Customer Reviews

Transformation at the Base: Fifty Verses on the Nature of Consciousness

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While I agree with the other reviewers that the subject matter of this book is complex, my experience has been that upon completion, all the pieces fall into place with incredible grace. In a nutshell, we need to practice nourishing the seeds (content) of our consciousness--and unconsciousness--with mindfulness. Mindfullness is the sunshine that nourishes 'wholesome' seeds and enables the transformation of 'unwholesome' seeds, such as anger, envy and desire into peace, love and compassion. What then is mindfulness? Mindfulness is a continuous practice that includes meditation and an effort to live healthily and happily in the present moment, as opposed to regretfully in the past or fearfully in the non-existent future. Suffering occurs because our mind distorts our perceptions and we mistake perception for reality, arriving at erroneous conclusions about the people, places and events that surround us. Once we realize this and begin to achieve greater levels of mindfulness through practice and meditation, we can begin to transform suffering into joy. So, yes, while some of the ideas in this book are complex (such as the concept of interbeing) its essences is elegant in its simplicity.

Incidentally, my father was a Freudian Psychoanalyst and over the course of my life (45) I have spent many hours with him discussing the role of the unconscious in relation to our everyday impulses and actions. I also went through 5 years of intensive psychoanalysis as a young adult. The conceptual base presented in Understanding Our Mind is not altogether different from Freud's treatment of the unconscious. As the author himself points out, the main difference is that Freud emphasizes examining past events rather than transforming their manifestations as mental formations in the present (p.232). I am just now embarking on the path of practicing mindfulness, yet I have little doubt that it will surpass the results achieved through traditional psychoanalytic therapy.

This was a very unexpected book from a very practical teacher like Thich Nhat Hanh, whose books on mindful living continued to inspire me for the past more than ten years. Why, indeed, would he delve into complexities of one of the most elaborate and, dare I say, abstruse philosophies that Buddhism has produced - Yogacara, or the Mind Only school? Having an undue penchant for philosophical discourse, however, I readily grasped at the book, looking in it for an excuse for my passion for abstractions. And I found so much more than what I was looking for.
The key phrase for this book is given in the introduction: "When we understand how our mind works, the practice becomes easier". I was always fascinated by the way the mind works, especially after having read Schopenhauer's "On the fourfould foundation of the law of sufficient reason" (sorry, that's how terrible it sounds), which first revealed to me to what a great extent that which we consider to be 'objective reality' is actually shaped by our mind. Later on, I became interested in Zen/Chan, which doesn't really emphasize philosophical discourse on surface (although some of the most profound philosophical works have also been produced by Chan masters - for instance, Dongshan Liangjie). In this book by Thich Nhat Hanh, Chan meets philosophy again for me (philosophy in the Kantian sense - not as a metaphysical discourse, but as an investigation of the nature and limits of our perception and knowledge). For me, unfortunately, Zen practice continuously has to be supported by intellectual conviction that it is the right thing to do, or after some time I lose it. For those as unfortunate as I am, this is the right book. Even a few lines from it every day, like a medicine, will be a great help if you don't want to veer into the foggy-groggy existence that most of us lead. After all, isn't it cautioning us against this way of life what Thich Nhat Hanh devoted his lifetime to?
This book is as dense as any philosophical treatise may be, except for the fact that each sentence seems to be so incredibly well thought out as to have a practical application to one's life. The number of Sanskrit terms is incredible for Thich Nhat Hanh (there are a couple of pages where there are 50+ of them). But the difference between this work and some PhD dissertation on the Mind Only school is as vast as between heaven and earth, for this man lives what he's talking about, whereas most professors seem to be just churning words.
I agree with the above reviewer that this may be a life changing book. It has to be read very slowly, than probably read over and over again. Then you may go to the original works (which is what I intend to do), and I bet you'll read them with different eyes. But of course the key thing here is to view your life with different eyes.

As noted by another reviewer, this is not an easy book to read and it's not something to be tackled in large segments. Each of the fifty chapters should be closely examined and considered before moving on to the next. Sometimes, in the context of books on Eastern Philosopy, this is a result of translation or editing problems, however, with this book, it is simply a matter of an incredibly complex subject.

