Creating True Peace : Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World

Rating:
Summary: practical advice to bring about peace
Review: If you are one of those who feels you never have a moment's peace, then it's obvious that you need to simplify your life. While Thich Nhat Hanh is considered the world's foremost peace activist, he is perhaps its foremost simplicity activist as well and a prime example that simplicity engenders peace. He is a simple monk who leads a plain and simple life and writes the same way. I have always admired his style for its ease and clarity in pointing to the plain truths behind the often didactic tenants of Buddhism. Using very clear and yet subtle metaphors and personal anecdotes, he points to the basic truths beyond the dicotomies of the sutras and koans. In fact, many academicians, scholars and Buddhist teachers would do well to emulate his style. Because Nhat Hanh's writing is so simplistic, many pass off his ideas as being too naïve. After all, how can anyone ever hope to achieve world peace? But Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. In his newest book, CREATING TRUE PEACE: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World , Nhat Hanh teaches how the seed of peace planted within one individual with proper nurturing can bloom into a peaceful family and then a peaceful community and later a peaceful country, and finally turn the entire world into a garden of peace.

CREATING TRUE PEACE is a compilation of his teachings from other works such as Peace Is Every Step, Miracle of Mindfulness, and Interbeing to name a few. As usual, he uses metaphors, personal anecdotes, commentaries and meditations, many from past lectures and texts, to show us how such an improbable task is truly possible. He discusses his usual topics: breathing, sitting and walking meditation, the five mindfulness trainings, listening and more. But unlike some of his earlier works, this one presents practical, step-by-step methods for getting along with oneself, one's mate and children, one's neighbors and co-workers and one's country as well as a Manifesto for World Peace and some previously unpublished mindfulness trainings, which Nhat Hanh has developed over the years.

Although his writing is simplistic that doesn't mean it should be taken literally. One still must find one's own path through the violence that exists in the world today. He uses the metaphor of a lotus that grows in mud to show how the practice of acceptance can lead to peace even in a world of turmoil and upheaval. .Nhat Hanh believes the seed of peace begins with mindfulness. Especially, we need to be mindful consumers. We must watch for the consumption of that which leads to unmindfulness like alcohol or violence in the media. However, even these remain open to interpretation. I doubt if Nhat Hanh would seriously tell us to avoid Shakespeare's Macbeth or even Kubrick's classic Clockwork Orange.

I was particularly fascinated by Nhat Hanh's discourse on Interbeing. Here, he turns to the insect kingdom for his analogy, relating the interaction of worker bees to the shared unconsciousness that connects us all. My fascination stemmed from having written a screenplay, in which one of the character's uses the same analogy when explaining a supernatural cataclysm that is starting to destroy our hive mind and leaving in its path only mankind's sense of individuality - The Root of All Evil.

Speaking of writing and other forms of creativity, you may find some of Nhat Hanh's methods particularly helpful in those areas. I adapted a couple of his techniques to overcome writer's block. But you must be careful. You might get so creative that you won't leave time for anything else, which is probably why this review is rather lengthy. But his techniques do work.

Rating:
Summary: Simplicity Engenders Peace
Review: If you are one of those who feels you never have a moment's peace, then it's obvious that you need to simplify your life. While Thich Nhat Hanh is considered the world's foremost peace activist, he is perhaps its foremost simplicity activist as well and a prime example that simplicity engenders peace. He is a simple monk who leads a plain and simple life and writes the same way. I have always admired his style for its ease and clarity in pointing to the plain truths behind the often didactic tenants of Buddhism. Using very clear and yet subtle metaphors and personal anecdotes, he points to the basic truths beyond the dicotomies of the sutras and koans. In fact, many academicians, scholars and Buddhist teachers would do well to emulate his style. Because Nhat Hanh's writing is so simplistic, many pass off his ideas as being too naïve. After all, how can anyone ever hope to achieve world peace? But Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. In his newest book, CREATING TRUE PEACE: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World , Nhat Hanh teaches how the seed of peace planted within one individual with proper nurturing can bloom into a peaceful family and then a peaceful community and later a peaceful country, and finally turn the entire world into a garden of peace.

