Thich Nhat Hahn, a Buddhist Zen master of Vietnamese origin, is a human rights activist and a renowned organizer of retreats on the art of mindful living. Thây (‘teacher’), as he is generally known to his followers, also pioneered the concept of ‘engaged’ Buddhism during the Vietnam War when he gave a call to interlink meditation practices and social activism. Since then, he has been engaging in spirituality, community-building, peace-making, and deep ecology. He has written over one hundred books which include popular titles such as Being Peace (Parallax Press, 1996), The Art of Power (Harper One, 2007), The Miracle of Mindfulness (Beacon Press, 1996), Present Moment Wonderful Moment (Parallax Press, 1990), and Calming the Fearful Mind (Parallax Press, 2005). Nominated in 1967 for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh has perfected his weltanschauung through practical experience at his three centres known as Plum Village (Southern France), Green Mountain Dharma Center (Vermont, USA), and Deer Park Monastery (California, USA).
Environmental activists, yoga teachers, psychotherapists, care-givers, community workers, and artists irrespective of gender, class, race, religion, and nationality approach him for cultivation of mindfulness, wholesomeness, inner tranquility, and spirituality.
Thich Nhat Hahn’s Understanding Our Mind is the revised paperback edition of the previously released Transformation at the Base: Fifty Verses on the Nature of Consciousness (Parallax Press, 2001). Finalist for the 2001 Nautilus Award, this seminal work on Buddhist applied psychology contains a new introduction by dharma teacher Reb Anderson, author of Being Upright. This book, a compilation of dharma teachings given by Thich Nhat Hanh between 1989 and 1998 on Buddhist psychology, is based on fifty verses on the nature of consciousness taken from the great fifth century Buddhist master Vasubandhu and the teachings of the Avatamsaka Sûtra.