Zen expert Thich Nhat Hanh provides soothing tales and useful exercises in this elegant and clear manual to help readers develop their mindfulness. He reminds us that every moment—from doing the dishes to picking up the phone to peeling an orange—offers a chance to strive for more self-awareness and tranquillity.
Generations of readers looking to learn about stress management and mindfulness have treasured Thich Nhat Hanh’s profound insights and teachings. The Miracle of Mindfulness continues to be a potent remedy for the increasingly overwhelming environment we live in.
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About the Author
A Vietnamese monk, poet, peace campaigner, and well-known Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh lived from 1926 to 2022. In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. He wrote several books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness. He formed a tiny community of monks in France called Plum Village, where he remained in exile until his death in 2022.
Review
An ideal state of awareness is described in this book. However, I’m so far from that ideal condition that I wish I had a book—an instruction manual, really—that would provide me detailed exercises and guidance to give my journey into mindfulness a more firm start.
The book might be helpful in explaining what one should aim for and the amazing rewards that come from achieving those goals. It gives you instructions, but for someone like me, attempting to meditate makes me a little restless. It serves as a reminder to breathe throughout, which is crucial, but I find it difficult to develop the habit of breathing correctly.
It discusses observation. You notice that a nasty notion has entered your thoughts. I’m making every effort to grasp that one. The book has a “revealed truth” feel to it, but the author, a good-hearted man, seems to wish to assist readers in dealing with life’s everyday challenges as well as its negative aspects.
For instance, it will state that eating is all you do. You’re not a reader. You don’t watch television. You simply consume food. I have spent decades of my life reading and eating. I noticed more about the meal and it tasted better when I tried just eating.
However, the book or newspaper at my elbow calls me with a beguiling charm. I ought to have more patience. Amazon had very competitive pricing.
Addendum for April 14, 2013: Over the past nine months, I’ve learnt a lot more about mindfulness. I followed the course’s instructions and did yoga and meditation. I tackle this from a secular standpoint.
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I’ve accomplished a lot, but I still have a lot more to do to reach my goals. Right now, I’m reading Lidia Zylowski’s The Mindfulness Prescription, which is also accessible on Amazon. For those like myself who are still beginners, it is far more focused—exercises, process insights, etc.
(A CD with guided workouts is included.) I attempt, but frequently fall short, to practice yoga and meditation once a day. I have no doubt that this has made it easier for me to handle the types of situations that we all face. More significantly, I have faith that I will carry on doing this for the remainder of my life and that my life will continue to improve, although slowly.
As I stated in my earlier evaluation, I found the recommendation to just observe a negative thought perplexing. I now see that mindfulness training, which is continuous, acknowledges that you will have unpleasant memories and future concerns. Imagine them while you wait for the track to be clear—a freight train full of boxcars passing past.
Never board one of those box carriages. Simply let them go. By focusing on the past, you cannot alter it or have an impact on the future. You must live in the here and now. The idea that your mind is meant to wander is maybe the most crucial lesson to learn about meditation. Your ability to gently and nonjudgmentally guide your thoughts back to the breathing or whatever the practice requires is what gives meditation its strength.
Being mindful Formal meditation is not the only way to meditate. It’s what you do all day long. Waiting forever in the doctor’s office? The inconvenience is something you can annoy yourself with. In a crowded waiting area, you can also close your eyes or concentrate on a point on the wall and do your best meditation.
Breathe and keep bringing your thoughts back to the here and now as they stray. It’s far more enjoyable than reading the tattered, three-year-old sports illustrated. I’m not into the New Age. Instant satisfaction does not exist. This is about a pragmatic lifestyle that has been developed over ages in the East.
Finally, take action without considering why you should. All of this has an intellectual foundation. Its efficacy has been demonstrated by science. Don’t spend time waiting till you fully comprehend the practice. Don’t expect significant advancements. Make the decision to adopt a new lifestyle. You will improve with time if you have patience.
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Summary
Thich Nhat Hanh, a novice monk at Tu Hieu Pagoda monastery in Hue, Vietnam, faced the challenge of cleaning dishes for around one hundred other monks in the 1940s. The monastery’s kitchen was equipped with hot running water, soap, and scourers, allowing the monks to quickly complete the task.
However, the author views these modern upgrades as a problem for today’s novice dishwashers. He believes that doing dishes simply because they want them to be clean is the wrong approach. He believes that cleaning dishes purely for the sake of cleaning them is the right way to wash up.
Hurrying through the task without being fully alive is not the right approach. Instead, we should be fully conscious and mindful of our bodies, movements, and thoughts, allowing us to appreciate the wonder of life. The Sutra of Mindfulness, an ancient Buddhist text, teaches that we must be fully conscious and mindful of our actions at any given moment.