Here's the thing, if you have read any of Hanh's books, you have pretty much read them all. He teaches the same few lessons in different and new ways. This book focuses on suffering and the need to move through suffering, rather than avoiding it. How mindfulness, letting go, simplicity, etc. Basic Hanh teachings in each of his books. This doesn't make it a bad book, in fact it is a very good book because it is important to keep coming back to his teachings as one is reminded to come back to one's breath. As long as you are not doing a marathon read of all his books in a row, this one deserves space on your shelf, but it isn't new teaching, but simply new stories. Good stuff. ( )

One day I realize I was depressed.

I don't know how it happened. One day I looked at the sun and saw only black clouds.

Obviously, there were moments of happiness and bliss, few, but there were.

But the dark clouds were there, an unknown and collosal fear that was always with me.

Then I read a wonderful manga called [b:Land of the Lustrous, Vol. 1|33113805|Land of the Lustrous, Vol. 1 (Land of the Lustrous, #1)|Haruko Ichikawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490837118l/33113805._SX50_.jpg|27065507] and this book.

Even though I am still far from being "happy" now at least I live with the least amount of unhappiness possible.

5/5 stars ( )

When I first read this book, I wrote that I wished that it had more of a focus on the suffering aspect. By which I think I wanted it to have more acknowledgement of what suffering feels like.

When I picked the book up a second time (where did I originally read it?) I wasn't aware that I'd read it before although I knew the cover and had this uncertain feeling that I'd seen it before. Anyway, only on typing it into the system here did I find that I had read it. Not that it matters, I have changed and the aspects which feel the most applicable to me have therefore also changed.

These types of books are often divided into theory and practise. I have no love for mantras and repeating phrases, so I tend to ignore them. I'm more interested in the theory, but mostly I care about how simply reading about being mindful slows my mind down. For me, these books by Thich Nhat Hahn are strangely relaxing to read. Same applies to similar works by authors like Pema Chödrön or the Dalai Lama.

It's like the talk of breathing makes me watch my breath. The talk of suffering brings my attention to my pains. I become more observant about how I hold my body. I think about my experiences of meditation and feel more inclined to practise a little more.

Such a slender volume invariably lacks depth and won't solve your problems for you, although some ideas held within may strike the reader as profound, and if read at the right time, may resonate in such a way that really helps.
( )

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Hanh-Sans-boue-pas-de-lotus/1332781
> Nicolas (Amazon) : https://www.amazon.fr/gp/customer-reviews/R20TAN9N9QXZE1/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?...
> La Lettre du Crocodile : http://lettreducrocodile.over-blog.net/2021/01/sans-boue-pas-de-lotus.html
> Bibliographie : http://www.librarything.fr/work/254643/book/198902861

> SANS BOUE, PAS DE LOTUS, de Thich Nhat Hanh (2021, Le Courrier du Livre, 138 p., 15 €). — Si nous voulons mieux profiter de la vie, nous devons apprendre à regarder et à accueillir pleinement la présence du bonheur tout comme la présence de la souffrance. Thich Nhat Hanh dévoile le secret du bonheur : il ne s’agit pas de vouloir supprimer la souffrance, mais de la reconnaître et de la transformer en joie véritable. Il nous offre dans ce petit manuel du bonheur les moyens d’y parvenir grâce à de très nombreux exercices guidés de respiration, méditation, pleine conscience, relaxation profonde.
—3e millénaire, (140), Été 2021

Full of practical and simple advice. Whether you are a Buddhist, a Christian or no religion at all, the wisdom shared in this book is extremely pertinent to the disconnection so prevalent in modern life. We all need to be more mindful, living in the present. I have read several of Hanh's books, and so fa this is my favorite. ( )