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Being Peace
Being Peace
Since its publication in 1987, "Being Peace" has become a classic of contemporary religious literature. In his simple and readable style, Thich Nhat Hanh shows how our state of mind and body can make the world a peaceful place. We learn to transform the very situations that pressure and antagonize us into opportunities for practicing mindfulness.
115 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Thich Nhat Hanh
944 books11.6k 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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April 5, 2023
Being Peace
I keep Thich Naht Hanh's books in my book case
but anymore I do not read them.
I think of him often, ever since he had a stroke.
He made it though, but I can't find out how he is.
As far as I know he is still alive
and still a very wise but old man.
Some days when I walk in the woods I try to breathe in peace
and breathe it out again,
but it has been so many years that now I think more about what people are going through in the world and the changes that are taking place in this earth,
and I am too saddened to think of peace.
Yesterday, when I walked through the woods
the leaves were falling.
For the first time that I could ever remember
I actually heard them fall.
They fell like paper rain on the forest floor.
Maybe Mother Earth had heard it too.
I just know though, that she weeps too much these days
and probably doesn't hear anything anymore.
Maybe like me, she is only hearing her own pain.
And I just wish that I could breathe in peace
and breathe out peace again.
written by Jessica Slade, 2017
I keep Thich Naht Hanh's books in my book case
but anymore I do not read them.
I think of him often, ever since he had a stroke.
He made it though, but I can't find out how he is.
As far as I know he is still alive
and still a very wise but old man.
Some days when I walk in the woods I try to breathe in peace
and breathe it out again,
but it has been so many years that now I think more about what people are going through in the world and the changes that are taking place in this earth,
and I am too saddened to think of peace.
Yesterday, when I walked through the woods
the leaves were falling.
For the first time that I could ever remember
I actually heard them fall.
They fell like paper rain on the forest floor.
Maybe Mother Earth had heard it too.
I just know though, that she weeps too much these days
and probably doesn't hear anything anymore.
Maybe like me, she is only hearing her own pain.
And I just wish that I could breathe in peace
and breathe out peace again.
written by Jessica Slade, 2017
November 22, 2012
i found this book far more rewarding than i had expected it to be. thich nhat hanh, vietnamese poet, peace activist, and buddhist monk, has written dozens of books, many that incorporate the related themes of non-violence and zen buddhism. being peace, originally published some twenty-five years ago, is a slim affair, but contains a wealth of practical insight. nhat hanh focuses his book on the subjects of suffering, perception, non-duality, interbeing, meditation, and peace work, offering a stream of fluid, remarkably apt analogies to illustrate his teachings. regardless of one's spiritual inclinations or religious beliefs, being peace presents non-dogmatic observations on the nature of happiness, contentment, and peace both on a personal level and on an international scale. nhat hanh's introduction of the fourteen mindfulness trainings, if practiced widely, could have beneficial effects individually and on society as a whole. being peace is a melodious, reflective, and profound work - one that manifests thich nhat hanh's committed efforts to peace, justice, and the restoration of harmony in its many forms.
recommendation
promise me,
promise me this day,
promise me now,
while the sun is overhead
exactly at the zenith,
promise me:
even as they
strike you down
with a mountain of hatred and violence;
even as they step on you and crush you
like a worm,
even as they dismember and disembowel you,
remember, brother,
remember:
man is not our enemy.
the only thing worthy of you is compassion--
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.
one day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
and those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.
alone again,
i will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
on the long, rough road,
the sun and the moon
will continue to shine.
July 10, 2007
Even though some references are a little dated (Cold War), this book is entirely relevant now: in order to achieve peace, we each have to become peaceful. We can't wait for peace to happen, we must live it.
July 13, 2022
Ban đầu nghĩ sẽ không học được gì mới từ cuốn sách này. Cái gọi là "muốn an được an" chẳng phải quá rõ ràng tới sáo rỗng rồi sao? Tất nhiên là thầy Hạnh lần nào cũng khiến tôi bất ngờ và được khai sáng. Nói không có gì mới cũng được vì ý tưởng gốc trong sách của Thích Nhất Hạnh luôn có thể thấy ở kinh Kim Cang. Thế nhưng, với dạng ngu đần như tôi, đi từ Pháp tới thực tiễn luôn quá khó khăn và sách Thích Nhất Hạnh đóng vai trò như Tăng, vừa nâng đỡ tinh thần, vừa giảng dạy. Có lẽ vì lý do này nên khi thầy Hạnh mất tôi chỉ buồn 1 lúc vì nhục thân đi rồi nhưng Tăng vẫn ở lại.
Cũng không phải tự dưng mà đọc cuốn này. Tôi có quá khứ luôn bất an với những mối quan hệ thân thiết. Gần đây, tôi đã đi giải quyết tất cả những vấn đề đó. Sau đêm nói chuyện với những người bạn đó, tôi đứng bên cửa sổ lúc 1h đêm và cảm thấy như được tái sinh, đầy hân hoan. Tuy nhiên, vài ngày sau, tôi bắt đầu hoài nghi về những điều mình vừa làm. Có nên khơi lại quá khứ hay chôn vùi hoặc tha thứ? Và tôi đã tìm được câu trả lời hoàn toàn thỏa đáng từ cuốn sách này. Vẫn luôn chỉ có Phật giáo là thứ có câu trả lời rốt ráo nhất, cái này là nói trên tinh thần người đọc, không phải kẻ mê muội nha =)))
Bản chất cuộc đời là khổ, khổ là do không hiểu. Thế nên muốn hết khổ thì phải hiểu. Hiểu người khác là quá khó, thế nên phải thông qua giao tiếp (và giống như ông Poirot, nên nhìn vào bản chất con người thay vì hành động). Đặt ra câu hỏi cho những khúc mắc là đúng. Nhưng quan trọng hơn, là phải đặt với tinh thần tử tế, xây dựng, không phải oán trách. Sách một lần nữa khắc cốt ghi tâm cho tôi về việc phá chấp, đối diện với vấn đề, kiểm soát và chuyển hướng cơn giận, thiền tức là sống trong hiện tại và sống biết ơn hơn. Cũng như luôn tự làm tốt phần của mình và hòa nhập với xã hội bằng sự thấu cảm (cũng như ít nói đi hoho). Bảy phương tiện diệt trừ tranh chấp và 14 giới Tiếp hiện cũng cần nhớ và ứng dụng. Tóm tắt nghe hơi chán nhờ nhưng thật sự sách thầy Hạnh đọc xong tâm đắc lắm nhưng nhiều thứ quá cứ quên nên phải note vậy.
Cái mới là tình dục hóa ra bị cấm trong Phật giáo không phải vì nó là "tham", mà vì nó gây lãng phí tinh lực =)) và giúp giảm dân số =)) Thích Ca thì ban đầu là fruitarian nhưng ngày đó chưa kiến tánh nên chưa biết ăn khoa học nên mới suy dinh dưỡng vậy á =)))
Cũng không phải tự dưng mà đọc cuốn này. Tôi có quá khứ luôn bất an với những mối quan hệ thân thiết. Gần đây, tôi đã đi giải quyết tất cả những vấn đề đó. Sau đêm nói chuyện với những người bạn đó, tôi đứng bên cửa sổ lúc 1h đêm và cảm thấy như được tái sinh, đầy hân hoan. Tuy nhiên, vài ngày sau, tôi bắt đầu hoài nghi về những điều mình vừa làm. Có nên khơi lại quá khứ hay chôn vùi hoặc tha thứ? Và tôi đã tìm được câu trả lời hoàn toàn thỏa đáng từ cuốn sách này. Vẫn luôn chỉ có Phật giáo là thứ có câu trả lời rốt ráo nhất, cái này là nói trên tinh thần người đọc, không phải kẻ mê muội nha =)))
Bản chất cuộc đời là khổ, khổ là do không hiểu. Thế nên muốn hết khổ thì phải hiểu. Hiểu người khác là quá khó, thế nên phải thông qua giao tiếp (và giống như ông Poirot, nên nhìn vào bản chất con người thay vì hành động). Đặt ra câu hỏi cho những khúc mắc là đúng. Nhưng quan trọng hơn, là phải đặt với tinh thần tử tế, xây dựng, không phải oán trách. Sách một lần nữa khắc cốt ghi tâm cho tôi về việc phá chấp, đối diện với vấn đề, kiểm soát và chuyển hướng cơn giận, thiền tức là sống trong hiện tại và sống biết ơn hơn. Cũng như luôn tự làm tốt phần của mình và hòa nhập với xã hội bằng sự thấu cảm (cũng như ít nói đi hoho). Bảy phương tiện diệt trừ tranh chấp và 14 giới Tiếp hiện cũng cần nhớ và ứng dụng. Tóm tắt nghe hơi chán nhờ nhưng thật sự sách thầy Hạnh đọc xong tâm đắc lắm nhưng nhiều thứ quá cứ quên nên phải note vậy.