If you are curious about your mind and its ability to transform your world, you will really enjoy this book. If you want to understand meditative techniques, this book is an excellent resource as well. If you are contemplating the purchase of your first book on Buddhism, I would suggest another path, perhaps "Turning the Mind into an Ally," by Sakyong Mipham, which is by no means simple, but well-adapted to communicating with the Western Mind.

I read this book closely last year. It was one of those life-changing encounters with a book, the kind of encounter in which the words and images stay with you, unforgettable, for a long time afterward. Before reading this book, my encounters with Buddhism had been of the Zen variety. I knew nothing about the Manifestation Only school, or about any other schools of Buddhism, in fact. Zen had never particularly been my cup of tea. That is because I had never found any books on Zen that provided me with what I needed. I needed something that really went deeply into the psychology and phenomenology of Buddhist thought. This is that kind of book. This book is deep!

You will never regret the time you spend struggling to understand it. I can honestly tell you that the struggling will pay you back with amazing insights into this life. Inter-Being and Impermanence, No Birth, and No Death: These are truths that cannot be scoffed away by the casual cynic or self-righteous bamboozler. You will NOT come away from this book an enlightened being. But you WILL come away from it like you do when you've looked directly into the sun for a few seconds, and are forced to turn away, overwhelmed by the brightness. This is a book that will change your way of seeing the world, permanently, and for the better, if you let it!

For anyone seeking to ultimately transcend him/herself, Thich Nhat Hahn's explanation of our own human mind is, perhaps, the ultimate how-to guide. As some of the other reviewers have commented, this book does deal with some very complex ideas about "the self," consciousness, etc., but I hope that comment will not turn anyone away. I read this book over the course of the better half of a summer, and it has been transformational. The books is set up into digestible chapters that lead into and build on one another. The writing is simple and clear, and provides everyday examples to illustrate what the author is trying to convey.

The joy and discovery of this book is not simply in the reading of it; it's in patiently letting the words stew and simmer in your mind--letting yourself swim around a little in it--and then coming back to it. You will know when it is time to put the book down and let yourself think about things, and you will also know when to pick the book back up again. I carry this book in my purse. I read it on the subway, before and after meals, and on nice lazy weekend afternoons. I carry this book around like some do a bible, or the Dao de Jing.

I recommend this book if you are seeking ultimate peace in your life. Thich Nhat Hahn is a wonderful teacher. And, though you will be doing much of the "heavy lifting" yourself, if you can be gentle and patient with yourself--and yet persistant, you will ultimately find within yourself the ability to live freely, openly, lovingly, and peacefully. I promise you, this is the right direction.

This book is as simple and lucidly written as all of Thay's books.

It however contains a wealth of knowledge which can be only be read, digested, understood and experienced in small chunks spread over time.

The original title of the book was 'transformation at the base'.

Thay addresses the basics of how the mind works, how we are all creatures of habit and how transformation is possible 'only if' its at the base.

It has always struck me that the people who are the most nimble at
presenting complex topics simply are those with the most understanding
and the least ego. Propelled by interest, they present ideas with quiet
enthusiasm. In his generally much shorter books written in a poetic,
almost childlike voice, Thich Nhat Hanh consistently hints at the wealth of
Buddhist knowledge this book presents. The book outlines for me how very much more I stand to learn about this way of thinking, while allowing me in the meantime, ways to continue to practice fundamentals.

I have been exploring the teachings of the Buddha for over 10 years and Hanh's books have been a big part of my journey. This book is probably not suited for the beginner. It is also a book to be absorbed slowly. I will probably reread this in the future as I don't think I took away most of what this book has to offer.

Thich Nhat Hanh succeeds where others fail in writing a very understandable and clear work on the buddhist view of the mind. Highly recommended!

Finally a book on consiousness that isn't overcomplicated, isn't too hippified or too scholarly. Practical and precise. I find myself reading sections over and over every few weeks.