ipl-logo

Summary Of You Are Here By Thich Nhat Hanh

725 Words3 Pages

Have you ever thought about if you are living your life to your fullest potential? Did you know that in Buddhism, practicing mindfulness is the key to transforming our lives to be better than it was before? In the book, You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh, talks a great about mindfulness and how it is “not an evasion or an escape,” but “it means being here, present, and totally alive. It is true freedom—and without this freedom, there is no happiness.” (Hanh, back cover) Usually somewhere along the lines, people just want to be happy in life, and in order to achieve true happiness, a person must work for it. Throughout the book, Hanh exemplifies what it is like to practice Buddhism and how to maximize ones practice to improve on all different aspects …show more content…

I really enjoy how he explains that Buddhism practices are there to help your mind be at ease with what is going on around you even in times of despair. Life is beautiful, and we need to be in control our own thoughts and feelings so that we can exercise our mind and maximize it to its fullest potential. Throughout You Are Here, he uses metaphors to develop compassion with others and to better the relationship we have with ourselves as well. Hanh explains:
When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change. (Hanh …show more content…

He mentioned that “flowers use compost to grow healthy and strong” (Hanh 120) to point out that we can use our own compost, our junk, our baggage, our past experiences and regrets, to build something really beautiful in our own lives. All of those experiences are what makes us unique and compassionate and allows us to move forward and learn. If you never experience pain and suffering, then you never grow. He also talks about using your pain to show compassion to others, and to be there for the people you love. This is sometimes hard to do because people can be cruel and do nothing but wrong doing, so being able to accept people regardless of past mistakes will in turn release you from hate and stress on yourself. We could all use more love, compassion, openness, and gentleness in our lives and it is good to be reminded of that when we

Show More
Related
592 Words | 3 Pages

The Article “Finding Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, expresses the choice we have in life to live or die until the end of days. He shows how we take control of our own destiny, and to not let distractions get in the way of our accomplishment. Csikszentmihalyi portrays that everyone has a different idea of accomplishment and goals, but living life to the fullest is shared by many. By saying this he means don’t waste your potential by letting side issues get in the way. In the article Csikszentmihalyi mentions a study held in a factory where most welders hated their jobs and found no passion in it.

Read More
585 Words | 3 Pages

But, not just that also work hard towards what you want to do. Yes it may take time to reach that goal but in the end it is worth it. Overall some of the philosophies and key principles in the book make me think a lot about Anh and what he has achieved in life. From Fleeing from a war torn Communist state and almost losing his family in the process.

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini suggests that the factors outside of our control often significantly impact our potential to achieve a sense of happiness in life. This is first seen with Mariam in part 1 of the novel. Mariam’s wants to go to Jalil’s cinema with him, but when the time comes Jalil doesn’t show.

Read More
791 Words | 4 Pages

What Makes Happiness Happiness? Everyone defines happiness differently, but everyone needs happiness. The book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse talks about how Siddhartha finds happiness through many ways. He leaves home and his friend, Govinda, to find enlightenment.

Read More
842 Words | 4 Pages

It is important to want to obtain true happiness instead of just having it

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

Reading Summary – A Buddhism Experience For my Reading Summary assignment, I chose an article from our Week Six readings, “Buddhism; An Introduction,” featured on PBS Online. It is believed that the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, who ultimately created a kind and introspective religion, came from an unlikely family who enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle and whose father was an Indian warrior-king. Guatama lived from approximately 566 to 480 B.C. He sought to understand the true meaning of the world that he lived in only after becoming uninterested with the indulgences of his majestic existence. He set out on a journey, sans the accouterments of his imperial life, and through his experiences of “encountering an old man, an ill man,

Read More
1001 Words | 5 Pages

Dave Berry once said, “There 's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater,you realize that you 've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent..” By the outside, someone may look like they fit in, while the adversities one deals with internally are hidden on the inside. The struggles one goes through needs to really be brought up to attention and the attempt to understand what one goes through day to day must happen. In From Silence to Words Writing as a Struggle, Min-Zhan Lu explains the struggles experienced growing up in China and the influences of

Read More
1307 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the following essay, Cynthia Zarin’s poem “sSong” will be critically analysed and assessed. Cynthia Zarin is an American poet born in 1959. She published a poem named “Song” in 1993 to show her compassion to her lover. The poem consists of 3 stanzas whereby each stanza is contains 3 lines. The poem is written about a woman’s love relationship towards with a man.

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

In Mark Kingwell’s excerpt, “In Pursuit of Happiness,” he discusses the challenge of defining happiness. This work serves to inform the audience on a topic they may never have considered while using evidence and support from philosophers, authors, and even scientists to contribute to various viewpoints on the subject. At the end of the excerpt, Kingwell discusses happiness, even unhappiness, and concludes with his own opinions on the subject. Since the beginning of human existence, people have tried to define happiness, but no one has described it sufficiently, which means the search continues.

Read More
1058 Words | 5 Pages

He gives a great focus on how we should give God thanks for all our gifts he has given us. He discusses how our culture has lost much of our gratitude because we have lost God. He encourages us throughout the book to draw near to God. One of my favorite parts from Guinness ideas lies in chapter thirteen, "Followers of the Way". In this section he reminds us finding our calling is not something that can be found over night, but rather it's a journey that you follow throughout your lifetime.

Read More
352 Words | 2 Pages

"This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life.

Read More
1011 Words | 5 Pages

Critical Analysis “Comment Wang-Fô fut sauvé” by Marguerite Yourcenar The text that I have decided to study is “Comment Wang-Fô fut sauvé” by Marguerite Yourcenar. The extract is located after the first paragraph at the beginning of the story. We are introduced to the characters Ling, Ling’s wife and Wang-Fô .

Read More
1519 Words | 7 Pages

The Human condition is the root of what it means to be human, how we are all human, and in the same way, how we are individuals. Throughout this essay, you will perceive a better understanding of the human condition, and how it is reflected in select pieces of literature. The Human condition is an extremely paramount part of understanding literature. Who are we if we are not human?

Read More
1514 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout the course of one’s life, there is a constant search for some form of happiness. We may not always realize we are on the quest for it, but it’s part of human nature. In “Silver Linings Playbook” we see this happen throughout with Pat and Tiffany, who are both searching for happiness. The film is relatable to us all in that many times we go looking for happiness only to come up empty-handed.

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

Li-Young Lee’s poem “Eating Alone” expresses a son’s loneliness and love for his father that has passed away. He continuously connects the father to all that the speaker does whether it is lifeful or not. Lee does so in a way through imagery, tone, and irony. Li-Young Lee uses imagery in “Eating Alone” through life and death.

Read More

More about Summary Of You Are Here By Thich Nhat Hanh

Related Topics

Open Document