AlfredoL@bookwyrm.social reviewed How to sit by Thích Nhất Hạnh
How to Sit by Thich Nhat Han
5 stars
Sitting is Buddhist lingo for meditation. In the first dozen lines of this delightful little book Thich Nhat Han gives a very simple prescription for what is known as mindfulness meditation: stop whatever you're doing, sit comfortably somewhere, and watch your in breath all the way, and then the out breath. That's it. Do it because it makes you happy. And since you are connected to everything else in the world around you, in space and in time through your ancestors and future generations, your happiness becomes everyone's happiness. Underlying all this is the basic assumption that each moment of your life is complete, and the source of true happiness. You don't need anything else other than this moment.
This instruction is absolutely minimal because the rest is up to you. It sets you off in an exploration of your own life, as it unfolds from moment to moment. The …
Sitting is Buddhist lingo for meditation. In the first dozen lines of this delightful little book Thich Nhat Han gives a very simple prescription for what is known as mindfulness meditation: stop whatever you're doing, sit comfortably somewhere, and watch your in breath all the way, and then the out breath. That's it. Do it because it makes you happy. And since you are connected to everything else in the world around you, in space and in time through your ancestors and future generations, your happiness becomes everyone's happiness. Underlying all this is the basic assumption that each moment of your life is complete, and the source of true happiness. You don't need anything else other than this moment.
This instruction is absolutely minimal because the rest is up to you. It sets you off in an exploration of your own life, as it unfolds from moment to moment. The rest of the book points to some profound implications of this simple practice.
Thich Nhat Han wrote several How to ... books like this, small and very readable, with some appropriately beautiful pen-and-ink drawings by JasonDeAntonis.