The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra Audio
Written by Thich Nhat Hanh
Narrated by Thich Nhat Hanh
4.5/5 (50 ratings)
1 hour
Included in your membership!
at no additional cost
new version of this book, now titled
The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries.
Audible sample
Follow the Author
Thich Nhat Hanh
Follow
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra Kindle Edition
by Thich Nhat Hanh (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 209 ratings
Kindle
$8.54Read with Our Free App
Audiobook
1 Credit
The heart of the Prajñaparamita Sutra is regarded as the essence of Buddhist teaching, offering subtle and profound teachings on non-duality and the letting go of all preconceived notions, opinions, and attachments, and so becoming open to all the wonders of our life.
The Heart Sutra is recited daily in Mahayana temples and practice centers throughout the world. Thich Nhat Hanh’s translation and commentary are the fruit of the author’s more than sixty years of monastic study and practice. He describes the sutra as “a precious gift to us, the gift of fearlessness.”
Based on a historic lecture at the Green Gulch Zen Center, Muir Beach, California on April 19, 1987, this is one of the most simple, clear, concise, and understandable commentaries on this very important Buddhist sutra. In the Heart Sutra, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara describes how to train in the perfection of wisdom by seeing through the illusory nature of all things. The Heart Sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell, containing only 632 characters in the traditional Chinese translation. Despite its brevity, it covers more of the Buddha’s teachings than any other scripture and has had the most profound and wide-reaching influence of any text in Buddhism.
This revised edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of the initial release and features a new introduction by Peter Levitt and a new afterword by Thich Nhat Hanh. Edited by poet and Zen teacher Peter Levitt, author of Fingerpainting on the Moon.
Read less
Print length 66 pages
Product description
Review
Exquisite teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. As simple and powerful as it gets. Strongly recommended.-- "Inquiring Mind"
Studying the basics of Buddhism under Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is like learning basketball from Michael Jordan.-- "Amazon.com, editorial review, on The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching"
Thich Nhat Hanh modernizes and frees the Buddha-a tiny book of gem-like words.-- "Book Reader" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen master, poet, scholar, and peace activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is the author of many bestselling books, including the classics The Miracle of Mindfulness, Peace Is Every Step, Anger, and The Art of Power. Thich Nhat Hanh lives in Plum Village, his meditation center in France, where his monastic and lay disciples assist him in leading retreats worldwide on the art of mindful living.
Peter Levitt is a poet, translator, and Zen teacher. He is the founder of the Salt Spring Zen Circle and has taught poetry and writing workshops around the world. He is currently an instructor at the University of British Columbia and lives with his wife and son on one of the nearby Gulf Islands.
Edoardo Ballerini is an actor, director, film producer, and Audie Award-winning narrator. His screen credits include the feature films Dinner Rush and Romeo Must Die, as well as the television series The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and 24.--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Product details
ASIN : B005EFWU0E
Publisher : Parallax Press; Revised edition (10 November 2009)
Language : English
File size : 254 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
4.7 out of 5 stars 209 ratings
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Follow
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) was a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, and peace activist and one of the most revered and influential spiritual teachers in the world. Born in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. His work for peace and reconciliation during the war in Vietnam moved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. In Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh founded Van Hanh Buddhist University and the School of Youth for Social Service, a corps of Buddhist peace workers. Exiled as a result of his work for peace, he continued his humanitarian efforts, rescuing boat people and helping to resettle refugees. In 1982 he established Plum Village France, the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the hub of the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Over seven decades of teaching, he published a hundred books, which have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.
Read more
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Top reviews
Top reviews from Australia
KATARZYNA ADAMSON
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, supreme...Reviewed in Australia on 10 August 2019
Verified Purchase
Wonderful, wonderful read, one of the most transformational books I ever read. On reviewing it 20 years later - still the same beauty and brilliance in style, analogies, still as clear as it gets. Yummy 😊
HelpfulReport abuse
Andrew Osborne
5.0 out of 5 stars Emptiness in a nutshellReviewed in Australia on 22 July 2019
Verified Purchase
If you’re struggling with the concept of emptiness this book is an essential read. Highly recommended.
HelpfulReport abuse
See all reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Jayarava
1.0 out of 5 stars Zen Buddhist talking about Zen BuddhismReviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2018
Verified Purchase
As with every other book on the text, Thich Nhat Hanh uses the Heart Sutra as a tabula rasa for talking about his beliefs. The book is not so much a commentary on the Heart Sutra as it is an exposition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. Which is fine if you are interested in Vietnamese Zen Buddhism or just like reading Thich Nhat Hanh (which a lot of people do).
