Reviews

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thích Nhất Hạnh

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stphfrmn's review against another edition

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

This is one of my first reads into Buddhism and I found it both approachable and inspiring. The text is easy to understand and informative. And it certainly made me think.

loowee's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

tiagodalloca's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.25

jkdavis1026's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75

ancientolive's review against another edition

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informative

5.0

TNH is an incredible teacher, and his explanations make Buddhism approachable and actionable. I reread parts of this book often, and refer to it to help me understand the teachings of of monks and nuns. It is a wonderful book to have on hand.

zenpigeon's review against another edition

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5.0

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is a reference book in the disguise of a laid back commentary of the Buddha's teachings. It starts out very smooth and easy to digest through the application of useful explanations of buddhist concepts, but by the end it's a tough continuous return to concepts discussed in earlier chapters with with more nuance. It's definitely a book that should not be read front to back as it exhaustively repeats itself. However I have to admit, even with the repetition beating me over the head, some of the deeper concepts were just not accessible to me at this time.

Overall, the book had a tremendous impact on me and it's definitely a book I keep returning to when my life needs to be recalibrated. The first half of the book is the star for being so practical and easy to apply to daily life. The latter half is philosophy that needs meditation to unlock its inner meaning (very tough to get through).