Cái mới là tình dục hóa ra bị cấm trong Phật giáo không phải vì nó là "tham", mà vì nó gây lãng phí tinh lực =)) và giúp giảm dân số =)) Thích Ca thì ban đầu là fruitarian nhưng ngày đó chưa kiến tánh nên chưa biết ăn khoa học nên mới suy dinh dưỡng vậy á =)))
February 13, 2024
I first picked this up years ago and quickly put it down. It did not hold my interest. It has been on my bookshelves ever since. I am not religious, nor would I describe myself as overly spiritual. This book is a gentle introduction to Buddhism, so I was not surprised at its lack of appeal. Recently, though, I tried it again and found there was much I liked. I still found my attention drifting from the narrative occasionally, but I also found much that felt very timely. Published in 1987, the message was often very relevant almost 40 years later. Sometimes I struggle to determine where we even start, and where do I start, if I want change. One message towards the end of the book, “Let peace begin with me”, was a simplistic solution and yet seems to hold promise.
November 10, 2010
This book was recommended by a 'fellow photographer' friend named Beth Lambert of CANADA. It's an EXCELLENT read for any one. I also introduced it to a young man in France (who was still 'finding himself'--Frederic Deltour) and he often tells me that the book changed/improved his LIFE.
This is the perfect book for MINDFULNESS TRAINING--something we ALL need from time to time. ;)
Words that impacted me in this book:
If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.
To meditate well, we have to SMILE a lot.
Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.
To remind ourselves to relax…set aside some time for a retreat, a day of MINDFULNESS.
We can practice smiling.
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment I know this is a wonderful moment.
A smile makes you master of yourself.
We have thousands of things which help us be away from ourselves.
Practicing meditation is to be aware, to smile.
To meditate means to be aware of what is going on.
Buddhas are “us”. The Buddha statue is just a symbol of the Buddha.
The root word “budh” means to wake up, to know, to understand. A person who wakes up and understands is called a Buddha.
“I rely on the Buddha in me.”
Three Gems:
BUDDHA…The Awakened One.
DHARMA…The Way of Understanding & Loving.
SANGHA…The Community That Lives in Harmony & Awareness.
Sometimes we see someone we like very much, even if we don’t know why.
True enlightenment: The highest capacity to understand and love.
Sometimes if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call that non-action. It is like the calm person on a small boat in a storm. That person does not have to do much, just to be himslef, and the situation can change.
In our former lives, we were trees. It is science. We have to recall our past existences.
Have tea meditation.
Practicing meditation is for us to be serene and happy, understanding and loving.
Feelings are of three kinds: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral
Whether or not we are happy depends on our awareness.
Happiness is available. Please help yourself to it. All of us have the capacity of transforming neutral feelings that can last a long time.
You take good care of yourself, and I take good care of myself.
I can do many wrong things, and that does not help.
I took time to look at the picture.
To understand something is to take that one thing up and to be one with it.
We have to convert anger into some kind of energy that is more constructive.
“Sometime, somewhere you take something to be the truth. If you cling to it so much, when the truth comes in person and knocks at your door, you will not open it.”
Meditation is not to get out of society, to escape from society, but to prepare for reentry into society.
If your children are not happy and do not smile…you cannot smile.
One smile, one breath should be for the benefit of the whole day, not just for that moment.
Our mind is like a river, with many thoughts and feelings flowing along.
When we practice sitting or walking we should pay attention to the quality and not the quantity.
To transform our situation is also to transform our minds. To transform our minds is also to transform our situation, because the situation is mind, and mind is situation.
The first practice is Face to Face sitting.
The second practice is Remembrance.
The third practice is Non-stubbornness.
The fourth practice is Covering Mud with Straw.
The fifth stage is Voluntary Confession.
The sixth and seventh practices are Decision by Consensus and Accepting the Verdict.
In modern society most of us don’t want to be in touch with ourselves; we want to be in touch with other things like religion, sports, politics, a book—we want to forget ourselves.
“In Touch” means in touch with oneself in order to find out the source of wisdom, understanding, and compassion in each of us. Being in touch with oneself is the meaning of meditation, to be aware of what is going on in your body, in your feelings, in your mind.
The mind is the root of everything else.
1st MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Aware of the suffering…Life is precious.
2nd MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views.
The techniques of understanding is to overcome views and knowledge.
3rd MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Respect the right of others to be different and to choose what to believe and how to decide.
It is the spirit of free inquiry.
4th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Contact with and awareness of suffering is needed.
5th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: True happiness is rooted in peace, solidity, freedom, and compassion.
The only way out is to consume less. Once we are able to live simply and happily, we are better able to help others.
6th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Anger blocks communication and creates suffering.
Take care of the energy of anger when it arises and to recognize and transform the seeds of anger.
7th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Life is available only in the present moment and that it is possible to live happily in the here and NOW.
Live in awareness.
8th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Lack of communication always brings separation and suffering.
Learn to listen deeply without judging or reacting.
9th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Words can create suffering or happiness.
Use only words that inspire hope and confidence.
The words we speak can create love, trust, and happiness around us, or create a hell.
Be careful about what we say.
Words can travel across thousands of miles. May my words create mutual understanding and love. May they be as beautiful as gems, as lovely as flowers.
10th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Practice understanding and compassion.
11th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Be committed to NOT live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.
12th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Cultivate nonviolence, understanding, and compassion in our daily lives, to promote peace education.
13th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Share time, energy and material resources with those who are in need.
14th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Sexual relations motivated by craving cannot dissipate the feeling of loneliness but will create more suffering, frustration and isolation.
We are determined to perseve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit).
In the religious and medical traditions of Asia, the human person was said to have three sources of energy: sexual, breath, and spirit.
Sexual energy is what you spend during sexual intercourse.
Breath energy is the kind of energy you spend when you talk too much and breathe too little.
Spirit energy is energy that you spend when you worry too much and do not sleep well.
Buddhist monks observed celibacy to conserve energy.
Your children are a continuation of yourself.
Concentration is the first practice of meditation.
The more we understand, the easier it is for us to have compassion and love. Understanding is the source of love. Understanding is love itself. Understanding is another name for love.
When you grow a tree, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the tree. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the tree.
Blaming has no effect at all. NEVER BLAME, never try to persuade using reason and arguments. They never lead to any positive effect.
No argument, no reasoning, no blame, just understanding. IF you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.
Breathing is wonderful. It unites body and mind.
“Let peace begin with me.”
Walking meditation can be very enjoyable. We walk slowly, alone or with friends, if possible in some beautiful place.
Walking meditation is a wonderful practice
You can look at everyone and smile.
We never have time to look at each other, even those we love, and soon it will be too late. It is wonderful to do that, to openly appreciate everyone.
Set up your own ‘breathing room’. Teach by example. Take his or her hand and walk together into the room for breathing, and sit quietly together. This is the best education for peace.
Have a breathing room in your home, a room for meditation.
Practice breathing and sitting for a few minutes every morning at home.
Go out for a slow walking meditation.
This is the perfect book for MINDFULNESS TRAINING--something we ALL need from time to time. ;)
Words that impacted me in this book:
If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.
To meditate well, we have to SMILE a lot.
Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.
To remind ourselves to relax…set aside some time for a retreat, a day of MINDFULNESS.
We can practice smiling.
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment I know this is a wonderful moment.
A smile makes you master of yourself.
We have thousands of things which help us be away from ourselves.
Practicing meditation is to be aware, to smile.
To meditate means to be aware of what is going on.
Buddhas are “us”. The Buddha statue is just a symbol of the Buddha.
The root word “budh” means to wake up, to know, to understand. A person who wakes up and understands is called a Buddha.
“I rely on the Buddha in me.”
Three Gems:
BUDDHA…The Awakened One.
DHARMA…The Way of Understanding & Loving.
SANGHA…The Community That Lives in Harmony & Awareness.
Sometimes we see someone we like very much, even if we don’t know why.
True enlightenment: The highest capacity to understand and love.
Sometimes if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call that non-action. It is like the calm person on a small boat in a storm. That person does not have to do much, just to be himslef, and the situation can change.
In our former lives, we were trees. It is science. We have to recall our past existences.
Have tea meditation.
Practicing meditation is for us to be serene and happy, understanding and loving.
Feelings are of three kinds: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral
Whether or not we are happy depends on our awareness.
Happiness is available. Please help yourself to it. All of us have the capacity of transforming neutral feelings that can last a long time.
You take good care of yourself, and I take good care of myself.
I can do many wrong things, and that does not help.
