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49th out of 175 books
—
72 voters
No Death, No Fear
With hard-won wisdom and refreshing insight, Thich Nhat Hanh confronts a subject that has been contemplated by Buddhist monks and nuns for twenty-five-hundred years—and a question that has been pondered by almost anyone who has ever lived: What is death? In No Death, No Fear, the acclaimed teacher and poet examines our concepts of death, fear, and the very nature of existe...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
August 5th 2003
by Riverhead Trade
(first published August 5th 2002)
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One may adequately summarize the central theme of this 2002 book by listening to the song "We'll Meet Again" and reflecting on Mustafa's closing remark from PARTY GIRL: "I think this is a garden and we are all flowers." However, I don't usually read Buddhist monks' books for deep mental stimulation; I read them because the artful simplicity of their prose and the sonorous repetition of their ideas has a calming effect. Reading NO DEATH, NO FEAR delivers, I suspect, the same benefits as meditatio...more
I use the charming stories in this book for my own classes. Of all the books on my bookshelf about Buddhism and emptiness, this is the one I turn to when I need to come back home. Simply told, clearly described, and gently narrated, the charming stories that enhance the main body of the book convey the beauty of this changing universe that we are all a part of. By "looking deeply," we see the miracle that is right before us. We see that although it is ever-changing and forever unfolding into som...more
2 likes · like · see review
Well, it has happened. I have reached the point in my life where death lurks closer and reaches out more frequently. This is not a happy topic; not many of us are calm in the face of it. But I am nearing 50 as my parents approach 80. "Guess who died?" has become a conversational staple with a huge cast of players. I think back to the neighbors I grew up with...and most of the adults of my childhood are gone. I have lost friends and classmates and colleagues. And then there are the celebrity deat...more
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meskipun buku ini bahasanya agak berat tapi sungguh memberi siraman semangat agar kita terus meningkatkan kesadaran kita hingga akhirnya kita bisa melihat arti hidup dengan lebih jernih...
menurut saya, sebaiknya buku ini tidak hanya dibaca sekali dua kali tapi mesti berkali kali dan terlebih lagi buku ini tidak akan memberi arti apa pun jika kita hanya berhenti pada membaca tanpa praktek langsung karena seperti disampaikan oleh sang penulis bahwa buku ini hanya berisi kumpulan konsep jadi kuncin...more
menurut saya, sebaiknya buku ini tidak hanya dibaca sekali dua kali tapi mesti berkali kali dan terlebih lagi buku ini tidak akan memberi arti apa pun jika kita hanya berhenti pada membaca tanpa praktek langsung karena seperti disampaikan oleh sang penulis bahwa buku ini hanya berisi kumpulan konsep jadi kuncin...more
This book was recommended by a teacher who responded to my interest in gaining more acceptance of death. This book was reassuring that death is not the end but a continuation much like birth. For us to be fully present and be at peace with ourselves life is more dooable. There is no need to worry or regret by just living where we are in the here and now. Thich Khat Hahn writes that everything continues but in different forms thus there is no ending. Are we the same person that we were when we we...more
If you’re familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh’s work, there isn’t much in here that will be new to you. A quick summary: Hanh explains that our ideas of birth and death, being and non-being are just that, ideas. Constructs. For example, before each of us was “born,” we existed in our ancestors, and when conditions became sufficient, we were “manifest” in our current form. “That moment of childbirth is only a moment of continuation,” he writes. “…Instead of birth and death, there is only continuing tra...more
I lost my Mom just over 2 years ago, and have been thinking about death quite often ever since. I think that's a normal reaction to the loss of a loved one, especially someone as close to me as she was, but the thoughts of death were beginning to turn into an unhealthily obsession. Dark, frightening, sad and lonely. I decided to do a Google search on books about death, and was very fortunate to have found this one.
This book is simple and beautiful. The analogies are incredible. It changed my vie...more
This book is simple and beautiful. The analogies are incredible. It changed my vie...more
This book was amazing. Although I am familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh's work, I have never read a complete piece of his.
Given to me about 10 years ago after my father passed away suddenly, I am only completing it now. Funny how books come into your life, or you are able to sit down with them, at precisely the right moment.