CREATING TRUE PEACE is a compilation of his teachings from other works such as Peace Is Every Step, Miracle of Mindfulness, and Interbeing to name a few. As usual, he uses metaphors, personal anecdotes, commentaries and meditations, many from past lectures and texts, to show us how such an improbable task is truly possible. He discusses his usual topics: breathing, sitting and walking meditation, the five mindfulness trainings, listening and more. But unlike some of his earlier works, this one presents practical, step-by-step methods for getting along with oneself, one's mate and children, one's neighbors and co-workers and one's country as well as a Manifesto for World Peace and some previously unpublished mindfulness trainings, which Nhat Hanh has developed over the years.

Although his writing is simplistic that doesn't mean it should be taken literally. One still must find one's own path through the violence that exists in the world today. He uses the metaphor of a lotus that grows in mud to show how the practice of acceptance can lead to peace even in a world of turmoil and upheaval. .Nhat Hanh believes the seed of peace begins with mindfulness. Especially, we need to be mindful consumers. We must watch for the consumption of that which leads to unmindfulness like alcohol or violence in the media. However, even these remain open to interpretation. I doubt if Nhat Hanh would seriously tell us to avoid Shakespeare's Macbeth or even Kubrick's classic Clockwork Orange.

I was particularly fascinated by Nhat Hanh's discourse on Interbeing. Here, he turns to the insect kingdom for his analogy, relating the interaction of worker bees to the shared unconsciousness that connects us all. My fascination stemmed from having written a screenplay, in which one of the character's uses the same analogy when explaining a supernatural cataclysm that is starting to destroy our hive mind and leaving in its path only mankind's sense of individuality - The Root of All Evil.

Speaking of writing and other forms of creativity, you may find some of Nhat Hanh's methods particularly helpful in those areas. I adapted a couple of his techniques to overcome writer's block. But you must be careful. You might get so creative that you won't leave time for anything else, which is probably why this review is rather lengthy. But his techniques do work.

Rating:
Summary: practical advice to bring about peace
Review: Once again Thich Nhat Hanh has provided a very practical guide to bringing about peace in our lives. As the title says first we must end violence in ourselves, then our families, our communities and finally the world. The book is filled with concrete suggestions for what we can do to reach these goals and examples of how these methods have worked for others. It is a book filled with a simple wisdom that can't be challenged. Along with the books, ANGER: WISDOM FOR COOLING THE FLAMES and NO DEATH, NO FEAR, Thich Nhat Hanh has given us three jewels which will help us live better, happier lives and bring us closer to the end of our own suffering.

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Summary: Socially Engaged Buddhism
Review: To some peace and nonviolence are synonymous with frailty and submissiveness; yet not to our beloved Thich Nhat Hanh. For him, to practice peace, to make peace alive within us, is synonymous with cultivating understanding, love, and compassion - even in the face of misunderstanding and war. He reiterates that practicing peace, especially in times of war, takes above all: courage. Thich Nhat Hanh should know, for he's survived 3 wars, harassment, and more than 30 years in separation from his native homeland of Vietnam.

This book stems from his experiences as a Buddhist monk striving towards peace, who happens to have written over 100 books and is a world leader when it comes to speaking out against violence and war. The range of lives he's touched with his message, from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, is absolutely staggering. Thay's writings always have a no-nonsense and functional characteristic to them. Many of the practices you'll find in this particular work are lessons he has sharpened in his monastic living community in France - Plum Village. He is at the forefront of "socially engaged" Buddhism, viewing meditation and social activism as being on the same ticket.

War and peace are both within us, like that cliché symbol we are familiar with from the east of the yin and the yang; a prospect he touches on in his world famous poem, "Call Me By My True Names." Those of us familiar with Nhat Hanh's works probably notice a core theme which breathes through all of his works: practicing peace not just towards all beings, but likewise with our emotions and inner struggling. In this book he does not shy away from criticizing the Unites States and it's present actions in the world, mentioning the United Nations , "each of us depends on the well-being of the entire human population." This is Thich Nhat Hanh at his very best, and it's my hope every reader will encounter this truly magnificent work.