I took time to look at the picture.
To understand something is to take that one thing up and to be one with it.
We have to convert anger into some kind of energy that is more constructive.
“Sometime, somewhere you take something to be the truth. If you cling to it so much, when the truth comes in person and knocks at your door, you will not open it.”
Meditation is not to get out of society, to escape from society, but to prepare for reentry into society.
If your children are not happy and do not smile…you cannot smile.
One smile, one breath should be for the benefit of the whole day, not just for that moment.
Our mind is like a river, with many thoughts and feelings flowing along.
When we practice sitting or walking we should pay attention to the quality and not the quantity.
To transform our situation is also to transform our minds. To transform our minds is also to transform our situation, because the situation is mind, and mind is situation.
The first practice is Face to Face sitting.
The second practice is Remembrance.
The third practice is Non-stubbornness.
The fourth practice is Covering Mud with Straw.
The fifth stage is Voluntary Confession.
The sixth and seventh practices are Decision by Consensus and Accepting the Verdict.
In modern society most of us don’t want to be in touch with ourselves; we want to be in touch with other things like religion, sports, politics, a book—we want to forget ourselves.
“In Touch” means in touch with oneself in order to find out the source of wisdom, understanding, and compassion in each of us. Being in touch with oneself is the meaning of meditation, to be aware of what is going on in your body, in your feelings, in your mind.
The mind is the root of everything else.
1st MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Aware of the suffering…Life is precious.
2nd MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views.
The techniques of understanding is to overcome views and knowledge.
3rd MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Respect the right of others to be different and to choose what to believe and how to decide.
It is the spirit of free inquiry.
4th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Contact with and awareness of suffering is needed.
5th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: True happiness is rooted in peace, solidity, freedom, and compassion.
The only way out is to consume less. Once we are able to live simply and happily, we are better able to help others.
6th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Anger blocks communication and creates suffering.
Take care of the energy of anger when it arises and to recognize and transform the seeds of anger.
7th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Life is available only in the present moment and that it is possible to live happily in the here and NOW.
Live in awareness.
8th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Lack of communication always brings separation and suffering.
Learn to listen deeply without judging or reacting.
9th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Words can create suffering or happiness.
Use only words that inspire hope and confidence.
The words we speak can create love, trust, and happiness around us, or create a hell.
Be careful about what we say.
Words can travel across thousands of miles. May my words create mutual understanding and love. May they be as beautiful as gems, as lovely as flowers.
10th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Practice understanding and compassion.
11th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Be committed to NOT live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.
12th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Cultivate nonviolence, understanding, and compassion in our daily lives, to promote peace education.
13th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Share time, energy and material resources with those who are in need.
14th MINDFULNESS TRAINING: Sexual relations motivated by craving cannot dissipate the feeling of loneliness but will create more suffering, frustration and isolation.
We are determined to perseve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit).
In the religious and medical traditions of Asia, the human person was said to have three sources of energy: sexual, breath, and spirit.
Sexual energy is what you spend during sexual intercourse.
Breath energy is the kind of energy you spend when you talk too much and breathe too little.
Spirit energy is energy that you spend when you worry too much and do not sleep well.
Buddhist monks observed celibacy to conserve energy.
Your children are a continuation of yourself.
Concentration is the first practice of meditation.
The more we understand, the easier it is for us to have compassion and love. Understanding is the source of love. Understanding is love itself. Understanding is another name for love.
When you grow a tree, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the tree. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the tree.
Blaming has no effect at all. NEVER BLAME, never try to persuade using reason and arguments. They never lead to any positive effect.
No argument, no reasoning, no blame, just understanding. IF you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.
Breathing is wonderful. It unites body and mind.
“Let peace begin with me.”
Walking meditation can be very enjoyable. We walk slowly, alone or with friends, if possible in some beautiful place.
Walking meditation is a wonderful practice
You can look at everyone and smile.
We never have time to look at each other, even those we love, and soon it will be too late. It is wonderful to do that, to openly appreciate everyone.
Set up your own ‘breathing room’. Teach by example. Take his or her hand and walk together into the room for breathing, and sit quietly together. This is the best education for peace.
Have a breathing room in your home, a room for meditation.
Practice breathing and sitting for a few minutes every morning at home.
Go out for a slow walking meditation.
February 10, 2018
Extraordinary in its simplicity and humanity, clearly outlining the very personality needed for our species to evolve. Gentle and practical in its approach.
-----------
“A smile makes you master of yourself. "
“Recently, one friend asked me, ‘How can I force myself to smile when I am filled with sorrow? It isn't natural.’ I told her she must be able to smile to her sorrow, because we are more than our sorrow. A human being is like a television set with millions of channels. If we turn the Buddha on, we are the Buddha. If we turn sorrow on, we are sorrow. If we turn a smile on, we really are the smile. We can't let just one channel dominate us…”
“We have to take the situation in hand to recover our own sovereignty.”
“In Vietnam, there [were] many people, called boat people, who [left] the country in small boats. Often the boats are caught in rough seas or storms, the people may panic, and boats can sink. But if even one person aboard can remain calm, lucid… people have trust in that person. They will listen to what he or she says. One such person can save the lives of many.”
“…We have more than 5o,ooo nuclear weapons. Humankind has become a very dangerous species. We need people who can sit still and be able to smile, who can walk peacefully.”
“In our former lives, we were trees… This isn't just Buddhist theory; it's science. The human species is a very young species - we appeared on the Earth only recently. Before that, we were rock, we were gas, we were minerals, we were single-celled beings. We were plants, we were trees, and now we have become humans. We have to recall our past existences.”
"... People who are awake see the manifestation of the Dharma in everything. A pebble, a bamboo tree, the cry of a baby, anything can be the voice of the Dharma... Each pebble, each leaf, each flower is preaching the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra."
“Without you, the Buddha is not real, it is just an idea. Without you, the Dharma cannot be practiced. It has to be practiced by someone.”
“…Someone who has lost her sight would give anything to be able to see… she would consider it a miraculous gift. We who have eyes capable of seeing many forms and colors are often unhappy. If we want to practice, we can go out and look at leaves, flowers, children, and clouds, and be happy. Whether or not we are happy depends on our awareness.”
“Practicing Buddhism is a clever way to enjoy life. Happiness is available. Please help yourself to it.”
“On the wooden board outside of the meditation hall in Zen monasteries, there is a four-line inscription. The last line is ‘Don't waste your life’. “
“If you look at me, the me in myself may be different from the me you perceive. In order to have a correct perception, we need to have a direct encounter.”
“Irritation is a destructive energy. We cannot destroy the energy; we can only convert it into a more constructive energy… Suppose you are in the desert, and you only have one glass of muddy water. You have to transform the muddy water into clear water to drink, you cannot just throw it away. So you let it settle for a while, and clear water will appear.”
“Every action, every thought has an effect. Even if I just clap my hands, the effect is everywhere, even in faraway galaxies.”
“We should be able to be our true self. That means we should be able to be the river, we should be able to be the forest, we should be able to be a citizen of any country in the world.”
“To transform our situation is also to transform our minds. To transform our minds is also to transform our situation, because the situation is mind, and mind is situation.”
“During the last 2,5oo years in Buddhist monasteries, a system of seven practices of reconciliation has evolved... " :
1. Face-to-face sitting
2. Remembrance
3. Non-stubbornness
4. Covering Mud with Straw
5. Voluntary Confession
6. Decision by Consensus
7. Accepting the Verdict
“The way you speak, the kind of understanding, the kind of language you use, should not turn people off.”
"I vow to develop understanding in order to be able to love and to live in harmony with people, animals, plants, and minerals.”
“Aware of the suffering created by fanaticism and intolerance, we are determined not to be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist teachings are guiding…They are not doctrines to fight, kill, or die for.”
“Bodhisattvas move in the opposite direction and follow the principle of self-sufficiency. They live a simple life in order to practice the way, and consider the realization of perfect understanding as their only career.”
“Words can travel across thousands of miles. May they be as beautiful as gems, as lovely as flowers.”
“We are determined not to use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit or transform our community into a political instrument.”
“We are committed to not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.”
“Is our world safe enough to bring in more children?”
“In the religious and medical traditions of Asia, the human person was said to have three sources of energy: sexual, breath, and spirit. Sexual energy is what you spend during sexual intercourse. Breath energy is the kind of energy you spend when you talk too much and breathe too little. Spirit energy is energy that you spend when you worry too much and do not sleep well. If you spend these three sources of energy, your body will not be strong enough to penetrate deeply into reality and realize the way.”
“When you grow a tree, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the tree. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the tree, yet we blame our son. If we know how to take care of him, he will grow well, like a tree… Never blame.”
