True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart - Hardcover

Hanh, Thich Nhat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590301889 ISBN 13: 9781590301883

Publisher: Shambhala, 2004

Synopsis

In this little treasure, Thich Nhat Hanh offers a Buddhist view of love along with techniques for manifesting it in our daily lives. In his characteristically direct, simple, and compassionate style, he explores the four key aspects of love as described in the Buddhist tradition: lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and freedom.

In order to love in a real way, Thich Nhat Hanh explains, we need to learn how to be fully present in our lives. In True Love he offers readers the technique of conscious breathing as a method for synchronizing the mind and body to establish the conditions of love. He goes on to offer a mantra practice for generating love that consists of expressing four key statements or intentions in our relationships. These include: "Dear one, I am really there for you"; "Dear one, I know that you are there, and I am really happy about it"; "Dear one, I know that you are suffering, and that is why I am here for you"; and "Dear one, I am suffering, please help me."

In the concluding section of the book, Thich Nhat Hanh explains how love can help us to heal our own pain, fear, and negativity. He explains that we must not regard negative emotions as bad and repress them. We must recognize them as part of us and allow them into our consciousness, where they can be cared for by the "loving mother of mindfulness."

About this title

About the Author:

A Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh is an internationally known author, poet, scholar, and peace activist, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. He is the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Living Buddha, Living Christ; Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames; Peace Is Every Step; and The Miracle of Mindfulness. He has founded monastic communities in France, Vermont, and California and teaches actively around the world.

From AudioFile:

TRUE LOVE, by prolific author and Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh, feels somewhat like a Buddhist primer on how to love well. During the course of the two-hour reading by Buddhist practitioner James Gimian, the book covers the basics of mindfulness and how, with practice, it can help people develop greater compassion. Gimian's voice is slow and steady, a style that sometimes suits the spiritual attitudes that Hanh extols. But his presentation is often so flat it undermines the ideas with which Hanh wants to inspire his readers. Yet while Gimian starts his narration stiffly, he does warm up as he describes his beloved Buddhist tenets. His voice conveys the most varied tone as he relates Hanh's allegorical anecdotes of people who struggle to love. R.L.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Shambhala
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1590301889
• ISBN 13: 9781590301883
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 96