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

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).