Thich Nhat Hanh’s Being Peace is a poet's heartfelt presentation of Buddhist teachings. More specifically, the text seeks to join "the great Buddhist schools of Theravada and Mahayana," according to Jack Kornfield, who added a new introduction to the book's 2005 edition.
The concise text spans seven chapters. We can create a detailed summary of the text by summing up each chapter in one sentence:
First, to be happy, we must meditate and make an effort to be in touch with life’s wonders.
Second, in our dangerous world, we find saviors in people who remain calm and spread peace, people who embody the three tenets of Buddhism:
Buddha, the awakened one; Dharma, the way of understanding and loving; and Sangha, the community that lives in harmony and awareness.
Third, we can exercise control over our own feelings to achieve happiness, and we must realize that our perceptions are not...
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always correct.
Fourth, through meditation, we find spiritual nourishment as we prepare to participate in society.
Fifth, we must be aware of human suffering and take action to work at the root of its causes.
Sixth, a new form of Buddhism, dubbed “Interbeing,” may take hold in the Western world, and it involves achieving understanding and compassion through self-knowledge; this form of Buddhism can be developed through mindfulness training of fourteen specific types.
Seventh, and finally, meditation must play an important role in our daily lives so that we can develop mindfulness and, therefore, reach our potential as members of the human race:
The bell of mindfulness is the voice of the Buddha calling us back to ourselves.
Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh is about making the world a better place. The author focuses on religion and discusses ways of changing the human state of mind. Furthermore, he discusses about mindfulness and the positive impact it can have on humanity.
Thich Nhat Hanh focuses on other topics such as pain, consciousness, nondualism, and other aspects of Buddhism. Furthermore, he uses several analogies to explain his points of view to the reader. Moreover, the author discusses how people can become happy and content with their lives.
Nhat Hanh enlightens the reader about the importance of meditation and ways of practicing it. In addition, other factors that the author claims will lead to a fulfilled life such as self-awareness are discussed in the book.