Product Description
This definitive collection includes more than 100 poems composed over the last forty years. Thich Nhat Hanh's clarity shines forth in Call Me by My True Names, transforming the pain and difficulty of war and exile into a celebration of awareness and the human spirit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Beautiful and peaceful
These poems are simple and beautiful in nature.Great poems to read first thing in the morning or before a meditation.I didn't find them to be unusually impressive, but knowing the type of life led by the man who wrote them gives them much more power.I recommend it.

Calm and clear dignity
There are many wonderful introductions to the work, life and ideas of Thich Nhat Hanh, and this is both one of the more unexpected, and one of the finest.

CALL ME BY MY TRUE NAMES is a comprehensive collection of Thich Nhat Hanh's poetry, presented here with occasional brief comments from the author following many of the poems.I initially purchased this for the comparatively famous title piece, which is a work of extraordinary moral power, and also of extraordinary literary control.

From start to finish here, the writing is economical and plainspoken - but not 'plain': to draw feeble Western connections, this is a distant stylistic cousin to the likes of Dickens, or perhaps Steinbeck - rather than resort to gimmicks, or technical flash, Thich Nhat Hanh has the respect or confidence in his own voice (or the voices of characters) to allow that voice clear expression.

Thus, a collection of dignity and skill.The Vietnamese Zen ideals and ideas Thich Nhat Hanh has been developing, exploring and living for decades are expressed with precision and grace, and he doesn't have to ask for a readers' interest - this work sparkles with calm dignity and life.

-David Alston

I Saw Thich
We were there the day Thich Nhat Hanh gave his lecture at Grace Cathedral. We were there, simply enough, praying in thebold Cathedral at the top of Nob Hill, having just stopped in to get out of the chilly fog on a windswept afternoon. People with dark suits and lengths of lavender ribbons were festooning the nave and aisles of the church with color and flowers, and placed a large jar of proteus on the podium floor. We later discovered that proteus was the favorite flower of Thich Nhat Hanh, and you can hear him croon with pleasure on the tape about the flowers, and if you do not understand the reference immediately, he's talking about how he sees proteus all over the world, so it's like a universal symbol of love.

We soon found out that Thich Nhat Hanh and his organization had sold tickets to hear this lecture but miracle of miracles, they did not kick us out, but allowed us to stay even though we did not pay the minimal fees charged. And what a lecture, filled with poetry and the pedagogy of love. By the time we went outside, the sun had burst out, and you could see a rainbow towering over Nob Hill with one end buried in the Mission and the other by Coit Tower. Afterwards we saw Thich Nhat Hanh, accompanied by two children, scampering through the famous maze in the pavement in front of Grace Cathedral. With glee they negotiated the twists and turns that baffle Western man.

Everything is Here
As many of us may (or may not) be aware, Nhat Hanh is at once a renowned Buddhist monk, a poet, and activist for peace; especially peace sought after during war time. This particular book brings together a collection of 100+ poems he has written and orated over 40 years. Each one gives the reader a glimpse into the very heart of this real life bodhisattva. Call Me By My True Names is perhaps one of his most profound and important, for it penetrates one's dualistic mode of thinking to the point of acknowledging all nature is within my own nature. True understanding stems from realizing there is no other in a traditional sense. What there should only be is, "How can I help this world?" Call Me By My True Names is awe-inspiring, one of the most powerful texts on interconnection and being I've ever happened to read. And simple, so clear.

This book covers practically every aspect of a spiritual life in it's contents, and it is my wish you will buy it. It should be on all beings shelves, for it's prose is delivered deep from the heart of a modern bodhisattva.

The voice of Buddha
This book is something special. Call me by my true names is more than a collection of poems by some crusty old Zen guy. The author's clarity and enlightening style have cut through my muddy mind like a knife through butter. I sit here covered in Goosebumps because Thich Nhat Hahn's poetry resonates with the voice of Buddha.

Call me by my true names is nothing short of spectacular. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3742 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices provides information on current religious practices around the world with an emphasis on how religions impact the daily lives of their followers. Included are detailed entries on 13 major religions, such as Christianity and Islam, and entries on 28 religious subgroups, such as Shi'ites or Baptists.Provides Date of Origin, Dietary Practices, Number of Followers, Social Aspects, Controversial Issues, Major Theologians and Authors, Cultural Impact, Houses of Worship, Holy Places, What is Sacred, Rituals, Rites of Passage, Festivals and Holidays, Membership, Social Justice, Modes of Dress and Founder.Also includes significant religions in 193 countries that detail History, Political Impact, Other Religions, Religious Tolerance and more. ... Read more

