Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58986 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Customer Reviews

The Buddha's teachings in plain words
This should be on every Buddhist's book shelf. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) explains Buddha's teaching in plain language. His poetic voice is easy to follow and as the title suggests - it goes to the heart of his teachings.

In doing so, Thay explains how some of the differences in opinion have developed over the years and uses his knowledge to help us understand what the Buddha was hoping to convey.

It's a book you will keep going back to. Highly recommended.

The art of simplicity
This is by far the most accessible introduction to buddhism. Not only is this book free of jargon and simply written, but also extremely positive. Unlike some, Nhat Hanh reminds us constantly that suffering can be conquered. He also avoids reference to reincarnation and similar miracluous attributes some authors dwell on.

Buddhism is not a series of philosophy lectures but a tool to liberate oneself. It is the art of being awake and compassionate. Thich Nhat Hanh has mastered that art.

Enlightenment?
Many people out there have a romantic notion of being 'into' Buddhism. For those wanting to actually take this one step further and learn a little about the religion then Thich Nhat Hanh's book is the ideal starting ground.
The book is not too in-depth with its writings and gives the reader a fantastic insight into the world of Buddhism. Starting with the basics it goes onto explain the origins of the ancient religion and examples of its teaching. A lot of books addressing this subject are dismissed quickly by potential readers because of their technical and complicated prose but The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching does exactly the opposite. It gets to the subject matter without blinding the reader with complications. Covering everything that needs to be known in a quick synopsis of one of the world oldest religions the reader can gain confidence to take their interests to another stage. Covering all basic aspects it will give the reader, as it did myself, a good basic foundation which can or cannot be taken to the next level. If you are interested in learning more about Buddhism but don't want bogged down then this book is the ideal place to start. It may not give complete enlightenment but it at least tells you where the switch is.