Some Mentioned Texts/Discourses:
———————————————
* Sutra of Tending Buffalo (Pali Canon list of 11 skills for buffalo keepers)
* Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (proper name of Lotus Sutra)
* Discourse on Turning the Wheel of the Dharma (Buddha's first sermon to adults)
* Abhidharma (writings on Buddhist psychology)
* Avatamsaka Sutra (proper name of Flower Ornament Sutra)
* The Eight Realizations of Great Beings Sutra
* Satipatthana Sutta (basic meditation manual of Buddha’s time)
.
-----------
“A smile makes you master of yourself. "
“Recently, one friend asked me, ‘How can I force myself to smile when I am filled with sorrow? It isn't natural.’ I told her she must be able to smile to her sorrow, because we are more than our sorrow. A human being is like a television set with millions of channels. If we turn the Buddha on, we are the Buddha. If we turn sorrow on, we are sorrow. If we turn a smile on, we really are the smile. We can't let just one channel dominate us…”
“We have to take the situation in hand to recover our own sovereignty.”
“In Vietnam, there [were] many people, called boat people, who [left] the country in small boats. Often the boats are caught in rough seas or storms, the people may panic, and boats can sink. But if even one person aboard can remain calm, lucid… people have trust in that person. They will listen to what he or she says. One such person can save the lives of many.”
“…We have more than 5o,ooo nuclear weapons. Humankind has become a very dangerous species. We need people who can sit still and be able to smile, who can walk peacefully.”
“In our former lives, we were trees… This isn't just Buddhist theory; it's science. The human species is a very young species - we appeared on the Earth only recently. Before that, we were rock, we were gas, we were minerals, we were single-celled beings. We were plants, we were trees, and now we have become humans. We have to recall our past existences.”
"... People who are awake see the manifestation of the Dharma in everything. A pebble, a bamboo tree, the cry of a baby, anything can be the voice of the Dharma... Each pebble, each leaf, each flower is preaching the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra."
“Without you, the Buddha is not real, it is just an idea. Without you, the Dharma cannot be practiced. It has to be practiced by someone.”
“…Someone who has lost her sight would give anything to be able to see… she would consider it a miraculous gift. We who have eyes capable of seeing many forms and colors are often unhappy. If we want to practice, we can go out and look at leaves, flowers, children, and clouds, and be happy. Whether or not we are happy depends on our awareness.”
“Practicing Buddhism is a clever way to enjoy life. Happiness is available. Please help yourself to it.”
“On the wooden board outside of the meditation hall in Zen monasteries, there is a four-line inscription. The last line is ‘Don't waste your life’. “
“If you look at me, the me in myself may be different from the me you perceive. In order to have a correct perception, we need to have a direct encounter.”
“Irritation is a destructive energy. We cannot destroy the energy; we can only convert it into a more constructive energy… Suppose you are in the desert, and you only have one glass of muddy water. You have to transform the muddy water into clear water to drink, you cannot just throw it away. So you let it settle for a while, and clear water will appear.”
“Every action, every thought has an effect. Even if I just clap my hands, the effect is everywhere, even in faraway galaxies.”
“We should be able to be our true self. That means we should be able to be the river, we should be able to be the forest, we should be able to be a citizen of any country in the world.”
“To transform our situation is also to transform our minds. To transform our minds is also to transform our situation, because the situation is mind, and mind is situation.”
“During the last 2,5oo years in Buddhist monasteries, a system of seven practices of reconciliation has evolved... " :
1. Face-to-face sitting
2. Remembrance
3. Non-stubbornness
4. Covering Mud with Straw
5. Voluntary Confession
6. Decision by Consensus
7. Accepting the Verdict
“The way you speak, the kind of understanding, the kind of language you use, should not turn people off.”
"I vow to develop understanding in order to be able to love and to live in harmony with people, animals, plants, and minerals.”
“Aware of the suffering created by fanaticism and intolerance, we are determined not to be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist teachings are guiding…They are not doctrines to fight, kill, or die for.”
“Bodhisattvas move in the opposite direction and follow the principle of self-sufficiency. They live a simple life in order to practice the way, and consider the realization of perfect understanding as their only career.”
“Words can travel across thousands of miles. May they be as beautiful as gems, as lovely as flowers.”
“We are determined not to use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit or transform our community into a political instrument.”
“We are committed to not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.”
“Is our world safe enough to bring in more children?”
“In the religious and medical traditions of Asia, the human person was said to have three sources of energy: sexual, breath, and spirit. Sexual energy is what you spend during sexual intercourse. Breath energy is the kind of energy you spend when you talk too much and breathe too little. Spirit energy is energy that you spend when you worry too much and do not sleep well. If you spend these three sources of energy, your body will not be strong enough to penetrate deeply into reality and realize the way.”
“When you grow a tree, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the tree. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the tree, yet we blame our son. If we know how to take care of him, he will grow well, like a tree… Never blame.”
Some Mentioned Texts/Discourses:
———————————————
* Sutra of Tending Buffalo (Pali Canon list of 11 skills for buffalo keepers)
* Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (proper name of Lotus Sutra)
* Discourse on Turning the Wheel of the Dharma (Buddha's first sermon to adults)
* Abhidharma (writings on Buddhist psychology)
* Avatamsaka Sutra (proper name of Flower Ornament Sutra)
* The Eight Realizations of Great Beings Sutra
* Satipatthana Sutta (basic meditation manual of Buddha’s time)
.
April 8, 2023
I didn’t find this book to be as easy-to-read as ”Peace is every step”, which I previously reviewed. I feel that it goes more deeply into things and thus is more challenging.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist from Vietnam who now lives in exile in France. He recently had a stroke at the age of about 90 and was seriously ill, but survived.
This book is a collection of talks he gave to peacemakers and meditation students in 1985.
He tells us of the importance of walking meditation and smiling, and offers a short poem we can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling.
“Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.”
“When we sit down peacefully, breathing and smiling, with awareness, we are our true selves, we have sovereignty over ourselves.”
Meditation helps us to return to our true self. “Practicing meditation is to be aware, to smile, to breathe --- We go back to ourselves in order to see what is going on, because to meditate means to be aware of what is going on.”
The capacity of waking up, of being aware of what is going on “in your feelings, in your body, in your perceptions, in the world” is called Buddha nature.
“Someone who is awake, who knows, who understands, is called a Buddha. Buddha is in every one of us.”
Dharma is what the Buddha taught. “It is the way of understanding and love – how to understand, how to love, how to make understanding and love into real things.”
Dharmakaya means the teaching of the Buddha, the way to realize understanding and love. Sometimes if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call this non-action. That is also an aspect of Dharmakaya – not talking, not teaching, just being.
Every day we have many feelings. “Practising meditation is to be aware of each feeling.” “Practising Buddhism is to be alive in each moment. When we practice sitting or walking, we have the means to do it perfectly. During the rest of the day, we also practice. --- The sitting and the walking must be extended to the non-walking, non-sitting moments of the day. That is the basic principle of meditation.”
In order to understand, you have to be one with what you want to understand. You do not stand outside of something to contemplate it. “Non-duality is the key word for Buddhist meditation.”
To sit is not enough. We have to be at the same time. When you breathe and smile, you are the breathing and the smiling. If I am angry I do not fight that. “I know that anger is me, and I am anger.” Since I am anger, if I annihilate anger, I annihilate myself. If I cannot be compassionate to myself, I will not be able to be compassionate to others.
The first thing to do when we get angry is to produce awareness. “I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger.”
In Buddhism, knowledge is regarded as a block to understanding. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.
We cannot bring about peace by demonstrating against nuclear missiles but by our capacity of smiling, breathing and being peace.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to prepare for a re-entry into society. This is called “engaged Buddhism”. If we leave society, we cannot help change it.
“ --- a meditation center is where you get back to yourself. You get a clearer understanding of reality, you get more strength in understanding and love, and you prepare for your re-entry into society.”
We need to bring the practice from the meditation hall into our daily lives. We need to practice breathing between phone calls, or practice smiling while cutting carrots.
A gatha is a short verse. Thich gives us one to be recited before phoning anyone:
“Words can travel across thousands of miles.
They are intended to build up understanding and love.
Each word should be a jewel,
A beautiful tapestry.”
The author is peaceful and wise and this little book helps us to assimilate some of this peace and wisdom. Therefore, I strongly advise that you read both this book and his others. Then we can contribute to the spread of peace and wisdom in the world, even more than we already do.
P.S. Thich Nhat Hanh died on 22nd January 2022.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist from Vietnam who now lives in exile in France. He recently had a stroke at the age of about 90 and was seriously ill, but survived.
This book is a collection of talks he gave to peacemakers and meditation students in 1985.
