In the mid-1960s, Thich Nhat Hanh was a little-known Vietnamese Zen monk, touring the United States on behalf of the cause of peace in his homeland. Jim Forest, a Catholic peacemaker, was asked to accompany him on his speaking engagements. From there emerged a friendship over many decades, in which Jim learned through conversations and daily life about Nhat Hanh's spiritual teachings on mindfulness and the inner peace that is necessary for promoting world peace. Over the years Thich Nhat Hanh became one of the most influential and revered spiritual teachers in the world. Jim Forest's intimate portrait, which includes photos and other illustrations, is a unique introduction to a modern spiritual master and his teachings.
Eyes of Compassion: Learning from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jim Forest, Orbis, Paperback, 156 pp, $20.00
Jim Forest, who lives in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, is the author of many books, including All is Grace, Living with Wisdom, and At Play in the Lions' Den (his biographies of peacemakers Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Daniel Berrigan). Other bestselling titles include Praying with Icons and Writing Straight with Crooked Lines: A Memoir.
CONTENTS: Eyes of Compassion
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Introduction by Mobi Warren
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xi
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Washing disches
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1
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One action
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2
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Brother against brother
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10
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Everything is destroyed
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13
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Martin Luther King
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17
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Seeking enlightenment and saying no
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19
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Climbing stairs and mindful breathing
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22
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Eyes of compassion
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23
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Ginger tea and fragrant palm leaves
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24
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Chopsticks
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27
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Greener grass
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28
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Half smiles
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29
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What is Zen?
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30
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A clock in place of a crucifix
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32
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Are you 21?
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33
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Hippie clothing
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33
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Meeting a baby bear
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34
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Bombs away
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35
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Dry stone masonry
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37
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Eating tangerines
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39
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Becoming a duck
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40
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Killing the Buddha
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41
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Killing a concept
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43
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Tra Loc
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45
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Saying yes
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46
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Letter to a prisoner
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47
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A flight to Paris
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48
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Becoming a monk
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52
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Roots of engaged Buddhism
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53
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Deep sadness
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56
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Closed eyes
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57
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Only the rice loves you
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59
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Salt
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60
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Looking at a dish
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61
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Hoa Binh
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64
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The Path of Return
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65
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Nhat Chi Mai
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67
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A new dawn
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69
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The thief-proof moon
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70
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Two trees equal forest
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70
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Letters from Vietnam
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73
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"Vietnamization"
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75
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Two shores or one shore?
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76
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Tear-stained letters
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78
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Buddha's robe
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79
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Jim will answer
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81
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Children first
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82
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Quan Yin
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83
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Sweet Potatoes
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85
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La Boi Press
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87
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Candy factory
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92
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Repression in postwar Vietnam
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93
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Buddhist mouse traps
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98
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A place to sit, a path to walk
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98
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Getting into the stream
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100
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Interbeing
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102
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Cooking with Thich Nhat Hanh
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104
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Small b buddhists and small c christians
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107
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The raft is not the shore
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108
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The pirate and the child
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112
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Forgetfulness, gratitude, and mindfulness
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117
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Being peace
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117
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The supermarket as zendo
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120
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Plum Village
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120
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Processions
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123
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One will be three
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125
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Everything is good
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127
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Letting go
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131
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Postscript
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134
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The present moment
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135
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Appreciation
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136
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Notes
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137
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