Not much more can be expected since the Prajñāpāramitā tradition actually died out over a millennium ago, to be superceded by Madhyamaka (with which it really has little in common) and other Mahāyana ideologies. Zen is an amalgam of all these ideas, and the Heart Sutra is supposedly a reflection of this, but really none of these people understand it (partly because the text has become garbled in transmission and partly because Zen is what it is). Which is not to say that Thich Nhat Hanh is a bad person or talking nonsense. What he says is fine as far as it goes. Just not related to the Heart Sutra per se.
One person found this helpfulReport abuse
Mark Bywater
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2019
Verified Purchase
Great book! This is a great book! Someone lent me it to read and I’d ordered my own copy before half way through. It’s only short but it’s a blooming good book!
Report abuse
Mr. D. J. Seymour
5.0 out of 5 stars Great translation with deep insights in the commentaryReviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2016
Verified Purchase
Great translation with deep insights in the commentary. To be read and re-read.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a true master and poet leading you deep into the sutras meaning. I thoroughly recommend this book although he recently updated his translation which is available online.
Report abuse
Tao
4.0 out of 5 stars Its all HeartReviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2014
Verified Purchase
A great short book about the Heart sutra. Well written and well put together with clear explanations and some gentle moments. BUT occasionally you just get some political undertones here and there as you do with Thich. The book seems to go from heart to politics buts it quite subtle. I would recommend this book.
One person found this helpfulReport abuse
Kane Doughty
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet profound.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2013
Verified Purchase
I received this wonderful teaching on a saturday morning and due to it's small size was able to read the whole book in short sessions by the evening. Although it's short like the heart sutra itself, don't be fooled in thinking you "need" more to understand the complexity of the sutra, in fact it's quite the opposite. How you approach the simple yet extremely profound chapters in this book is the key to going deep into the teachings on emptiness and it's small size means you can take it with you anywhere.
A must have for anyone trying to understand emptiness. All that's needed now is to sit.
3 people found this helpfulReport abuse
See all reviews
===
Audible sampleFollow the Author
Thich Nhat Hanh
Follow
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra Kindle Edition
by Thich Nhat Hanh (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 209 ratings
Kindle
$8.54Read with Our Free App
Audiobook1 Credit
The heart of the Prajñaparamita Sutra is regarded as the essence of Buddhist teaching, offering subtle and profound teachings on non-duality and the letting go of all preconceived notions, opinions, and attachments, and so becoming open to all the wonders of our life.
The Heart Sutra is recited daily in Mahayana temples and practice centers throughout the world. Thich Nhat Hanh’s translation and commentary are the fruit of the author’s more than sixty years of monastic study and practice. He describes the sutra as “a precious gift to us, the gift of fearlessness.”
Based on a historic lecture at the Green Gulch Zen Center, Muir Beach, California on April 19, 1987, this is one of the most simple, clear, concise, and understandable commentaries on this very important Buddhist sutra. In the Heart Sutra, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara describes how to train in the perfection of wisdom by seeing through the illusory nature of all things. The Heart Sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell, containing only 632 characters in the traditional Chinese translation. Despite its brevity, it covers more of the Buddha’s teachings than any other scripture and has had the most profound and wide-reaching influence of any text in Buddhism.
This revised edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of the initial release and features a new introduction by Peter Levitt and a new afterword by Thich Nhat Hanh. Edited by poet and Zen teacher Peter Levitt, author of Fingerpainting on the Moon.
Read less
Print length 66 pages
Product description
Review
Exquisite teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. As simple and powerful as it gets. Strongly recommended.-- "Inquiring Mind"
Studying the basics of Buddhism under Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is like learning basketball from Michael Jordan.-- "Amazon.com, editorial review, on The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching"
Thich Nhat Hanh modernizes and frees the Buddha-a tiny book of gem-like words.-- "Book Reader" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen master, poet, scholar, and peace activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is the author of many bestselling books, including the classics The Miracle of Mindfulness, Peace Is Every Step, Anger, and The Art of Power. Thich Nhat Hanh lives in Plum Village, his meditation center in France, where his monastic and lay disciples assist him in leading retreats worldwide on the art of mindful living.
Peter Levitt is a poet, translator, and Zen teacher. He is the founder of the Salt Spring Zen Circle and has taught poetry and writing workshops around the world. He is currently an instructor at the University of British Columbia and lives with his wife and son on one of the nearby Gulf Islands.
Edoardo Ballerini is an actor, director, film producer, and Audie Award-winning narrator. His screen credits include the feature films Dinner Rush and Romeo Must Die, as well as the television series The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and 24.--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Product details
ASIN : B005EFWU0E
Publisher : Parallax Press; Revised edition (10 November 2009)
Language : English
File size : 254 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
4.7 out of 5 stars 209 ratings
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Follow
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) was a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, and peace activist and one of the most revered and influential spiritual teachers in the world. Born in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. His work for peace and reconciliation during the war in Vietnam moved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. In Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh founded Van Hanh Buddhist University and the School of Youth for Social Service, a corps of Buddhist peace workers. Exiled as a result of his work for peace, he continued his humanitarian efforts, rescuing boat people and helping to resettle refugees. In 1982 he established Plum Village France, the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the hub of the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Over seven decades of teaching, he published a hundred books, which have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.
