No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, No Death

I do not believe one book will answer the questions of dying or what happens to us after we die. But, I must confess, Thich Nhat Hanh has given me something to ponder. I would recommend reading this book if you sincerely want to know more about facing death.

People have a hard time understanding why I love and respect a monk so much. But his writings are so clear, so pure and simple, uncluttered, that they make sense just to pick up and read like a regular book. The only difference between his books and a good story_book is that his books are about your Life and they require Practice. All of which requires joy too!
This wonderful teacher talks to us in this book about emptiness, a wonderful concept we are all learning in our own time. In it, he clearly states examples of emptiness or impermanence in ways that are directly the result of his own experience and observation. One gets the sense that he has shown us some truth about death and life, and how they interlink and come together in a ballet of pictures and words. He writes with true wisdom, and the only result is, indeed, comfort.
The spiritual life requires discipline. It requires a sense of purpose, and perhaps, motivation. But one thing I know is that it is not unbearable and uncomfortable as many would have you believe. Through his unique teachings, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us that there is no end and no beginning to things. If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, this book is as good as counseling.

The book offers a way to regard life that addresses the fear most people have of death. He says that our true being is not segmented by birth or death. It exists across space and time, manifesting only when causes and conditions are right. Nhat Hanh uses metaphors and simple illustrations to reveal that our human life is just a temporary manifestation, much like a wave on the ocean.

I really liked Thich Nhat Hanh's clear, pure and simple writing style, providing a view of death that teaches us about impermanence and the interbeing of all things. This is a great companion book to The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying.

I absolutely love this book. When I am afraid of dying (which used to be quite often), I read this book.
For example, before I go into a surgery, I read this book.

I don't know how comforting it would be to me if I lost someone I loved. I don't deal with loss well.
But just helping me to stop fearing death is a real blessing. I would like to thank Thich Nhat Hanh for writing this book.

I have read it many times in the over 2 years I have had it.

Hanh quickly grabs the reader's attention and mindfully drifts off in euphamism and metaphor as he meanders over, under and through this difficult topic (difficult for most people).

Calming in his approach to death, life, beginning (no beginning) and end (no end), the author seems to have an excellent hold on his spiritual beliefs and his desire to share. For those of any and all faiths, death is a frightening subject, but Hanh paints a wonderful picture of immortality through all that a person touches in his/her life.

The only, and I stress only, misgiving I found with this short read are the over-used metaphorical analysis between human life and that of an oceanic wave. I wish the author could draw similarities shared by all breathing life organisms, rather than something as translucent as water (although I think I understand WHY he often describes life in terms of water).

I would certainly recommend this book.

Mindfulness practice is a path in which every step is a step of compassionate engagement with every aspect of your experience, whether walking, talking with a friend or working with the suffering and anguish that exists in our minds. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us how to smile at every encounter with reality. I also recommend The Path of Mindfulness Meditation by Dr Peter Strong, an in-depth exploration of mindfulness meditation.

I first thought the book was simple and repetitive. But when I experienced a loss and re-read the book, I finally realized how profound this book really is.
I had been dealing with the subject of death for quite a few years. (I started with the book HAGAKURE, by Tsunetomo Yamamoto. You may or may not like to check that out. It's a more stoic approach to similar subjects). Anyway, I wanted to conquer the idea of my own inevitable mortality, so that when the time comes, I will handle it with grace. So, my approach was to prepare beforehand.
As I said, I was working on my OWN mortality. It never occured to me that I might also apply it to someone else. Someone I love recently died. That was the 1st real loss that I've encountered, so I was devastated. All those years of preparing myself didn't really mean much (though at the time, I thought I was ready and that I knew it all). I had already owned a copy of this book and read it several years ago. Feeling in the pits, I decided to pull the book out and read it again, as this time it is much more applicable (since I'm experiencing loss).
The book seemed so simple beforehand. It was a quick read. Thich Nhat Hanh also seemed repetitive; I felt bored several times. This, as it turns out, was my fault, not his. He is such a good teacher that he makes everything seem so simple. However, after someone I loved very much died, I re-read this book, and I realized how profound it really is. The reason why Thich is so repetitive, is because you need to drill it into you head so that you really understand it. It's like learning how to count to ten. No one is born knowing how to count to ten. But you drill it until the day when you know it all by heart. Trust me, this book is more profound than it seems; do not just read through it and think that it's all obvious and that you already know it. Reading and learning is not good enough; you have to experience it!
It's like this: death is not real. You cannot create something out of nothing, and you cannot become nothing from something. It's not the reality of things. (Physics will agree with that, for you scientists out there). The problem is that we're deluded. This delusion creates in us a false sense of reality, and that leads to our suffering. We fear death because we think we become nothing. We fear death, because we do not understand it. The problem is that we've learned the wrong way; we need to unlearn our delusions and see death as it really is: simply a change in form. Basically, it's moving on. We want to stay in one place, but the fact of the universe is that it is always changing. We are deluded into remaining stagnant in a universe that, let's face it, is not going to stop and wait for us.
This book helped me immensely in my loss. But it's neverending; you can't just reach a certain point and then stop; you'll lose it. You have to keep going. It's one of those books I will always keep with me. Get this book beforehand, and slowly introduce it into your life and try to apply it. Don't wait until you experience a loss. You will be too devastated. It's never too late to prepare youself for what's inevitable. It will greatly diminish your sense of despair. That much I can gaurantee.

