Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen Buddhist monk, a peacemaker, a poet, a storyteller, and a beloved teacher. In this paperback aimed at youth from 10 through 13, he shares what he sees as the riches of Buddhism. Each of us has a seed of awakening within us and we are all Buddhas-to-be.
Thich Nhat Hanh states that mindfulness is remembering to come back to the present moment. But many of us — especially youth — are moving along so rapidly in our lives that we often do not take the time to take note of what is happening inside us and around us. When we practice breathing, putting all of ourselves into what we are doing, we are planting the seeds of beauty and happiness.
Our family is the perfect place to practice handling anger, finding a calm place, and spreading loving kindness. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that youth take two vows:
1.) "I vow to develop understanding in order to be able to live peacefully with people, animals, plants, and minerals.
2.) "I vow to develop compassion in order to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals."
He also talks about taking good care of our bodies, respecting sex, and eating mindfully. He concludes:
"Understanding and love are the two most important teachings of the Buddha. If we do not make an effort to be open, to understand the suffering of other people, we will not be able to love them and to live in harmony with them. We should also try to understand and protect the lives of animals, plants, and minerals, and to live in harmony with them. If we cannot understand, we cannot love. The Buddha teaches us to look at living beings with the eyes of love and understanding. Please learn to practice this teaching."
