Table of Contents - DWMS

1 Table of ContentsAbout the AuthorBy the Same AuthorTitle PageCopyright PageTitlePart One The Four Noble TruthsChapter One Entering the Heart of theBuddhaChapter Two The First Dharma TalkChapter Three The Four Noble TruthsChapter Four Understanding theBuddha's TeachingsChapter Five Is Everything Suffering?Chapter Six Stopping, Calming,Resting, HealingChapter Seven Touching Our SufferingChapter Eight Realizing Well-BeingPart Two The Noble Eightfold PathChapter Nine Right ViewChapter Ten Right ThinkingChapter Eleven Right MindfulnessChapter Twelve Right SpeechChapter Thirteen Right ActionChapter Fourteen Right DiligenceChapter Fifteen Right ConcentrationChapter Sixteen Right LivelihoodPart Three Other Basic Buddhist TeachingsChapter Seventeen The Two TruthsChapter Eighteen The Three DharmaSealsChapter Nineteen The Three Doors ofLiberationChapter Twenty The Three Bodies ofBuddhaChapter Twenty-One The ThreeJewelsChapter Twenty-Two The FourImmeasurable MindsChapter Twenty-Three The FiveAggregatesChapter Twenty-Four The FivePowersChapter Twenty-Five The SixParamitasChapter Twenty-Six The SevenFactors of

2 AwakeningChapter Twenty-Seven The TwelveLinks of Interdependent Co-ArisingChapter Twenty-Eight Touching theBuddha WithinPart Four DiscoursesDiscourse on Turning the Wheel of theDharma Dhamma Cakka PavattanaSuttaDiscourse on the Great FortyMahacattarisaka SuttaDiscourse on Right View SammaditthiSuttaIndexAlso available from Rider..Peace is Every StepLiving Buddha, Living ChristFigures 1. The Four Noble Truths 10 2. The Twelve Turnings of the Wheel 30 3. The Interbeing of the Eight Elements of thePath 57 4. The Six Paramitas 193 5. Seeds of Mindfulness 208 6. The Wheel of Life 228 7. The Three Times and Two Levels of Causeand Effect 233 8. The Interbeing of the Twelve Links 235 9. Twelve Links: The Two Aspects ofInterdependent Co-Arising 246 10. Twelve Links: The Two Aspects ofInterdependent Co-Arising 247 Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master,poet, best-selling author and peace activist, hasbeen a Buddhist monk for over 40 years.

3 He waschairman of the Vietnamese Buddhist Peacedelegations during the Vietnam War and wasnominated by Dr Martin Luther King for theNobel Peace Prize. In 1966 he visited the UnitedStates and Europe on a peace mission and wasunable to return to his native land. Today he headsPlum Village, a meditation community insouthwestern France, where he teaches, writes,gardens and aids refugees worldwide. 'Thich Nhat Hanh writes with the voice of theBuddha.' Sogyal Rinpoche 'Thich Nhat Hanh is more my brother thanmany who are nearer to me in race and nationality,because he and I see things in exactly the sameway.' Thomas Merton Other Books by Thich Nhat Hanh Be Still and KnowBeing PeaceThe Blooming of a LotusBreathe! You Are AliveCall Me by My True NamesCultivating the Mind of LoveThe Diamond That Cuts through IllusionFor a Future To Be PossibleFragrant Palm LeavesThe Heart of UnderstandingHermitage among the CloudsInterbeingLiving Buddha, Living ChristThe Long Road Turns to JoyLove in ActionThe Miracle of MindfulnessOld Path White CloudsOur Appointment with LifePeace Is Every StepPlum Village Chanting and Recitation BookPresent Moment Wonderful MomentStepping into FreedomThe Stone BoyThe Sun My HeartSutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great BeingsA Taste of EarthTeachings on LoveThundering SilenceTouching PeaceTransformation and HealingZen Keys The Heart of theBuddha's TeachingTRANSFORMING SUFFERING INTOPEACE, JOY, & LIBERATION.

4 THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS,THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH, ANDOTHER BASIC BUDDHIST TEACHINGS Thich Nhat Hanh This eBook is copyright material and must notbe copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed,leased, licensed or publicly performed or used inany way except as specifically permitted in writingby the publishers, as allowed under the terms andconditions under which it was purchased or asstrictly permitted by applicable copyright unauthorised distribution or use of this textmay be a direct infringement of the author's andpublisher's rights and those responsible may beliable in law accordingly. ISBN 978-1-4090-2054-7 Version 9 10 Copyright 1998 by Thich Nhat Hanh The right of Thich Nhat Hanh to be identifiedas Author of this work has been asserted by him inaccordance with the Copyright, Designs andPatents Act, 1988.

