This much is clear - Buddhists are more peaceful than Jews, Christians and Muslims. I sense none of the arrogance and non-acceptance in Buddhism which mark the world's major religions. I am becoming more estranged from the Catholic church. I joined because of the universality of the church and because I know that Christ taught by a very good example. I am a cafeteria Catholic, and there is plenty that they are serving that I'm not buying. 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. The entire book is filled with various metaphors that make the process of reading more exciting. However, there is a case when the use of metaphor appears to be extremely fascinating. For instance, when the author states that «the wave lives the life of water, while also living the life of a wave» (Hanh, 1999, p. 64), he introduces a huge meaning behind it. Hanh compares waves to human life by saying that it is important to remember impermanence and rebirth. If the wave did not know it was also water, the wave would think that it can die once it reaches the shores. The same can be said about human life, as people should not consider physical death as the beginning of nonexistence. If death is perceived as the beginning of non-being, the true colors of life will be ruined. Hence, the author encourages readers to analyze personal actions, while also taking advantage of the benefits that life can bring. Conclusion 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. PDF / EPUB File Name: The_Heart_of_the_Buddhas_Teaching_-_Thich_Nhat_Hanh.pdf, The_Heart_of_the_Buddhas_Teaching_-_Thich_Nhat_Hanh.epub

Noble Truths, an 8 fold Noble Path, an ungodly number of formations and up to a dozen links of interdependence... it feels needlessly complicated.To give readers a brief understanding of the idea of Buddhism, the author begins writing the book with an explanation of why suffering is an integral part of our life and how it can help us to achieve the highest level of freedom, peace, and love. The author states that Buddha called suffering a Holy Truth, because «our suffering has the capacity of showing us the path to liberation» (Nanh, 1999, p. 33). However, numerous people misunderstood this expression, which is why the author provides a deep explanation of this phrase. The flip side to this is that the comprehensiveness of this book, coupled with the abstract, philosophical nature of many of the teachings, can get overwhelming after a point, if the reader is not careful in pacing the read. Add to this the fact that many of the teachings in the second half of the book are very similar in essence to the teachings in the first half (at least, appeared that way to me on a first reading) even if arrived at differently, and it is very easy to get the teachings mixed up by the end. This could be intentional as it is reiterated several times in the book that if someone understands one teaching completely, they would understand all of them. In any case, it is probably unimportant to know the exact source of a particular teaching or the jargon for a casual reader, who is more interested in getting a general idea of the Buddha's teachings and how they can be applied to their daily life. In that regard, this book more than serves its purpose.

These notions will cause the wave fear and anguish. A wave can be recognized by signs — beginning or ending, high or low, beautiful or ugly. In the world of the wave, the world of relative truth, the wave feels happy as she swells, and she feels sad as she falls. She may think, ‘I am high!’ or ‘I am low!’ and develop superiority or inferiority complexes, but in the world of the water there are no signs, and when the wave touches her true nature — which is water — all of her complexes will cease, and she will transcend birth and death,” (p.124/5) 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.I also found Buddhism to be incredibly passive as a belief system. Any good in my life has come from refusing to accept the status quo and trying to change it. Buddhism seems to promote the identification or recognition and acceptance of the problem but doesn't seem to emphasise finding a solution and taking action. I stand to be corrected on this of course.