Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk, poet, and peace activist. This very special paperback brings together more than 100 poems composed over the past 40 years. They reveal the heart and soul of his socially engaged Buddhism and his vision of "interbeing" — the connections that link us together with all of life.
Jane Hirschfield has written that poetry's work is "the clarification and magnification of being." Thich Nhat Hanh's poetry celebrates the art of being present, the quiet beauty of walking meditation, the poignant practice of compassion, and the renunciation of violence. Although he is well aware of the transience of the natural world, he includes plenty of poems here about the beauty of his homeland.
The title-piece poem is breathtaking — one of the most moving and powerful testaments to interbeing we have ever read. "The Good News" (which we used as the Afterword in our book Spiritual Literacy) is also included. Many of these verses can supplement meditation practice or prayers. For example, "I am in this world to offer you peace; / you are in this world to bring me joy." Or "Walk as if you were kissing the Earth with your feet, / as if you were massaging the Earth." And finally, "Each dawn is an ode / to twenty-four brand-new hours." This paperback pinpoints in a hundred different ways the essence of everyday spirituality.
