No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life [Paperback]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

Beloved Buddhist teacher and poet Thich Nhat Hanh offered the world much-needed words of calming wisdom in his previous book, Anger-a coast-to-coast bestseller in both hardcover and paperback.

Now, in a book both timely and timeless, he tackles a subject that has been contemplated by Buddhist monks and nuns for twenty-five hundred years-and an eternal mystery that touches us all: What is death? Through Zen parables, guided meditations, and personal stories, he explodes the traditional myths of how we live and die. Even more, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us a way to live a life unfettered by fear.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thich Nhat Hanh always invites us to look deeply, and he does so once again in No Death, No Fear. Recognizing interconnections, Nhat Hanh brings us to beginnings, how they depend on endings, and how they are but temporary manifestations. Everything endures, he says, but in different forms. And this isn't just a palliative to make us feel better for a while--Nhat Hanh's philosophy of Interbeing takes the long view, challenging us to open our eyes to subtle transformations. He shows how extraordinary things happen when we are fully present with others and at peace with ourselves, both of which require openness and deep looking. In his bestselling style of easy prose, compelling anecdotes, and pragmatic advice, Nhat Hanh gradually drains the force out of grief and fear, transforming them into happiness and insightful living. Death doesn't have to be a roadblock, and in No Death, No Fear Thich Nhat Hanh shows us the way around. --Brian Bruya --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Zen master Nhat Hanh turns his hard-earned wisdom as a survivor of war, persecution, and exile to the age-old dilemma of what happens when one dies. If the greatest fear is, as he suggests, that one becomes nothing, then how is one to live with this threat of complete annihilation? Using Buddhist parables and anecdotes, Nhat Hanh offers an alternative perspective. Buddhists see birth and death as mere concepts, not manifestations of reality. When someone dies, they are still with us, just in a different form. In this view, a continuation, a connection between people and nature persists because time is understood as being circular: nothing begins; nothing ends; it just is. Nhat Hanh's beliefs are certainly not for everyone, especially those who definitely feel most comfortable within the set rules and established doctrines of the Western traditions. Others may find his perspective on the ultimate mystery of the human condition refreshing, especially when it is expressed as calmly and matter-of-factly as Nhat Hanh expresses it. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573223336
• ISBN-13: 978-1573223331
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Death & Grief > Grief & Bereavement

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

127 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking deeply into death., September 19, 2002

By 

G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life (Hardcover)

Perhaps because I read this book shortly after the sudden, unexpected death of someone close to me, and after Thich Nhat Hanh's recent "day of mindfulness" here in Boulder, it touched me more deeply than any of Thay's previous books. In NO DEATH, NO FEAR, Thich Nhat Hanh succeeds once again at reducing a complex subject into a simple Buddhist teaching. Many of us would rather avoid the troubling subject of death. Thay observes that this is because we are afraid we will become nothing when we die. If we believe we cease to exist when we die, he says we are not looking deeply enough into death.

Death teaches us valuable lessons about impermanence and the interconnectedness (or "interbeing") of all things. In his characteristic style, the Vietnamese monk uses metaphors and simple illustrations to reveal that our human life is just a temporary manifestation, much like a wave on the ocean or a signal transformed into a song on the radio. By looking deeply into the everyday world in which we are interconnected with everything else, we may experience life without the fear of death.

G. Merritt

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book from the Zen teacher, September 7, 2003

By 

Adam Chen (Mercer Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life (Hardcover)

People have a hard time understanding why I love and respect a monk so much. But his writings are so clear, so pure and simple, uncluttered, that they make sense just to pick up and read like a regular book. The only difference between his books and a good story_book is that his books are about your Life and they require Practice. All of which requires joy too!

This wonderful teacher talks to us in this book about emptiness, a wonderful concept we are all learning in our own time. In it, he clearly states examples of emptiness or impermanence in ways that are directly the result of his own experience and observation. One gets the sense that he has shown us some truth about death and life, and how they interlink and come together in a ballet of pictures and words. He writes with true wisdom, and the only result is, indeed, comfort.

The spiritual life requires discipline. It requires a sense of purpose, and perhaps, motivation. But one thing I know is that it is not unbearable and uncomfortable as many would have you believe. Through his unique teachings, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us that there is no end and no beginning to things. If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, this book is as good as counseling.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peace at your core, December 22, 2005

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I am "my own caretaker" (in an eating disordered world) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life (Paperback)

I think there are so few reviews on this book because how can you put into words that which touches you so deeply? How can you relay the beauty of a flower or the beauty of a moment made just for you: in a picture? in a description? How can you truly relay in words something that is so much bigger?

There were several moments while reading this book where I just quietly and peacefully put the book down and just sat and tried to absorb it. You know this is something special when you are in the moment of reading the book and you know it is a special moment going on. Suddenly, everything makes sense. The entire human existence makes sense. All fear goes away. All self-doubt and worry... it all goes away.

And what comes in its place is peace. Security. A deeper understanding of how we got here and where we are going.

When I finished the book, I just put it down and peacefully absorbed it. My husband looked at me and asked, "What's wrong?" And I just looked at him, paused for a moment, and said, "I think I just got it." He asked what that meant. And I told him I couldn't explain it.

I "got" it.