He tells us of the importance of walking meditation and smiling, and offers a short poem we can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling.
“Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.”
“When we sit down peacefully, breathing and smiling, with awareness, we are our true selves, we have sovereignty over ourselves.”
Meditation helps us to return to our true self. “Practicing meditation is to be aware, to smile, to breathe --- We go back to ourselves in order to see what is going on, because to meditate means to be aware of what is going on.”
The capacity of waking up, of being aware of what is going on “in your feelings, in your body, in your perceptions, in the world” is called Buddha nature.
“Someone who is awake, who knows, who understands, is called a Buddha. Buddha is in every one of us.”
Dharma is what the Buddha taught. “It is the way of understanding and love – how to understand, how to love, how to make understanding and love into real things.”
Dharmakaya means the teaching of the Buddha, the way to realize understanding and love. Sometimes if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call this non-action. That is also an aspect of Dharmakaya – not talking, not teaching, just being.
Every day we have many feelings. “Practising meditation is to be aware of each feeling.” “Practising Buddhism is to be alive in each moment. When we practice sitting or walking, we have the means to do it perfectly. During the rest of the day, we also practice. --- The sitting and the walking must be extended to the non-walking, non-sitting moments of the day. That is the basic principle of meditation.”
In order to understand, you have to be one with what you want to understand. You do not stand outside of something to contemplate it. “Non-duality is the key word for Buddhist meditation.”
To sit is not enough. We have to be at the same time. When you breathe and smile, you are the breathing and the smiling. If I am angry I do not fight that. “I know that anger is me, and I am anger.” Since I am anger, if I annihilate anger, I annihilate myself. If I cannot be compassionate to myself, I will not be able to be compassionate to others.
The first thing to do when we get angry is to produce awareness. “I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger.”
In Buddhism, knowledge is regarded as a block to understanding. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.
We cannot bring about peace by demonstrating against nuclear missiles but by our capacity of smiling, breathing and being peace.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to prepare for a re-entry into society. This is called “engaged Buddhism”. If we leave society, we cannot help change it.
“ --- a meditation center is where you get back to yourself. You get a clearer understanding of reality, you get more strength in understanding and love, and you prepare for your re-entry into society.”
We need to bring the practice from the meditation hall into our daily lives. We need to practice breathing between phone calls, or practice smiling while cutting carrots.
A gatha is a short verse. Thich gives us one to be recited before phoning anyone:
“Words can travel across thousands of miles.
They are intended to build up understanding and love.
Each word should be a jewel,
A beautiful tapestry.”
The author is peaceful and wise and this little book helps us to assimilate some of this peace and wisdom. Therefore, I strongly advise that you read both this book and his others. Then we can contribute to the spread of peace and wisdom in the world, even more than we already do.
P.S. Thich Nhat Hanh died on 22nd January 2022.
February 1, 2016
A book to keep.
October 27, 2011
The more we see, the more we understand. The more we understand, the easier it is for us to have compassion and love. Understanding is the source of love. Understanding is love itself. p.107
This book is incredibly inspiring and insightful. Thich Nhat Hanh writes in a simple and beautiful way and introduces us the teachings of Buddhism and how to use these teachings and guidelines in our daily lives. He educates us on how to be more peaceful and work for peace in order to make our society more livable; a society where people are aware of themselves and all beings. He introduces these teachings in a universal way and encourages us to makes conscious decisions in our everyday lives. This is not a religious book, but a book about how to transcend peace, become peace, and work for peace by being in the present, breathing and being aware of ourselves and each other. If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. p.5
This book is incredibly inspiring and insightful. Thich Nhat Hanh writes in a simple and beautiful way and introduces us the teachings of Buddhism and how to use these teachings and guidelines in our daily lives. He educates us on how to be more peaceful and work for peace in order to make our society more livable; a society where people are aware of themselves and all beings. He introduces these teachings in a universal way and encourages us to makes conscious decisions in our everyday lives. This is not a religious book, but a book about how to transcend peace, become peace, and work for peace by being in the present, breathing and being aware of ourselves and each other. If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. p.5
June 26, 2007
This book, recommended by my then therapist, skewed my vision for the better. Instead of seeing black & white, I started seeing and understanding all the shades of grey. The Middle Way. A little hokey, but whatever, it works if you want it to.
January 29, 2023
i think i'd unknowingly internalized many a white hippie man's shitty escapist avoidant interpretation of buddhism, fearing that if i meditated too much and found too much inner peace i'd lose my deep care for the world and its suffering, lose the urgency to fight for better. thich nhat hanh corrects the record with grace and simplicity, poetry, stories, and a smile. you meditate to prepare yourself to participate in the world with "awakened activity": noticing injustice, opportunities for compassion and understanding, interconnectedness, and to act in accordance to our responsibilities towards one another. you don't meditate for yourself, you meditate for everyone. and that fucking rocks.
damn goodreads is so buggy i read the actual physical book why are you tellin everyone i did the audio cd bruh i dont even have a cd drive anymore
damn goodreads is so buggy i read the actual physical book why are you tellin everyone i did the audio cd bruh i dont even have a cd drive anymore
April 20, 2017
I've spent the last 3 days listening to the audio version of this book and felt peaceful and calm ever since. Some of my most favourite quotes from the book:
“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
“Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive.”
“We have to be in the present time, because only the present is real, only in the present can we be alive. We do not practice for the sake of the future, to be reborn in a paradise, but to be peace, to be compassion, to be joy right now.”
“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
“Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive.”
“We have to be in the present time, because only the present is real, only in the present can we be alive. We do not practice for the sake of the future, to be reborn in a paradise, but to be peace, to be compassion, to be joy right now.”
July 8, 2024
I feel like writing a review for a Buddhist book is wrong… but I felt very relaxed and oftentimes very happy reading this. I read it out loud when no one was home and it felt very calming, like I was listening to my voice and what I had to say through the words of someone else. I find Buddhism a really great way of handling my life… if not the religion, many of its practices. I hope to read more by Thich Nhat Hanh.
May 6, 2015
This is a quintessential 'good book' - in the sense that it has nothing that you can disapprove of, but again, nothing that you don't know already. Yeah, one must be good, the book says. But how, the book doesn't talk more about that. Yeah, you shouldn't get angry and value others' opinion as much as yours, the book says. But what if you are dealing with a certified moron and unarguably and irrefutably absurd opinions, the book err.. doesn't talk about that.
At times, I felt like the author started presenting a brochure on Buddhism or offering applications to join some sort of cult. While I was able to understand what the author intended to convey, he certainly sounded very immature, naive and grossly inept with words, while trying to convey that. At some places, it went from naive to funny -
The road and signs on the road are the same.
Me: umm... No. They are different.
Before taking it out for the journey, you must know that the car and you, are the same. Wherever the car goes, you go.
Me: I am sure you are on to something, but not quite. Sorry.
The book has enormous ratings here, on Goodreads and that caught my attention. It appears, at least to me, simply overrated.
At times, I felt like the author started presenting a brochure on Buddhism or offering applications to join some sort of cult. While I was able to understand what the author intended to convey, he certainly sounded very immature, naive and grossly inept with words, while trying to convey that. At some places, it went from naive to funny -
The road and signs on the road are the same.
Me: umm... No. They are different.
Before taking it out for the journey, you must know that the car and you, are the same. Wherever the car goes, you go.
Me: I am sure you are on to something, but not quite. Sorry.
The book has enormous ratings here, on Goodreads and that caught my attention. It appears, at least to me, simply overrated.
September 13, 2016
1st Read: Worth reading several times over. I have direction on how to deepen my Buddha practice. I will need to read this book numerous times. Fortunately, such a short book, only 115 pages.
2nd Read: I will read this book repeatedly and practice a bit here and a bit here my Buddha nature until it becomes my usual nature.
2nd Read: I will read this book repeatedly and practice a bit here and a bit here my Buddha nature until it becomes my usual nature.
March 25, 2016
Like most Thich Nhat Hanh books, this is a very sweet and very simple book. Good advice. Not complicated. Just clear and direct. Maybe too simple on a couple of points -- not sure. He seems to say that we won't change things by demonstrating. Not sure about that. But being peaceful, clearheaded and calm while planning and participating in a demonstration seems like a good idea.
July 5, 2024
A nice soothing breath.
February 16, 2009
Hmm. It's funny to only give three stars to a book by someone who I think deserves 5+ stars for his actual work in the world...but I think I like Pema Chodron better, at least for easily accessible writings about embodying Buddhist ideals out in the messy real world. It's not that this wasn't easy to read--it was--but felt a little toooooo easy at points. Like, if you've never read anything about engaged Buddhism, here's a good starting point. I still found it a thoughtful and warm review/introduction, and it did make me excited to read more of what he has to say in the future.
