The Admonitions and Encouraging Words of Master Guishan: Text and Commentary

by Thich Nhat Hanh, Annabel Laity (Translator)

Overview

Thich Nhat Hanh's translation and commentary for a Buddhist text that has been long considered one of the three key books for monastic meditation practitioners

For monks, nuns, or laypeople, this text from the days of early Buddhism in China calls on us to wake up and live an authentic life dedicated to spiritual ideals. The Admonitions and Encouraging Words of Master Guishan is offered to new monks and nuns at the time of their ordination together with books on monastic codes of conduct, and it remains a companion and guide throughout their career.

The importance of Master Guishan's Classical Chinese text cannot be underestimated. Although it is addressed to monks, it is suitable for anyone who seeks to awaken and live with clarity and intention. Thich Nhat Hanh gives a timely commentary based on his lived experience of guiding several generations of monastic and lay students on their path of practice. The text and commentary have been translated from Vietnamese into English by Bhikshuni True Virtue (Sister Annabel Laity), Thich Nhat Hanh's first Western monastic disciple.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952692185
Publisher:	Parallax Press
Publication date:	06/14/2022
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.13(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.

Table of Contents

Preface Sr. Chân Duc v

Introduction ix

Full Text of Master Guishan in English

Admonitions and Encouraging Words of Master Guishan 3

Commentary

1 Awareness of Impermanence 21

2 Avoid the Habit of Indulgence 31

3 The Precepts are the Basis 47

4 Nourishing the Beginner's Mind 57

5 Practice Before It's Too Late 77

6 Strive Diligently 83

7 Closeness to Good Spiritual Friends 101

8 Earnestly Put Your Heart into the Practice 115

9 Diligence in Renunciation According to the Precepts 139

10 Nourishing Your Great Aspiration 145

11 Being Sovereign of Oneself 151

12 Always Going Together 155

Preserving the Monastery Setting 173

Appendix: Full Text of Master Guishan in Chinese 181

Index 187