Product Description
Three French Tibetan life-Ma La Cross Han Translation. Thich Trí Tnh Viet Dich Pi Kheo Thich Tri Tinh Vietnamese Translation. Lotus Business (Saddharmapundarika-Sutra), also known as short-France Economic flowers, is one of the economic Mahayana most important, was circulated widely in China, Japan Copyright, Tibet and Vietnam. Tiantai business is to get the basic teachings. Economy contains the main point of Mahayana Buddhism, the teachings of the metabolism of Buddha computer and the ability to release. Business is Buddhist teaching at the end of life, the aggregation of about 200.Business is on the top Buddhist teaching Linh Process for countless listeners, including many different species. In business, the Buddha specified, but there are many ways to enlightenment, but they are just the best time and the fact they are just one.. Other means such as Thanh Van scraps, excess or Bodhisattva Independent Jiao admit actually just different as to require the appropriate root of the author. Buddha only option the coast, using the vehicle (Buddhist upaya) that says Tam admit the true nature only admit Buddha (Buddhism buddhayana) - it leads to enlightenment, covering both the Mahayana and Hinayana. ... Read more

Product Description
A verbal and pictorial view of Hoa Hao Buddhism in Vietnam. The oppression of religion by the power elite. Inaccuracies in reporting activities of the Hoa Hao Buddhist's movement in Vietnam.Cover: So Dac Biet - Bien co tai Doc Vang ... Read more

Product Description
In English and Vietnamese. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Thích Nh?t H?nh born October 11, 1926 in central Vietnam) is an expatriate Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16, studied Buddhism as a novice, and was fully ordained as a monk in 1949. The title Thích is used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. In the early 1960s he founded the School of Youth for Social Services (SYSS) in Saigon. This grassroots relief organization rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools, established medical centers, and resettled families left homeless during the Vietnam War. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you are looking for a room, visiting a monastery, or bargaining for a bus seat, Learning Practical Tibetan will make immediate communication with Tibetans easy and fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

of some use
This is an unusual language book: a hybrid which combines the practical rudiments of Tibetan grammar with a useful vocabulary for getting around the country and interacting with local people. It certainly would be a must-have for anybody planning to visit and it is certainly more portable than most of its competitors.

My criticism of it is due to its skimpy treatment of the Tibetan writing system- although material is presented both in Tibetan script and transcription (a rather imprecise one) the Tibetan is useful only to a person literate in the language,because the Tibetan writing system is not phonetic. In addition to the 'root letter' and vowel of a syllable (the actual combination that actually gets enunciated), you can have prefices, superscripts, subscripts and up to two suffices. Some of these other letters indicate a change of tone, some of them actually are combined with the root letter, some are there to indicate that the word means something different from another word with the same sound, some of them do slightly modify the sound of the syllable and some of them just seem to be along for the ride, among other possibilities. So a learner cannot just learn the Tibetan alphabet and then figure out the pronunciations of syllables and words. There are other sources for that, of course- 'Fluent Tibetan' and 'Manual of Standard Tibetan' both cover this in all its exruciating detail.

Best of the lot
Although there are some inaccuracies in this book, there are far fewer in number than in all the other Tibetan phrase books. This book is by far the best of the lot and will allow one to have some quite reasonable conversations with Tibetans.

No one will understand you
This is a good phrase book ONLY if you can read and pronounce Tibetan script already... The transliterations have frequent outright errors, but in general are simply wrong. They have used their own imaginative system of transliteration, which is fine, but spoken Tibetan words is simply not pronounced this way. As ONE example, according to this book, no Tibetan word ever has a consanent on the end!PAR and PAL and PAG are all PA, apparently. While endings are often softened or clipped in Tibetan, the pronounciation you will get, using this book, will make Tibetans think you have a serious speech impediment. Simply useless to the average student.

A good book, but certainly not the best
Don't let the title of this review fool you, this is a really good Tibetan book.It is full of vocab and set up really well for Westerners.It is great if you are wanting to learn simple Tibetan phrases.But as the title says, this is a 'practical' not a comprehensive language book.The Tibetan language is incredibly complex and difficult.If you are taking a trip to central Tibet and want to know the basics of the Tibetan language, don't leave home without this book.If you want to learn the foundations of Tibetan and really want to tackle the language try "Modern Tibetan Language" (vol I and II) by Losang Thonden published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala (make sure you get the tapes too!).If you are looking for a comprehensive system to learn conversational Tibetan, try the 4 volume, 18 tape "Fluent Tibetan" system published by Snow Lion.Good luck!

Very useful
This is a very useful book.It is basically a phrase book, but I also gives word-by-word translation, and so you know how the sentences are made.Tapes are also useful.It is very practical in outlook, and frankly it could have been better with theoretical description of sound and tone marks - those who don't care can just skip them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not what you might think
This book isa work of considerable erudition and depth on the historical dimension of classical Tibetan. It may be of great interest to anyone who already has a sound knowledge of the classical Tibetan language, but any potential buyer should be aware of what it is not. It is NOT an introduction to the classical Tibetan language. It is NOT a Tibetan grammar. As a matter of fact, the only Tibetan characters you will find in this books are in tables reproducing classical texts. All the textual examples are transliterated into Latin characters, which I personally find very irritating. For anyone interested in learning classical Tibetan the most appropriate first buy is, in my opinion, Wilson's "Translating Buddhism from Tibetan".