Read more
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Top reviews
Top reviews from Australia
KATARZYNA ADAMSON
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, supreme...Reviewed in Australia on 10 August 2019
Verified Purchase
Wonderful, wonderful read, one of the most transformational books I ever read. On reviewing it 20 years later - still the same beauty and brilliance in style, analogies, still as clear as it gets. Yummy 😊
HelpfulReport abuse
Andrew Osborne
5.0 out of 5 stars Emptiness in a nutshellReviewed in Australia on 22 July 2019
Verified Purchase
If you’re struggling with the concept of emptiness this book is an essential read. Highly recommended.
HelpfulReport abuse
See all reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Jayarava
1.0 out of 5 stars Zen Buddhist talking about Zen BuddhismReviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2018
Verified Purchase
As with every other book on the text, Thich Nhat Hanh uses the Heart Sutra as a tabula rasa for talking about his beliefs. The book is not so much a commentary on the Heart Sutra as it is an exposition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. Which is fine if you are interested in Vietnamese Zen Buddhism or just like reading Thich Nhat Hanh (which a lot of people do).
Not much more can be expected since the Prajñāpāramitā tradition actually died out over a millennium ago, to be superceded by Madhyamaka (with which it really has little in common) and other Mahāyana ideologies. Zen is an amalgam of all these ideas, and the Heart Sutra is supposedly a reflection of this, but really none of these people understand it (partly because the text has become garbled in transmission and partly because Zen is what it is). Which is not to say that Thich Nhat Hanh is a bad person or talking nonsense. What he says is fine as far as it goes. Just not related to the Heart Sutra per se.
One person found this helpfulReport abuse
Mark Bywater
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2019
Verified Purchase
Great book! This is a great book! Someone lent me it to read and I’d ordered my own copy before half way through. It’s only short but it’s a blooming good book!
Report abuse
Mr. D. J. Seymour
5.0 out of 5 stars Great translation with deep insights in the commentaryReviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2016
Verified Purchase
Great translation with deep insights in the commentary. To be read and re-read.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a true master and poet leading you deep into the sutras meaning. I thoroughly recommend this book although he recently updated his translation which is available online.
Report abuse
Tao
4.0 out of 5 stars Its all HeartReviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2014
Verified Purchase
A great short book about the Heart sutra. Well written and well put together with clear explanations and some gentle moments. BUT occasionally you just get some political undertones here and there as you do with Thich. The book seems to go from heart to politics buts it quite subtle. I would recommend this book.
One person found this helpfulReport abuse
Kane Doughty
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet profound.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2013
Verified Purchase
I received this wonderful teaching on a saturday morning and due to it's small size was able to read the whole book in short sessions by the evening. Although it's short like the heart sutra itself, don't be fooled in thinking you "need" more to understand the complexity of the sutra, in fact it's quite the opposite. How you approach the simple yet extremely profound chapters in this book is the key to going deep into the teachings on emptiness and it's small size means you can take it with you anywhere.
A must have for anyone trying to understand emptiness. All that's needed now is to sit.
3 people found this helpfulReport abuse
See all reviews
===
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
Want to Read
Rate this book
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Preview
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
by Thich Nhat Hanh, Peter Levitt (Editor)
4.40 · Rating details · 2,732 ratings · 176 reviews
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. In The Heart of Understanding, Thich Nhat Hanh offers a lucid and engaging interpretation of this core Buddhist text—The Heart Sutra—which is one of the most important sutras, offering subtle and profound teachings on nonduality.
GET A COPY
KoboOnline Stores ▾Book Links ▾
Paperback, 56 pages
Published October 1st 1988 by Parallax Press (first published May 31st 1987)
Original TitleThe Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
ISBN0938077112 (ISBN13: 9780938077114)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Other Editions (22)
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
The Heart of Understanding: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries
The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
Vorm Is Leegte, Leegte Is Vorm: Commentaar Op Het Prajñaparamita Hartsoetra
All Editions | Add a New Edition | Combine
...Less DetailEdit Details
FRIEND REVIEWS
Recommend This Book None of your friends have reviewed this book yet.
READER Q&A
Ask the Goodreads community a question about The Heart of Understanding
54355902. uy100 cr1,0,100,100
Ask anything about the book
Be the first to ask a question about The Heart of Understanding
LISTS WITH THIS BOOK
The Heart Sutra by Red PineThe Diamond Sutra by AnonymousThe Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat HanhThe Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion by Thich Nhat HanhThe Essence of the Heart Sutra by Dalai Lama XIV
Buddhist Sutras
24 books — 13 voters
Self-Compassion by Kristin NeffNonviolent Communication by Marshall B. RosenbergBuddha's Brain by Rick HansonAltruism by Matthieu RicardGood Medicine by Pema Chödrön
Compassion Training
60 books — 19 voters
More lists with this book...
