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Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who led the effort towards peace during the Vietnam war, and has worked for many years in other countries to help refugees and to spread his philosophy of peace. In this book, he speaks about the individual's journey towards inner peace. He maintains that to achieve peace around the world, individuals themselves must achieve inner peace, because peace is not something you can will to exist or force on others, but is rather, a collective understanding of one another in societies and between societies. This philosophy reminds me of Rumi's quote, "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world; today I am wise, so I am changing myself." This is a quote I have lived by for a couple of years now, and the depth of this quote has now become much greater through my knowledge of Hanh's philosophy.
The first part of this book discusses the the basics of meditation and what mindfulness is. Meditation is not actually just the act of sitting down and concentrating on one's breath, but can also be being aware of oneself throughout the day and being aware of the details around oneself. Breathing is a method to be aware of oneself, and by practicing conscious breathing during parts of the day, you can know that you are truly in the present and the world is truly here. Appreciation starts in the present.
The second part of the book discusses how this practice can be used during intensely emotional or violent situations, either within yourself of between others. The version of me from a year ago would've been resentful towards Hanh's writing, insisting that no one can demand this sort of behavior from me if the rest of the world is so terrible. But now, I understand. No one is demanding this out of me. I behave peacefully and become peaceful to take care of my own mind and self and to not torture myself with ill feelings. As for the rest of the world, how I deal with conflict and how I impact others can be improved through my peaceful behavior.
The third part of the book discusses the interconnected-ness of a human being to other human beings and other aspects of the world. To read this book, I depended on a publishing house to develop this ink on this paper. To get this paper, I depended on a logger to cut a tree. To have that tree, I depended on the soil, the clouds, and the Sun. In addition, the crime of others are not entirely their fault; though they must accept the responsibility of their actions, we must also realize that society had a role in cultivating such violence. The wealth of others does mean the poverty of the rest.
Ultimately, I am very, very glad that someone recommended this book to me. This has given me so much to work with everyday. As a young person, I seek to shape my mind to understand the complexities and nuances of the world and understand myself and my actions. I now would like to learn more about mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism.