Thầy introduces us to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path and a handful of other concepts he considers to be the bedrock of the Buddhist faith. Once you’ve uncovered the source of your suffering, you can practice the Third Noble Truth – nirodha, or ceasing to create suffering. It explains how to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and generosity in daily life to reach enlightenment.

You understand and agree that the International Plum Village Community, its affiliates and service providers may use your information in accordance with our privacy policy. This way of living is based on the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, which are teachings anyone can follow. Thầy has devoted a considerable amount of word-space to the teachings of the Four Nobel Truths and the Noble Eightfold path – 16 chapters in fact.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. After six years of practicing meditation, he sat beneath a bodhi tree and decided he wouldn’t move until he’d attained enlightenment. With poetry and clarity, Thich Nhat Hanh imparts comforting wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy–all qualities of enlightenment. The indispensable book containing Thich Nhat Hanh’s introduction to the most essential Buddhist teachings, including the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Three Dharma seals, and the Seven Factors of Awakening, now in a timeless hardcover commemorative edition.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. He was proud that he practiced more than the other monks, believing that by sitting all day, he’d become a Buddha.

Right Mindfulness sits at the very core of the Buddha’s teachings, uniting all elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. Right Action – the next practice in the Noble Eightfold Path – is grounded in a reverence for all life. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

It asks you to examine your perceptions constantly; after all, how you perceive things influences what you believe is true. Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh is a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness, global ethics, and peace.Nhat Hanh replied that while she may not be susceptible to alcoholism, there was no way of knowing that her children weren’t. Yes, it’s good as a reminder of the basic teachings but the poetry and imagery of this work make it well worth reading as a guide to deeper understanding and encouragement to deeper practice. The Buddha needed to put that water into different jars so his students could understand its various elements.

It can be difficult taking everything in, trying to learn and understand these teachings, and by putting what I think is unnecessary translations in among them it just throws you and makes it harder. It can become complicated in places, and it does not help that he puts many words written in sanskrit in brackets. Covering such significant teachings as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Three Dharma Seals, and the Seven Factors of Awakening, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching is a radiant beacon on Buddhist thought for the initiated and uninitiated alike.

Thich Nhat Hanh is an amazing man and I do recommend reading his work, and this book is no exception. It’s a nice touch although I confess I am far to ignorant of poetry to be able to suggest how good it is. The concepts can be difficult but Thầy offers excellent guidance and explanation to help you understand.