5 This electronic book is sold subject to thecondition that it shall not by way of trade orotherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwisecirculated without the publisher's prior consent inany form other than that in which it is publishedand without a similar condition including thiscondition being imposed on the subsequentpurchaser Published in 1998 by Broadway Books,1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036,USAThis edition published in 1999 by Rideran imprint of Ebury PressRandom House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, LondonSW1V Random House Australia (Pty) Limited20 Alfred Street, Milsons Point, Sydney,New South Wales 2061, Australia Random House New Zealand Limited18 Poland Road, Glenfield,Auckland 10, New Zealand Random House (Pty) LimitedIsle of Houghton, Corner of Boundary Road &Carse O'GowrieHoughton 2198, South Africa Random House Publishers India PrivateLimited301 World Trade Tower, Hotel IntercontinentalGrand Complex,Barakhamba Lane, New Delhi 110 001, India The Random House Group Limited Reg.

6 Significant portions of this text were translatedby Sister Annabel Laity from the Vietnamesebook, Trai tim cua by Arnold Kotler. Figures by Gay design by Legacy by Brackney Indexing characters courtesy of Rev. Heng of Life on p. 228 from Cutting ThroughSpiritual Materialism, byCh gyam Trungpa, 1973. Published byarrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc.,Boston A CIP catalogue record for this book isavailable from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-4090-2054-7 Version To the reader:Unless otherwise noted, the terms that appear inparentheses throughout the text are in has been transliterated informally, withoutthe diacritical marks. The s and s nave been writtenas sh. Sanskrit and other foreign terms are italicizedthe first time they appear, and definitions areprovided at that time.

7 Textual sources are providedin full die first time they are cited; after that, onlyauthor and tide are noted. The Heart of theBuddha's Teaching PART ONEThe Four Noble TruthsCHAPTER ONEE ntering the Heart of the BuddhaBuddha was not a god. He was a human beinglike you and me, and he suffered just as we do. Ifwe go to the Buddha with our hearts open , he willlook at us, his eyes filled with compassion, andsay, "Because there is suffering in your heart, it ispossible for you to enter my heart." The layman Vimalakirti said, "Because theworld is sick, I am sick. Because people suffer, Ihave to suffer." This statement was also made bythe Buddha. Please don't think that because youare unhappy, because there is pain in your heart,that you cannot go to the Buddha. It is exactlybecause there is pain in your heart thatcommunication is possible.

8 Your suffering and mysuffering are the basic condition for us to enter theBuddha's heart, and for the Buddha to enter ourhearts. For forty-five years, the Buddha said, over andover again, "I teach only suffering and thetransformation of suffering." When we recognizeand acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha which means the Buddha in us will look at it,discover what has brought it about, and prescribe acourse of action that can transform it into peace,joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means theBuddha used to liberate himself, and it is also themeans by which we can become free. The ocean of suffering is immense, but if youturn around, you can see the land. The seed ofsuffering in you may be strong, but don't wait untilyou have no more suffering before allowingyourself to be happy.

9 When one tree in the gardenis sick, you have to care for it. But don't overlookall the healthy trees. Even while you have pain inyour heart, you can enjoy the many wonders oflife the beautiful sunset, the smile of a child, themany flowers and trees. To suffer is not don't be imprisoned by your suffering. If you have experienced hunger, you know thathaving food is a miracle. If you have suffered fromthe cold, you know the preciousness of you have suffered, you know how toappreciate the elements of paradise that arepresent. If you dwell only in your suffering, youwill miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, butdon't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for yoursake and for the benefit of many beings. When I was young, I wrote this poem. Ipenetrated the heart of the Buddha with a heartthat was deeply wounded.

10 My youthan unripe teeth have left their marks on tooth marks still remember always,remember always. Since I learned how to love you,the door of my soul has been left wide opento the winds of the four calls for fruit of awareness is already ripe,and the door can never be closed again. Fire consumes this century,and mountains and forests bear its wind howls across my ears,while the whole sky shakes violently in thesnowstorm. Winter's wounds lie still,Missing the frozen blade,Restless, tossing and turningin agony all 1 "The Fruit of Awareness Is Ripe," in Call MeBy My True Names: The Collected Poems of ThickNhat Hanh (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1993), p. 59. I grew up in a time of war. There wasdestruction all around children, adults, values, awhole country. As a young person, I suffered a the door of awareness has been opened, youcannot close it.