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
Showing 1-30
Average rating4.40 · Rating details · 2,732 ratings · 176 reviews
Search review text
English (161)
More filters | Sort order
Sejin,
Sejin, start your review of The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra
Write a review
Bryan
Dec 19, 2008Bryan rated it it was amazing
my favorite book of last summer. it's short so read it three times in a week. it will help you realize that you are a tree! (less)
flag20 likes · Like · comment · see review
Blaine Snow
Feb 21, 2017Blaine Snow rated it it was amazing
Shelves: buddhism
No one but Thay could make the Abhidharma technicalities and mind-bending paradoxes of emptiness of the Heart Sutra read like simple breathing while looking at clouds. The highest wisdom, prajnaparamita, in Thay's hands shows you its immediacy and practicality for everyday living. After reading and reviewing six different books on the Heart Sutra, his was the one I chose to teach from.
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!
September 2018 Update
Don't miss Thay's new version of this book, now titled The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries. In it Thay provides his new translation and explains why it is needed and how the standard translation (and its variations) has often been the source of misinterpretations and misunderstandings of the central teaching of emptiness. (less)
flag11 likes · Like · comment · see review
Hannah Garden
Jan 07, 2009Hannah Garden rated it really liked it
Y0u can't really three-star a sweet little treatise 0n h0w t0 be m0re kind and m0re aware 0f the hearts 0f pe0ple ar0und y0u, s0 this gets f0ur stars, because Thich Nhat Hanh, I like y0u m0re in the0ry than in practice, y0u 0l' dry-t0ngued devil. (less)
flag7 likes · Like · comment · see review
Phuong Vy Le
Aug 18, 2016Phuong Vy Le rated it really liked it
Shelves: buddism, philosophy
"What/ who you think you really know?"
Over the past one year, whenever encounter anyone who sounds wise and open, I always ask s/he that question. I wonder whether we ever truly know anything/ anyone in this world, since everything & everyone change every single second. And if we hardly know anyone/anything, why we even bother trying to get-to-know or to learn because mastery of something or truly knowing someone are all illusions. (This question arose from some personal experiences during my 24)
Throughout that time, I got different answers:
- One talked about the Known, The Unknown, The Unknow-able
- Some claim the only one person they know are themselves and the only thing they really know is what they want to do
- Some said we know nothing
- Some said they know their bff, their mother, their children.
- Some just didn't answer
And, I stopped questioning since I thought it was enough and it might go nowhere. Getting other's answer doesn't really help me clarify my own.
But Thay made it so simple & so clear. “Views, knowledge, and even wisdom are solid, and can block the way of understanding.” "Understanding flows"
If I keep trying to know things, I will never know them truly, as they change constantly, and I will feel frustrated. But if I try to understand something, it means that Im aware of the context where it is, be one with it to look deeply into its nature, but never assume that it would remain unchanged.
Reading this small book was a really liberating experience for me :)
(less)
flag5 likes · Like · comment · see review
Thomas
Oct 02, 2009Thomas rated it it was amazing
Shelves: religion, eastern-classics, philosophy
The heart of Buddhism (with Zen leanings) is encapsulated in this slim and poetic volume, but this book is for everyone. If you don't know Buddha from butter, it won't matter. It's probably the best introduction to the fundamental concepts of dependent origination and emptiness I have come across, without the didacticism or defensiveness that often accompanies more scholarly "explanations." It's simple, the way it's supposed to be. The way it is! (less)
flag5 likes · Like · comment · see review
Cheryl
Jul 10, 2014Cheryl rated it it was amazing
Oh my gosh. Profound. Everything contains everything else. When you really take the time to absorb the meaning of this book, it's quite life changing. (less)
flag5 likes · Like · comment · see review
Annie
May 21, 2018Annie rated it liked it
“To be is to inter-be. You cannot just be by yourself alone, you have to inter-be with every other thing. This sheet of paper is, because everything else is.”
“In the light of Buddhist meditation, love is impossible without understanding. You cannot love someone if you do not understand them. If you do not understand what you love, it is not love— it is something else.”
flag3 likes · Like · comment · see review
Bob
Apr 05, 2010Bob rated it it was amazing
Short, simple, and deeply insightful commentary on the core sutra of mahayana Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is the heart of the prajna paramita literature, the great deepening of the Buddha's original teaching. This work demystifies the concept of "emptiness" by substituting the idea that we "inter-are." no one if us, no concept, nothing exists independent of the rest of us. You could read this book in an hour, and keep returning to it for a lifetime. (less)
flag3 likes · Like · comment · see review
jen
Jan 23, 2022jen rated it really liked it
Shelves: buddhism, 2022
This was my first of Thich Nhat Hanh's many books, read last weekend just a few days before his death. I thought it might be challenging material but in fact was very understandable, and enjoyable. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · see review
Lon
Dec 31, 2020Lon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Thich Nhat Hanh's gift as a poet illuminates what might otherwise be impenetrable and abstruse. Emptiness, the central insight of the sutra, is a key to freeing us from concepts that get us stuck in life, such as the notion of impermanence or the notion of an independent and enduring self.
