Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Paperback)

~ Thich Nhat Hanh (Author), Annabel Laity (Translator) "The Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, and The Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to..." (more)
Key Phrases: abandoned internal formation, new internal formation, produced internal formation, Four Establishments of Mindfulness, Five Aggregates, Five Obstacles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Three versions of the Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness are presented here, along with Thich Nhat Hanh's insightful commentary and twenty-three exercises—or contemplations—to aid in the practice of mindfulness in daily life. Transformation and Healing teaches how to deal with anger and jealousy, to nurture the best qualities in our children, spouse, and friends, and to greet death with compassion and equanimity.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Vietnamese

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Parallax Press (August 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938077341
• ISBN-13: 978-0938077343
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #188,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guidance on mindfulness, February 17, 2002

By	Richard Harrold (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thich Nhat Hanh's structure of how he presents and reviews the suttas of the Pali cannon is very easy to follow and broken down into manageable portions. For a novice Buddhist like myself, I find this format very helpful. So many other discussions on the suttas make my head spin!

In this text, as in others, the sutta in its entirety is presented in the Therevada translation. He then follows this with a section by section explanation of what the sutta means and how to apply it. The last sections of the book include other translations of the sutta, which are quite interesting because you see how these translations change sometimes the meaning of the sutta.

This book is very helpful for beginning meditators as well because it gives you the basics of breathing and how to use your breathing for meditation and contemplation. Once you master one step, the sutta provides you with the next step to take. I am so happy I have found this and the other books by Thich Nhat Hanh. My life is already the better for it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short, to the point, well written. Exactly what you want., July 18, 2006

By	Steven J. Bissell (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is the author's presentation of the Satipatthana Sutra, the basic sutra on mindfullness. As in all of his works he does the work of a good Dharma teacher very well. He keeps his own personality and teaching idiosyncrasies out of the way so that the student's understanding can arise naturally. There are more elaborate and academic descriptions of the Sutra available and more detailed descriptions of how to use the Sutra in meditation. But this is good basic information presented in a good manner with no frills or personal quirks. The author gives a good commentary on the Sutra and explains why he translates certain passages, but he also gives the alternate interpretations.

This is a fine basic introduction to the central issue in Vapassana meditation. Highly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No one does it better, August 13, 2006

By	Douglas H. Eckhoff "Dharma Bum" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

No one explains the essential elements of Buddhism bettter Thich Nhat Hanh. Here he continues to examine the basic teachings of meditation as taught by the Buddha and handed down through the Pali Canon. A perfect companion to his book, Breathe! You Are Alive, this work carefully explains for both the novice and more experienced pratitioner the nuances of deeper mediatation techniques as laid out in the Satipatthana Sutta. Thich Nhat Hanh writes with clarity and and makes the joy of meditation accessable to everyone with the desire find true happiness.