I purchased this book with the intention of understanding more thoroughly death in regards to the passing of my grandfather. What I found was indeed pointers in practicing properly as well as a more profound understanding of life in general. I was so taken by the principles of meditation practices in this book that I wish to share it with others in my life and am planning on doing just that. My thanks to Thay. Bless you.

A bold title but accurate. In simple words and sentances Hanh illuminates a different way of looking at the world. Not as us being apart from it, but of it. Opens our minds to see that everything is interconnected. Tutors us is being mindful of this---look at a mug and drink tea but think of how the mug came to be, how the tea came to you. he peppers the book with ways to put its precepts to work.His Big idea: You can't change the world, but you can change how you see it.

I have enjoyed this Authors writing in the past. I haven't read his work in awhile but struggled big time with this book.it seemed to me to say the same thing over and over in different ways. I respect the Author and what he's dedicated his life to but in communicating it to the masses in this case I find it redundant. Realizing this could be an 'operator' problem on my part I gave it a 3. I understand what he is saying just not how he applies it.

A short but insightful read. As with most books that deal with concepts and ideals, this book can appear at first glance to be deceptively simple. Yet I think that if you take the time to digest the message then it can prove quite provocative.

Not a book for the casual read, more something that you want to site down and read extensively while having the time to ponder more deeply what is between the lines. It is also a book that you will be able to return to any number of times, read again and still gain something from it.

If you are interested in a 'Buddhist' angle to the question of death and suffering then this is a recommended read. If you are likewise interested in an alternative approach to the concept of the finality of death, then again the book is a worthwhile read but remember to take your time to digest what may at first glance appear as a simplistic approach to one of the inevitable results of life.

The book is a sequence of poetic narratives intended to make you feel at ease about death. I quickly lost interest, upon realizing that the author presents no evidence that any of what he contends is true. Boring, wordy, poetic rhetoric. Just because parts sound inspirational and soothing to read doesn't make it so.

I have read every single book on life after death and related topics with a passion. Based on customer reviews I could not wait to read this book. Everything that is contained within is repeated over and over again and can be summed up in one paragraph. Basically you were never born and you will never die so be happy. We are told this statement over and over but then suddenly the word death is used in the next sentence as a great contradiction. It's your money :)

I had lost someone dear, the pain was great. This book appeared just at the right time in my life, it is helping me make sense of our existance. Written in clear understandable language, everyone should read it. It certainly has helped me.

Thic Naht Hahn is a brilliant teacher and communicator....the PROBLEM with the CD version is that -HE- doesn't read it, someone else does.....I found it impossible to listen to....get the book version

this is yet another exceptional book from author and zen master thich nhat hanh. he gives us his beautiful teachings on death, and how to come to terms with loss and change. he writes in a way that most readers can understand. this book would be especially valuable to any one dealing with death and working with grief. the wisdom of this man is a gift to us all. any one of his many books is a gem.

My wife of 34 years had died recently. Afterwards, I was given this book by my brother in law. Reading it really helped me begin to see & understand things differently. The author's perspective, the teachings of Buddha, have had a very calming effect - which I truly needed (and continue to need).

Five stars because when we start reading this book the transformation happens in every page.
It has simple and powerful teachings, simple and transforming exercises.

I recomend this book to everyone who need more peace into their lives. Thank you so mutch.

I agree with the other one star reviewer. No birth, no death, be happy.

I also agree with the three star reviewer that you can ponder more deeply what is between the lines.

What I found between the lines, or perhaps in the lines, is the proposition of Emptiness, which I consider the fundamental proposition of Mahayana Buddhism.

But what happens? The author pours sugar and cream all over it and and makes it so sweet! Ever so sweet!

I want to love Thich Nhat Hanh. What's not to love? He sounds like a genuinely nice man, and I get that he had a really hard, hard time in Vietnam. His has not been an easy life at all. He has suffered, and yet, in spite of the suffering, he has this sweet and loving nature.

I feel like the old lady in the Wendy's commercial who asks, "Where's the beef?"

Where's the Buddhism? (Actually I ask that about a lot of the "Buddhist" books available these days. Don't care for Pema Chodron either.)

Where's the Buddhism? Under a heavy load of treacle and sweetness and light. It's there, yes, but Thich Nhat Hanh has clogged it up with entirely too much sugar, which may well make it palatable to a modern western audience. McBuddhism. Pop Buddhism.

By the time I finished this book I had the feeling that I'd eaten an entire sugary sweet pink birthday cake with icing an inch thick. And what a belly ache I had!

Worse yet, I'm appalled at the way in which he equates Nirvana with the Kingdom of God, and Buddha with Jesus. Shame on him!

No, Nirvana is NOT the Kingdom of God. This is more of that sloppy new age thinking which defines "God" as anything and everything, which plasters the label, "God", on any old thing, forgetting that "God" is primarily a theistic term, implying an all-powerful self-sufficient, self-existing entity.

And a "Kingdom"? A Monarchy?

And no. The Buddha is not like Jesus, or perhaps I should say "the Jesuses", because the gospels are contradictory and present greatly differing accounts and descriptions of this legendary person. (And yes, I consider the Buddha to be shrouded in myth and legend, too.)

I got the impression that Thich Nhat Hanh is pandering to westerners and Interfaithists, softening Buddhism up to make it comfortable. Emptiness can be truly terrifying to some people. Not everyone who has an enlightenment experience welcomes it. Buddhism is not for sissies.

I've heard him accused of promoting "Buddhism Lite", and I agree.