Peace of Mind: Becoming Fully Present

i love thich, and he seems to realy love tea.<br />this is the third book i've read by him, and i have to admit, they are all blending into one, but it's a really good one - full of wisdom and sweetness.

some quotes I wanted to save<br /><br />1. "There is the energy of pain, but there is also the energy of mindfulness that is embracing the pain. Those who don't know how to practice allow the pain to overwhelm them or they try to run away from the pain by bringing in something else to cover up the painful feeling. It may be eating something, listening to music; doing anything not to be confronted with the suffering inside...We have to be in touch with our pain in order to have an opportunity to heal the pain" (64).<br /><br />2. "In the beginning we may not know where our suffering has come from, but because we're able to recognize and hold it tenderly, we suffer less already...If you're depressed, you may not know why that depression has come. It's as though it's come from out of the blue. But everything has its source, its roots" (66).<br /><br />3. "We have to breath in and look deeply into the object of our craving and see the many dangers hidden within it. Running after that particular object of your craving may destroy your body and your mind" (74).<br /><br />4. "If you're in a state of dispersion, you are lost. The thinking we do in this kind of state is very seldom beneficial. Thinking can be productive and good. But most of our thinking is not productive" (92).<br /><br />5. "Instead of panicking or giving ourselves up to despair, we can put our trust in the power of self-healing, self-understanding, and loving within us. We call this the island within ourselves in which we can take refuge" (106).<br /><br />6. "When there's an emotional storm going on inside you, don't get stuck up there in your head where thoughts are racing through. Stop the thinking. Go down and embrace the trunk of your body, down at the level of the abdomen" (117).<br /><br />7. "We have the right and the capacity to be happy at every moment. If we can do that, we don't need to stress ourselves by trying to attain anything else" (148).<br /><br />8. "When you take good care of yourself and reduce the suffering in yourself, you are helping other people" (154).

I felt like this book maybe had 2 points and just repeated it over and over again throughout every chapter using different words.<br />It just didn't inspire or enlighten me in the way I had hoped and wouldn't recommend it to anyone if I'm honest.<br />Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with what it is trying to teach the reader I just felt like the teachings could have been described in more detail and in a more inspirational way? I don't know it just wasn't what I expected.

This is a brief, but wonderful book with lots to teach. I finished it with about 20 earmarked pages to go back and review as I try to incorporate some of the lessons into daily life.

I will read this book again <br /><br />Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in<br />Breathing out, I know I’m breathing out<br /><br />Breathing in, I follow my in-breath<br />Breathing out, I follow my out-breath<br /><br />Breathing in, I’m aware of my whole body<br />Breathing out, I’m aware of my whole body<br /><br />Breathing in, I release the tension in my body<br />Breathing out, I release the tension in my body<br /><br /><br />I have arrived. I am home<br />In the here, in the now<br />I am solid. I am free<br />In the ultimate, I dwell<br /><br />I hope that by the next time I read it I will no longer be making myself a prisoner of my past nor a prisoner of my future.<br /><br />Update! I read it a second time<br />I allowed it to be more impactful than the first time<br />Practical <br />Applicable <br />I may be transformed

I have been reading and absorbing this book for a long time and will probably continue to do so. If I could only follow Thich Nhat Hanh's advice, I know I would be a lot happier. The blurb on the front by Rick Hanson says, "You could spend the rest of your life reading and rereading this deceptively simple book, it is that deep." I totally agree with this statement. Since I started reading this book, I have been trying harder to be mindful (even as I type this review). It is not necessary to sit still and do a formal meditation. Eating, walking, cleaning, gardening, etc. can all be forms of meditation if done mindfully. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants peace of mind.

I adored this book. It was a constant comfort and its beautiful voice helped me return to the present simply by reading it. It flows and its method of repetition helps to establish the thoughts and methods of meditation. As someone who suffers from anxiety and being present this has been a delight. I can't wait to read again.

I really want to give this book more than two stars, but alas I cannot.<br /><br />I think this is the 3rd book by Thich Nhat Hanh that I have read. I found my experience to be like the other two.<br /><br />However I am thinking the problem is me, as the majority of people gush over his books. Don't get me wrong, each one that I have read has had some real pearls of insight that make you stop and take notice. Yet I always find his books to be repetition of what was written in the first couple of chapters. My eyes start to glaze over. I think the length could be reduced by at least half.<br />

"We are like a boat crossing the ocean. If the boat encounters a storm and everyone panics, the boat will turn over. If there is one person in the boat who can remain calm, that person can inspire other people to be calm."

Noe av dette kan gjerne virke fremmedgjørende, forenklende, men jeg tar med meg så mange fine ting fra denne boken. Som dette bildet av et tre i vinden:<br /><br />«When taking care of a strong emotion, don’t allow yourself to dwell at the level of your head, of your thinking. Bring your awareness down to your abdomen, just below the navel. Become aware only of the rising and fall of your abdomen. Stick to this, and you will be safe. It’s like a tree standing in a storm. When you look at the top of the tree, you see that the upper branches and leaves are swaying violently back and forth in the wind. You may have the impression that the tree is going to be broken or blown away. But when you direct your attention to the trunk of the tree, you see that part of the tree is not swaying, you see that the tree is firmly and deeply rooted, and you have a different feeling. You know the tree is going to withstand the storm. When there’s an emotional storm going on inside you, don’t get stuck up there in your head where thoughts are racing through. Stop the thinking. Go down and embrace the trunk of your body, down at the level of the abdomen. […] As long as you maintain mindful breathing and keep your attention only on the rising and falling of your abdomen, you are safe. You may need to do this for twenty minutes or so. But if you stay with it, the insight will come that you are much more than one emotion.<br /><br />With this practice you can survive a powerful emotion very easily. But don’t wait until that emotion comes to begin doing the practice. You’ll naturally forget. You have to begin training in it right now. If every day you practice mindful abdominal breathing for five or ten minutes, you’ll naturally remember to practice when the emotion comes, and you’ll survive the emotion very easily. And each time that happens, you’ll have more and more confidence that the next time a strong emotion comes along, you will not be afraid anymore, because you know how to handle it.”<br /><br />Syns dette bildet av treet er så flott og treffende.<br />Det kan jo være utfordrende å holde fokus på pusten, om tanker kommer - la de komme og gå igjen; hver gang man mister fokuset, vende tilbake igjen til pusten. Dette kunne det gjerne vært litt mer om i boken, slik at alle blir møtt der de er? Men han skriver jo at det er en øvelse, og det er det jo!<br /><br />Har også lastet ned appen Plum Village pga. denne boken, hvor de har en beroligende klokke som lyder hvert 15. minutt – som man for eksempel kan ta på når man jobber/ andre ting. Klokken minner på om at – hei, jeg har en kropp – minner om å avspenne, puste godt, være i kroppen. Som Thich Nhat Hanh skriver: «As you go about your day, you may forget that you have a body. Are you truly alive during those hours? Or are you alienated from your body, your mind not with your body, during that time? We need to practice going back to our breathing and coming back to our body as much as we can during the day.” JAaaaa???<br /><br />Kommer til å komme tilbake til denne boken igjen og igjen, godt å ha den stående i bokhyllen kjenner jeg