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Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
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Average Rating:  out of 87 Reviews
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Price: $15.00
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Sale: $8.25
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Manufacturer: Bantam
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780553351392
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
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Publisher: Bantam
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Dewey Decimal Number: 294.34448
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Publication Date: 1992-03-01
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Reading Level: 160
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Description: Thich Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. He'll go on and on with stories about tree-hugging or metaphors involving raw potatoes; he'll tell you how to eat mindfully, even how to breathe and walk; he'll suggest looking closely at a flower and to see the sun as your heart. As the Zen teacher Richard Baker commented, however, Nhat Hanh is "a cross between a cloud, a snail, and piece of heavy machinery." Sooner or later, it begins to sink in that Nhat Hanh is conveying a depth of psychology and a world outlook that require nothing less than a complete paradigm shift. Through his cute stories and compassionate admonitions, he gradually builds up to his philosophy of interbeing, the notion that none of us is separately, but rather that we inter-are. The ramifications are explosive. How can we mindlessly and selfishly pursue our individual ends, when we are inextricably bound up with everyone and everything else? We see an enemy not as focus of anger but as a human with a complex history, who could be us if we had the same history. Suffice it to say, that after reading Peace Is Every Step, you'll never look at a plastic bag the same way again, and you may even develop a penchant for hugging trees. --Brian Bruya
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: thought provoking |
Date: 2009-01-02 |
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Details: An easy to read well written focused book that touched me and made me think more clearly about daily living. |
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Review Summary: Disappointing |
Date: 2008-12-22 |
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Details: This book is disappointing. Hanh purports to offer helpful information and advice to individuals. He does that, sometimes skillfully, in the first two parts of the book. But, the reader will find in the last part that he is actually trying to put a guilt trip on Americans to raise money to help victims of the Vietnam war and to help the poor and downtrodden in underdeveloped countries. I'm all for helping the victims of war and for providing some aid to people in underdeveloped countries. But Hanh is dishonest in his approach because he says nothing to the people who are the causes of the problems.
Hanh blames Americans for damages done during the Vietnam War. But, China was the primary cause of the war because it backed and supported it. The war was only the most recent time in history when China and its allies conquered neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. One motivation that the U.S. had for engaging in that war was to stop the spread of communism. That goal is understandable since "communist" governments and movements had already killed many millions of people.
Hanh says that mindfulness will cause Americans to conclude that they should provide aid to war victims and the downtrodden around the world. But, other conclusions or questions could be also be reached as a result of mindfulness. I'll give some examples. Why didn't the Vietnamese people try to stop the spread of communism themselves? Why don't people in underdeveloped countries take action to rid themselves of the corrupt governments that are oppressing them? The United States should not have entered a limited war in China's backyard (Southeast Asia) if it wasn't willing to confront China. Why don't the people of Southeast Asia use mindfulness meditation to solve their own problems especially since mindfulness meditation originated in Asia? Hanh says nothing about these viewpoints. He was exiled from his own country after the war. He would have been imprisoned or killed if he had tried to return. Yet, nothing in his book is addressed to the Chinese, the government of Vietnam, the people of Vietnam, or to downtrodden people around the world.
I gave the book two stars for its first two parts. Some sections in the first two parts are, in my opinion, very good. Some are concise statements of what mindfulness meditation involves. Others give topics for meditation that are not arguable. However, some of Hanh's views seem immature. For example, he said that to understand an individual is to love them. If an individual is sadistic and dangerous, how am I to love that person? Maybe I could if being charitable is considered to be loving. Hanh leaves it to the reader to figure out how to love someone who is doing really bad things.
I'm not an expert on mindfulness meditation but I would recommend one other book on that subject over this one by Hanh. That book is Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is written from a non-religious perspective. If you are considering meditation for the first time, I suggest reading The Meditative Mind by Daniel Goleman. It gives a good overview of the subject. |
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Review Summary: A perfect, simple, approachable introduction to mindfulness |
Date: 2008-12-14 |
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Details: This book is simple and brief yet still manages to come to my mind nearly everyday, 6 years after I first read it. It is really a guide for everyone to be mindful every day; it shows how peace of mind is not a luxury nor unattainable without hours of silent meditation. If you are interested in the idea of meditation or finding a center for peace in your busy life, I recommend this book and this author wholeheartedly. If you are skeptical about meditation and mindfulness, I recommend this book and this author wholeheartedly. |
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Review Summary: Uplifting |
Date: 2008-12-02 |
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Details: This book is truly inspirational - no matter how crazy my day, my moment, my mind, I only have to randomly open this book to be filled with peace and mindfulness about what is real, about where to place myself in the moment. The world would be a much better place if we practiced Peace in Every Step....but if not the world, at least for you. I guarantee that you will find peace in this small treasure. |
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Review Summary: Peace is Within |
Date: 2008-09-04 |
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Details: Peace is within. How oft we realize, we don't need to find peace but need to meditate and look inside our very own souls. We find the solutions of the conflicts of our mind. The Author has well written the book - so clear and inspiring. The stories and parables, meditation tips are too useful and transforming tactics of inner self. Sometimes, one need to think out of the box and think positive. The Author teaches the wisdom of life with his own experiences and life life assertively by accepting who you are, what you are and accept the way god wants you to live. Walking for a while, having meals with family, appreciating the surroundings and whatever you get with a smile instead of nagging, keeping a cool to charge the emotional switchboard instead of getting on high temper and many more - all useful reading is provided by the Author that one can digest and understand. Everything is in the Mind and so, any individual need to think mindfully and accept life as it comes our way.
A Good Pick and all #### stars from me. Enjoy! |
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