Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices

Author: Thich Nhat Hanh

Product Type: Paperback

Published: 07/01/2009

Brief Description: Encouraging readers to be intelligent and skillful in their practice, this new collection by Thich Nhat Hanh outlines the essential steps by which we can all obtain real and lasting happiness. Each day, we perform the tasks of everyday life without thought or awareness -- walking, sitting, working, eating, driving, and much more. But Hanh points out that if we remain truly aware of our actions, no matter the task we're performing, we can stay engaged in our lives and better our outlook through mindfulness. This key practice is the foundation for this accessible, easy-to-understand volume, and an invaluable tool for change for both seasoned Buddhist practitioners and lay readers interested in bettering their lives through full awareness. Marc Notes: Material for the practices in this book comes from How to Enjoy Your Stay in Plum Village, Chanting from the Heart, Present Moment, Wonderful Moment, and The World We Have, all published by Parallax Press, and unpublished dharma talks by Thich Nhat Hanh. Biographical Note: Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam. Publisher Marketing: Discover 50 short and simple mindfulness practices for cultivating happiness--anytime, anywhere--from world-renowned spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. You don't need to "formally" meditate in order to bring mindfulness into your daily life. Whether you're new to Buddhist teaching or you're a more experienced practitioner, this quintessential resource of Thich Nhat Hanh's most essential teachings will show you how to walk, sit, work, eat, and even drive with full awareness. In one accessible and easy-to-use volume, you'll find many kinds of meditations, including: - Daily Practices: walking meditation, taking refuge, telephone meditation - Eating Practices: kitchen meditation, mindful eating, tea meditation - Physical Practices: resting and stopping, deep relaxation, mindful movements - Relationship & Community Practices: deep listening and loving speech, peace treaty, hugging meditation - Extended Practices: touching the earth, lazy day, traveling and returning home - Practices With Children: helping children with anger, the cake in the refrigerator, pebble meditation The only way to truly develop peace both in oneself and in the world is to learn to live in the present moment instead of the past or the future. Integrating these practices into daily life will allow you to cultivate peace and joy within yourself, leading to freedom from fear, misunderstanding, and suffering.