Plum Village Meditations

by Thich Nhat Hanh, Plum Village Community

When we listen to the meditation bell, teaches Thich Nhat Hanh, we calm our thoughts and restore ourselves. Plum Village Meditations brings you four authentic meditations just as they are taught at this celebrated Zen sanctuary and peace center in southern France.

These direct teachings from Plum Village include a 45-minute bell-sounding meditation introduced and rung by Thich Nhat Hanh, plus three additional guided meditations led by Sister Jina van Hengel: conscious breathing for calming the mind and cultivating joy; body appreciation and attunement practice; and transforming your anger into seeds of kindness.

An ideal support for a daily sitting practice, these meditations grow more fruitful each time you return to them. Digitally recorded live at Plum Village.

Genres: Buddhism, Meditation, Spirituality, Nonfiction

Audio CD

Published May 1, 2004

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

[Mary Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible helps me to sleep, to feel as ease when suffering from inner turmoil or simply relax when I choose to.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, this is a CD, not a book, but it's an interesting premise. The second half are guided meditations, but the first half features Thich Nhat Hahn simply chiming a meditation gong. Sound dull? For people who have chronic 'monkey mind', this random bell ringing brings your mind back from wandering and returns you to the present moment. The only way some of us ADD-addled seekers can really meditate is to constantly have our feet - or brain, in this case - set back on the road. This CD accomplishes that in a very simple way.

[Luke Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plum Village Meditations is not a book but a guided series of meditations, much of which is silence. That being said, it is not a good "book" but since it is easy to read about "how" to meditate but hard to practice, this is wonderful. Knowing means nothing if that knowledge is not implemented into practice. This is a good place to start after reading another book or two by Thich Nhat Hanh.

[Danee · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are very simple guided meditations (audible book). The woman's voice is beautiful. The sound of the bell helps take you to a deeper level. I will use this on a regular basis.

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful methods to deal w anger.