This edition has been supplanted in the Plum Village community by The Other Shore, which treats the same subject matter but uses Hanh's 2014 translation of the Heart Sutra, retitled The Insight that Leads Us to the Other Shore. There's much to commend the new rephrased sutra and I appreciate the desire to use language less likely to be misapprehended, but I have misgivings about calling it a new translation. Where Hanh believes the sutra's lines could lead to misunderstanding, he takes the liberty of changing them. This pre-2014 rendering remains more faithful to the text of the Heart Sutra as it has come to us across the centuries and is known and chanted throughout much of the Mahayana Buddhist world.
(less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Trina
Feb 12, 2015Trina rated it really liked it
Shelves: creative-nonfiction, essays, nonfiction
It's possible to read this slim book in one hour, but not to assimilate it. Tich Nhat Hanh does his best to simplify the heart sutra for western readers. Maybe oversimplify is a better word. Some of his insights into Buddhist teaching are marvelous and clear; others are maddening. 'This is, because that is' does little to explain, e.g., how wealth consists of poverty and vice versa except in the grand sense of everything being part of everything else. Still, there are many lessons worth learning from the zen masters if we stay open and enter deeply into the things we want to understand. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Julie
Sep 04, 2017Julie rated it really liked it
I always read books like these and wish I could be more spiritual than I am. Or maybe not even more spiritual, but more able to harness these messages in my daily life. I love the ideas of Buddhism, but I'm pretty solidly enmeshed in my passions. :) In any case, it's good to keep reading and thinking and trying. This little book has a lot about emptiness and interbeing--how everything contains everything else within it and nothing could exist without everything else. I like it. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Levi Pierpont
Dec 03, 2020Levi Pierpont rated it it was amazing
Shelves: religion-buddhism
A short and thoughtful commentary on a sacred text that definitely needs commentary to be understood in any capacity as a modern reader with limited knowledge of Buddhist philosophy. Worth reading, as Thích Nhat Hanh's explanation and analogies are as poignant as ever in this little book.
*I listened to this book.* (less)
flag2 likes · Like · see review
Robbie Blair
Oct 06, 2014Robbie Blair rated it it was amazing
While not a flawless book, this rendition and discussion of the Heart Sutra is an accessible entry-point for some of Buddhism's key philosophies. For those who find those philosophies resonant, this work is also replenishing and profound. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Weathervane
Oct 07, 2015Weathervane rated it really liked it
Shelves: non-fiction
Key Buddhist text. Lovely.
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
mia moraru
Dec 30, 2016mia moraru rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: important
simply incredible. quietly profound, changing.
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Sienna
Jul 15, 2018Sienna rated it liked it · review of another edition
Recommended to Sienna by: Hoopla
Shelves: grief-death, read-2018, audio, love-communication
Lovely short meditation on indivisibility.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
J.
Apr 25, 2021J. rated it really liked it
To really understand what it means to be one with all things. To understand form is emptiness and emptiness is form...but emptiness is not nothing, it is everything. Empty of self, full of all. To be everything and nothing. True, deep, powerful. I'll be revisiting this over and over. (less)
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Lisa
Jul 17, 2020Lisa rated it it was ok
I'm mostly unfamiliar with Buddhism, and don't consider myself a philosopher, so maybe I didn't understand this book. I started out at three stars, and the more I wrote the more frustrated I became until I brought it down to two. But here are my thoughts (would love commentary if anyone reads this, any time):
If we were not empty (of a separate self, which makes us full of the combined elements of life such as perception, feeling, etc.) then we would be matter. Form is emptiness (of a separate self), and emptiness is form. So the wave is the ocean, the ocean the wave. But then what exactly is matter if not an inanimate object? He says if were not empty, we would be matter, incapable of thought or feeling. Yet we inter-be with all sorts of things that don't have that ability. Except of course, the leaf is capable of experiencing excitement as it hurtles to the ground to become a tree all over again. So I don't understand what matter is, apparently nothing is, and there are no inanimate objects. So I also have to ask, what DOES have separate self, because apparently nothing does?
Thich insists it is science, not philosophy, that we have been birds and rocks and clouds in past lives because if you go back far enough, we all evolved from something. We ARE these things, we inter-be with them, because we have some of them inside of us, and we couldn't all exist without one another. But I'm still not a water molecule, and haven't been for some time. Scientifically. I have water in me, and that may be my origin story, but what are we actually trying to get at here? I'm not a cloud no matter how much cloud I have in me.
