Zen master, monk, poet, and peace advocate, Thich Nhat Hanh is a true spiritual master of the twentieth century. Through his writings and retreats he has helped innumerable people of all religious backgrounds to live mindfully in the present moment, to uproot the sources of anger and distrust, and to achieve relationships of love and understanding. This volume, which draws on more than twenty books by Thich Nhat Hanh, is the essential introduction to his inspiring teaching.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the failure of Enlightenment rationalism and the spiritual bankruptcy of Western materialism have opened the door for Eastern religions, especially the nontheistic religions that promise enlightenment and peace of mind. Any major bookstore today has copies of the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching, and books on Taoism, Zen, and other forms of Buddhism.
This volume and the volume on Hinduism in this series together present a comprehensive overview of Eastern religions, their views, and their impact on contemporary North America. This book includes:
A concise introduction to Eastern religions
An overview of the movement's theology -- in their own words
Revered by Buddhists in the United States and China, Master Sheng-yen shares his wisdom and teachings in this first comprehensive English primer of Chan, the Chinese tradition of Buddhism that inspired Japanese Zen. Often misunderstood as a system of mind games, the Chan path leads to enlightenment through apparent contradiction. While demanding the mental and physical discipline of traditional Buddhist doctrine, it asserts that wisdom (Buddha-nature) is innate and immediate in all living beings, and thus not to be achieved through devotion to the strictures of religious practice. You arrive without departing.