I learned today that Thich Nhat Hanh passed away tomorrow.
Yes you read that right, because it was already tomorrow on the side of the earth he was on.
He is the one who has resonated with me the most among the styles of bhuddism that I have engaged with. If you have never taken the the time to read any of his books, they are worth the time to read them slowly.
If I had to pick one to recommend it would be these three.
Several years back I ran a little book club Embracing Equity Book Club and his book Together We Are One was the first one we read. I was attempting to do a painting of each book. I made through three books before the whole thing was swept away by the continual wheels of one thing giving way to another.
I also tried my hand at a podcast with this single episode with Cheryl Fair and Ron Angert about that book. Here it is:
I think the first one of his I read was You Are Here. It’s a short and easy insight into mindfulness practice.
And perhaps the one I have read and reread the most is Anger. Our world is full of so much of it and so am I.
In his simple metaphors he explains:
“Just like when you cook potatoes, you need to keep the fire going for fifteen or twenty minutes. You cannot eat raw potatoes. You have to cook your anger on the fire of mindfulness. It may take ten or twenty minutes. It may take more.
[…]
“After some time of embracing and looking deeply, insight will come and your anger will diminish. You’ll feel much better, and you’ll be motivated to go back and help the other person. When you remove the lid of the pot, the potatoes will smell wonderful. Your anger will have been transformed into the energy of loving-kindness.
This is possible.”
together we are one