Breathe! You Are Alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing (Paperback)

by Thich Nhat Hanh (Author) "I heard these words of the Buddha one time when he was staying in Savatthi in the Eastern Park, with many well-known and accomplished disciples,..." (more)
Key Phrases: young bhikshus, practiced continuously, mental formations, Full Awareness of Breathing, Four Establishments of Mindfulness, Four Jhanas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Breathe! You Are Alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing is a new and revised edition of the Buddha's most important and basic teachings on meditation. Thich Nhat Hanh presents three translations of The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing (Anapanasati) from the Pali and the Chinese. In his commentaries, Thich Nhat Hanh outlines the methods of conscious breathing taught by the Buddha and offers exercises for practicing them today. These commentaries give the reader access to the profound nourishment available when we slow down and get in touch with our in-breath and our out-breath. Breathe! You Are Alive is an essential addition to any library Buddhism collection. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Description
Breathe! You Are Alive offers the Buddha's sixteen basic exercises for conscious breathing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Parallax Press; Revised edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938077937
• ISBN-13: 978-0938077930
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #492,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for the meditating practitioner, June 8, 2000

By	ronald p mccraw ll (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This sutra (along with the four foundations of mindlfullness) is a text on how to utilize mediatation to become enlightened. I keep this book next to my bed so I can read a passage from time to time to reinforce my meditation practice. These days there are so many books on how to meditate, why not read a book on meditation by a a master from 2600 years ago translated by one of the modern day living representation of the same master.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Calm down, January 28, 2002

By	absent_minded_prof (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

I myself am not really a Buddhist. I do find myself leaning in that direction, more and more, in a lot of ways -- but Buddhist beliefs are not a prerequisite for benefitting from this book. Whether you are a Buddhist or not, there's a lot to be gained from working through the exercises included herein. The value of this book to me, is the way it combines mindfulness with breathing.

Awareness guiding the body to calm, can lead the body to reciprocally calm the mind, in an ongoing cycle. If you wish to make this cycle part of your daily existence, this book can really help.

If you come to value this book, and are looking for similar techniques, ideas, etc., I would like to recommend "The Quiet Mind" by White Eagle, or "The Relaxation Response" by Dr. Herbert Benson.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet , Profound...Appropriate for the Novice or the Pro!, September 11, 2006

By	D. Buxman "A Seeker of Truth" (Pueblo, CO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Whether you've been meditating for a week or 25 years, this book provides profound methods for a progressive meditation practice in a very small package. At just over 100 pages, Breathe, You Are Alive, walks the reader through a sixteen part progression of awareness from the physical plane, through the mental and spiritual planes in a clear and concise manner that is easy to implement. Be warned that enlightenment is not just a hundred page book away, but if you want to make real progress on the path, this book is a good investment.