Zen master, poet, and peace advocate Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk of the Vietnamese meditation school. He has lived in exile in France for the past 30 years. Thousands of people from all religious traditions have attended retreats at his center there, Plum Village, or having experienced his teachings during his travels to America and elsewhere. They have been touched by this spiritual teacher's special gift for living fully in the present moment and practicing peace.
In the introduction to this volume in Orbis's "Modern Spiritual Masters Series," Sister Annabel Laity describes working side by side with Thây (an affectionate name, which means Teacher): "You feel that you are living in eternity and there are no deadlines. In spite of this Thây accomplishes a great deal in terms of writing, teaching, gardening, and designing. Whatever he does he does with zeal and application so that is more like an interesting play than toil. The name Nhat Hanh means One Action, and all Thây's actions are done in the same spirit of relaxation and enjoyment. To whatever action Thây applies himself, it becomes a way of making peace."
This superb and enlightening collection of excerpts from 22 of Thich Nhat Hanh's books is divided into sections on present moment, wonderful moment; the sun in my heart; seeds of compassion; the path of return; and the heart of practice. Those familiar with his style of teaching will be grateful for the chance to reacquaint themselves with his graceful, eloquent, and clear expression of the Buddhist path.
Those unfamiliar with Thich Nhat Hanh's simple but deep understanding of life will no doubt be impressed with his profundity. Here are a few examples: "Our true home is the present moment. To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now." Or how about this understanding of peace: "We don't need to wish our friends, 'Peace be with you.' Peace is always with them. We only need to help them cultivate the habit of touching peace in each moment."
Thich Nhat Hanh is the master teacher of our time about ways to live truly and fully in the present moment.
