This easily accessible translation and commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh on the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way To Live Alone, is the earliest teaching of the Buddha on living fully in the present moment. “To live alone” doesn’t mean to isolate oneself from society. It means to live in mindfulness: to let go of the past and the future, and to look deeply and discover the true nature of all that is taking place in the present moment. To fully realize this is to meet our appointment with life and to experience peace, joy, and happiness this realization brings. A wonderful addition to the library of anyone interested in Buddhist studies.
Our appointment with life is in the present moment. The place of our appointment is right here, in this very place. – Thich Nhat Hanh in Our Appointment with Life
Born in Hue, Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk, poet, scholar, and human rights activist. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is author of more than one hundred books, and is one of the best known Buddhist teachers in the world today. Previous best-selling books include Being Peace and Buddha Mind Buddha Body. He lives at Plum Village, his meditation center in France, and travels worldwide, leading retreats on the art of mindful living.
Old Path White Clouds presents the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo...
Hermitage Among the Clouds tells the story of the fourteenth century Princess Amazing Jewel, the daughter of one of Vietnam’s greatest historical Zen master kings. This beautifully written story expresses the suffering caused by war and conflict, the transformative potential of a commitment to practicing peace and building reconciliation, and the simple beauty of a...
Engaged Buddhist Reader offers a comprehensive glimpse of the range of perspectives and insights on socially engaged Buddhism, a Buddhism that is not just in meditation halls but which pervades our everyday lives and concerns.
Have you ever wished for a simpler life or an opportunity to transform the stresses of the busyness and complexity of our fast-paced society? Stepping into Freedom offers us a look at Buddhist monastic life and shows us all ways to live simply, beautifully and happily while dwelling in the present moment. It is a...
In this sequel to A Pebble for Your Pocket, Zen teacher and poet Thich Nhat Hanh looks deeply at the issues that confront young people in today’s society. Applying his unique insights to anger, family conflict, drug use, and sexual responsibility, he makes the ancient teachings of the Buddha relevant to adolescents by offering mindfulness...
The Path of Emancipation transcribes Thich Nhat Hanh’s first twenty-one day retreat in North America in 1998, when more than four hundred practitioners from around the world joined him to experience mindfulness. This book deliberately preserves the tone and style of a retreat, including soundings of the bell, meditation breaks, and the question-and-answer sessions. This...
Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. – Thich Nhat Hanh This compendium of the core teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, based on a talk given at a prison, shows how mindfulness practice can cultivate freedom no matter where you are.
Mindfulness in the Marketplace suggests a reorientation of consumers from passive purchasers to aware, responsible citizens who see the dynamic connection between their purchases and their values. The Middle Path of Buddhism is not to avoid all consumption, but to consume mindfully in a manner that protects ourselves and all living systems. This anthology outlines...
A finalist for the 2001 Nautilus Award, Understanding Our Mind is Thich Nhat Hanh’s profound look at Buddhist psychology with insights into how these ancient teachings apply to the modern world. Based on the fifty verses on the nature of consciousness taken from the great fifth-century Buddhist master Vasubandhu and the teachings of the Avatamsaka Sutra,...
Joyfully Together contains a wealth of ideas, thoughts, and practical suggestions on how to live happily with other people. The wisdom in this book draws from ancient Buddhist traditions to solve conflicts large and small. Thich Nhat Hanh explores the spiritual, emotional, and practical aspects of developing a community for life. He shows how using...
First Buddhist Women is a readable, contemporary translation of and commentary on the enlightenment verses of the first female disciples of the Buddha. The book explores Buddhism’s relatively liberal attitude towards women since its founding nearly 2,600 years ago, through the study of the Therigatham, the earliest know collection of women’s religious poetry. Through commentary...
The teachings contained in this The Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness are fundamental to the practice of meditation, and constitute the foundation of all mindfulness practice. The Sutra has been studied, practiced and handed down with special care from generation to generation for 2,500 years. In his commentaries Thich Nhat Hanh guides the...
This Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book is a most valuable resource for anyone interested in liturgy and everyone who just wants to celebrate life and practice the art of mindful living. It contains chants and recitations for daily spiritual practice and for such occasions as blessing a meal, celebrating a wedding, comforting the sick...
Two Treasures contains two sutras: The Sutra On The Eight Realizations Of Great Beings and The Discourse on Happiness. They explain in practical detail how to progress step-by-step towards realization of the Buddhist ideals of simplicity, generosity, compassion, and ultimately enlightenment. Entirely in accord with both the Mahayana and Theravada tradition, The Sutra On The...
The Dragon Prince is a collection of 15 stories and legends from Vietnam retold by Zen master poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. As in many of his teachings, Nhat Hanh emphasizes themes of cooperation and reconciliation, while providing a rich introduction to the mythical elements of Vietnamese culture. The stories range from creation...
