Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha

Product Information

Indeed I felt light and happy reading the book. Its simple yet deep. It deserves a second read - which I intend to do and cross reference with all the sutras. This is followed by such a beautiful explanation that I am sure the writer of this book will forgive me for quoting it in full.

Many years ago I had a similar realization in that we are all like droplets of water from a great lake to which we return, rippling the surface with our new knowledge. But this explanation by the Buddha is so simple and yet so complete. Absolutely beautiful! Of all the books I've ever read this has to be the first time the author actually tells the reader to stop "for a few minutes" to breath/meditate on [spoiler-alert thousands of years after the fact] the Buddha's passing.)To describe the life of a being such as the Buddha is an insurmountable task. While the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh makes a beautiful attempt to do so, I felt the book could been more captivating or evocative. So let’s also simplify the rest of the core of Buddha’s teachings which he gained through meditation and moments of enlightenment.

Khép lại cuốn sách, bỗng cõi lòng cũng nhẹ tựa mây. Nhìn xung quanh bốn phía, nhìn nơi thân thể, tâm thức, khổ đau, vui sướng, cỏ cây, con đường... nở một nụ cười an yên! "Trăng, sao, sông núi, ánh sáng mặt trời, tiếng chim hót, tiếng suối reo... tất cả những biểu hiện đó của vũ trụ đều mầu nhiệm, đều đẹp đẽ, đều có thể cho ta những nguồn vui bất tận" The lion is king of the beasts. When he leaves his den, he stretches and gazes out over all the directions. Before seeking his prey, he lets forth a mighty roar that causes the other creatures to tremble and flee.Beautiful, clear and simple writing without missing out on the important sutras and key essence of what buddhism is all about. Ananda, have you ever stood on a seashore and watched the waves rise and fall on the surface of the sea? Birthlessness and deathlessness are like the water. Birth and death are like the waves. Ananda, there are long waves and short waves, high waves and low waves. Waves rise and fall, but the water remains. Without water, there could be no waves. Waves are water, water is waves. Though the waves may rise and pass away, if they understand that they themselves are the water, they will transcend notions of birth and death. They will not worry, fear, or suffer because of birth and death.” I never thought 'Footprints…' by Marie Byles would be usurped when it comes to the origin story of Gautama and Buddhism but Hạnh did just that with his magnificent 'Old Path'.

You children have understood. People are not born with caste. Everyone's tears are salty, and everyone's blood is red. It is wrong to divide people into castes and create division and prejudice among them.'" At that time I was also writing the book Old Path White Clouds. We did not have central heating yet, only a wood stove in the little room above the bookshop, and the weather was very cold. I wrote with my right hand, and I put my left hand out over the stove. I was very happy writing. From time to time, I would stand up and make myself a cup of tea. Every day, the few hours I spent writing was like sitting with the Buddha for a cup of tea. I knew that the readers would have much happiness while reading the book because I had so much happiness while writing it.

Old Path White Clouds presents the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitable beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself…” —Parallax Press