Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

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Riverhead Books, 2001 - Philosophy - 227 pages
The Nobel Peace Prize nominee and internationally bestselling author shares the tools and power for overcoming anger. Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity. Martin Luther King, Jr., in nominating Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize It was under the bodhi tree in India twenty-five centuries ago that Buddha achieved the insight that three states of mind were the source of all our unhappiness: ignorance, obsessive desire, and anger. All are equally difficult, but in one instant of anger, lives can be ruined, and our spiritual development can be destroyed. Twenty-five hundred years after the Buddha's enlightenment, medical science tells us that the Buddha was right: anger can also ruin our health. It is one of the most powerful emotions and one of the most difficult to change. Thich Nhat Hanh offers a fresh perspective on taking care of our anger as we would take care of a crying baby-picking it up, talking quietly to it, probing for what is making the baby cry. Laced with stories and techniques, Anger offers a wise and loving look at transforming anger into peace and for bringing harmony and healing to all the areas and relationships in our lives that have been affected by anger.

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About the author (2001)

Thich Nhat Hanh was born in central Vietnam on October 11, 1926. He entered Tu Hieu Temple as a novice monk at the age of sixteen. During the Vietnam War, he was part of a movement called "engaged Buddhism", which combines traditional practices with nonviolent civil disobedience. For this, he was exiled by both the Communist and non-Communist governments and was nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 for his efforts to reconcile North and South Vietnam. He is a teacher, author, poet, and peace activist. He has written over 100 titles on meditation, mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism, as well as poems, children's stories, and commentaries on ancient Buddhist texts. His books include The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: An Introduction to Buddhism, Peace Is Every Step, The Miracle of Mindfulness, The Art of Power, True Love and Anger, Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire, and Living Buddha, Living Christ. He founded a retreat in France called Plum Village.

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