Wow. It had a very natural flow to it and in the last chapter brings it full circle beautifully. There is no death, and therefore no fear. I am a practicing meditator and read qui...more
Given to me about 10 years ago after my father passed away suddenly, I am only completing it now. Funny how books come into your life, or you are able to sit down with them, at precisely the right moment.
Wow. It had a very natural flow to it and in the last chapter brings it full circle beautifully. There is no death, and therefore no fear. I am a practicing meditator and read qui...more
Well...it was a gift to me when my dearly beloved Papi passed on, from Paul T., who gave it to me and said he hoped it would give me solace.
I couldn't read much of it right then, but as the days and weeks passed, I felt the peace of wisdom from this "simple monk", and the realization that we are not born and we do not die indeed still brings me peace to this day, when I remember.
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches with simple stories and Buddhist philosophy ideas of profundity without a hint of "know it al...more
I couldn't read much of it right then, but as the days and weeks passed, I felt the peace of wisdom from this "simple monk", and the realization that we are not born and we do not die indeed still brings me peace to this day, when I remember.
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches with simple stories and Buddhist philosophy ideas of profundity without a hint of "know it al...more
Beautiful! I found that if I read a whole lot of chapters in one sitting as I usually do when I read, it seemed repetitive and could be viewed as not much different than dime-store self-help fodder as some Goodreads reviewers have noted. Instead, I discovered it's best to approach this as a book of meditations. Read one chapter, slowly, and let it resonate with you for a while before moving on. A chapter a day would be a good method. When taken in that context, the repetitive nature of his metap...more
Oct 22, 2007
Chanita.Shannon
marked it as to-read
Thich Nhat Hanh always invites us to look deeply, and he does so once again in No Death, No Fear. Recognizing interconnections, Nhat Hanh brings us to beginnings, how they depend on endings, and how they are but temporary manifestations. Everything endures, he says, but in different forms. And this isn't just a palliative to make us feel better for a while--Nhat Hanh's philosophy of Interbeing takes the long view, challenging us to open our eyes to subtle transformations. He shows how extraordin...more
A short but insightful read. As with most books that deal with concepts and ideals, this book can appear at first glance to be deceptively simple. Yet I think that if you take the time to digest the message then it can prove quite provocative.
Not a book for the casual read, more something that you want to site down and read extensively while having the time to ponder more deeply what is between the lines. It is also a book that you will be able to return to any number of times, read again and st...more
Not a book for the casual read, more something that you want to site down and read extensively while having the time to ponder more deeply what is between the lines. It is also a book that you will be able to return to any number of times, read again and st...more
I love all of Thich Nhat Hanh's books, but this one was especially moving.
Also I had a nice "ah ha" moment while reading this book. My name is Jennifer, which means "white wave," which I always thought was a really lame name meaning. But in his book, he used the metaphor of an ocean wave to explain our earth life in relation to our eternal existence, and now I love my name meaning!
Also I had a nice "ah ha" moment while reading this book. My name is Jennifer, which means "white wave," which I always thought was a really lame name meaning. But in his book, he used the metaphor of an ocean wave to explain our earth life in relation to our eternal existence, and now I love my name meaning!
May I give this book 6 stars? I've read it several times and am comforted by it each time. It usually causes me to walk around the world saying to myself "I am that rock. I am that cloud. I am that man waiting for his bus." etc, and feeling great joy at the epiphany and hoping no one is watching me and the goofy expression on my face. Just thinking about Thich Nhat Hanh makes me smile.
Despite the fact that parts of this book were incredibly repetitive - even by TNH standards - there are some very good meditations here on death, life and everything in between. In particular, the Touching the Earth meditations were very thought provoking. TNH's writings generally lend themselves to fitting in with other faith traditions and this one is no exception.
This book, together with a few of Pema Chodron's books, were profoundly helpful and meaningful to me after the sudden death of my sister. I am fairly convinced they helped me stay sane, while respecting and living with my grief. I'd recommend it to anyone going through that kind of loss.
