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Title: Heart of Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh ISBN: 0-7679-0369-2 Publisher: SCB Distributors Pub. Date: 08 June, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (37 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent overview of how to apply Buddhist philosophy.
Comment: Thich Nhat Hanh has written a book on Buddhist thought and practice that will appeal to those who want to gain practical insights from this great religion -- not necessarily a scholarly dissection. And that's the beauty of his work; he does not pick Buddhism apart as an intellectual ego-boosting exercise. Rather, he explains its essence, with clarity and some humor, and offers many sound suggestions for putting Buddhism to daily practice. Isn't this what Buddhism should really be? Moreover, he has such a knack for finding the appropriate metaphors to underscore key points. Example: When explaining the Buddhist principle of acceptance of the inevitability and necessity of suffering for realizing compassion, he likens this to visualizing the flowers that will some day emerge from the center of the compost pile.
Hanh is humble in his approach. Never preachy, he doesn't want the reader to convert to any viewpoint -- only to find in Buddhism some tools for personal spiritual growth. I admire Hanh, a humble Buddhist monk in the Zen tradition. He took great personal risks in preaching peace and reconciliation at a time when his home nation of Vietnam and the United States were embroiled in bitter military conflict. He is not asking us to follow him, but to walk alongside him, and make our own discoveries. What a welcome change of pace from all those "sprirituality" books that push political agendas or become the basis of a commercialized enterprise. This one is genuine. Highly recommended for those of any faith. His other books are very worthwhile, too.
Rating: 3
Summary: Buddhism For A Generation Weaned On Mr. Rogers
Comment: This is not a bad book, it explains in detail everything you need to know that's important in Buddhism, emphasizing, as the title suggests, the heart of the Buddha's teachings. Any one who reads this book and puts its teachings into practice in his daily life will surely be a better person.
However, I must confess that I am often distracted from the teachings by the teacher's choice of language. We all know that Buddhism is suppose to make us happier, more gentle, content, people, so we expect writers on the subject to of course write in a spirit that reflects these qualities; but Thich Nhat Hanh takes this to an extreme level, in my opinion, making me think of him as the Mr. Rogers of modern Buddhist teachers. I'm sure that in real life he is a sincere, kind, loving Buddhist, but when I read his books I can't help but think that he's catering to middle-aged women who frequent New Age stores. Maybe I'm just showing my own mean-mindedness, a lack of feeling, but, to put it frankly, I just get "turned-off" sometimes by all his talk of flowers, clouds, blue skies, dewdrops, and smiling children.
As just one example of what I'm talking about, in one chapter he says, "When was the last time you looked into the eyes of your beloved and asked, 'Who are you, my darling?'" and tells us not to be satisfied by a superficial answer. That's fine, I have no problem with that, but among the questions that follow to find out the "true" nature of your beloved, is this one: "My love, why aren't you a dewdrop, a butterfly, a bird?", which he says you should ask with your whole being. I'm sorry, but who talks like this in real life? The book is overflowing with this kind of talk from the "heart", with the result that my mind rebels and wants to read something written by an adult for adults---not some PBS programming for kids.
So I give the book three stars for good intentions and explaining Buddhist essentials in detail, but take off two stars for all the superfluous flowery language I had to sift through for those details.
I agree with one of the other reviewers here in recommending
"What the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula as a better introduction to Buddhism for the beginner. It manages to be inspiring and no non-sense at the same time.
Rating: 5
Summary: Very Complete
Comment: Many people like Thich Nhat Hanh's works for his uncandid simplicity. This book I feel is for both the initiated practitioners and uninitiated practitioners alike. Thay covers so very much in this book, it is a bit baffling to figure where the review should begin. When I originally purchased this book, I was looking for someone to expound a bit on all the "dogma" I believed I saw in Buddhism. I had read a few of Thich Nhat Hanh's earlier works and had always been impressed by his "unscholarly" approach to the Buddha Dharma.
Nhat Hanh truly delivered to me what I came looking for, the book is so very thorough. He literally covers just about everything one needs to know about the "ritualistic or discipline oriented" side of practice here. Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen is a bit playful often, and although we see glimpses of that here, I have to say it almost IS a bit scholarly. It's truly a very exceptional book, sure to bring you more growth to personal practice.
Please enjoy the book:)
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Title: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh ISBN: 0807012394 Publisher: Beacon Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Peace Is Every Step : The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh ISBN: 0553351397 Publisher: SCB Distributors Pub. Date: 01 March, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh, Elaine Pagels, David Steindl-Rast ISBN: 1573225681 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula ISBN: 0802130313 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: April, 1986 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Nhat Hanh, Thich Nhat Hanh ISBN: 1573229377 Publisher: SCB Distributors Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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