In that same vein, he says we can never be born, because we existed in our mother and father "half" before we were born. Nah. I was not Lisa before I was born, there were two separate elements that combined to make something new. Yes, those elements have been around forever and so I am connected to everything, but I still wasn't Lisa until I was, potential does not equal existence. This version of those aspects has never existed before and never will again. In that sense I am born even if my being wasn't created from nothing. Over and over, there is the equating of having an origin to not being a separate or individual entity. I am not a fish, no matter if my ancestors were once fish and I still have fishy DNA.
He goes onto talk about how what is immaculate and reviled is just perception, with a rose and garbage. Roses become garbage, which is used as fertilizer, making more roses. One and the same! Let's change rose to just a normal pile of trash. It smells bad to us, not to raccoons. Why? Because there is a biological basis for keeping us away from the garbage, it can harm us. Disgust is not always about perception, and if you fill your vase with medical waste you might get sick, because it's not a damn rose.
Then there is the bit about people dying very happy, peaceful deaths because they know they're coming back as something new and ~exciting~. What about the pain of life and death? It's one thing to say existence in some form doesn't end, maybe that comforts some. But life, for humans, is often full of physical pain. Are you saying that there will not be physical pain when I'm a leaf? He says the ocean waves no feel no fear, that means they're not sentient. But the leaf can wave goodbye to the tree, happy it's going to be seen again soon? Unless that wasn't a real conversation he had with the leaf. Again, I have to ask is ANYTHING matter, or is everything sentient? If the leaf is sentient, it can feel pain, which means my existence as a leaf might not be free of pain, in which case I'm not drifting off peacefully. If it's not sentient, does it really matter that I get to "be" a leaf? I won't realize I'm a leaf. Which means this version of me, as I know it, is DEAD. No one KNOWS what happens when we die, and that's just the truth of it. Energy not being able to be destroyed doesn't mean we have a never ending consciousness.
I actually got angry at the part about the child prostitute. She will take comfort in knowing her suffering in life is reflective of the failings of other humans in more well off positions - and then feel no shame, because she is oppressed only because they created a system of success linked to her oppression, therefore their hands are not clean and ta-da!: they are the same. This sameness should erase her shame. Thich has never had to have sex with dudes for money before, because shame is the least of that kids problems. No, it's not comforting, and it doesn't fix anything, unless those who create the system take on the burden of fixing it upon hearing this amazing revelation.
But then, there is nothing to fix. Because he states, once you choose sides, you're trying to eliminate half of reality. Evil is about perception, man, and those we label as evil see us as evil. Everything is relative. In fact, when describing the pimp who makes the little girl a sex slave, he doesn't refer to him as evil, or bad, or even something as gentle as misguided. He calls him CLEVER. Oh yes, how smart of this older man to see the value in the flesh of someone else's suffering! Not like it's the oldest profession, nah, Mr. Pimp is super industrious over here. Are you for real right now? Well, put me firmly in the camp with those who want to erase the half of reality that thinks child prostitution is not evil. I'm dying on that hill.
And probably not peacefully, for the record. Is this why some monks set themselves on fire, to prove the point that once you stop assigning value judgements to things you're completely free of suffering, even physical pain? Get rid of good and evil, human and object, desire and attainment, and suddenly this all just becomes a little jaunt through the forest where we admire the scenery before becoming rocks again. Yeah, in that mindset, I can see why you'd be free of suffering.
In general, the idea that we're connected IS nice, and very real, and I think helps us be more empathetic. But I found his arguments supporting that sloppy, unless I'm just not getting it. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Nathan
Jul 31, 2011Nathan rated it liked it
Shelves: philosophy, spirituality
Tentatively three-starred since I am, at the moment, unable to agree with the author's writings. Or perhaps it is more of a matter of understanding.
I can see how a piece of paper encompass the sun, trees, a speck of dust. So can I see the farmer's toil, his time, her sweat, a bull's labour, the sun's energy, the rain, in every grain of rice I eat.
But I am unable to see me myself in others, others in me. Though this much I know: that I am defined by everything else in the universe - my siblings, friends, colleagues, family - as is the universe by me.
Maybe that is what the author meant.
P.S.: I have a nagging thought that the author may have read Derrida's writings. Or that Derrida had a Buddhist influence. I'll be damned if inter-be is not differance. (less)
flag1 like · Like · 2 comments · see review
Mckinley
Mar 18, 2015Mckinley rated it really liked it
Shelves: favorite, non-fiction, book-group, buddhism
Accessible, easy to read commentary on the sutra. Poetic movement of ideas rather than following a logic path. Great short sections helpful to break into brief meditations. Re-reading for book group.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Veena Gokhale
Sep 16, 2018Veena Gokhale rated it it was amazing
I was glad to read this book again after a gap of at least a decade. Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned and revered Buddhist monk, teacher, peace activist and "engaged Buddhist" who combines various Buddhist traditions in his practice and teaching, illuminates here a foundational text.
