Rating: 
Summary: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
Review: Thich Nhat Hanh leads us along the Old Path White Clouds the Buddha walked during his long and eventful life. This book might be called a teaching biography for it is Hanh's purpose to share with us the Buddha's message from his enlightenment under the bodhi tree to his death almost fifty years later.Hanh is a good story teller. He gives us many of the interesting facts about the life of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha or awakened one). The India of the 6th century B.C. was marked by an iron clad caste system under which people knew their place. The young Siddhartha was a prince sheltered from the rigors of this system and the suffering of the common man. When he learned that his life of luxury and convenience was not shared by most people, he decided to leave the royal palace and discover the true meaning and condition of life. Hanh underplays somewhat the extraordinary nature of the Buddha, who was one of the two or three greatest people who have ever lived. His powerful intellect was matched by an equally powerful love and compassion for people. Hanh weaves the important parts of the Buddha's teaching into the story of the Buddha's life. Those readers more interested in a biography uncluttered by extensive renderings of the Buddha's teaching will wish to look elsewhere, perhaps Hesse's famous treatment, Siddhartha, which I also recommend. The Buddha's teachings form the heart of the book, yet never overwhelm the story, at least in my opinion. The teachings are truly magnificent and put the Buddha in the same company with Socrates and Jesus Christ. The Parallel Sayings of Jesus and the Buddha illustrate just how similar the teachings of these two great masters can be. Monks like Thomas Merton show us the value of learning from the Buddha to deepen our understanding of what it means to be Christian. We can expect interest in the Buddha to continue to develop and Thich Nhat Hanh continues to be one of the truest and most accessible sources for us to discover the power of the Buddha's life and work.
Rating:
Summary: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
Review: Thich Nhat Hanh leads us along the Old Path White Clouds the Buddha walked during his long and eventful life. This book might be called a teaching biography for it is Hanh's purpose to share with us the Buddha's message from his enlightenment under the bodhi tree to his death almost fifty years later. Hanh is a good story teller. He gives us many of the interesting facts about the life of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha or awakened one). The India of the 6th century B.C. was marked by an iron clad caste system under which people knew their place. The young Siddhartha was a prince sheltered from the rigors of this system and the suffering of the common man. When he learned that his life of luxury and convenience was not shared by most people, he decided to leave the royal palace and discover the true meaning and condition of life. Hanh underplays somewhat the extraordinary nature of the Buddha, who was one of the two or three greatest people who have ever lived. His powerful intellect was matched by an equally powerful love and compassion for people. Hanh weaves the important parts of the Buddha's teaching into the story of the Buddha's life. Those readers more interested in a biography uncluttered by extensive renderings of the Buddha's teaching will wish to look elsewhere, perhaps Hesse's famous treatment, Siddhartha, which I also recommend. The Buddha's teachings form the heart of the book, yet never overwhelm the story, at least in my opinion. The teachings are truly magnificent and put the Buddha in the same company with Socrates and Jesus Christ. The Parallel Sayings of Jesus and the Buddha illustrate just how similar the teachings of these two great masters can be. Monks like Thomas Merton show us the value of learning from the Buddha to deepen our understanding of what it means to be Christian. We can expect interest in the Buddha to continue to develop and Thich Nhat Hanh continues to be one of the truest and most accessible sources for us to discover the power of the Buddha's life and work.
Rating: 
Summary: Its an ok book
Review: This book is ok if you are a serious student of Buddhist history. Otherwise it's really overkill. It also has a lot of technical problems and while Thich Nhat Hanh tried to stick to the basics without poisoning it with more recent Zen studies he failed in a lot of ways. There is a lot of talk about the ground shaking in the Buddhas presence and Bhikhhus having premonitions. The stories drag on and on. In most stories things tie together at the end but in this book it's just one Dhamma talk after another at different places. It's almost random in order with very little direction until the last few chapters. I'm not sorry I read the book, there were some real gems in the different Dhamma talks however I think Thich Nhat Hanh needs more work on his story telling. I'm sure he's a great teacher but as a story teller he needs a little work.
Rating:
Summary: To calm the soul
Review: This is a beautiful book. It's very easy to read, and tells a wonderful story filled with meaning and significance. I found it very hard to put down, and on numerous occasions, burst out into tears at the sheer beauty and wisdom of it. If you want to find out more about buddhism, this is a good way to go. Non-intimidating, it tells a story, not expecting you to know anything, but taking you along it's path effortlessly. It will highlight the basic principles with ease, without confusing you with terminology, ritual or rules. A definite keeper! Once I'm done reading it through for the first time, I'll go back to highlight passages and refer to it on a regular basis.
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