Whenever I've gone through difficult things in life, I have always turned toward Buddhism and this book did not let me down. Hanh urges the reader to find happiness and joy in everyday life by being present and finding the miracles in each and every moment. My own breathing, each in breath and out breath, is a miracle. He teaches us to treasure the good that we already have.

I particularly loved how he talked about life and death not as beginnings and endings, but as transformations. I loved how he talked about the "soul," and how it is not something that can be removed from the body, just as God is not something that can be removed from Creation. Body and soul are one, and when the body dies, the soul is not removed, both are simply transformed. Everlasting life is achieved through your actions and how they resonate throughout the rest of time. Something I have always loved about Buddhism is its focus on life right now, not on some "afterlife" or a set of rules for what you need to do to get into heaven. In Buddhism, Hanh teaches, heaven is HERE. Heaven is now, we just have to stop and take the time to look for it and enjoy it.

I love this book, and I hope to read more by Hanh in the future. This one is going in my personal collection for sure.

4.5

It’s a great read...however there is this one section where he talks about how he cured his depression by practising mindfulness. As a mental health practitioner, I have no objection to this. But, seeking professional help for mental health issues should be the way. Practising mindfulness can be an added regime together with some pharmacotherapy. My two cents.