This is a lucid, beautiful, deeply touching and wise work.
Inter-being, a central concept in this book, says that every thing is connected, intimately so. The example given is that of a single sheet of paper which is here because of clouds and rain and sunshine and trees and the logger who chopped the tree and the mother who fed him and so on.
This leads Hanh to talk about the concept of emptiness which essentially says that everything is empty of a separate self in that everything is co-existent and inter-dependent. Later in the book he takes the example of a prostiute who would not be if the "unsullied" young girl from a honourable family did not exist. Similarly right could not exist without left, and even though he does not explicitly say so, he is referring here to ideology. Later we arrive at the idea that the Buddha is made up of non Buddha elements (!) Purity cannot exist if we embrace inter-being as a fact.
The deep insight into and understanding of inter-being and emptiness (the wave in only water) will lead to a lack of fear, it is said, because birth and death cannot scare us as they are a rolling, ongoing process which stretches back and forward infinitely and we are always part of the universe, which, after all, will always go on (OK, OK, let's not split hairs here!) Conscious, peaceful living with ourselves and the world is the best contribution (only?!) we can make: that's how the book ends. Phew! (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Ernie Truman
Sep 16, 2020Ernie Truman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Short, simple and concise.
I have heard a couple people talk about how systematic Buddhist thought is, and reading a lot literature about it I began to agree. Then I read Thich Nhat Hanh, and although I didn't absorb his message fully with his other books, as my views have matured I have started seeing that everything in Buddhist practice is made of everything else. For example, I always thought that by following The Noble Eightfold Path you had to do things in a specific order, but now I see it in another way. One principle or practice of that path contains all the others. Fail at one and the whole thing doesn't work. You don't develop one practice on its own.
In this book Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates this by showing us a translation of the Heart Sutra and then gives some commentary on what the ideas point to in a way that is simple and easy to understand. I always struggled with the idea that emptiness is form and form is emptiness but now I have a good grasp on to see it. This book will take very little time to read but if you concentrate and look deeply into what he is saying I believe it will invite some great insight. It's affordable on Kindle but I do believe I will buy a physical copy if I can find one. A real treasure. I am also reading The Other Shore by Thich Nhat Hanh where he goes more in depth to this subject. However this one is less money and is a great presentation on how he views the Heart Sutra. If you're strapped for cash this will probably be more economical for you (when I bought it I think I spent 5.99 on Kindle). Enjoy! (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Brian Wilcox
Jul 03, 2021Brian Wilcox rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Commenting on the Heart Sutra, Hanh applies it in a practical manner, clarifying section by section. He says understanding is the bedrock of world peace. Hanh prefers "understanding" to wisdom for the Buddhist term prajna, seeing wisdom - like knowledge - being static, while understanding is moves like flowing water. Understanding is deep seeing, or comprehending - a penetration. Hence, we can look and not see, while seeing - or understanding - is insight, or in-seeing, seeing within.
Key to these meditations is "inter-are" and "inter-being": this is for that is, that is for this is. We are in all things, all things are in us. Without Mara, there is no Buddha; without Buddha, there is no Mara. Buddha suffers for being Buddha; Mara suffers for being Mara.
So, in duality, we are responsible for all the good and evil from the perspective of nonduality: because you have plenty to eat, someone is dying of malnourishment; you have a house, so someone is homeless; one government is democratic, for one if authocratic. This insight into interdependence leads us to suffering for the suffering on earth, Hanh says. So, coming to peace within amid this duality, we can truly be peacemakers in the world without - but peace begins with each of us first in coming to peace within.
Hanh is gifted here, as elsewhere, in illustrating subtle, paradoxical truth with commonplace examples. Hearing Hanh here, one feels compassion, for these are words arising from understanding - that is, if our hearts are prepared to receive - be penetrated -, not just hear. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Harley Quinn
Aug 10, 2021Harley Quinn rated it really liked it
Shelves: non-fiction, philosophy, spirituality, religion, z-4-star, 2021
FABULOUS LISTEN TO CALM AN ANXIOUS MIND. I had something short of an anxiety attack yesterday after overdosing on COVID stories, news, and data. I listened to this book to wind down after my kids went to bed, and while attempting simple origami for the first time. It was only about an hour long, it was free through Audible's PLUS catalog (for members), and narrated by Edoardo Ballerini who had the perfect voice for it. This was my second Thich Nhat Hanh book, and I realized his last name is pronounced the same as my maiden name.
It earned 4★ since "I really liked it." It didn't earn a 5th star because it failed one of my litmus tests for non-fiction; the ideas weren't organized and/or sticky enough to remember. Whereas this author's Peace is Every Step (his most popular book, published in 1990) is written with a main theme with cohesive sections that support the theme, The Heart of Understanding (his 21st most popular book on GR, published in 1987) is just what the title says -- Commentaries. I'd say it's less cohesive, and that for me made it less memorable.
