Joyfully Together: The Art of Building a Harmonious Community

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Joyfully Together contains a wealth of ideas, thoughts, and practical suggestions on how to live happily with other people. The wisdom in this book draws from ancient Buddhist traditions to solve conflicts large and small. Thich Nhat Hanh explores the spiritual, emotional, and practical aspects of developing a community for life. He shows how using nonviolent communication can resolve difficulties and nurture a sense of peace and reconciliation in all of our relationships. The practical insight he shares in this book is easily adaptable for use by families, religious communities, cities, and even the United Nations.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Thích 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.

Reviews

[Jamie Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

. 5 stars for writing
1 star for premise
1 star for research
1 star for impact
.5 stars for liking it: says more about me than the book 😉

[Div Manickam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to understand the concept of community and Sangha

Thank you Thay for your loving kindness and compassion to bring harmony into this world.

Highlights from the book 📖

Each moment and each day is an opportunity to begin a new, to open the door of our hearts, and to practice together for our own transformation and healing

Do you think I understand you? Do you think that I understand your difficulties and your suffering? I want to know so that I can love you in such a way that does not hurt you.

If I do not yet understand, then please help me to understand. Because if I do not understand, I will continue to make you suffer in the name of love.

Every house should have a room called the breathing room or at least the corner of a room reserved for this purpose. In the breathing room you have the sound of the bell and the Buddha to protect you. You make a commitment to stop and breathe at the sound of the bell this is called "the agreement on living together in peace and joy".

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this as we form our new sangha. It has been immensely helpful and such an example to try to live up to. These ideas also are useful in families and work groups, which Thay addresses as well. And the Ideas and processes work; a Tibetan nun told me once that Thay's monastics were the happiest she had met anywhere.

[Cal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have read a couple other books by Thich Nhat Hanh, but this one did not do it for me. Was very basic. Simple ideas about how you should treat people and listen to them. If you read other books by him you would likely learn the same concepts in this book indirectly. Regardless the message of love and compassion shined through.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun guide on how to live in a community with practical practices. There are certainly parts that weren't as easy to get through, but I enjoyed learning much more about how his community centers deal with the nitty gritty of living together.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

More geared toward monastic life, but still very valuable and interesting

[Ted Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peaceful living in the present together as humans; Thich Nat Hahn was certainly on to something

[Frank Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

This offering from Thich Nhat Hanh presents some modern adaptations of practices (including group ritual) that have been used by the buddhist sangha to deal with conflict and nurture harmony among the community of practitioners. As such, it is a kind of 'working manual' for contemporary sanghas wishing to consciously engage with community relations.

For instance, our sangha here in Tucson will be creating a "Code of Ethics and Conflict Resolution" statement and is incorporating the idea of the "Second Body Practice" as "dharma buddies," and the "Shining Light and Beginning Anew" as the basis for a intra-sangha conflict resolution model.

Where the weakness in this book comes through is the uneasy integration of Asian cultural forms with western democratic ideals. This is evident in the model used at Plum Village for governance. While there is lip service to consensus, Nhat Hanh can veto just about any decision. Our sangha in Tucson is fully consensual and pushes to the limit against any top-down authoritarian structure.

The weakest section of this little book is when Nhat Hanh addresses the family. Here, Vietnamese cultural mores become his model for 'well-behaved" children! Despite all the talk about "listening to your children" and "learning from them and their opinions," it all comes down to Asian filial piety!

[Tim Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful guide to community building.