Publication
Imprint: Berkeley, California : Parallax Press, 2002. Context: Lectures given on Nov. 3, 1985 at the Green Gulch Zen Center in Muir Beach, California. Responsibility: Thich Nhat Hanh. Physical: 1 sound disc (120 min) : CD, digital ; 4 3/4 in.
Call number
CD / Front Desk
ISBN
1888375280 / 9781888375282
Original publication date
1987
1985-11-03 (oral teachings that became the book)
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Description: Thich Nhat Hanh delivered the teachings on this CD to an assembly of 700 gathered at Green Gulch Farm in Muir Beach, California, on November 3, 1985, and inspired the creation of the best-selling book Being Peace.
FY2009 /
FY2009 /
Physical description
4.75 inches
Awards
Nautilus Book Award (Silver Winner — 2012)
Description
An ideal starting point for those interested in Buddhism, Being Peace contains Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings on peace and meditation. Using real examples from his own life, as well as poems and fables, Nhat Hanh explains his key practices for living "right in the moment we are alive." These lessons are taught with fine writing and sparkling phrases that draw the reader in and make Being Peace an audiobook that encourages multiple listenings. Still as timely as when it was first published over twenty-five years ago, Being Peace is a revelation for anyone concerned with the state of the world and the quality of life.
Language
Original language
English
Similar in this library
The heart of understanding : commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra [sound recording] by Thích Nhat Hanh
Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, & Liberation : The Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, & Other Basic Buddhist Teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh
The diamond that cuts through illusion : commentaries on the Prajñaparamita Diamond Sutra by Thich Nhat Hanh
User reviews
LibraryThing member John5918
Anything by Thic Nhat Hanh is well worth reading, particularly if you are interested in the contemplative life. This book is no exception.
LibraryThing member adamallen
Thich Nhat Hanh has written a lovely little book on some of the basic precepts of Zen Buddhism. He writes beautifully and uses vivid analogies to bring these ideas to life.
"Chapter 1: Suffering is Not Enough" is a reminder that we must recognize the beauty that is all around us at all times and not
"Chapter 2: The Three Gems" gives a high level overview of the three gems of buddhism - Buddha, the awakened one; Dharma, the way of understanding and loving; and Sangha, the community that lives in harmony and awareness.
"Chapter 3: Feelings and Perceptions" discusses that our feelings are indeed ourselves. We must have our perceptions aligned so that we recognize that we are not separate from our anger, hatred, or greed. As it says, "I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger." We cannot displace the anger onto someone or something else. We allow the anger to arise, grow, and overwhelm. This is true of all feelings. We must align our perceptions appropriately.
"Chapter 4: The Heart of Practice" discusses two primary topics that are interrelated. First, It says that meditation is not to escape from society but rather to prepare us for reentry into society. Meditation (the heart of buddhist practice) is used to train the mind in kindness and love for the whole of society. By training ourselves, we are helping society. After all, we are society and society is us.
Second, it says that we must work towards quality in our meditative training, not quantity. We must bring breathing techniques and walking meditation into all parts of our day - not just during our sitting meditation.
"Chapter 5: Working for Peace" talks about conflict resolution and how it is done in a monestary. It is comprised of the following steps - (1) "Face to Face Sitting" and discussion with the entire community of monks. (2) "Rememberance" is a discussion by all parties of the history of the conflict so that all parties understand all sides of the story. (3) "Non-stubbornness" is the expectation that all parties will work to resolve the issue and not be stubborn. (4) "Covering Mud with Straw" is a practice of covering the conflict (the "mud") with loving kindness ("straw"). This is accomplished through having a senior monk represent each party to the dispute and discuss the situation in kind words. (5) "Voluntary Confession" is as it sounds. Each party to the dispute is expected to point out their own shortcomings without prompting from others. (6) "Decision by Consensus" and "Accepting the Verdict" are also self-explanatory, the whole assembly passes a verdict and the monks must accept that verdict or leave the community.
"Chapter 6: Interbeing" is Thich Nhat Hanh's proposed structure for American Buddhism. As he states, each new country has its own variation(s) of buddhism which fit with the culture. He suggests that the concept of "Interbeing" and its 14 precepts would work nicely with the American culture.
"Chapter 7: Meditation in Daily Life" reminds the reader that meditation is the key to buddhist practice. The chapter makes some suggestions as to how it can be more incorporated into family and personal time. He also makes some suggestions on technique, choosing a Buddha statue or painting, and time of practice.
Overall, it's a lovely book. Thich Nhat Hanh definitely has an eloquent way of presenting his message. I had read several reviews of this book and Thich Nhat Hanh's other writings before purchasing this book. They were overwhelmingly positive. Now I see why.
