Silence

January 12, 2015
Each of Nhat Hanh's many books tweaks his simple but profound messageâmindfulnessâto address an acutely perceived need in contemporary society. Here the famed Vietnamese Zen master and activist (perhaps best known for Peace Is Every Step) addresses physical and mental noise, fostered in particular by dependence on technologyâsmartphones, email, video games, television, social media. "Our need to be filled up with one thing or another all the time is the collective disease of human beings in our era," he writes. The alternative of cultivating inner silence addresses the hunger for real connection that electronic devices promise but fail to provide. Nhat Hanh's always inspiring wisdom is conveyed skillfully through clear explanations, stories, and practices. However, he includes a startling four pages on a Vietnamese colleague's self-immolation in the 1960s ("I tell this story not because I think you should do something this drastic, but simply to illustrate the power of silent action") that could be troubling for some who pick up this book for encouragement in the face of suffering or despair. The text's wide spacing and distracting pull quotes set in large type bump up the page count of a very short book. Despite these flaws, the book is a compelling presentation of Nhat Hanh's core teaching.

May 15, 2015

This offering is the latest from popular and beloved Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and writer Hanh (Peace Is Every Step and The Miracle of Mindfulness). Here he acknowledges the buzz of noise, internal and external, that fills our lives, interfering with mindfulness and insight. He offers numerous techniques and meditations that aim to cultivate silence and stillness, even in the most chaotic settings. This silence, he says, will help seekers to hear the "true sounds" that come from the Bodhisattva (one who is on the path to enlightenment) trait of deep listening, bringing personal freedom and truer connection with others. VERDICT While not intended to be a reader's first guide to Buddhism, Hanh's newest title is a graceful contribution to contemporary Buddhist literature and one of the author's finest works.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2016
With his hallmark accessibility, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (Peace Is Every Step, 1991; You Are Here, 2010) guides readers through the attributes and restorative powers of seeking and caring for silence. Brief chapters offer snippets of his daily life in a French monastery and events recalled across a life that goes back to Vietnam along with practical guidance for finding and maintaining daily silence in the contemporary world. In addition to addressing the issues of maintaining online connections, technology's noises, and urban life's demands, he focuses readers on the need for and how to achieve silence in the mind. Practicing mantras in lieu of discursive thinking is described as offering inner peace and a reconnection to the body in its physical engagements, such as walking, eating, and talking. A powerful piece from an insightful and gentle guide who understands how to reach a broad Western audience through social media. Thich Nhat Hanh again shows how his brilliance shines in writing by demonstrating the eloquence of simplicity. For all collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)