August 31, 2020
His books when I purchase them, find a special place on my personal bookshelves for a lifetime. I find his words of wisdom bring me inner peace and serenity which I can read over and over. I found his words in this book particularly healing and guiding as we here in the US go through such a turbulent time of fear, anger, hostility, and violence. How do we find compassion within ourselves, how do we find compassion within another, how do we create the bridge of resolution. These are some of the questions he helps us to explore. Fantastic read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars
April 2, 2015
In which I learned that Thich Nhat Hanh's way of offering Buddhism to westerners is one of those simple-but-difficult, deep ideas. Just breathe and smile.
September 16, 2020
Peace: not a new concept. But, today, it does seem novel. Smile. Breathe. Be mindful. Repeat.
July 19, 2022
Originally published in 1987, Being Peace outlasts its post-Vietnam, Reagan-Era milieu for the most part. No doubt the many references to nuclear proliferation will seem a bit dated, but the wisdom is that suffering is indeed universal and timeless, so we need not jump far to find the proliferations and crises of our own time. Further, anyone aware of Nhat Hanh's work with the Vietnamese boat people will understand that this is not some monastic who sat on a cushion away from society, but instead a powerfully invested human being. For those skeptical about Buddhism, this book does much to explain that one should not be looking for "a Buddha from the outside" but instead, " it is our "own Buddha that calls us."
Thich Nhat Hanh is surprisingly witty at moments, slipping in a surreptitious lesson in a parenthetical comment: "The technique (if we must speak of a technique), is to be alive...". His blend of storytelling, poetry, and prose, makes this primer on some basic sutras and concepts of Buddhism extremely accessible. There are definitely worldly pleasures about which he has some strong feelings, and initially I rolled my eyes a bit at his disdain for television. However, when he says "telling the television to come colonize us"--that language made me understand. It isn't television, but how we use it to escape from the present, or rather WHEN we use it to escape from the present. He doesn't soapbox on this particular point, but I did find myself wondering what he thought of audiobooks...
Nhat Hanh died in January (2022), and we lost a voice that managed to move beyond dogma toward a practical understanding of being, really. In a rather slim volume (or short audiobook, if you prefer), he offers precepts (or rather "mindfulness trainings") of Thiền Buddhism, parsing (a bit) that which is monastic and that which can be followed by the layperson. I struggled a bit with his explanation regarding awareness of injustice, but not taking sides. His point, if I understand it, is that it isn't about absolution or even forgiveness, but to understand the universality of suffering and existence of compassion. This may be something I never quite internalize. However, I was very much struck by Mindfulness Training no. 11, wherein he compares compassion to a North Star---it is there to light the way and we move toward it, but like the North Star, we do not arrive AT it. This may seem like a more fanciful way to espouse "it is the journey, not the destination", and it is, but the poetry of his language seems more meaningful than your typical inspirational poster or Pinterest meme. His poem "Please call me by my true names" is a powerful moment, and I'd invite anyone to go to the Plum Village website to listen to him read it: https://plumvillage.org/articles/plea...
"I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,/to fear and to hope" he tells us in the poem. He quips later in the book "Don't just do something, sit there." And by the time we reach that point of learning, we get that it isn't some sort of cutesy verbal trinket because he has put much spirit and energy into explaining what "sit" means in the meditation tradition. We understand that a smile is a gift of the spirit, not an indication of happiness. Edoardo Ballerini captures the spirit of Nhat Hanh's voice, which truly smiles at us, like a Buddha. In fact, he tells us that if we must bring a Buddha home to adorn our breathing space, to be sure to find one that is smiling and relaxed. If we do not find such a beautiful Buddha, he tells us, then we should find a flower instead, because the flower is a Buddha.
This is not a book for someone looking for a guide to serious practice. It is, however, a book full of wisdom and grace, that can make connections for us if we just take the time to listen.
Thich Nhat Hanh is surprisingly witty at moments, slipping in a surreptitious lesson in a parenthetical comment: "The technique (if we must speak of a technique), is to be alive...". His blend of storytelling, poetry, and prose, makes this primer on some basic sutras and concepts of Buddhism extremely accessible. There are definitely worldly pleasures about which he has some strong feelings, and initially I rolled my eyes a bit at his disdain for television. However, when he says "telling the television to come colonize us"--that language made me understand. It isn't television, but how we use it to escape from the present, or rather WHEN we use it to escape from the present. He doesn't soapbox on this particular point, but I did find myself wondering what he thought of audiobooks...
Nhat Hanh died in January (2022), and we lost a voice that managed to move beyond dogma toward a practical understanding of being, really. In a rather slim volume (or short audiobook, if you prefer), he offers precepts (or rather "mindfulness trainings") of Thiền Buddhism, parsing (a bit) that which is monastic and that which can be followed by the layperson. I struggled a bit with his explanation regarding awareness of injustice, but not taking sides. His point, if I understand it, is that it isn't about absolution or even forgiveness, but to understand the universality of suffering and existence of compassion. This may be something I never quite internalize. However, I was very much struck by Mindfulness Training no. 11, wherein he compares compassion to a North Star---it is there to light the way and we move toward it, but like the North Star, we do not arrive AT it. This may seem like a more fanciful way to espouse "it is the journey, not the destination", and it is, but the poetry of his language seems more meaningful than your typical inspirational poster or Pinterest meme. His poem "Please call me by my true names" is a powerful moment, and I'd invite anyone to go to the Plum Village website to listen to him read it: https://plumvillage.org/articles/plea...
"I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,/to fear and to hope" he tells us in the poem. He quips later in the book "Don't just do something, sit there." And by the time we reach that point of learning, we get that it isn't some sort of cutesy verbal trinket because he has put much spirit and energy into explaining what "sit" means in the meditation tradition. We understand that a smile is a gift of the spirit, not an indication of happiness. Edoardo Ballerini captures the spirit of Nhat Hanh's voice, which truly smiles at us, like a Buddha. In fact, he tells us that if we must bring a Buddha home to adorn our breathing space, to be sure to find one that is smiling and relaxed. If we do not find such a beautiful Buddha, he tells us, then we should find a flower instead, because the flower is a Buddha.
This is not a book for someone looking for a guide to serious practice. It is, however, a book full of wisdom and grace, that can make connections for us if we just take the time to listen.
February 19, 2022
The past me would have been skeptical about the benefits of simply breathing and being in the present moment if I hadn't started meditating every day a few years ago and seen firsthand that the studies praising the practice of mindfulness are spot on. Yet, even when I say this and say such a thing as simply, there's nothing easy about being present to breathe in and out. Lately, my mind has been wandering around in novelty of all that is going on, and my breath has gotten shorter and shallower. I'm in overdrive. So I picked up this book, having read the Art of Communication by Thich Nhat Hanh, and found solace in his words.
This is a lecture about him talking about breathing and smiling for inner peace and being in touch with your true self. Also, showing how the way monks solve conflicts might be used in international politics. First, Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the central thesis of Buddhism of suffering. He sees no reason to be out of touch with the wonderful aspects of life, like noticing the sky. He states it would be a pity if we would be only touched to suffering. By breathing in a calm mind and body and out a smile, we can find our Buddha, be present, and be ourselves. Through that, you have sovereignty of yourself. You are not drowned in forgetfulness of all the sorrows.
Then he goes and adds that the smile can relax hundreds of muscles in our faces and our nervous system. "If you smile, you know the wonder of a smile." How wonderfully simple, and how astute. There are studies to back up his claim. A smile actually alters our inner state. The trouble is to remember to smile. How easy is it to go back to that default setting of drowning in forgetfulness? I say, too easy. Too easy to forget that the only moment to be alive is the present moment. And it is the most important of all the moments. Not to let our "devilish" minds jump into the future or the past, planning happiness and content in some unknowable situation. Thich Nhat Hanh asks that if you cannot be happy now, when can you be?
So, so simple. Right? Luckily, he states that it's difficult to smile; life is hard. But he insists we should be able to smile at our sorrows. We are more than our sorrows. We can't let that aspect of ourselves control us. By breathing and smiling, we have true control. We open ourselves to other possibilities, not letting sorrow and unnecessary noise destroy and invade us. Breath brings us understanding, and that leads to peace. My past self would have said nonsense, but studies have shown that mediation affects the prefrontal cortex and affects our ability to control our reactions. The more we practice, the more attuned we come with our thoughts and emotions, there our conscious mind can intercept. He offers that start with three conscious breaths every morning.
The second half of the short guidance is about resolving international conflicts. I won't go there even when I would find it a more meaningful message than the inner peace of the one in another day. But today, I think I need the guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh with mine, which has run away. If you had asked me this last November, I would have never thought of losing my center. All I can do is try to find my way back to breathing and try this novel thing, smiling. So I leave you with Thich Nhat Hanh's words: She who is awake is Buddha. He who is awake is Buddha.