Thich Nhat Hanh explores the connection between psychology, neuroscience, and meditation. He discuss the importance of creativity and visualization in a successful meditation practice, presents basic Buddhist practices (in particular walking meditation and sitting meditation), and writes about the importance of brotherhood and sisterhood in finding love, happiness, and living harmoniously with others. Buddha Mind,...
In Worlds in Harmony, the Dalai Lama explores the nature of suffering and its release through compassionate action. The book focuses on the understanding that a deep awareness of our shared desire to avoid pain leads to an awareness of our responsibility to relieve others of suffering. Worlds in Harmony offers the reader insight into...
Eco-philosopher and best-selling author Joanna Macy, Ph.D., shares five stories from her more than thirty years of studying and practicing Buddhism and deep ecology. Gathered on her travels to India, Russia, Australia, and Tibet, these stories give testament to Joanna Macy’s belief that either humankind awakens to a new and deeper understanding of our interconnectedness...
According to the Buddha’s teaching in the Anapanasati Sutra, maintaining awareness of our breathing is a means of awakening to the true nature of all things and arriving at spiritual liberation. Breathe, You Are Alive outlines 16 exercises of conscious breathing that were taught by the Buddha, together with commentaries and further exercises for practicing...
Though the original edition of Touching the Earth is deeply embraced by those already practicing mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, the revised edition seeks to make the exercises contained within more accessible for those new to Buddhist or mindfulness practice. Based on the loving kindness and compassion meditation of the Lotus Sutra,...
Peaceful Action, Open Heart shines 60 years of study and practice upon one of the crowning scriptures of the path of the Buddha, and is destined to be known as one of the most significant writings by Thich Nhat Hanh. The Lotus Sutra is one of the most revered of Mahayana sacred texts and is sometimes...
This extraordinary story takes the reader from the rice fields of Vietnam to the peaceful surrounding of Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastery in Plum Village where Sister Dang Nghiem took refuge. There she gained a deep understanding of the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness forged in the fire of her own life experience. Ordained as a nun...
In Thundering Silence Thich Nhat Hanh presents the early teachings of the Buddha on not becoming so attached to his teachings that we don’t see reality clearly anymore and become stuck in notions and ideologies, however noble they may be. These teachings can liberate us from the prisons of our mental constructions and allow us...
The Diamond Sutra, a mainstay of the Mahayana tradition, has fascinated Buddhists for centuries because of its insights into dualism and illusion: the “diamond” can cut through any obstacle on the road to enlightenment. In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha responds to a disciple’s question about how to become a Buddha. The Diamond that Cuts...
Awakening of the Heart is a comprehensive, single volume collection of the Buddha’s key sutras, translated with contemporary commentary by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. It is an essential complement to Happiness, the bestselling collection of meditation and mindful practices released in 2009. Awakening of the Heart captures the heart of Buddhist wisdom and Thich...
Path of Compassion is a collection of key stories from Thich Nhat Hanh’s classic Old Path White Clouds, a book celebrating its 20th publishing anniversary this year. It tells the fascinating life story of Prince Siddhartha, who left his family and renounced his carefully guarded life, and after many years of spiritual seeking became the Buddha, the...
Mindfulness in the Garden offers simple mindfulness verses (gathas) composed to connect the mind and body and to bring the reader/gardener’s awareness to the details of the present moment as they work in the garden. These gathas are signposts leading to nature, to the present, and ultimately to one’s self through the love and understanding...
For nearly 30 years Sister Chan Khong’s Deep Relaxation practice has been a highlight for thousands of people who have attended Order of Interbeing Buddhist retreats. With Deep Relaxation the reader/listener will learn to meditate and relax body and mind at the deepest level, leading to a measurable reduction of stress levels. Sister Chan Khong...
Zen teacher Glen Schneider has developed a series of simple practices to help us cultivate happiness and fulfillment in the course of our daily lives. Happiness is far more than a positive feeling that comes and goes, happiness is wired into the physiology of our brains. It is a skill we can all develop through...
This beautifully designed gift book contains many of the best-loved inspirational quotations and passages from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Basic meditation instructions and messages of peace, love, insight, understanding, and compassion accompany two-color illustrations throughout, with blank pages for personal reflections and inspiration. Moments of Mindfulness is a perfect journal for spiritual exploration. Moments...
One of the key tenets of the Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism is that each one of us is already a Buddha—our enlightenment is inherent within us, and the practice of mindfulness is the tool to bring this truth to our full awareness. While it can bring much relief, this simple statement does not preclude...
How to Eat clearly and succinctly explains how you can incorporate eating as a form of meditation. The book provides practical advice on how to become truly nourished through the mindful preparation, serving, eating, and cleaning up of food. Eating a meal in mindfulness reveals that you are nourished by the whole universe. This awareness helps...
