The Heart Of Buddha's Teaching

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For anyone who is curious about the various teachings of the Buddha and schools of Buddhism, this is an excellent and a comprehensive source (at least for a beginner, which I am). All the concepts are explained very simply and clearly, making use of beautiful metaphors to effortlessly drive complex, abstract points home. The wave-water metaphor is one that immediately comes to mind. The main reason this book is ranked ‘exceptional’ rather than just 5 buttons is basically because of my emotional reaction to text. With every chapter my understanding grew and I had clear guidance to help me understand some difficult concepts and encouragement to apply these things to me own life. I really strongly felt motivated to make improvements in my life and to follow the teachings of the Buddha more closely. I felt a really strong emotion of loving kindness in my heart as I read this book and that feeling continued after I put the book down each night. It was a rare experience and one I feel very happy to have gone through. I genuinely feel this may be one of the most important books I have ever, or indeed will ever read. The most ardent skeptic about Buddhism will be moved by this book. If you think Buddhism is a lot of bunk and that you can solve the problems of live on your own, think again. The path of happiness comes from all edges of the forest. This book will lead you to a clearing in your life. For a thinking person, a person with an open heart and an open mind, this book is truly tranformative. Read it aloud to yourself and to others. Everyone will benefit. Siddhartha Gautama and Zeno of Citium probably would have been friends. Like Stoicism, Buddhism teaches that suffering ( dukkha) is endemic to life, and that it arises from our attachment to impermanent things as if we could ever truly possess them. Both traditions maintain that this suffering may be overcome, and that liberation and fulfillment may be attained, through a practice of detachment from the objects, or “formations”, of our egoistic desires and a greater understanding of the nature of reality. But whereas Stoicism tends to envision the liberation of the self from external objects that lie outside of its control, Buddhism goes further by viewing the self as our most deep-rooted illusion and the most perilous object of our immiserating attachment. There is a fundamental interbeing of all things—everything exists in relation to everything else—so there is ultimately no distinction to be made between the self, or the consciousness in which it is seated, and the objects of perception. This is why the Buddhist enlightenment is more experiential, while the Stoic pursuit of eudaimonia tends to be rooted in the exercise of reason in accordance with the universal logos; but this may be a difference of degree rather than of kind.

I was pulled entirely out of the book by this. I don't know whether this is an effective teaching technique or not -- did it secretly teach me to confront my own preconceived notions, "formations", about eating one's own child? Maybe? Mostly I found the examples like this (and there are many) to be deeply weird. At the beginning of the book, Hanh states that Buddha had faced a vast amount of suffering while being a human as well. Consequently, his teachings can be applied to the day-to-day life of individuals who are looking for support and, most importantly, hope. In turn, Buddha gives this hope by demonstrating that suffering is the only way to understand the true meaning of love, peace, and freedom. Starting Point of the Suffering (The Second Noble Truth) This is a very tough book to rate or review - the 5 star rating is largely on an emotional basis, as many parts of this book were absolutely brilliant! like his insistence on the inter-dependence aspect of the world, his chosen metaphor of the individuality of each wave but the essential unity of the water which manifests each wave, his truthful recognition to which we must agree in how every flower is in fact the entire world, the sun, the rain, the soil, the gardener who tends it. some beautiful poetic insights, some accessible metaphors, which you can extend according to your knowledge... As a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, the author of the book has made a considerable contribution to Buddhism as a whole and the discussed book itself. Born in 1925, Zen Master spent the majority of his life in Vietnam learning fundamental concepts of the local religion and applying its teachings to day-to-day life. As a result, Thich Nhat Hanh has managed to become the author of over 120 books, including the one that is analyzed in this paper. The majority of his books are written in English and sold throughout the entire world, which makes this activist an important figure in the area of Buddhism. Furthermore, Hanh is extremely interested in the promotion of nonviolent solutions to conflict, which is most likely a result of his long-term relationships with mindfulness, global ethics, and peace. Suffering as Interrelated Part of Life (The First Noble Truth)I loved this book. I think I love Buddhism, but please, please, please, don't make me take a test on it.

I hear it coming. Go ahead and say it, “What about Nirvana? Isn’t that spiritual nihilism?” That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it? WAS’NT IT??? Well, the answer is, ‘yes and no’. Nirvana means “extinction”, but according to my pal Thich Nhat Hanh, nirvana means first and foremost the extinction of ‘signs’ or concepts. The Buddha taught that in all perception is some deception. Sound familiar? “We see as if through a darkened glass.” In other words, as soon as we have observed something with our human senses, we have branded it with our finite bias. Nirvana is the entrance of ‘being’ into a realm where our concept of ‘being’ is blown wide open, and of course the Buddhist believe this is positive. Stopping, calming, and resting are preconditions for healing. If we cannot stop, the course of our destruction will just continue. The world needs healing. Individuals, communities, and nations need healing.” PDF / EPUB File Name: The_Heart_of_the_Buddhas_Teaching_-_Thich_Nhat_Hanh.pdf, The_Heart_of_the_Buddhas_Teaching_-_Thich_Nhat_Hanh.epubThrough practicing bare awareness…realizing Nirvana entails “a complete stepping out of the way the mind usually constructs experience.” We don't have to ATTAIN nirvana, because we ourselves are always dwelling in nirvana. The wave does not have to look for water. It already is water." pg. 211 Venerable Sumedho Thera writes in his foreword: “[These suttas] are not meant to be ‘sacred scriptures’ that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience, with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words.” One of the more difficult books I have read, to the point where I am not sure I got out even a tenth of what Thich Nhat Hanh put into it. I will want to revisit this in the future, once I have let it settle in. This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha’s teachings—in his own words. The American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha’s Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha’s discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise, informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow.