Thich Nhat Hanh

state to be achieved, or, as a set of skills to be learned. Jon Kabat-Zinn was introduced to meditation while he was a molecular biology Ph.D. student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He studied meditation under Buddhist teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh and Seung Sahn, and integrated their teachings with his science background. In 1979, he founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he adapted Buddhist teachings to develop an eight-week…

There are some people who self-proclaim to be unique and different from the average person, to the point where they can be viewed as pretentious. A 21st century phenomenon that exemplifies this sense of superiority is the increase of hipsters – people who only do things that are not considered mainstream, ranging from solely shopping at vintage and thrift shops to solely eating organic and vegan foods, not because they truly want to, but just for the sake of being viewed as more unique than the…

Mindfulness and positivity Positivity is a broad term which encompasses positive emotions and optimistic outlook (Fredrickson, 2009). Positivity is essential for students in their academic life. In fact, researchers found that students who experience more positive affect are more committed to their studies, are better at problem solving (Reschly, Huebner, Appleton and Antaramian, 2008), and they also behave better (Flook et al. 2015). Pekrun, Goetz, Titz and Perry (2002) looked at the function…

In my Master of Divinity program I wrote a paper entitled, “What is the place of work in the Christian Life?” That paper was a reflection on Lee Hardy’s book, The Fabric of This World: Inquiries into Calling, Career Choice and the Design of Human Work. While Hardy’s work began with an examination of Greek thought in regards to work and leisure, as represented by the works Plato and Aristotle, a contemporary piece might begin with Working, by Studs Terkel, moving from work into theology, as…

Americans, attract fewer Asian Americans than Caucasians. Thich Nhat Hanh, who mentioned previously, was a Zen Buddhist Monk was born in 1926. During the Vietnam war he founded the School of Youth for Social Services in Saigon, and helped resettled homeless families by rebuilding villages. Thich later traveled to the United States in hopes to convince the U.S to withdraw from the war. In 1967 Martin Luther King Jr. nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Price for his actions in the…

Have you ever thought about how many differences and similarities there are between Buddhism and Christianity? There are sometimes very few differences between each individual religion. On the other hand there can be several similarities. There can be differences between their origins, spiritual leaders and even different places of worship. Some similarities can be in the rules they go by and their main language. Christianity and Buddhism are more different than similar. Analyzing religious…

As the prominent philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh puts it, “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear…” (Steen “Adversity Quotes”). In other words hope aids in overcoming adversity because it makes the situation bearable. Othello in Othello by William Shakespeare, Hester in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Huck in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain exemplify adversity. Adversity means overcoming misfortunes through hope and learning…

In this section, I will examine how Buddhism has interacted with nature and environment from its early stage up till today, especially focusing on the role of mindfulness. I will analyze ancient Buddhist texts and related writings, scholarly articles about the development of engaged Buddhism, and also modern practices. a) Traditional Buddhist Mindful Meditation and the Environment: Non-harm and interdependence The English word "mindfulness" is translated from the Pali term sati or Sanskrit…

“Life is available only in the present moment.” -Thich Nhat Hanh (qtd. In Mumford 21) Nothing exists besides this actual second. (Firestone prgph. 3) Everything is in our thoughts but imagine if we could train our thoughts to observe only the time we have. This practice is called mindfulness. When people hear the word mindfulness, they will probably think of a Buddhist monk sitting with his legs crossed and his arms at his knees. Mindfulness isn’t for select people, anyone can be presently…

In life, there are many distractions and few realities that we choose to face on a daily basis. Humans feel as though they can avoid the harshness of reality by choosing to “focus” on the inconsequential thoughts that will eventually bring them back to suffering. The Buddha taught the Eightfold Path to liberate people form their false sense of eternal suffering and guide us toward a meaningful existence. The most crucial step towards enlightenment is explained by right mindfulness; remember to…