This beautifully designed book will be cherished for generations. Written in the summer of 2013, Inside the Now contains the most recent, never before published commentaries and reflections of Thich Nhat Hanh on living in stillness and timelessness. The book begins with an autobiographical reflection in which we hear the voice of the young monk, poet, and...
In Beginning Anew, Sister Chân Không shares a concrete, four-part process that can help anyone clear up misunderstandings, communicate more honestly and openly with the people around them, and heal relationships. Thousands have been introduced to the beginning anew practice at the retreats led worldwide each year by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. When we’re...
New York Times Relationships & Religion Bestseller Featured by Maria Popova on Brainpickings How to Love is the third title in Parallax’s Mindfulness Essentials Series of how-to titles by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, introducing beginners and reminding seasoned practitioners of the essentials of mindfulness practice. This time Nhat Hanh brings his signature clarity, compassion, and...
How to Walk is the fourth title in Parallax’s popular Mindfulness Essentials Series of how-to titles by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, introducing beginners and reminding seasoned practitioners of the essentials of mindfulness practice. Slow, concentrated walking while focusing on in- and out-breaths allows for a unique opportunity to be in the present. There is...
Before she became a Buddhist nun in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, Sister Dang Nghiem was a doctor. She’d traveled far in her 43 years. Born during the Tet Offensive and part of the amnesty for Amerasian children of the late 1970s, Dang Nghiem arrived in this country virtually penniless and with no home....
In How to Relax, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh shares inspiration and clear, simple directions for exploring mindfulness meditation. With sections on healing, relief from nonstop thinking, transforming unpleasant sounds, solitude, being at peace, and more, How to Relax includes meditations to help you achieve the benefits of relaxation no matter where you are. Pocket–sized with...
This new translation of the Buddha’s most important, most studied teaching offers a radical new interpretation. In September, 2014 Thich Nhat Hanh completed a profound and beautiful new English translation of the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra, one of the most important and well-known sutras in Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is recited daily in Mahayana temples and...
Happy Teachers Change the World is the first official, authoritative guide to the Thich Nhat Hanh/Plum Village approach to mindfulness in education. Spanning the whole range of schools and grade levels, from preschool through higher education, the teachings, guidance, practices, and techniques are grounded in the everyday world of schools, colleges, and universities. Beginning firmly with teachers...
Listen to Jennifer’s interview on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Jennifer Howd had been building a mindfulness practice for a few years before taking on the challenge of her first nine-day silent meditation retreat. In this debut memoir, she chronicles the humorous—and often harrowing—adventures of the dueling inner voices that emerge in the silence: one intent on...
A finalist for the 2001 Nautilus award, Transformation at the Base is a profound look at Buddhist psychology with insights into how these ancient teachings apply to the modern world. Thich Nhat Hanh focuses on the direct experience of recognizing, embracing, and looking deeply into the nature of our feelings and perceptions. Presenting the basic...
This brief artistic collection of fears around dying—and their ultimate futility in the face of the unknown—is a keepsake, a prayer book, a prompt for contemplation, and a gift to give to others to inspire conversations about the liberating power of death and what makes a good life. This small book of 24 meditations on...
When the world is burning with anger, divisiveness, and fear, this book of inspiring quotes selected by the editors of Parallax Press is a still, small voice in the storm that will bring peace of mind to the reader. With delicate illustrations by artist Maude White, this book speaks to the vulnerability and courage of...
Quotes from the Buddha are everywhere: on Facebook, Instagram, coffee mugs, posters. There’s only one problem: the Buddha didn’t actually say most of them. This humorous and informative book takes these fake Buddha quotes as a launching point for a discussion on what the Buddha really did say, and is a great entry point for...
Formulated during the Vietnam War, these ethical guidelines remain a penetrating expression of traditional Buddhist morality and how to come to terms with contemporary issues. Interbeing offers a practical blueprint for living mindfully, one that has proven useful and meaningful to people from all walks of life. The book also includes a brief history, ceremonies, and...
ISBN: 9781935209799
Trade Pbk, 72 pages
Trim size: 5.375″ x 8.0″
Our Appointment with Life
Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone
Thich Nhat Hanh
$15.95
In stock
This easily accessible translation and commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh on the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way To Live Alone, is the earliest teaching of the Buddha on living fully in the present moment. “To live alone” doesn’t mean to isolate oneself from society. It means to live in mindfulness: to let go of the past and the future, and to look deeply and discover the true nature of all that is taking place in the present moment. To fully realize this is to meet our appointment with life and to experience peace, joy, and happiness this realization brings. A wonderful addition to the library of anyone interested in Buddhist studies.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Born in Hue, Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk, poet, scholar, and human rights activist. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is author of more than one hundred books, and is one of the best known Buddhist teachers in the world today. Previous best-selling books include Being Peace and Buddha Mind Buddha Body. He lives at Plum Village, his meditation center in France, and travels worldwide, leading retreats on the art of mindful living.
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