The Present Moment: A Retreat on the Practice of Mindfulness

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Buddhism teaches that the present moment contains the seeds of all things, including liberation from samsara (the world of suffering). In this live audio retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, you experience firsthand the traditional Buddhist practices designed to touch the energy of mindfulness that you carry within, and learn how to open to the joy that is always present and waiting to enter our lives.

As a humble Buddhist monk in 1966, Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. Since that time, he has developed a special way of teaching the dharma (essential Buddhist truths) in the West―a way that addresses the spiritual challenges unique to our day, while honoring all faiths. The seeds of internal and external peace are already inside you, he teaches. You need only learn to contact and nurture them. This is the path to transcending fear and anger; this is the path to a more peaceful world.

You will learn a treasury of detailed meditations to help you walk, breathe, communicate―even cope with traffic―more deeply and consciously. The Present Moment is a rare opportunity to learn ancient Buddhist practices directly from a living master of the tradition―practices that are life-changing today, just as they were thousands of years ago. More than seven hours of direct instruction from this living master of Buddhist meditation techniques.

Learn More

The Five Skandhas
• The Five Wonderful Precepts
• The Heart Sutra
• The Five Prostrations
• Birth and death
• How to practice breathing as the living dharma (truth)
• The greatest gift of meditation and nonfear
• How to break the habit of forgetfulness, and replace it with the real peace of mindfulness
• Buddhist awareness practices to apply to driving your car, answering the phone, even eating and reading
• The hungry ghost―what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the most important phenomenon of our time
• Principles of Buddhist psychology
• How to transform difficult emotions within yourself

Genres: Buddhism, Audiobook, Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy

6 pages, Audio CD

First published March 1, 1994

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

[Reynaldo Ted II (Trewaldo) Peñas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soothing to listen to for morning walks. Insightful tales. A great tape to listen to for mindfulness.

[Karith Amel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thich Nhat Hanh embodies the teachings of Christ (offering those teaching back to me in a way both profoundly new, and profoundly true). There is good news here. There is life here. There is the possibility of transformation and renewal.

Thich Nhat Hanh has touched the Kingdom of God, and he offers it back to us - as Jesus did - in the details of the present moment. Part of me feels like I've been let out of a dark room. Part of me feels like I've been sitting at the feet of Jesus.

I know that I want what he has - and I know that I want it for you, too. For all of us. The door is open, may we enter in.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish the audio quality was better , but his was an incredibly good meditation guide- listened to while gardening, and loved the musical interludes too. Touches on all the main tenets of Buddhist meditation- bits that you really can integrate into your life: your commute, your job, talking on the phone, relationship conflicts, dying loved ones, eating.

[Davina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find most the author's work is repetitive. In fact, some of the stories do appear elsewhere. It's not a problem, but my mass consumption of Thich Nhat Hanh gives me lots of repetition on the basic ideas, which is helpful. He is a big believer in peace and harmony, and I would be careful with some of his advice. Yes, I understand about trying to be peaceful and loving, and while I can sympathize with someone who say was beaten as a child, and that does help explain, to a degree poor treatment of their children, but if that person doesn't want to change, you can make peace with yourself, and not hold on to your anger, but you may still choose to not see them in person again. I'm not sure he was calling for a complete disarming of all your defenses.

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of talks on dharma practice from a celebrated monk; I like that he addresses practices for daily modern life, like meditating while driving or cooking. Loved it so much I put it on my Amazon wish list.

[Avalon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, largely due to the second half really hitting home with ancestral healing. Lovely examples and lessons on connecting to presence through overall understanding of existence and ancestral tethering. So peaceful and delightful as usual with Thich Nhat Hahn.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Sounds True audio book.)

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always 5 stars.

[JL · Rating 5 out of 5]

inner calm, gentle humor

[Donald Lanham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindfulness and living in the moment.

[Sam Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just wish the audio quality of this book were a bit better, but I guess I understand that these are recorded talks and captured meditations.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful reminder to me of the importance of taking a moment to pause throughout my days. The present moment is the place where we experience joy, and knowing that it is here for us to experience when we are quiet, is a lovely reminder

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful. Thich Nhat Hanh has such a soothing way of communicating. He is from a different school of Buddhism than the recent stuff I have listened to by Pema Chodron. Although Hanh's school is more traditional and more disciplined, it was interesting to see him encouraging people to "go back to their root spirituality", telling them that they should practice not just Buddhism, but also the spirituality of their ancestors, whether it be Christianity, Judaism, Shinto, etc. It was interesting to hear a 'religious leader' recommend following religions other than his own.

There were also some great analogies. The "everything is one; I am one with everything" concept can be hard to grasp. Hanh explains that people are like waves. Waves make up the ocean, but they feel separate from it. I can't do the full analogy justice here; its worth a listen.

Also included in the audiobook, Hanh gives an example of prayer and of what one might pray for, and the ways to word it and think about it. This was very interesting to hear. And a female monk sings (I'm not sure if its in Tibetan or Vietnamese) several traditional songs, along with spoken English translations of them.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bell rings, rings, rings, and you are invited to listen, listen ... while breathing in and breathing out─and smile─in The Present Moment retreat that you're having in your own private space; and it's all yours to savor and enjoy. Having had that experience, I felt even more sure about my introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist, and his Teachings on the Practice of Mindfulness after I learned that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. If you find yourself somehow disappointed in this Sounds True product by a Princeton Alumnus, I think you're right to blame yourself, first.

[Wendy Hollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thich Nhat Hanh is my guru for mindfulness and personal peace.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pause, listen, and reflect.