A Wonderful Book

     A while ago I was listening to an audio program on meditation and the author mentioned a book called For a Future to be Possibleby Thich Nhat Hanh.  It took me some time, but I finally bought the book and read a little bit every night before bed.  I found that it is dense, thoughtful writing that is best taken a little at a time. 

     The author, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Naht Hanh, takes each of the five mindfulness trainings to expound on what each training means.  He answers the questions:  What does it mean to be compassionate and not kill?  What does it mean to be kind and avoid causing suffering?  What does it mean to respect commitments and not engage in sexual misconduct?  What does it mean to speak truthfully and avoid speech that will cause hurt or discord?  What does it mean to ingest only healthful things and avoid things that will cause damage to the body, the mind, the soul, one's relationships, society, and the planet? 

     The author believes that our world is hanging in balance and that to avoid societal catastrophe, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the basics and commit to living by them. 

     [Just a word about the edition -- the only edition that I could find in print was a large-print version (hey, no reading glasses needed!).  If you hunt around you may find a different edition.]