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Living Without Stress or Fear: Essential Teachings on the True Source of Happiness
The Mindful Path to Freedom from the Emotions That Cause Suffering
A life without stress or fear may seem like an impossible dream—yet Thich Nhat Hanh has spent a lifetime proving that it is not only possible, it is also within our grasp. On Living Without Stress or Fear, this treasured Zen master shares a message of hope: that we can, through the practice of mindfulness, find freedom from the grip of emotions like anxiety, anger, and despair.
“Suffering persists because we nourish the feelings that cause it,” reveals Thich Nhat Hanh. “Through mindful living, we learn to nourish our compassionate nature instead.”
Discovering Your “True Home” in the Present Moment
We do not find happiness by suppressing emotions like stress or fear. As Thich Nhat Hanh teaches, you can develop a capacity to deal with such emotions by building a sanctuary—your “true home”—in the present moment.
Through techniques such as “mindful breathing” and the “begin anew” practice, you purposefully expand your ability to dwell in a state of peaceful clarity, and develop the insight to see through to the underlying causes of negative emotions. By facing your inner darkness with awakened compassion, you can transform toxic energies within you—and radiate the energy of lovingkindness to everyone around you.
Essential Teachings from a Legendary Voice for Peace
Thich Nhat Hanh has lived and taught the path of peace in the most challenging situations—carrying the light of compassion into places stricken by war, famine, and despair. Refined throughout a lifetime of mindfulness in action, he now shares his most transformative teachings and practices to guide you in your own journey to the source of happiness on Living Without Stress or Fear.
Highlights
Foundational mindfulness practices: being fully present while walking, breathing, and eating
• Seeds of happiness, seeds of suffering—how we choose which emotions to nourish with our attention
• The four-pebble meditation for openness, clarity, and grounding
• “No death and no birth, neither being nor non-being”—embracing the central paradox at the heart of fearless living
• The role of community in supporting your practice
• “We are all one organism”—perspective-shifting meditations on compassion
• Practices for bringing mindfulness into your family and your relationships
• Six sessions of Thich Nhat Hanh's core teachings and guided practices on mindfulness, compassion, and finding freedom from suffering
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen master in the Vietnamese tradition, scholar, poet, and peace activist who was nominated for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the author of more than 40 books in English, including Peace Is Every Step and Living Buddha, Living Christ.
A life without stress or fear may seem like an impossible dream—yet Thich Nhat Hanh has spent a lifetime proving that it is not only possible, it is also within our grasp. On Living Without Stress or Fear, this treasured Zen master shares a message of hope: that we can, through the practice of mindfulness, find freedom from the grip of emotions like anxiety, anger, and despair.
“Suffering persists because we nourish the feelings that cause it,” reveals Thich Nhat Hanh. “Through mindful living, we learn to nourish our compassionate nature instead.”
Discovering Your “True Home” in the Present Moment
We do not find happiness by suppressing emotions like stress or fear. As Thich Nhat Hanh teaches, you can develop a capacity to deal with such emotions by building a sanctuary—your “true home”—in the present moment.
Through techniques such as “mindful breathing” and the “begin anew” practice, you purposefully expand your ability to dwell in a state of peaceful clarity, and develop the insight to see through to the underlying causes of negative emotions. By facing your inner darkness with awakened compassion, you can transform toxic energies within you—and radiate the energy of lovingkindness to everyone around you.
Essential Teachings from a Legendary Voice for Peace
Thich Nhat Hanh has lived and taught the path of peace in the most challenging situations—carrying the light of compassion into places stricken by war, famine, and despair. Refined throughout a lifetime of mindfulness in action, he now shares his most transformative teachings and practices to guide you in your own journey to the source of happiness on Living Without Stress or Fear.
Highlights
Foundational mindfulness practices: being fully present while walking, breathing, and eating
• Seeds of happiness, seeds of suffering—how we choose which emotions to nourish with our attention
• The four-pebble meditation for openness, clarity, and grounding
• “No death and no birth, neither being nor non-being”—embracing the central paradox at the heart of fearless living
• The role of community in supporting your practice
• “We are all one organism”—perspective-shifting meditations on compassion
• Practices for bringing mindfulness into your family and your relationships
• Six sessions of Thich Nhat Hanh's core teachings and guided practices on mindfulness, compassion, and finding freedom from suffering
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen master in the Vietnamese tradition, scholar, poet, and peace activist who was nominated for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the author of more than 40 books in English, including Peace Is Every Step and Living Buddha, Living Christ.