"Chapter 1: Suffering is Not Enough" is a reminder that we must recognize the beauty that is all around us at all times and not
Show More
be blinded by the suffering that we face throughout the day. Simple things like a smile, the blue sky, your breathing, or your wellness are as important to recognize as the bad day that you're having."Chapter 2: The Three Gems" gives a high level overview of the three gems of buddhism - Buddha, the awakened one; Dharma, the way of understanding and loving; and Sangha, the community that lives in harmony and awareness.
"Chapter 3: Feelings and Perceptions" discusses that our feelings are indeed ourselves. We must have our perceptions aligned so that we recognize that we are not separate from our anger, hatred, or greed. As it says, "I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger." We cannot displace the anger onto someone or something else. We allow the anger to arise, grow, and overwhelm. This is true of all feelings. We must align our perceptions appropriately.
"Chapter 4: The Heart of Practice" discusses two primary topics that are interrelated. First, It says that meditation is not to escape from society but rather to prepare us for reentry into society. Meditation (the heart of buddhist practice) is used to train the mind in kindness and love for the whole of society. By training ourselves, we are helping society. After all, we are society and society is us.
Second, it says that we must work towards quality in our meditative training, not quantity. We must bring breathing techniques and walking meditation into all parts of our day - not just during our sitting meditation.
"Chapter 5: Working for Peace" talks about conflict resolution and how it is done in a monestary. It is comprised of the following steps - (1) "Face to Face Sitting" and discussion with the entire community of monks. (2) "Rememberance" is a discussion by all parties of the history of the conflict so that all parties understand all sides of the story. (3) "Non-stubbornness" is the expectation that all parties will work to resolve the issue and not be stubborn. (4) "Covering Mud with Straw" is a practice of covering the conflict (the "mud") with loving kindness ("straw"). This is accomplished through having a senior monk represent each party to the dispute and discuss the situation in kind words. (5) "Voluntary Confession" is as it sounds. Each party to the dispute is expected to point out their own shortcomings without prompting from others. (6) "Decision by Consensus" and "Accepting the Verdict" are also self-explanatory, the whole assembly passes a verdict and the monks must accept that verdict or leave the community.
"Chapter 6: Interbeing" is Thich Nhat Hanh's proposed structure for American Buddhism. As he states, each new country has its own variation(s) of buddhism which fit with the culture. He suggests that the concept of "Interbeing" and its 14 precepts would work nicely with the American culture.
"Chapter 7: Meditation in Daily Life" reminds the reader that meditation is the key to buddhist practice. The chapter makes some suggestions as to how it can be more incorporated into family and personal time. He also makes some suggestions on technique, choosing a Buddha statue or painting, and time of practice.
Overall, it's a lovely book. Thich Nhat Hanh definitely has an eloquent way of presenting his message. I had read several reviews of this book and Thich Nhat Hanh's other writings before purchasing this book. They were overwhelmingly positive. Now I see why.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookNookFairy
Thich Nhat Hahn is a treasure to this planet. He is a true conduit for the holy wisdom of the Buddha. His style is plain and easy to understand, but the concepts are deep and ground-shaking.
LibraryThing member krazy4katz
Reading Thich Nhat Hanh is like being in a slow moving meditation in the warm sun. He has so much wisdom, which he is able to share with the reader so gently that it seems to float into your brain. I know I will come back to this book again. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
LibraryThing member dbookbinder
I read Being Peace about 20 years ago, and then again a couple of years ago. It was the first book by the Buddhist teacher and writer for me, and it is, I think, a seminal work, capturing in one short volume the essence of what he would go on to explicate in his many books since this one. The first
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time I read this book, I had never heard of Thich Nhat Hanh and was attracted to the title. I read it in a couple of sittings. The second time through, I read the book in short bursts, one per week, in the company of other people who also follow Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings. It took several months, and it was a more profound experience because each short segment has layers of meaning and feeling that take time to settle into the soul. Highly recommended as a first place to meet this wise teacher's work. Show Less
LibraryThing member IonaS
I didn’t find this book to be as easy-to-read as ”Peace is every step”, which I previously reviewed. I feel that it goes more deeply into things and thus is more challenging.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist from Vietnam who now lives in exile in France. He recently had a stroke at the age of
This book is a collection of talks he gave to peacemakers and meditation students in 1985.
He tells us of the importance of walking meditation and smiling, and offers a short poem we can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling.
“Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.”
“When we sit down peacefully, breathing and smiling, with awareness, we are our true selves, we have sovereignty over ourselves.”
Meditation helps us to return to our true self. “Practicing meditation is to be aware, to smile, to breathe --- We go back to ourselves in order to see what is going on, because to meditate means to be aware of what is going on.”
The capacity of waking up, of being aware of what is going on “in your feelings, in your body, in your perceptions, in the world” is called Buddha nature.
“Someone who is awake, who knows, who understands, is called a Buddha. Buddha is in every one of us.”
Dharma is what the Buddha taught. “It is the way of understanding and love – how to understand, how to love, how to make understanding and love into real things.”