This is very good book about the ZEN Buddhist’s view of life. It's well written and interesting to read. Author gently introduce the reader into the world of eastern philosophy, particularly ZEN Buddhism. The book is definitely worth reading. Unfortunately there are some unnecessary repetitions so I must cut the rating to 4 stars.
This book changed everything I thought about life and death.
Before I began it, I'd been through a very trying personal time, and was really struggling to find some new way of thinking that would provide me some comfort regarding my own mortality. This book did JUST that!
I'd already encountered Ticht Naht Hann's reading through my own exploration of the Eastern Religions, and really enjoyed it. He's like a best friend or a brother, absolutely kind, understanding, and clear.
He tals about complex i...more
Before I began it, I'd been through a very trying personal time, and was really struggling to find some new way of thinking that would provide me some comfort regarding my own mortality. This book did JUST that!
I'd already encountered Ticht Naht Hann's reading through my own exploration of the Eastern Religions, and really enjoyed it. He's like a best friend or a brother, absolutely kind, understanding, and clear.
He tals about complex i...more
I really enjoy reading Thich nhat Hanh's works, and this one is by far my favorite. Through his looks at the spiritual side of the end of a person's life, he shows how we can live each moment in complete fullness. A wonderfully relaxing and reassuring work, I can't wait until his next one.
My grandmother was recently diagnosed with cancer. Learning of her illness brought up many feelings of worry, fear & anxiety concerning death & impermanence. I would recommend this book to anyone struggling with those same fears, or to anyone who is suffering the loss of a loved one. The insight is calming & deep.
Feb 19, 2009
Louise
added it
Well, I'm a fool for this precious monk's books. They're often, like this one, so simple as to appear simplistic. But anyone who speaks to the world around him with such love ("dear little piece of paper") and who is, in turn, addressed by flowers and flames, is tops in my book!
At first, it all seems to simple & even cliche... but almost without realizing it, absorbing the wisdom of his words, Thich Nhat Hanh masks repetitious reminders with layers of truth, arriving at louder than life concepts we must know resonate with the essence of who we really are, while at the same time reading like it's the first time ever someone finally spoke to wake you up.
I listened to this as an audiobook. It was recommended to me by a psychic. OK, I get the concept and it is well-described and gives good examples. We are all ONE, just waves in the sea of humanity. Nothing is born and nothing dies, it all just changes shape and dimension. Nothing is permanent. Got it. But. Is it not OK then to grieve the passing of someone we love from one shape and dimension to the next? And what about love itself. Is it not OK to cherish and be nostalgic for that feeling of lo...more
April 15, 2011: For the second time, I gave up on this book. A lot of people have told me how much they enjoyed this book, but I just could not get into it. The whole time, it seemed like he was doing little more than playing off ambiguities and vagueness, when his arguments could be torn apart by the tiniest bit of precision. Of course, I can't be sure; I didn't finish the book.
I love this book. It gives a thoughtful argument not just about death but about the meaning of life and one stance we might take as we go through it. I use it a lot in pastoral care and when preaching on topics of death and existence.
Man, what deep insight. With all I've been going through with my family, it's timely advice. And with the human experience, timeless advice. Well worth it for some insight into a deeper nature of reality.
Reading Thich Nhat Hanh always adds a little serenity at the end of my day. This book did that, but I struggled with trying to understand the concepts a person needs to grasp in order to feel no fear.
This book always made me put things into perspective at times and brightened my mood when I'm down. I will probably read this again a few more times to get this wisdom engraved in my brain.
The subtitle, "Comforting Wisdom fro Life," says much about the book. By living fully in the now, we can be free from fear and enjoy happiness. Hanh is my favorite philosopher.
Technically I haven't finished this book as much as I'd like to. I bought it to help me, and it did provide some. Not as thought provoking and eye opening as his other books.
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| Kein werden, kein vergehen. | 1 | 5 | Sep 21, 2008 09:23am |
Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in southwest France where he was in exile for many years.
Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary...more
More about Thich Nhat Hanh...
Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary...more
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“You would not cry if you knew that by looking deeply into the rain you would still see the cloud.”
—
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May 13, 2013 01:30pm