6 pages, Audio CD
First published May 1, 2009
25 people are currently reading
466 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 3, 2025
Easily my favorite book of 2024, if you are going by number of times this was read (listened) and re-read (re-listened). I listened to it 3-5 times a week after downloading it.
That said, it deserves a complicated rating. The material itself is a thousand stars. I listen to this on the way to work to put my brain in a good spot, in stressful situations, and for comfort. It will be the only audio that will surpass my listenings of Aaronovitch and Holdbrook-Smith.
Divided into six chapters, each one is a formal talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh. Each chapter, or talk, begins with an introduction by Sounds True production, and a song/chant. It is followed by Nhat Hanh speaking for about an hour.
The material:
Section One: Begins with an alive/smile meditation. He closes the meditation by saying, "I feel breathing is more pleasant than speaking," which I found hilarious as an introvert and a medical person. Why did no one else in the audience laugh? The teaching starts with a story about a journalist who described a morning meditation walk as 'exhausting' and uses it to springboard to how to live in the here and now. Walking meditation helps us do this. "I have arrived in my true home; I have arrived in the here and the now."
Section Two: Opens with a teaching about pebble meditation. I love it. Then he segues into right thinking, which is roughly how he characterizes compassion and a practice of listening. He ends up talking about the concepts of ingestion, both mentally and physically, which was quite powerful. He parallels how we feed the body with how we feed the mind, and how to grow compassion and connection. He also shares the most horrific parable ever to illustrate the problem of ingesting violence.
Section Three: Begins with a question of using violence to suppress violence at the same time we feed the growth of violence through our culture. He talks about organizing our personal lives in a way that It goes a little into Buddha nature, human nature, and animal nature. This recognizes the role of political leaders, of community, and the individual. Also educates on stored consciousness and mind consciousness and the 51 seeds. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something." (but of course! It's an adverb! I feel so pleased to have realized this).
Section Four: A story about a Buddha when he was in his 40s and how he provided teaching that led to Aṅgulimāla, a killer, to the path of transformation. Like all good stories, it teaches a lot about what common terms and concepts such as seeds, mental formations, mindfulness. Community support is very much a theme of this section, in role-modeling, supporting practice, supporting self-expression, and transforming.
Section Five: The seed of fear, particularly in regards to being and non-being. A great many metaphors on how we are always here, but manifest when the conditions are right. Clouds and seeds of corn are some of his favorites. He connects these metaphors to the science of energy and matter. This was the most metaphysical section of the book, and I found it quite moving.
Section Six: Cells and organisms as a metaphor for how we relate to ourselves internally and how we relate to society. Discussion of the seeds of non-discrimination,
The challenges: I assume they planned to record it, but occasionally the sound quality is not good. I end up with phone and car volume at top levels to hear for much of the recording (note that my car has road noise). Also, while Nhat Hanh is tremendously talented with languages (a Vietnamese who grew up in Vietnam and France. By 1961 was teaching at Princeton and then Columbia, so he's an educator who is fluent in at least three languages) the cadences and pronunciations can make him occasionally challenging to listen to with indifferent audio quality. I managed well, with an occasional missed word. However, I enjoy dialects in general and do well with them (no bragging, a statement of fact). I assume others who are less able with languages will be challenged than I was.
Further note that this was published in 2009, so while it the approach is largely timeless, there is a focus in two sections on terrorism as it relates to 9-11. Sadly, it continues to relate to terrorism.
And yet, caveats aside, the purchase was totally worth it. Nhat Hanh's voice is gentle, passionate, and compassionate. When he injects a humorous aside, I chuckle along with his audience. It feels communal. I am so glad that we no longer have tapes or CDs, because I'd wear it out.
That said, it deserves a complicated rating. The material itself is a thousand stars. I listen to this on the way to work to put my brain in a good spot, in stressful situations, and for comfort. It will be the only audio that will surpass my listenings of Aaronovitch and Holdbrook-Smith.
Divided into six chapters, each one is a formal talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh. Each chapter, or talk, begins with an introduction by Sounds True production, and a song/chant. It is followed by Nhat Hanh speaking for about an hour.
