Beyond the Self

by Thich Nhat Hanh

One of the Buddha's most central ideas is the importance of transcending “either/or” thinking to avoid the trap of extremist views. In Beyond the Self Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that we can find tranquility by embracing all aspects of life, instead of focusing on what we like and dislike. The book contains Nhat Hanh's original translation of the Sutra on the Middle Way, as well as his commentary on how we can use this teaching to better understand how to navigate our difficulties and find peace of mind. By changing how we see the world, Beyond the Self helps us transform ourselves.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Zen, Religion, Psychology

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Thích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who then lived 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 family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He was often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

230509: sometimes the best works are the briefest. concise, capacious, clear. according to The Diamond Sutra: The Buddha Also Said...diamond sutra there are four wrong views, notions fostering fear 1) individualism, subjectivity, alienation- I, me, mine 2) person, human being 3) animate vs inanimate 4) lifespan rather than transformation, manifestation...

right view: grasping no views, no dogma, no extremes...

twelve links of co-dependent arising: 1) ignorance 2) impulses 3) consciousness 4) psyche-soma 5) six senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, mind 6) contact 7) feeling 8) craving 9) grasping 10) becoming 11) birth, old age, death 12) suffering. note: these are not linear progression...

answer: awareness, waking, recognising world 'just as it is'...

more
What the Buddha Thought
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
Nietzsche and Buddhist Philosophy
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings
Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis
Empty Words: Buddhist Philosophy and Cross-Cultural Interpretation
Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction
The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
Self, No Self?: Perspectives from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions
After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age
Philosophers of Nothingness: An Essay on the Kyoto School
The Kyoto School
Nishida And Western Philosophy
Buddhism: A Philosophical Approach
What the Buddha Thought
Wisdom Beyond Words: The Buddhist Vision of Ultimate Reality
An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy
Why I Am Not a Buddhist
Why I Am a Buddhist: No-Nonsense Buddhism with Red Meat and Whiskey
Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature
Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on the Path of Liberation

[James Allen]

A good introduction to the Middle Way, no-self and dependent co-arising.

"Our fear, our sorrow, our complexes are all born from our discriminating ideas of coming and going, self and the other. Looking deeply in our daily life like this is the true work of the practice, the cream of Buddhist teaching."

"The teachings on Right View and Dependent Co-arising offer us guidance on how to be with others. When we look deeply into others, we are looking deeply into ourselves at the same time. If we think the other person is someone other than us, that his or her success or failure has nothing to do with us, then we have not been successful in our looking deeply. The happiness of that person is linked to our own happiness. If we’re not happy, the other person can’t be happy, and our larger community will not be happy."

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim little work packs a powerful punch.

“Being” or “becoming” occur in the lokadhatu. The lokadhatu refers to this world, the world of suffering, where things appear to be born and to die and to exist independently of each other; the grapefruit is independent of the lemon. But in the dharmadhatu, the realm of “things as they are,” the lotus is not different from the meditation hall, a man is not different from his brother, all things are interconnected; in the one is the all and the all is in the one. All dharmas, all phenomena, dwell in the dharmadhatu. If we can touch them deeply, we can be in touch with their no-birth and no-death nature. This is the world of the dharmadhatu, nirvana. It is our way of living that determines whether we’re living in the dharmadhatu or in the lokadhatu.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

these little books are like tiny, rich desserts that should be savored often

[Felix.Y.Choe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All phenomena that arise interdependently,
I say that they are empty.
Words come to an end, because their message is false.
Words come to an end, because there is a Middle Way."

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good read and has some great philosophical teaching.

[Gabbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For only 50 pages, this book took me quite a long time to finish. The concepts are complex and new to me, making this a hard read. I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to "the middle way."

[Frank Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim little book by Thich Nhat Hanh is one that deserves to be read, but I'm not sure many folk are as familiar with it as some of his others which are more repetitions of previous work than anything new and original.

This book is Thay's commentary on "The Sutra on The Middle Way" and clearly elucidates the core teaching of the Buddha: Dependent Co-origination.

[Serena Long ﺕ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great wisdom! By changing how we see the world, Beyond the Self helps us transform ourselves.

[Arctic · Rating 4 out of 5]

short but dense and well worth the read

[Austin Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars, wasn't impressed by how luke-warm his writings are.