Book Review - The Art of Living - Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh (known as They) was one of the worlds most loved spiritual leaders, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, who has lived in exile in France for many years before passing away in January 2022. One of his greatest gifts to the world has been to bring meditation and mindfulness off the cushion and to where they are needed most - in ‘the art of living’.
The number of days we have to live is not so important. What matters is how we live them
Mindfulness and meditation
There are a lot of books available about mindfulness and meditation and all are useful and well meaning but I think ‘the art of living’ is different in that it is by a Zen Master and the advice is practical and clear. Thay himself had a stroke a number of years ago so this book is based on talks he has given in the past. The book contains Buddhist ideas such as non-attachment, explained in a simple way, and how they can be applied in modern day living. These teachings shine a light on our relationships, our interconnectedness with the world around us and our perspectives on our own lives.
Happiness is not something that arrives in a package in the mail. Happiness does not fall out of the sky. Happiness is something we generate with mindfulness.
I enjoyed listening to ‘The art of living’ on my walks as Thay is such a wise, comforting presence to have alongside you, even if it’s not him speaking. His words ring through, simple and piercing, clear like a bell. My own practice has been flagging and this helped to reinvigorate me again, as sometimes things get stale on the cushion. Walking meditation has been a great discovery for this. The book is about the art of living mindfully, which sounds simple, but you have to practice, to keep returning to the present. There wasn't really anything new that I haven't come across in Thay's teachings before, but that's ok because you can't hear it enough.
Plum village
Last year I was lucky enough to attend a weekend retreat via plum village, a mindfulness practice center and monastery offering retreats and teachings on engaged Buddhism and the art of mindful living. A lot of the teachings in ‘The art of living’ were familiar to me, but probably the most important and easiest to come back to is:
Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.
Book review - The art of living by Thich Nhat Hanh
Audiobook Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Gabra Zackman
5 hrs and 1 min
June 6, 2017 by HarperAudio