Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames
by Thich Nhat Hanh

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames
List Price: $15.00
Our Price: $6.98
You Save: $8.02 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.20 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-09-03
ISBN: 1573229377
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Riverhead Trade

Book Reviews of Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

Book Review: An excellent book on anger and how to deal with it
Summary: 5 Stars

This book is great for many reasons:

For one, it gives the Buddhist philosophy with hardly any dogma or dry, hard to understand Buddhist teachings. He keeps it simple and in plain English he explains the concepts of how to approach life - and anger - in a Buddhist manner, which is much simpler and user friendly than you would imagine. One need not "be a Buddhist" to read this book or benefit from it. In fact, it is more of a self-help book, that just happens to be written from the perspective of a Buddhist monk.

He gives you practical and easy to practice advice about how to deal with your wife or husband when you are boiling with anger. And at the same time he explains how just sitting quietly with your breath, or being mindful in your daily actions, can help you to overcome your anger. And when the anger arises anyway, he tells us not to get mad about getting mad, but rather to accept it, lovingly, and treat your anger as a crying baby, that you must accept it and soothe it. One does not cut one's stomach out when it has indigestion. By the same token, one should not cut one's anger out, but rather learn to quiet and calm it. I'm just paraphrasing, but that's more or less the lesson as I understood it.

But there are many more lessons here, and the book is written in such a simple, easy to understand way. I'm used to reading books that are written in a more complicated style, for example some of the Buddha's teachings translated from the original Pali, which require a little more work to understand. Or even some of Hanh's other books, such as The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings, which, though not difficult to understand, are a little more complex.

But this book is so easy to read and so easy to understand, I am giving it to my wife as an introduction to Buddhism, (she is Catholic), so that she can see in a very clear and easy way what Buddhism is all about. Also I am asking her to read it, as a way of showing her that I am working on my anger, and enlisting her help by showing her the approach I am taking, via this book, and asking her to help keep me mindful of my anger and mindful in general, and skillful in dealing with my emotions.

I have looked at dozens of Hanh's books, and while they are all worthwhile, this one is perhaps the most clear and easy to understand, basically distilling Buddhism down to its essence of mindfulness, and compassion, and watching the breath.

This book, I think, is especially helpful for anyone who has anger issues and who wants to reduce the suffering in his or her life, not only for his or herself, but also for his or her loved ones, whether it be one's daughter, son, wife, husband, mother, father, or etc...

Summary of Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

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: wrong knowing, obsessive desire, and anger. All are difficult, but in one instant of anger—one of the most powerful emotions—lives can be ruined, and health and spiritual development can be destroyed. With exquisite simplicity, Buddhist monk and Vietnam refugee Thich Nhat Hanh gives tools and advice for transforming relationships, focusing energy, and rejuvenating those parts of ourselves that have been laid waste by anger. His extraordinary wisdom can transform your life and the lives of the people you love, and in the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, can give each reader the power to "change everything."


Anger can be one of the most frustrating emotions, carrying us headlong away from ourselves and depositing us into separation and dismay. Vietnamese monk and world teacher Thich Nhat Hanh tackles this most difficult of emotions in Anger. A master at putting complex ideas into simple, colorful packages, Nhat Hanh tells us that, fundamentally, to be angry is to suffer, and that it is our responsibility to alleviate our own suffering. The way to do this is not to fight our emotions or to "let it all out" but to transform ourselves through mindfulness. Emphasizing our basic interdependence, he teaches us how to help others through deep listening and how to water the positive seeds in those around us while starving the negative seeds. Serious though lighthearted, Anger is a handbook not only for transforming anger but for living each moment beautifully. --Brian Bruya

Self-Help Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Self-Help Books
Communion: The Female Search for Love ImageCommunion: The Female Search for Love
by bell hooks
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2002-12-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops: $14.99
Your Erroneous Zones: Step-by-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life ImageYour Erroneous Zones: Step-by-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life
by Wayne W. Dyer
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 1991-05-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.69
Price in other shops: $13.99
Positive Addiction (Harper Colophon Books) ImagePositive Addiction (Harper Colophon Books)
by William Glasser
Harper Perennial; Published: 1985-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $12.99
Woman Power: Transform Your Man, Your Marriage, Your Life ImageWoman Power: Transform Your Man, Your Marriage, Your Life
by Laura Schlessinger
Harper; Published: 2004-08-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.75
Price in other shops: $22.95
The Zen Path Through Depression ImageThe Zen Path Through Depression
by Philip Martin
HarperOne; Published: 2000-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.00
Price in other shops: $13.99
All You Need Is Love and Other Lies About Marriage: A Proven Strategy to Make Your Marriage Work, from a Leading Couples Therapist ImageAll You Need Is Love and Other Lies About Marriage: A Proven Strategy to Make Your Marriage Work, from a Leading Couples Therapist
by John W. Jacobs
Harper; Published: 2004-03-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.90
Price in other shops: $24.95
If You Had Controlling Parents: How to Make Peace with Your Past and Take Your Place in the World ImageIf You Had Controlling Parents: How to Make Peace with Your Past and Take Your Place in the World
by Dan Neuharth
Harper; Published: 1998-09-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.89
Price in other shops: $25.00
super Sexual Orgasm Imagesuper Sexual Orgasm
by Barbara, Ph. D. Keesling
Harper Collins; Published: 1997; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.57
Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life ImageCare of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life
by Thomas Moore
Harpercollins; Published: 1992-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.30
Price in other shops: $25.00
Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion ImageVerbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion
by George Thompson
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.64
Price in other shops: $14.99
Similar Books and other products
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life ImageSavor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life
by Thich Nhat Hanh, Lilian Cheung
HarperOne; Published: 2011-03-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.08
Price in other shops: $15.99
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation ImageThe Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Broadway Books; Published: 1999-06-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
Be Free Where You Are ImageBe Free Where You Are
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Parallax Press; Published: 2002-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.43
Price in other shops: $8.95
You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment ImageYou Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Shambhala; Published: 2010-12-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.12
Price in other shops: $14.00
Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices ImageHappiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Parallax Press; Published: 2009-07-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.25
Price in other shops: $12.95
Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions ImageTaming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Riverhead Trade; Published: 2005-09-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.05
Price in other shops: $14.00
True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart ImageTrue Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Shambhala; Published: 2011-10-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.56
Price in other shops: $11.00
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation ImageThe Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Beacon Press; Published: 1999-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops: $14.00
Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child ImageReconciliation: Healing the Inner Child
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Ma's India; Parallax Press; Published: 2010-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $14.95
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life ImagePeace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Bantam; Published: 1992-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.91
Price in other shops: $15.00