What I DID remember was the comparisons of roses to trash, this concept of "Interbeing" which I couldn't really wrap my mind around, and a discussion on emptiness (which was similar to Landmark Education). Since it is so short, I may try it again some day, or even use it to fall asleep!
In general I have found Buddhist ideas to be thought-provoking and sometimes even paradigm-shifting. The challenge I have is being able to access those ideas at my pace of life. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Richard Thompson
Jul 06, 2020Richard Thompson rated it really liked it
Shelves: religion-spiritual
There is nothing new here. It's all standard Buddhist thought that anyone with the most passing familiarity with Buddhism already knows. But that didn't make this book bad or too simple. There was beauty in its simplicity, and I was calmed by the familiarity of the message. I can't truly say that I have learned the lessons here in the way that this book says that I should in order to have true knowledge. I probably never will. But the very idea that there is nothing new and that most of us will never truly learn these teachings is a key part of what this book is all about. But the book also tells us that this should be grounds for joy, not despair.
One of the possible paths to learning these lessons is repetition and reinforcement. As I walked through the world today, I was seeing things in the world around me much more than I usually do as part of their context in the great flow of existence. I'll probably forget to do that tomorrow, but maybe with a little practice I can begin to cultivate it as more of a habit.
Apart from the content of the message, Thich Nhat Hanh delivers his teachings in a wonderfully calming voice and style that was enough by itself to pull me into a meditative state. This is a book that could be could be read again and again without losing its power. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Dan Nguyen
Feb 06, 2020Dan Nguyen rated it it was amazing
I have never thought that I will have another point of view in Buddhism. First thing first, I'm not Buddhist and i read this book due to talking world religion class.
The book is full of logical things in an advanced level. One of the point, Thay said "this is like this, because that is like that", which is so true. We live in a society, love to judge things, to differentiate things into 2 extremes. We want to define things good and bad, ugly and beautiful, pure and impure. Once asking human to give a definition of beauty or ugliness, who are able to do that?
As a person, we tend to like the best, the nicest, the most beautiful things whether it's a fresh rose or an delicious dish. We clings to the impermanent things in the earth.
We have a craving. Craving to be richer, to have more and more and more. It is never enough for us.
But once we realize things are interconnected, what you did today affect yourself and your generation, your children, your grandchildren later, once you realize things are impermanent, you will get older, sicker and once day you die. When you have a awareness of those above things, you can easily let go the unnecessary things, to live fullfilly, to laugh more, to appreciate the world and suddenly have a much wonderful life. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Bradley
Jun 10, 2019Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: philosophy
Hahaha, I'm guilted into not putting this below 4 stars. It touches the heart AND THUS BINDS IT.
Thich Nhat Hanh is the pocketbook version of ancient wisdom. Not literally the author himself. In a way one could say he was the words in the book, the pages and the mental formations while reading it. Most of Thich's books are short and easy. This does not betray the efforts of his translation as it is often very difficult to bridge certain gaps of understanding. Those of us in the West are notorious (mostly in theory) for lacking said understanding.
For me, perhaps it's a vision of nonduality, there is no version of wisdom that cannot be understood when plainly set. It's the shared humanity. The Heart of Understanding.
*mic drop for title drop*
Simple, overpriced read. I doubt the money is going directly to the author though. The wisdom is timeless and priceless so...Okay. This is a wrap. You already know if this stuff is your shindig. If you're on a journey, best of luck, and if you are just interested this is no where near a long read so give it a try.
See ya :D
(less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Caitlin Ball
Mar 04, 2021Caitlin Ball rated it it was amazing
While at first it seemed as if the writer was speaking in riddles to sound clever, the more I read the more sense it made. They spoke of the connectedness of life from a scientific standpoint. Comparing a rose to garbage and garbage to a rose. Explaining how they had equal value. I used to make a similar comparison as a child. Saying that we are no or less important than the smallest grain of sand. Though this book better explained the philosophy than I ever could. At first the science seemed reaching, but the more I read, the more it made sense. Science is one of my favorite areas of study and one of my favorite theories is that of the organic universe. Which this resonates with. Evil and good exist in tandem. The rich exist due to the poor and the poor exist due to the rich. It points out a balance in life and the interconnectedness of everything. The answer I was looking for was not fully here, but perhaps it was in part. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Andreea Ureche
Jun 15, 2018Andreea Ureche rated it really liked it
Small reminder of what we should think about as humans and how our heart needs to be healed with every breath we take. How we should take care of us and others, how we should spread love and kindness, how we should think before talk about others and how we should think that a rose indeed can come out of garbage and will go to garbage sooner or later and this makes garbage important too.
We should see the forest and what it is instead of checking up every tree.
An important lesson in simple and mindful words. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