The material:
Section One: Begins with an alive/smile meditation. He closes the meditation by saying, "I feel breathing is more pleasant than speaking," which I found hilarious as an introvert and a medical person. Why did no one else in the audience laugh? The teaching starts with a story about a journalist who described a morning meditation walk as 'exhausting' and uses it to springboard to how to live in the here and now. Walking meditation helps us do this. "I have arrived in my true home; I have arrived in the here and the now."
Section Two: Opens with a teaching about pebble meditation. I love it. Then he segues into right thinking, which is roughly how he characterizes compassion and a practice of listening. He ends up talking about the concepts of ingestion, both mentally and physically, which was quite powerful. He parallels how we feed the body with how we feed the mind, and how to grow compassion and connection. He also shares the most horrific parable ever to illustrate the problem of ingesting violence.
Section Three: Begins with a question of using violence to suppress violence at the same time we feed the growth of violence through our culture. He talks about organizing our personal lives in a way that It goes a little into Buddha nature, human nature, and animal nature. This recognizes the role of political leaders, of community, and the individual. Also educates on stored consciousness and mind consciousness and the 51 seeds. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something." (but of course! It's an adverb! I feel so pleased to have realized this).
Section Four: A story about a Buddha when he was in his 40s and how he provided teaching that led to Aṅgulimāla, a killer, to the path of transformation. Like all good stories, it teaches a lot about what common terms and concepts such as seeds, mental formations, mindfulness. Community support is very much a theme of this section, in role-modeling, supporting practice, supporting self-expression, and transforming.
Section Five: The seed of fear, particularly in regards to being and non-being. A great many metaphors on how we are always here, but manifest when the conditions are right. Clouds and seeds of corn are some of his favorites. He connects these metaphors to the science of energy and matter. This was the most metaphysical section of the book, and I found it quite moving.
Section Six: Cells and organisms as a metaphor for how we relate to ourselves internally and how we relate to society. Discussion of the seeds of non-discrimination,
The challenges: I assume they planned to record it, but occasionally the sound quality is not good. I end up with phone and car volume at top levels to hear for much of the recording (note that my car has road noise). Also, while Nhat Hanh is tremendously talented with languages (a Vietnamese who grew up in Vietnam and France. By 1961 was teaching at Princeton and then Columbia, so he's an educator who is fluent in at least three languages) the cadences and pronunciations can make him occasionally challenging to listen to with indifferent audio quality. I managed well, with an occasional missed word. However, I enjoy dialects in general and do well with them (no bragging, a statement of fact). I assume others who are less able with languages will be challenged than I was.
Further note that this was published in 2009, so while it the approach is largely timeless, there is a focus in two sections on terrorism as it relates to 9-11. Sadly, it continues to relate to terrorism.
And yet, caveats aside, the purchase was totally worth it. Nhat Hanh's voice is gentle, passionate, and compassionate. When he injects a humorous aside, I chuckle along with his audience. It feels communal. I am so glad that we no longer have tapes or CDs, because I'd wear it out.
September 26, 2018
In my humble opinion, this is the best book about dealing with stress and anxiety I have read (or listened to, rather) thus far. The audiobook is in Thich Nhat Hanh's voice, and it is so beautifually soothing. I cannot emphasize how much peace this book has given me. While listening to it, I've often felt as safe and comforted as a baby swaddled in her mother's arms. Thich Nhat Hanh has such a beautiful, serene view on buddhism and mindfulness and his teachings are easy to practice regardless of the reader's faith. In the beginning of the book, he discusses the root cause of anxiety and why people suffer. He then moves on to discuss various family issues, life and death, and how to spread peace in the world. But the most important pieces of this book are the meditations. They are by far the best meditations I have practiced. This book has changed my life, and it will change yours.
December 11, 2021
Listening to Thich Nhat Hanh feels like a big, calming hug.
Via Hoopla.
Via Hoopla.
February 6, 2013
This is more in-depth teaching of the Buddha than I've seen from Master Hanh before. The Vietnamese master presents a little different view into Buddhism than what I've read in the Tibetan tradition. He turns the mind to focus on what is, now, beneath the outer circumstances. Good read.
January 4, 2019
Lekciju ieraksts, sākumā pagrūti saprast, ko skolotājs runā, bet ar laiku pierod pie viņa mierinošas balss un izteiksmes veida.
