Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148472 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-30
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 185 pages

Customer Reviews

A practical guide to deepen your understanding of life
I original read this book because of my interest in meditation and I think Thich Nhat Hanh has a very simple and beautiful approach to meditation.
The book is not only an inspiring work on a practical level but it also makes an ancient text 'The Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness' accessable to the modern mind and is a practical guide to these wise words.
The book first prints the Sutra and a short history and summary of the Sutra; the rest of this quite substantial book consists of a Commentary on the Sutra. This is broken down into four main parts and each section has meditation exercises and or visualisations which ground these ancients words of wisdom. It is like a manual each part can be contemplated and realised.
Some of the body visualisations have always been a source of fascination to me. Having heard about those strange eastern practices where monks or holy men hang around the charnel ground contemplating the dead body I was interested in Thich's interpretation of this and was able to understand why they behaved in this alien way.
However this is only a small part of the book.
Another helpful part of the book was getting to grips with the differences between body, feelings, mind and mind objects. Thus the book invites a curiousity about subtle sensations which can help me focus more on the present moment and free me from distracting thoughts and worrying about more mundane issues.
I feel great gratitude to this sunny and loving man and I find this particular book to be his best although it is not his most accessble or his most simple book. It has allowed me insight to rather dry scriptures and has deepened my meditation practice.