Thank you for reading, and have a mindful day <3
This is a lecture about him talking about breathing and smiling for inner peace and being in touch with your true self. Also, showing how the way monks solve conflicts might be used in international politics. First, Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the central thesis of Buddhism of suffering. He sees no reason to be out of touch with the wonderful aspects of life, like noticing the sky. He states it would be a pity if we would be only touched to suffering. By breathing in a calm mind and body and out a smile, we can find our Buddha, be present, and be ourselves. Through that, you have sovereignty of yourself. You are not drowned in forgetfulness of all the sorrows.
Then he goes and adds that the smile can relax hundreds of muscles in our faces and our nervous system. "If you smile, you know the wonder of a smile." How wonderfully simple, and how astute. There are studies to back up his claim. A smile actually alters our inner state. The trouble is to remember to smile. How easy is it to go back to that default setting of drowning in forgetfulness? I say, too easy. Too easy to forget that the only moment to be alive is the present moment. And it is the most important of all the moments. Not to let our "devilish" minds jump into the future or the past, planning happiness and content in some unknowable situation. Thich Nhat Hanh asks that if you cannot be happy now, when can you be?
So, so simple. Right? Luckily, he states that it's difficult to smile; life is hard. But he insists we should be able to smile at our sorrows. We are more than our sorrows. We can't let that aspect of ourselves control us. By breathing and smiling, we have true control. We open ourselves to other possibilities, not letting sorrow and unnecessary noise destroy and invade us. Breath brings us understanding, and that leads to peace. My past self would have said nonsense, but studies have shown that mediation affects the prefrontal cortex and affects our ability to control our reactions. The more we practice, the more attuned we come with our thoughts and emotions, there our conscious mind can intercept. He offers that start with three conscious breaths every morning.
The second half of the short guidance is about resolving international conflicts. I won't go there even when I would find it a more meaningful message than the inner peace of the one in another day. But today, I think I need the guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh with mine, which has run away. If you had asked me this last November, I would have never thought of losing my center. All I can do is try to find my way back to breathing and try this novel thing, smiling. So I leave you with Thich Nhat Hanh's words: She who is awake is Buddha. He who is awake is Buddha.
Thank you for reading, and have a mindful day <3
March 20, 2019
Đây hăm phải review về quyển sách này ^^.
Đây là mình của chiều nay khi đọc quyển này.
Một nốt. Hai nốt. Ba nốt.
Chiều ngó lên cái cây. Rì rào. Xào xạc. Bầu trời ở nhà qua tán cây vẫn ở đó. Ngày một nhỏ hơn. Vào khung thời gian đó, mình thích ở đó, ngó ngó lên trời. Mây hôm này thì vàng vọt, mây hôm khác lại ửng đỏ, có ngày lại tím mộng tím mơ, có hôm lại sầm sầm xám ngoét. Trời cũng như người, thay đổi đổi thay. Mở mắt thì còn ở đó, nhắm rồi thì mất đi. Mình thấy cái gì cũng giống như ảo ảnh vậy.
Dạo này cháu mình lớn rồi, thế nên thế giới lúc ấy lại xôn xao hơn một tẹo. Giống hôm nay, em bò lên người mình rồi nói đọc cho em nghe. Mình đọc một đoạn đã hỏi "Xa xôi là gì?" (thương ghê. Mình chỉ cái chung cư đang xây trước mắt, bảo em chung cư đó ở xa nhưng em vẫn thấy, còn xa xôi là xa hơn chung cư đó luôn, xa xôi là xa không thấy được luôn. Mình cắt nghĩa xong thì thấy như đang nói về sự kiếm tìm của mình vậy.) Rồi đoạn nữa lại hỏi "Phật tám là gì?" ("Phật tánh" cơ, mình bảo Phật tánh là biết yêu thương thì em gật gù gật gù). Ôi, cô bé 29 tháng tuổi của tôi. Cứ thế cho tới khi ông trời tắt đèn và mình không còn thấy đường để đọc tiếp nữa ._.
"Hãy đi những bước chân như hôn vào mặt đất
Hãy đi những bước chân như vỗ về trái đất."
Mình thích câu này lắm. Mỗi lần đọc lên, mình thấy tâm trí căng như dây đàn như hoá thành nước mát mềm mại hẳn ra. (mềm như giai điệu này nè https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cA7H... )
Đôi lúc mình thấy hạnh phúc.
Đôi lúc mình thấy rất lạc lõng.
Tất cả đều là suy nghĩ.
Mình phải chăm chỉ hơn nữa thì mới mong tìm được câu trả lời.
Mình nên lặn đi một thời gian chăng ^^
A! Hôm nay cũng tình cờ mình tiếp cận được 1 suy nghĩ mới, nó thế này "Sharing is what makes us "us"" (cho rằng không phải ngôn ngữ là thứ khiến loài người tách biệt với phần còn lại của thế giới. Đâu có sai, ngôn ngữ chỉ là kết quả của 1 quá trình thôi. Quá trình đó là "sharing" đó.)
Ôi thật là lan man.
Đây là mình của chiều nay khi đọc quyển này.
Một nốt. Hai nốt. Ba nốt.
Chiều ngó lên cái cây. Rì rào. Xào xạc. Bầu trời ở nhà qua tán cây vẫn ở đó. Ngày một nhỏ hơn. Vào khung thời gian đó, mình thích ở đó, ngó ngó lên trời. Mây hôm này thì vàng vọt, mây hôm khác lại ửng đỏ, có ngày lại tím mộng tím mơ, có hôm lại sầm sầm xám ngoét. Trời cũng như người, thay đổi đổi thay. Mở mắt thì còn ở đó, nhắm rồi thì mất đi. Mình thấy cái gì cũng giống như ảo ảnh vậy.
Dạo này cháu mình lớn rồi, thế nên thế giới lúc ấy lại xôn xao hơn một tẹo. Giống hôm nay, em bò lên người mình rồi nói đọc cho em nghe. Mình đọc một đoạn đã hỏi "Xa xôi là gì?" (thương ghê. Mình chỉ cái chung cư đang xây trước mắt, bảo em chung cư đó ở xa nhưng em vẫn thấy, còn xa xôi là xa hơn chung cư đó luôn, xa xôi là xa không thấy được luôn. Mình cắt nghĩa xong thì thấy như đang nói về sự kiếm tìm của mình vậy.) Rồi đoạn nữa lại hỏi "Phật tám là gì?" ("Phật tánh" cơ, mình bảo Phật tánh là biết yêu thương thì em gật gù gật gù). Ôi, cô bé 29 tháng tuổi của tôi. Cứ thế cho tới khi ông trời tắt đèn và mình không còn thấy đường để đọc tiếp nữa ._.
"Hãy đi những bước chân như hôn vào mặt đất
Hãy đi những bước chân như vỗ về trái đất."
Mình thích câu này lắm. Mỗi lần đọc lên, mình thấy tâm trí căng như dây đàn như hoá thành nước mát mềm mại hẳn ra. (mềm như giai điệu này nè https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cA7H... )
Đôi lúc mình thấy hạnh phúc.
Đôi lúc mình thấy rất lạc lõng.
Tất cả đều là suy nghĩ.
Mình phải chăm chỉ hơn nữa thì mới mong tìm được câu trả lời.
Mình nên lặn đi một thời gian chăng ^^
A! Hôm nay cũng tình cờ mình tiếp cận được 1 suy nghĩ mới, nó thế này "Sharing is what makes us "us"" (cho rằng không phải ngôn ngữ là thứ khiến loài người tách biệt với phần còn lại của thế giới. Đâu có sai, ngôn ngữ chỉ là kết quả của 1 quá trình thôi. Quá trình đó là "sharing" đó.)
Ôi thật là lan man.
December 24, 2018
I read this book years ago when I took a grad school class on Buddhist meditation practices. I liked it then. I liked it even more this time around, 15 years later. Thich Nhat Hanh is often quoted, because he's pithy and truly excellent as a teacher. However, in larger doses...he's even better. I'm coming to this book as a traditionally observant Jewish yeshivah/rabbinical student. I think, along with Thomas Merton and several other teachers from a variety of religions, that Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings have 'what to teach' about the nature of life, communal connection, and useful mindsets, for searchers of truth whether secular or religious. Recommended.
February 23, 2017
Over the years I have read many spiritual books that are all very similar and generally manage to annoy me by telling me that if I were truly advanced in understanding and in meditation practices I should be detached enough and wise enough not to mourn for the loss of those I love. Yet elsewhere I have read psychologists warning that one of the dangers of meditation is the risk of depersonalization. A state of flattened emotions where you are no longer able to empathize with others. So what to one group is detachment and an intended achievement is to another group depersonalization and a mental illness!
