Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions [Paperback]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

For many people, one key question prevents them from taking the next step in their personal development, the development of their spiritual practice, or their journey toward self-knowledge. Answers from the Heart collects 50 of these important and heartfelt questions posed to Thich Nhat Hanh by his students and participants in his retreats, along with his often surprising answers. The exchanges are divided into six thematic sections — Daily Life, Living and Dying, Engaged Buddhism, Mindfulness Practice, Family and Relationships, and Children's Questions — and combine practical, immediately applicable suggestions with ideas for further study and contemplation. The questions are from all ages and interest groups and provide a lively glimpse into the connection between students and their teacher. Hanh's answers condense 2,500 years of Buddhist wisdom into individual answers that shine with clarity and that summarize his own remarkable insight based on a lifetime of practice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Parallax Press (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888375825
• ISBN-13: 978-1888375824
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk, a renowned Zen master, a poet, and a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and pointed, August 16, 2009

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Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions (Paperback)

Hanh once again takes complex ideas and makes them understandable, reachable, and useful.(Aside from the wisdom, his books are a model of clear thinking and thus clear writing.) The Q and A format is an especially useful teaching tool and I suggest ,if a reader is unfamilar with his work, to start with this book.It lays the foundations.I found the parts on dealing with the future("the present moment contains both past and future. The only material the future is made of is the present. Handling the present moment with all your attention...is already building a future."),as well as his comments on how to integrate the Buddha's teaching into our work lives, to be especially useful and inspiring.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely insightful and invaluable supplement to any Buddhist studies collection, July 11, 2010

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions (Paperback)

Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions presents the direct, honest wisdom of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk whose efforts to promote peace and reconciliation earned him a nomination for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize. Answers from the Heart draws upon the teachings of Buddhism, and the value of mindfulness in daily practice, in its responses to fifty of the most common questions that Hanh has had to respond to. "When you ask whether it's all right to end our lives if our lives have become unbearable, I say we should first try to get help. We can't be dogmatic about euthanasia; we have to examine each case. Sometimes we have to help a person to die, because their suffering is so intense it would be against the practice of compassion if we let them continue to suffer. But it should be done with the collective insight of the doctors, the families, and the person concerned..." An absolutely insightful and invaluable supplement to any Buddhist studies collection, Answers from the Heart is thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, and highly recommended.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars answers from the heart, June 5, 2009

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Cynthia L. Briggs "butterfly" (chula vista) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions (Paperback)

I really love the author. It always makes me feel more happy and peaceful after I read his books.