Man no šīs grāmatas paliks divi lieli ieguvumi:
- esmu nedaudz vairāk savām brokastīm, vismaz neēdu vairs pie ekrāna.
- klausoties man nāca atklāsme, ka es gaidu savu "īsto dzīvi", kamēr bērni aizies gulēt, kamēr mazā kļūs pastāvīgāka utt. Un pēkšņi es saprotu, ka mana īstā dzīve ir šeit un tagad - esot blakus, barojot, mainot autiņus, spēlējot lomu spēles, kuras man nepatīk. Might as well enjoy it, kā saka.
Man no šīs grāmatas paliks divi lieli ieguvumi:
- esmu nedaudz vairāk savām brokastīm, vismaz neēdu vairs pie ekrāna.
- klausoties man nāca atklāsme, ka es gaidu savu "īsto dzīvi", kamēr bērni aizies gulēt, kamēr mazā kļūs pastāvīgāka utt. Un pēkšņi es saprotu, ka mana īstā dzīve ir šeit un tagad - esot blakus, barojot, mainot autiņus, spēlējot lomu spēles, kuras man nepatīk. Might as well enjoy it, kā saka.
April 11, 2020
These recordings are both inspirational and mesmeric with Thich Nhat Hanh’s healing voice: listen and hear!
August 10, 2020
It is great to hear directly from one of the great Buddhist teachers of our time. Recorded at a retreat, the Venerable speaks gently in a calm voice, mixed with some refreshing humour from time to time. He uses clear and simple examples to teach some of the profound Buddhist concepts that are relevant to our everyday lives.
Some of the key takeaways and learnings for me are:
1. Seeing family as a living organism. We all need to actively fight off 'diseases' that come into the family and work to keep the family strong and healthy.
2. Our children are extensions of ourselves. How they become is a result of our actions as parents, and we must accept this like it is an artwork that we produce. Just as we sign our name on the artwork, we must also sign our name on our children's actions, behaviour and outcome.
3. Everyone can be a Buddha, or a bodhisattva, and we can start right now.
4. The concept of non-duality - We are neither the same nor different to younger self, or to our children. A river is neither the same nor different at any point in time. The same water does not flow through it twice, but it doesn't mean that it is a different river...
5. The concept of non-discrimination: We should treat one another with respect and understanding. Just as our right hand doesn't discriminate against the left, and vice versa because of different strengths and weaknesses, we should not discriminate against friends, colleagues or other people.
Some of the concepts will take much more studying and contemplation to understand fully but this is a good introduction.
Last but not least, it took a little while to get use to the Venerable's English accent but after getting the hang of it, I started appreciating his teachings.
Some of the key takeaways and learnings for me are:
1. Seeing family as a living organism. We all need to actively fight off 'diseases' that come into the family and work to keep the family strong and healthy.
2. Our children are extensions of ourselves. How they become is a result of our actions as parents, and we must accept this like it is an artwork that we produce. Just as we sign our name on the artwork, we must also sign our name on our children's actions, behaviour and outcome.
3. Everyone can be a Buddha, or a bodhisattva, and we can start right now.
4. The concept of non-duality - We are neither the same nor different to younger self, or to our children. A river is neither the same nor different at any point in time. The same water does not flow through it twice, but it doesn't mean that it is a different river...
5. The concept of non-discrimination: We should treat one another with respect and understanding. Just as our right hand doesn't discriminate against the left, and vice versa because of different strengths and weaknesses, we should not discriminate against friends, colleagues or other people.
Some of the concepts will take much more studying and contemplation to understand fully but this is a good introduction.
Last but not least, it took a little while to get use to the Venerable's English accent but after getting the hang of it, I started appreciating his teachings.
August 16, 2022
Friends, I need you to know how much I adore and respect Thich Nhat Hanh. I LOVE him. I think this is the 16th book of his I've consumed. The audio books where Edoardo Ballerini narrates, I listen to them over and over.
HOWEVER.
My complaint with this book is not with the content, but with the audio.
This is an audiobook: a recording of six live sessions of Thich Nhat Hanh speaking to a gathering of people. It's a poor-quality recording in the first place, and the people in the audience apparently collectively have the croup, because there is SO MUCH AUDIENCE COUGHING during the sessions.