Dharmakaya means the teaching of the Buddha, the way to realize understanding and love. Sometimes if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call this non-action. That is also an aspect of Dharmakaya – not talking, not teaching, just being.
Every day we have many feelings. “Practising meditation is to be aware of each feeling.” “Practising Buddhism is to be alive in each moment. When we practice sitting or walking, we have the means to do it perfectly. During the rest of the day, we also practice. --- The sitting and the walking must be extended to the non-walking, non-sitting moments of the day. That is the basic principle of meditation.”
In order to understand, you have to be one with what you want to understand. You do not stand outside of something to contemplate it. “Non-duality is the key word for Buddhist meditation.”
To sit is not enough. We have to be at the same time. When you breathe and smile, you are the breathing and the smiling. If I am angry I do not fight that. “I know that anger is me, and I am anger.” Since I am anger, if I annihilate anger, I annihilate myself. If I cannot be compassionate to myself, I will not be able to be compassionate to others.
The first thing to do when we get angry is to produce awareness. “I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger.”
In Buddhism, knowledge is regarded as a block to understanding. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.
We cannot bring about peace by demonstrating against nuclear missiles but by our capacity of smiling, breathing and being peace.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to prepare for a re-entry into society. This is called “engaged Buddhism”. If we leave society, we cannot help change it.
“ --- a meditation center is where you get back to yourself. You get a clearer understanding of reality, you get more strength in understanding and love, and you prepare for your re-entry into society.”
We need to bring the practice from the meditation hall into our daily lives. We need to practice breathing between phone calls, or practice smiling while cutting carrots.
A gatha is a short verse. Thich gives us one to be recited before phoning anyone:
“Words can travel across thousands of miles.
They are intended to build up understanding and love.
Each word should be a jewel,
A beautiful tapestry.”
The author is peaceful and wise and this little book helps us to assimilate some of this peace and wisdom. Therefore, I strongly advise that you read both this book and his others. Then we can contribute to the spread of peace and wisdom in the world, even more than we already do.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist from Vietnam who now lives in exile in France. He recently had a stroke at the age of
Show More
about 90 and was seriously ill, but survived.This book is a collection of talks he gave to peacemakers and meditation students in 1985.
He tells us of the importance of walking meditation and smiling, and offers a short poem we can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling.
“Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.”
“When we sit down peacefully, breathing and smiling, with awareness, we are our true selves, we have sovereignty over ourselves.”
Meditation helps us to return to our true self. “Practicing meditation is to be aware, to smile, to breathe --- We go back to ourselves in order to see what is going on, because to meditate means to be aware of what is going on.”
The capacity of waking up, of being aware of what is going on “in your feelings, in your body, in your perceptions, in the world” is called Buddha nature.
“Someone who is awake, who knows, who understands, is called a Buddha. Buddha is in every one of us.”
Dharma is what the Buddha taught. “It is the way of understanding and love – how to understand, how to love, how to make understanding and love into real things.”
Dharmakaya means the teaching of the Buddha, the way to realize understanding and love. Sometimes if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call this non-action. That is also an aspect of Dharmakaya – not talking, not teaching, just being.
Every day we have many feelings. “Practising meditation is to be aware of each feeling.” “Practising Buddhism is to be alive in each moment. When we practice sitting or walking, we have the means to do it perfectly. During the rest of the day, we also practice. --- The sitting and the walking must be extended to the non-walking, non-sitting moments of the day. That is the basic principle of meditation.”
In order to understand, you have to be one with what you want to understand. You do not stand outside of something to contemplate it. “Non-duality is the key word for Buddhist meditation.”
To sit is not enough. We have to be at the same time. When you breathe and smile, you are the breathing and the smiling. If I am angry I do not fight that. “I know that anger is me, and I am anger.” Since I am anger, if I annihilate anger, I annihilate myself. If I cannot be compassionate to myself, I will not be able to be compassionate to others.
The first thing to do when we get angry is to produce awareness. “I am angry. Anger is in me. I am anger.”
In Buddhism, knowledge is regarded as a block to understanding. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.
We cannot bring about peace by demonstrating against nuclear missiles but by our capacity of smiling, breathing and being peace.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to prepare for a re-entry into society. This is called “engaged Buddhism”. If we leave society, we cannot help change it.
“ --- a meditation center is where you get back to yourself. You get a clearer understanding of reality, you get more strength in understanding and love, and you prepare for your re-entry into society.”
We need to bring the practice from the meditation hall into our daily lives. We need to practice breathing between phone calls, or practice smiling while cutting carrots.
A gatha is a short verse. Thich gives us one to be recited before phoning anyone:
“Words can travel across thousands of miles.
They are intended to build up understanding and love.
Each word should be a jewel,
A beautiful tapestry.”
The author is peaceful and wise and this little book helps us to assimilate some of this peace and wisdom. Therefore, I strongly advise that you read both this book and his others. Then we can contribute to the spread of peace and wisdom in the world, even more than we already do.
Show Less