Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book [Hardcover]

Monks and Nuns of Plum Village (Compiler), Thich Nhat Hanh (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Containing many chants, recitations, and ceremonial texts in print for the first time, Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book is the quintessential resource and reference book for monastic and lay practitioners in Thich Nhat Hanh's worldwide Sangha. It is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to celebrate life and practice the art of mindful living.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Plum Village, the renowned Buddhist training center near Bordeaux in France, has become a site of eager pilgrimage by Buddhists from diverse cultures and religious backgrounds. They come to participate in the community founded by Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh, the celebrated master who has taught at Columbia and Princeton and lectured to rapt audiences the world over. These chants and prayers are both helpful in their specificity and fascinating in their revelations about daily life at Plum Village. Included are prayers for annual rituals (such as celebrating the Buddha's birthday) alongside daily reflections on "hugging meditation" or the Three Jewels. Most of the prayers are derived from classical Buddhism and are often didactic in their explicit repetitions of core Buddhist teachings about compassion (some are meant to be recited by young Buddhists).

Despite the prayers' classical formulations, this book also reflects Thich Nhat Hanh's contemporary emphasis on ecumenism. "I see Buddha or Christ or the patriarchs and matriarchs as my teachers, and also as my spiritual ancestors," reads one prayer of gratitude. Such a commitment to finding interfaith common ground may be unusual in Buddhist chant, but it is not so odd for Thich Nhat Hanh, who has authored numerous bridge-building treatises on Christian-Buddhist dialogue, including "Living Buddha Living Christ" and "The Raft Is Not the Shore."

This practical, easy-to-use prayer book will assist both new and experienced Buddhists in claiming nirvana.

(Beliefnet, Sept. 2000) -- From Beliefnet

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Vietnamese

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Parallax Press (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938077910
• ISBN-13: 978-0938077916
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Much-Needed Collection for Students of Thich Nhat Hanh, September 26, 2000

By 

Christopher R Stamey (St Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book (Hardcover)

Followers of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh have always felt close to this kind and gentle teacher. In this compilation of Buddhist chants and ceremonies used at his community of Plum Village, we are given a chance to participate in the meritous work of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and, of course, the Buddha. Whether or not we are able to visit Plum Village in person, I feel this book will provide a crucial and nurturing link to that holy place. More detailed instructions for the ceremonies would be a nice, but the book is structured along the lines of a traditional book of common prayer, so it is not necessarily within its scope to provide lengthy instruction. A note about form: the language is mostly traditional, which might strike some western Buddhists as narrow. Hopefully, those familiar Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh's teaches will understand that he never advocates a strictly traditional, rigid understanding of ancient Buddhist concepts. All in all, this is a very useful and beautiful volume written and compiled by a loving community.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daily practice guide, July 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent guide to your daily practice and also has some ceremonies that can be used for special occasions. The hardcover book is beautifully bound and has two practical red ribbon markers to help you find your place. Sheet music is included with many of the chants and a companion CD, "Chanting Breath by Breath with the Monks and Nuns of Plum Village," is also now available as of Spring 2003. Enjoy!