Like, I'm sorry, people, I listen to Thich Nhat Hanh to try to relax and to become a better person, and these people coughing in the audience make me so angry I would literally punch them in the face if I were in the room. Ok maybe not punch them - but certainly drag them out of reach of the microphones. If you're coughing during an audio recording? NO WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOU! Leave the room! You are SEVERELY harshing my attempts at mellow!
Anyway, if someone would remaster this recording to take out the static and all the coughing, it would be my new favorite thing to listen to. But as is, I'm not going to be able to listen to it again.
HOWEVER.
My complaint with this book is not with the content, but with the audio.
This is an audiobook: a recording of six live sessions of Thich Nhat Hanh speaking to a gathering of people. It's a poor-quality recording in the first place, and the people in the audience apparently collectively have the croup, because there is SO MUCH AUDIENCE COUGHING during the sessions.
Like, I'm sorry, people, I listen to Thich Nhat Hanh to try to relax and to become a better person, and these people coughing in the audience make me so angry I would literally punch them in the face if I were in the room. Ok maybe not punch them - but certainly drag them out of reach of the microphones. If you're coughing during an audio recording? NO WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOU! Leave the room! You are SEVERELY harshing my attempts at mellow!
Anyway, if someone would remaster this recording to take out the static and all the coughing, it would be my new favorite thing to listen to. But as is, I'm not going to be able to listen to it again.
August 26, 2018
This is a live audio recording of six of Thay’s talks. It can be a little hard to understand at first, and I don’t recommend listening to it in the car, however if you breath mindfully and listen you will be able to understand every word after a few minutes (headphones are helpful). If you have read any of his books, the content of these talks will be familiar, but the beauty of this recording is being able to hear his sweet, gentle voice. The quality of his voice alone makes it worth a listen.
August 20, 2019
Love Thich Nhat Hanh. His sense of humor is awesome. His teachings are so spot on. As I'm heading in for a medical procedure in about an hour it was exactly what I needed to hear. I'd love to find the musical recordings somewhere if anyone can point me in a right direction. Namaste
January 25, 2022
I listen to this on the way to work everyday. His voice is very soothing and he often teaches in a humorous way. The stories he tells to explain buddhist concepts really helped me understand what I think sometimes gets misunderstood by the West when we talk about "non attachment" and "mindfulness."
April 18, 2022
Wonderful and amazing as always. Thich Nhat Hanh can stop the world. It is so sad he cannot continue his teachings. Every time I open one of his writings I am never in the mood, but a few words in and I am captivated. What an amazing person.
March 17, 2023
This book brings me comfort and clarity. I gave it only 4 stars because I find him hard to understand due to his heavy accent. I believe I missed a lot of good content because of that. But what I did understand was really helpful.
May 29, 2017
The contents may be great, but I couldn't really understand most of what he was saying. I might try reading this as a regular book but there doesn't seem to be one.
July 27, 2022
This book is inspiring and Thich Nhat Han
Teaches clear and important values for families and everyone. He is a beautiful soul and a light
In the world. I got the audio version and
I recommend it.
Teaches clear and important values for families and everyone. He is a beautiful soul and a light
In the world. I got the audio version and
I recommend it.
January 14, 2023
One of those you had to be there situations.
April 17, 2024
I wanted to love this. It felt like the same book twice, however.
May 1, 2025
Love the passage in chapter five about the ultimate reality of no birth and no death, and the metaphor of a cloud as an example. A cloud doesn’t stop existing, it transforms into rain, ice, or snow. And it didn’t not exist before conditions were right for it to turn into a cloud. And how Thich connects this idea with the French scientist Lavoisier's discovery that nothing can be created or destroyed. And that energy in extreme concentration becomes mass; and mass in extreme dissolution becomes energy. So he connects that scientific reality with the concept of no birth and no death. And how it is the ultimate reality in the physical world also. Revelatory.
February 11, 2012
I listen to him through Audio books... I believe something would be missing if you just read the books. This Monk iis an amazing speaker and thinker. He has completely opened my eyes to a new way of being.
April 27, 2014
The sound quality of the recording was poor and made Hanh's whispery tones nearly impossible to understand. Don't listen to this in the car, because you won't understand but every three words.
December 5, 2014
Most relaxing listening to this whilst running. Lots to learn front his, though some areas I have trouble doing, but that just highlights the need ot work on those areas.
December 29, 2012
I love Thich Nhat Hanh! Gives the best advice. So natural and down to earth.
April 5, 2013
So peaceful
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews