Book Review: How to Walk by Thich Nhat Hanh

How to walk
by Thich Nhat Hanh

“When the past and the future can’t pull you away any more, every step is solid. You are firmly established in the here and now. Solidity and freedom are the foundation of happiness. If you are not solid you are not free, happiness isn’t possible. So every step is to cultivate for solidity and freedom.” p61

Learn the lesson contained in this book, and you are making the transition, every step you take becomes the greatest stride towards freedom.

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the greatest masters of our time, a pioneer in bringing mindfulness to the West, he is a peace activist and the most wonderful teacher. His state of being is his lesson, he’s a pure expression of peace, love and compassion. He radiates mindfulness and anyone who’s sensitive can feel it.

Great masters transmit the energy of mindfulness and every word of this book is a portal into the pure awareness from which it was created. This is a very special book, there’s no rush to finish it, it’s all about being where you are. This is the sort of book you never really finish, and it needs to be regularly revisited. I’ve read it many times and never really finished it, because every time I read it, I discover a deeper and more profound layer to the teaching.

The simplicity of the teaching is as simple as walking, Thay, as his followers call him, leads you gently into to an ever deepening experience of mindfulness, each page and each step reveals a new layer of understanding and takes you into freedom.

Thay teaches how to make each step that you take into an expression of your mindfulness, whether that is a walk in the park or just a few steps from the sofa to the fridge, walking becomes a meditation.

With mindfulness each step you take projects an energy into the world, so when you walk for yourself, you also walk for everyone. The step you are on becomes the only step that you take and when you give that step your full mindful attention, as your foot hits the ground an energy of mindfulness radiates out. Each mindful step is a vehicle for healing, spreading mindful energy into the world, healing yourself, the world around you, healing your ancestors and every new generation yet to come.

I’m off for a walk – Enjoy the book

Adrian

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