The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation

First, I want to make a distinction between what I’d like to call ‘cultural Buddhism’ and ‘secular Buddhism’. Secular Buddhism, much like secular Christianity, is a distilled version of cultural Buddhism made to fit the vogues of our society. Offensive elements are purged, unreasonable stories and p......more

I loved this book. I think I love Buddhism, but please, please, please, don't make me take a test on it. When I decided I wanted to know more about Buddhism, it was because of my developing interest in yoga. I can't tell you how exactly Buddhism is related to yoga, but it surely is. First of all, I f......more

If you're looking for an erudite, comprehensive overview of mainstream Buddhist thought, "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" is an adequate choice, but prepare for a long, hard slog. Thich Nhat Hanh is at his best when he's telling stories from his own life— his time in Vietnam during the war, or s......more

Thich Nhat Hanh 's book is hard to rate for a variety of reasons having to do with its laudable accomplishments and/but embarrassing shortcomings. His scholarship is undeniable: each section of the book is organized, each concept is fleshed out and Nhat Hanh goes through great lengths to interweave......more

This is an excellent book to read to understand the core fundamentals of Buddhism. It covers the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, in a good amount of detail. It also goes further than that, drawing on key concepts which are common to most variants of Buddhism. I liked the fact on how Thich......more