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Summary: Overstates his case
Review: When I decided that I needed to work on the poison of anger (some call it aggression), I obtained a couple of books and a video to help me with this. This book was one of the items. Two others were "Working with Anger" by Thubten Chodron and the video "Good Medicine" by Pema Chodron (about Tonglen and Atisha's Lojong Slogans. I had only read one of Thich Nhat Hanh's books before this (none of Thubten Chodron's works, but several of Pema Chodron's). Unfortunately, while I found both Chodron's works quite helpful, I was disappointed in "Creating True Peace." Afterwards, I did discover that the author also wrote a book specifically on "Anger." Which I have now just started to read-maybe I will find it more helpful. But, I don't know. I think I must have a very different Myers-Briggs than Thich Nhat Hanh. He seems very F (Feeling) oriented to me. I'm on the cusp (border) of F and T (Thinker). For example, to me the primary reason to seek Buddhahood is to obtain the ability to ascertain what individual people need. Otherwise, we are "the blind leading the blind." Yet, I think that the try counts. True, intention doesn't make up for failure, but a concerted effort with true intention (the Kabbalists call it Kavannah) does create merit-value for both giver and receiver. And, perhaps, helps in a small way to dissolve the barriers created by differentiating subject and object through active empathy. So, I disagree with the author when he says:
p. 25: "If you do not know how to handle the anger and violence in yourself, it is impossible to help someone else."
p. 42: "Whenever I give retreats for health professionals, I emphasize they must take care of themselves first before trying to help their patients...When you yourself suffer deeply, when you yourself cannot communicate with members of your own family, how can you solve the problems of your clients and patients?"
p. 59: "If you cannot deal with the problems of pollution and violence within you, how can you deal with the problem of pollution and violence outside of you, in nature? ... We should not try to help others in an effort to escape our own sorrow, despair or inner conflict. If you are not peaceful and solid enough inside yourself, your contributions will not be useful."

I do think there is some truth in what he says, but he overstates the case. Similarly, he's a monk telling people how to be parents, raise children, etc. - from an Southeast Asian perspective. I don't think that such views are readily transplantable in the West. Indeed, this book is chock full of complaints and judgments and criticisms of the West. He doesn't seem to think that science or Western progress has much (if any) value at all. I disagree. I think TV and the internet and etc. are mixed blessings. They're tools which one can use or misuse.

As a Jungian, I do agree that the way to Peace is the transformation of the individual. The 100th Monkey Principle says that when a critical mass of beings embraces something, it spreads rapidly through the whole. Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point" also supports this point of view. In agreement with the author, Jungian analysts/therapists must undergo therapy prior to being certified. As Thich Nhat Hanh says on page 22: "If you have not been able to embrace and transform our own hurt and anger, it well be difficult to listen to another's suffering, especially if the other person's speech is full of negative judgments, misperceptions, and blaming." But I don't completely agree with his statement on page 16: "When we hold back our feelings and ignore our pain, we are committing violence against ourselves...do not make war on our feelings or reject them, but just recognize, embrace, and transform them. When anger or fear is present in us, we bring awareness to it. We smile to it and call it by its true name." I think this is difficult to do in real time. Also, it's like swimming in a river. Most people prefer to swim with the current (his approach in a way), but an Olympic trainee swims against the current to build up his or her strength and resistance. Robert Moore's Warrior archetype (or its Amazon equivalent) includes bearing with pain and suffering for a purpose. So, again, I think Thich Nhat Hanh has a good point, but he goes too far with it.

Finally, he says on page 163 that "We often complain that we do not have enough time, yet, when we do have fifteen minutes or an hour to ourselves, we often don't know what to do. Most of us cannot bear to feel lonely...Consumption as a way to escape ourselves is a serious problem." There's truth in it, but consumption isn't the problem, it's just a symptom. Thus, I have problems with this book and the author's approach. On the other hand, if you are looking for a book that criticizes America's Vietnam war and life in the US from a very left wing perspective, this book's for you! It also seems to argue that Mindfulness Breathing will solve all your problems. Lots of luck, I'll stick with Tonglen and the two Chodron's. Different strokes for different folks.