Fortunately in this book comprising of seven talks, Thich Nhat Hanh doesn't take this detached route and throughout the book I could feel his compassion and his commonsense shining through. He doesn't tell you it is wrong to mourn for your loss but encourages you to try to smile in your sorrow, which I have spent 28 years doing until at some point the smile and the sorrow merge into a wistful compassion. It works.
He tells us that Buddha is not a person but a state of being awake,to know,to understand and to love and that with practice we can all be Buddha. He says that Buddhism shouldn't be viewed as a religion but as a personal state of being awake and sometimes a person is Buddha 'but sometimes he is not; it depends on his degree of being awake.'
One of the things that has always put me off of Buddhism is that it tends to over intellectualize things. Here he recognizes this problem and explains Buddhist concepts clearly;
'Dharmakaya is quite simple, although people in Mahayana (a school of Buddhism) have made it very complicated. Dharmakaya just means the teaching(s) of the Buddha.'
He is also realistic and honest enough to admit that meditation centres are not always the places of peace you might expect them to be. He says people tend to go to meditation centres because they feel alienated and 'ill at ease with society' but in joining a meditation centre;
'they discover that this society is even more difficult than the larger society. It is composed of alienated people.'
He also says, 'In the peace movement there is a lot of anger, frustration and misunderstanding. The peace movement can write very good protest letter, but they are not yet able to write a love letter. We need to learn to write a letter to Congress or to the President Of The United States that they will want to read, and not just throw away..........The President is a person like any of us.........without being peace, we cannot do anything for peace.'
He then goes on to give a talk on the 14 Precepts of Buddhism which I shall sum up very briefly;
1 and 2 = Be open minded to new ideas.
3,4,5,6,8,11,12,13,14 could all be covered by the magic two words BE KIND.
7=Mindfulness.
9 and 10 = 'Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even if they threaten your own safety.'
If you followed these precepts conscientiously you would gradually change your personality and become the person you want to be.
To Summarize:
1. Become Buddha yourself by being Awake and Aware at all times.
2. Create this state of Mindfulness by Walking Meditations;
'We walk SLOWLY, alone or with friends, if possible in some beautiful place.........Walking not in order to arrive, just for walking. The purpose is to be in the present moment and enjoy each step you make...... We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on (the) earth.'
I self taught this technique to myself in my time of grief without knowing it was Buddhist so I would add;
Take the time to touch the grass, stroke the moss, the tree bark and the water, seeing the beauty in each and recognizing that it is all alive and part of God and keep yourself awake and aware of this.
3. Sitting Meditation. As the author says, 'There are so many methods ......... In Buddhism it is said there are 84,000 Dharma doors for you to enter reality.' So I will mention the sitting meditation that I practice as I feel it is probably the safest form of meditation and in my opinion, least likely to lead to depersonalization or to mental problems, although according to some psychologists, no one who has had mental health problems should risk getting involved in meditation.
Sit listening to, or counting your breaths as a way to gain discipline over your conscious thoughts. When you catch yourself thinking, just smile and return to listening to your breathing.
'We have to smile a lot in order to be able to meditate.'(Thich Nhat Hanh)
With practice you will gain control and silence the chattering conscious mind and in this silence you will find a sense of peace. Now just sit peacefully in this silence but with a sense of awake anticipation and one day profound thoughts will rise unbidden to the surface of your mind like bubbles of oxygen in a lake and all the while the sense of peace will grow.
Back to Thich Nhat Hanh;
'When we are in touch with our true mind, the source of understanding and compassion will spring out.'
'One smile, one breath (taken in awareness) should be for the benefit of the whole day, not just for that moment. We must remove the barrier between practice and non-practice.'
If you want to understand Buddhism without getting lost in its intellectual knot tying 'Being Peace' is the book to start and finish with.
Fortunately in this book comprising of seven talks, Thich Nhat Hanh doesn't take this detached route and throughout the book I could feel his compassion and his commonsense shining through. He doesn't tell you it is wrong to mourn for your loss but encourages you to try to smile in your sorrow, which I have spent 28 years doing until at some point the smile and the sorrow merge into a wistful compassion. It works.
He tells us that Buddha is not a person but a state of being awake,to know,to understand and to love and that with practice we can all be Buddha. He says that Buddhism shouldn't be viewed as a religion but as a personal state of being awake and sometimes a person is Buddha 'but sometimes he is not; it depends on his degree of being awake.'
One of the things that has always put me off of Buddhism is that it tends to over intellectualize things. Here he recognizes this problem and explains Buddhist concepts clearly;
'Dharmakaya is quite simple, although people in Mahayana (a school of Buddhism) have made it very complicated. Dharmakaya just means the teaching(s) of the Buddha.'
He is also realistic and honest enough to admit that meditation centres are not always the places of peace you might expect them to be. He says people tend to go to meditation centres because they feel alienated and 'ill at ease with society' but in joining a meditation centre;
'they discover that this society is even more difficult than the larger society. It is composed of alienated people.'
He also says, 'In the peace movement there is a lot of anger, frustration and misunderstanding. The peace movement can write very good protest letter, but they are not yet able to write a love letter. We need to learn to write a letter to Congress or to the President Of The United States that they will want to read, and not just throw away..........The President is a person like any of us.........without being peace, we cannot do anything for peace.'
He then goes on to give a talk on the 14 Precepts of Buddhism which I shall sum up very briefly;
1 and 2 = Be open minded to new ideas.
3,4,5,6,8,11,12,13,14 could all be covered by the magic two words BE KIND.
7=Mindfulness.
9 and 10 = 'Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even if they threaten your own safety.'
If you followed these precepts conscientiously you would gradually change your personality and become the person you want to be.
To Summarize:
1. Become Buddha yourself by being Awake and Aware at all times.
2. Create this state of Mindfulness by Walking Meditations;
'We walk SLOWLY, alone or with friends, if possible in some beautiful place.........Walking not in order to arrive, just for walking. The purpose is to be in the present moment and enjoy each step you make...... We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on (the) earth.'
I self taught this technique to myself in my time of grief without knowing it was Buddhist so I would add;
Take the time to touch the grass, stroke the moss, the tree bark and the water, seeing the beauty in each and recognizing that it is all alive and part of God and keep yourself awake and aware of this.
3. Sitting Meditation. As the author says, 'There are so many methods ......... In Buddhism it is said there are 84,000 Dharma doors for you to enter reality.' So I will mention the sitting meditation that I practice as I feel it is probably the safest form of meditation and in my opinion, least likely to lead to depersonalization or to mental problems, although according to some psychologists, no one who has had mental health problems should risk getting involved in meditation.
Sit listening to, or counting your breaths as a way to gain discipline over your conscious thoughts. When you catch yourself thinking, just smile and return to listening to your breathing.
'We have to smile a lot in order to be able to meditate.'(Thich Nhat Hanh)
With practice you will gain control and silence the chattering conscious mind and in this silence you will find a sense of peace. Now just sit peacefully in this silence but with a sense of awake anticipation and one day profound thoughts will rise unbidden to the surface of your mind like bubbles of oxygen in a lake and all the while the sense of peace will grow.
Back to Thich Nhat Hanh;
'When we are in touch with our true mind, the source of understanding and compassion will spring out.'
'One smile, one breath (taken in awareness) should be for the benefit of the whole day, not just for that moment. We must remove the barrier between practice and non-practice.'
If you want to understand Buddhism without getting lost in its intellectual knot tying 'Being Peace' is the book to start and finish with.
July 15, 2022
Each book by Thich Nhat Hanh is both the same and different. Familiar and surprising. The themes are (of course) consistent and worth repeating. And yet the stories and examples change, and I find myself appreciating nuances I hadn’t quite grasped before.
Being Peace offers wonderful reminders, affirmations, and inspiration to keep practicing.
Being Peace offers wonderful reminders, affirmations, and inspiration to keep practicing.
January 1, 2024
So much to absorb, best read at a slow pace.
“Don’t just do something, sit there. Sit there, stop, be yourself first, and begin from there.”
“Beginning the day with being a Buddha is a very nice way to start the day.”
“Don’t just do something, sit there. Sit there, stop, be yourself first, and begin from there.”
“Beginning the day with being a Buddha is a very nice way to start the day.”
March 27, 2023
Never thought about practicing a religion, I always considered myself an atheist but through this book, I still can practice Buddhism and remain atheist and believe in science.
I love his approach, so open-minded, and yet he'll loosely welcome you into his calm and peaceful world.
I love his approach, so open-minded, and yet he'll loosely welcome you into his calm and peaceful world.
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