Thich Nhat Hanh's Buddhism,
The world's most widely read Buddhist doctrine!

Thich Nhat Hanh, now 94 in 2019, has published over 100 books while writing poetry, tending his garden, and going on pilgrimages of teaching and practice.
This book, “Thich Nhat Hanh’s Buddhism,” which begins with “Buddha was not God,” has a special meaning among the monk’s works.
Among the numerous works, this is a very rare work that directly interprets and compiles the essence of Buddhist law.


This book is a translation of the revised and expanded edition published in 2015, combining additional materials and deeper insights with the original work first published in 1999.
It has already become a bestseller and steady seller in the Buddhist doctrine category on Amazon.com in the United States, and since its publication, it has been considered the most widely read Buddhist doctrine book in the world.
This is a must-read for those who practice Buddhism, as well as for those who wish to achieve peace of mind by incorporating the core teachings of Buddhism into their lives.


The Buddhist stories told by Thich Nhat Hanh are lyrical, like poetry that touches the soul, yet they clearly penetrate the heart.
The monk constantly reminds us that the biggest reason we believe in and follow the Buddha's teachings is to become happy.
Especially for those who are in painful circumstances, the Buddha's teachings suggest a path to joy, happiness, and peace by embracing suffering, right here in our lives.
With his characteristically friendly and easy-to-understand language, Thich Nhat Hanh kindly and carefully guides us on what is important in our lives and how we should live.

Buddha was not a god.
He was a human being like you and me, and he suffered like we do.
If we open our hearts and go to the Buddha, he will look at us with eyes full of compassion and say:
“You can enter my heart because there is pain in your hearts.”
--- p.17

There is no growth without pain.
Without suffering, we cannot attain the peace and joy we deserve.
Please don't run away from the pain.
Embrace it and cherish it.
Go to the Buddha, sit with him, and show him your suffering.
The Buddha will look upon you with loving-kindness, compassion, and mindfulness, and will show you the way to embrace suffering and look deeply into it.
With wisdom and compassion, you will be able to heal the wounds in your heart and the wounds of the world.
Buddha said that suffering is a noble truth.
Because suffering has the power to show us the path to liberation.
Embrace your pain.
And through that suffering, find the path to peace.

--- p.20

“Friends, I speak as one who has observed human beings and gods, Brahmins and ascetics, and Maras.
If I had not personally experienced everything I have told you, I would not call myself an enlightened person, free from suffering.
Because I have personally witnessed suffering, understood it, identified the cause of suffering, eliminated that cause, confirmed enlightenment, attained enlightenment, identified the path to enlightenment, and reached the end of that path, attained complete liberation.
I now declare to you that I am a free man.”
--- p.22

Don't strain yourself too much while reading or listening.
Be like the earth.
When it rains, the earth only has to open itself to the rain.
Let the rain of the Dharma come in and permeate the seeds buried deep within your consciousness.
A teacher cannot give you the truth.
The truth is already within you.
You just have to open yourself.
As you open your body, mind, and heart, the teachings will permeate the seeds of your understanding and enlightenment.
If you let those words enter you, the soil and the seeds will do the rest.

--- p.30

Buddhist meditation has two aspects: shamatha and vipashyana.
We tend to emphasize the importance of vipassana (“seeing deeply”).
Because Vipassana can bring insight and free us from suffering and defilements.
But the practice of samatha (“stillness”) is fundamental.
If we can't stop, we can't have insight.

--- p.44

Practice is about facing suffering and transforming that suffering to bring happiness.
We must study the Noble Eightfold Path and learn how to put it into practice in our daily lives.

--- p.75

Right view is not an ideology or a system.
It's not even a road.
It is an insight we have into the realities of life, a living insight that fills us with understanding, peace, and love.

--- p.85

In many sermons, the Buddha spoke of the three practices of precepts, meditation, and wisdom.
The practice of shila is the practice of right mindfulness.
If we are not practicing the precepts, we are not practicing mindfulness.
I know Zen practitioners who think they can practice meditation without following the precepts.
But that's not right.
The core of Buddhist meditation is the practice of mindfulness.
And mindfulness is the practice of precepts.
You cannot meditate without performing the precepts.

--- p.123

I woke up this morning and I smiled.
Twenty-four new hours lie before me.
I live fully in every moment
I vow to look upon all beings with eyes of compassion.

--- p.151

We speak of “impermanence” in terms of time.
And from the perspective of space, it speaks of “no-self.”
A thing cannot remain itself for two consecutive moments.
Therefore, there is nothing that can be called an eternal “self.”
Before we entered this room, we were different people, physically and mentally.
We see anatta by looking deeply into impermanence.
And by looking deeply into the non-self, we see impermanence.
We can say, “I can accept impermanence.
But you can't say, "No-self is too difficult."
They are the same thing.

--- p.192

Be yourself.
Life is precious in itself.
All the conditions for our happiness are already here.
There is absolutely no need to run, struggle, search, or struggle.
Just be.
Simply being here in this moment is the deepest practice of meditation.

--- p.221

When I was a monk, I couldn't understand how the Buddha could have such a beautiful smile if the world was full of suffering.
Why was the Buddha undisturbed by any suffering? Later, I discovered that the Buddha possessed ample understanding, tranquility, and strength.
It is for that very reason that pain does not overwhelm him.
He can smile because he knows how to care for suffering and help transform it.
We must become aware of our suffering.
But to help change the situation, we must remain clear, calm, and strong.

--- p.248

We just have to remember how to water the seeds of paradise within us.
And again, I was able to create true happiness.
Even now, if you and I breathe in and out mindfully, we can return to paradise.
Our true home is not only in the past.
It exists in the present.
Mindfulness is the energy we can generate in our daily lives to bring back paradise.

--- p.264

We are on the hill of pain, anger, and despair.
And I want to cross over to the hill of happiness.
To cross over, we must do something.
And it is called Paramita.
We return to ourselves and practice mindful breathing while observing our pain, anger, and despair.
And smile.
By doing this, we overcome the pain and move on.
We can practice “completion” every day.

--- p.275

The mind of Buddha has been wonderfully touched by our very being.
Please do so as individuals, as a family, as a city, as a nation, and as a world community.
Please take care of the happiness of everyone around you.
Enjoy shining the light of mindfulness on your breathing, your smile, and each thing you do.

--- p.355