Learn the foundational practices of mindful breathing in this essential book by "the monk who taught the world mindfulness"
Breathe, You Are Alive! is a definitive presentation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on one of the most practical and accessible guides to meditation ever taught: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
From the late 1980s until his passing, Thich Nhat Hanh returned again and again to this sutra in retreats and teachings around the world. For him, the sixteen exercises of mindful breathing were not abstract instructions, but a living practice capable of transforming suffering and bringing deep peace to every moment of daily life. This conviction was rooted not only in his experience as a meditation master, but also in his careful scholarship and lifelong study of Buddhist texts.
This expanded and revised edition:
Brings together decades of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching, research, and commentary
Integrates newly available teachings from talks in Vietnamese, English, and French
Features an extensive collection of guided breathing practices for use by individuals and groups
Introduces, for the first time, textual study of relevant Chinese sutras, providing a rich comparative perspective
Combining scholarly rigor and embodied practice, Breathe, You Are Alive! is both an essential meditation manual and a survival guide for modern life.
Thich Nhat Hanh, a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist, was born in Vietnam in 1926 and became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than one hundred books, which have sold millions of copies. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to the West. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in 2022 at the age of ninety-five at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam, surrounded by his beloved community.
Learn the foundational practices of mindful breathing in this essential book by "the monk who taught the world mindfulness"
Breathe, You Are Alive! is a definitive presentation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on one of the most practical and accessible guides to meditation ever taught: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
From the late 1980s until his passing, Thich Nhat Hanh returned again and again to this sutra in retreats and teachings around the world. For him, the sixteen exercises of mindful breathing were not abstract instructions, but a living practice capable of transforming suffering and bringing deep peace to every moment of daily life. This conviction was rooted not only in his experience as a meditation master, but also in his careful scholarship and lifelong study of Buddhist texts.
This expanded and revised edition:
Brings together decades of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching, research, and commentary
Integrates newly available teachings from talks in Vietnamese, English, and French
Features an extensive collection of guided breathing practices for use by individuals and groups
Introduces, for the first time, textual study of relevant Chinese sutras, providing a rich comparative perspective
Combining scholarly rigor and embodied practice, Breathe, You Are Alive! is both an essential meditation manual and a survival guide for modern life.
Author
Thich Nhat Hanh, a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist, was born in Vietnam in 1926 and became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than one hundred books, which have sold millions of copies. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to the West. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in 2022 at the age of ninety-five at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam, surrounded by his beloved community.
