everything resonated but that's probably the point. Will come back to this, I liked the meditations.
did-not-finish
January 28, 2022Another "greatest hits" compilation similar to Thich Nhat Hanh's "Mindfulness Essentials" books (e.g. How to Relax). I really only read as far as I did to fill gaps at work. I'd rather just read his more complete, holistic books like Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life or Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm.
February 21, 2022
I love the gentle and wise teachings of this master. This compilation has been put together of the many writings and quotes given by Thich Nhat Hanh over his long life, which sadly came to an end recently. That is from Our standard western perspective of course.
The whole point of this book is that your loved one lives on in you and presents practices to help you connect with them and treat yourself with compassion during the grieving process. I got myself in a bit of a tangle with grief last year coming up to the 10th anniversary of my loved ones passing.
At first it might feel a tad uncomfortable, but the Bhuddist philosophy is gentle and forgiving. A lot of these writings can apply to any kind of suffering, so if you have other books by Thich Nhat Hanh then you probably won’t need this specifically. As an introduction it will work well whatever stage of grief you are at. Peace friends!
The whole point of this book is that your loved one lives on in you and presents practices to help you connect with them and treat yourself with compassion during the grieving process. I got myself in a bit of a tangle with grief last year coming up to the 10th anniversary of my loved ones passing.
At first it might feel a tad uncomfortable, but the Bhuddist philosophy is gentle and forgiving. A lot of these writings can apply to any kind of suffering, so if you have other books by Thich Nhat Hanh then you probably won’t need this specifically. As an introduction it will work well whatever stage of grief you are at. Peace friends!
September 7, 2021
Same Book - Different Titles
I’m concerned about Thich Nhat Hanh. He writes many books but they are really the same meditations. Books on fear, grief, happiness etc are in many ways repackaged sections. I don’t think he writes them, just reads them after a student puts it together.
My sense concerning grief is that he never really loved. Academic. For someone who doesn’t believe in the self, his writing is very self centered. People for person who they lost. The life that their loved one lost. His focus is on making his ‘self’ feel better. Perhaps he should discuss this with the student who writes his next book.
I’m concerned about Thich Nhat Hanh. He writes many books but they are really the same meditations. Books on fear, grief, happiness etc are in many ways repackaged sections. I don’t think he writes them, just reads them after a student puts it together.
My sense concerning grief is that he never really loved. Academic. For someone who doesn’t believe in the self, his writing is very self centered. People for person who they lost. The life that their loved one lost. His focus is on making his ‘self’ feel better. Perhaps he should discuss this with the student who writes his next book.
June 4, 2022
This is exactly what I needed to read amidst the grief of my late dad. Hanh zooms out and talks about mindfulness and breathing as a tool to wade through the heartache. He goes on to explain that both alive-ness and death are states of being, and that death is not the end-all. Our loved ones live on in ourselves and the world.
Short, approachable, unintimidating—I've already bought this book for two friends.
Short, approachable, unintimidating—I've already bought this book for two friends.
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