Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm (2014) is a book by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn. It provides guidance on coping with fear in our daily lives, including our fears of loneliness, being abandoned, change, separation, uncertainty, being sick, and dying.

In Fear, Thich Nhat Hahn has a gentle and understanding way of presenting his advice and teachings. He explains that we must not let ourselves dwell in the past because the present is our true home, saying,

“I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough to be happy.”

Thich Nhat Hahn explains that we should not be limited by our pasts, our presents, or even our futures. He describes how people replay old events from the past, and then react to new events as though they were the old ones. To counter this tendency, he reminds us that we can react to new events differently as fresh moments and to be grounded in the present. Although we can explore our pasts deeply, it is important not to dwell in sorrow or regret.

To cope with loss and death, Thich Nhat Hahn reminds us that those we love have not disappeared, but instead have been transformed into new forms. We must continue to enjoy life because those who have died are still close to us and have not really disappeared from our lives. In thinking of loss in this way, we can overcome our grief.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is the following advice he gives about examining our feelings:

“Observe your feelings—whether they are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Feelings flow in us like a river, and each feeling is a drop of water in that river. Look into the river of your feelings and see how each feeling came to be. See what has been preventing you from being happy, and do your best to transform those things. Practice touching the wondrous, refreshing, and healing elements that are already in you and in the world. Doing so, you become stronger and better able to love yourself and others.”

Thich Nhat Hahn describes the Buddha’s teaching that suffering can be caused by having wrong and erroneous perceptions and gives the following example, “You see a snake in the dark and you panic, but when your friend shines a light on it, you see that it is only a rope. You have to know which wrong perceptions cause suffering.”

This example struck me. As a child, I was walking in a park with my younger brother. I saw what I thought was a rattlesnake. I was afraid and grabbed my brother’s hand to protect him from the snake. As I looked more closely at the “snake,” I realized that it was just a broken beaded necklace and not a snake after all, and my fear disappeared.


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Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Milk and Honey (2014) is a book of poems and artwork by Rupi Kaur, an Indian-Canadian woman. At the time of publication, Kaur was 21 years old. The book is divided into four thematic chapters: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. It concludes with a final "love letter" to the reader from the author.

Rupi Kaur writes in an extremely personal, daring, and revealing way, exposing her innermost thoughts and feelings in her poetry. The book's themes cover pain and trauma as well as love and healing. Through her poetry, Kaur reflects on womanhood, femininity, family, love, race, lovers, sex, heartbreak, relationships, loneliness, and art. Most of her poems are short, and with a just a few words, they pack a punch.

One of my favorites poems from the volume is the following:

the thing about writing is
i can’t tell if it’s healing
or destroying me

I found reading Milk and Honey to be cathartic, touching, and inspiring. This book is such a good reminder that we can all find healing and purpose by writing and creating art. I look forward to reading future volumes of Rupi Kaur's poetry.

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How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

How to Love (2014) is a book by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn that provides guidance to nourish happiness and love in our lives. He begins by explaining that we must expand our hearts to increase our abilities to understand and accept others and to be compassionate. By doing so, we can transform and prevent our own suffering. In turn, by accepting and understanding those around us, we can help them grow in positive ways as well.

Thich Nhat Hanh explains that true love has four elements, namely: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. When love has these four elements, it can heal and transform us. He explains that we must first accept ourselves to generate our own moments of kindness, understanding, joy, and happiness, and then we can offer these same elements to those around us.

This book is a wonderful reminder of many ideas and truths that we may know internally, but rarely articulate. The book is short and the ideas are presented in a simple, fully understandable way. Putting the ideas into practice requires contemplation, reflection, and intention. It’s a profound and encouraging book, one that’s worth revisiting.

Purchase and read books by Thich Nhat Hahn from his Mindfulness Essentials Series:



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