A must-read for anyone interested in Classical Tibetan.
It's not a typical grammar text.It won't give you prescriptive rules and exercises and it doesn't try to force Tibetan into procrustean bed of grammatical categories of European languages. Instead it aims at helpingthe reader to develop an intuition about the language and is verysuccessful at that.Abundant examples with clear and thorough explanationslead you through all aspects of the Classical Tibetan from alphabet topoetry.This book will definitely help you crystallize your understandingof Tibetan grammar. ... Read more

Product Description

The “Encyclopedia of Buddhism” provides a comprehensive overview of one of Asia's most important religious and social forces, describing the Buddhist worldview, basic teachings and practices, history, and the different schools and sects. This intriguing set illuminates a religion that is a mystery to most Westerners by exploring Buddhist scriptures, art, architecture, saints, demons, monastic orders, festivals, rites and ceremonies, as well as the different forms Buddhism has taken in different parts of the world, and how it has blended with other religions like Shinto, Confucianism, Daoism and Christianity.

Product Description
During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese Buddhist peace activists made extraordinary sacrifices—including self-immolation—to try to end the fighting. They hoped to fashion a neutralist government to broker peace with the Communists and expel the Americans.

In the first study in English of this vitally important mass movement, Robert J. Topmiller describes Buddhist efforts to create a non-aligned Third Force. He explores South Vietnamese attitudes toward the war, the insurgency, and U.S. intervention, and lays bare internal dissension in the U.S. military. Far from being ineffective or weak, the Buddhist peace movement caused a crisis within the United States government. The Lotus Unleashed is one of the few studies to illuminate the impact of internal Vietnamese politics on U.S. decision-making and to examine the power of a nonviolent movement to confront a violent superpower. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Sheds new light on a crucial point in our history
Few Americans, who lived in the 1960's, will ever forget the grotesque spectacle appearing on the evening television news as Vietnamese Buddhist monks (and nuns) regularly burned themselves to death in protest of government policies they believed were bringing about the destruction of their country.In The Lotus Unleashed, an absorbing account of those times, Dr. Robert J. Topmiller examines the complex political climate in then-South Vietnam during the years immediately leading up to the massive increase in U.S. ground troops there. The author provides a plethora of new information about this popular Buddhist led-movement which was intent on establishing a freely-elected government in South Vietnam; one free of American occupying forces. In addition to his meticulous research, Topmiller interviewed surviving leaders of the Buddhist Peace Movement; an often difficult and risky task, since many were at the time still under suspicion, or house arrest, by the current government.

The Lotus Unleashed makes sense of the chaos occurring within South Vietnam in the mid-1960's, as seen not only in the bitter dissension between, and within, South Vietnam's political, religious and military organizations, but also between the U.S. Army and Marine Corps forces stationed there.

Lessons, seemingly relevant to our current foreign policy, leap from the pages. Perhaps the most important of these derives from a consistent misinterpretation and mistrust by U.S. policymakers with regard to the motives of the Buddhist protesters, and other non-communist nationalist factions, who opposed the government in Saigon. This lesson, in its simplest form, might read: Because a faction does not support us, it does not necessarily mean it supports our enemy.

Topmiller sheds much new light on this crucial point in our history and presents a compelling argument that the Buddhist Peace Movement, far from being an inconsequential player in the larger struggle between the United States and Soviet Union for hegemony in the region, may well have been the last practical opportunity to avoid the ensuing tragedy that eventually cost the lives of over 58,000 Americans and nearly 3 million Vietnamese.As I finished this extraordinary book, the words of the American poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier came to mind:

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: It might have been!"

Fresh Perspective on the Issues
Dr. Topmiller examines the Vietnam War and the subsquent US involvement not solely from the stance of a proxy US vs. Communism war, but allows for the agency of the Vietnamese people in respect to their own history.

His illustration of the Buddhist movement in Vietnam, not as a sideshow, but as a legitamite third force in the struggle allows Americans today a deeper understanding of this very emotional episode in our history.

Dr. Topmiller's study of the conflict between USMC and US Army leadership throughout the conduct of the American military action adds a further vital lesson for the American people in our current age of increased military intervention.The most notable praise this book received was from Daniel Ellsburg who noted that Dr. Topmiller was able to find material about the war that Ellsburg himself was unaware of.

Any serious student of the history of Vietnam, the American War in Vietnam or American History needs to read this book.

This is an important book on the American-Vietnam War
This new book on the American-Vietnam War, writes Robert J. Topmiller, "contains few American heroes but focuses instead on the enormous sacrifices of Vietnamese Buddhists to halt the conflict." In the end, the conflict caused 58,000 American and 3 million South and North Vietnamese deaths.

"The Lotus Unleashed: The Buddhist Peace Movement in South Vietnam, 1964-1966" marks the culmination of one historian's decade-long endeavor to tell the story of America's longest war from the perspective of those South Vietnamese Buddhists "who risked everything for peace." The author, an alumnus of Central Washington University, is a Vietnam War veteran and a history professor at Eastern Kentucky University.

Topmiller asserts that America's defeat in Vietnam ultimately resulted from the illegitimacy and unpopularity of successive South Vietnamese governments, which aside from being dictatorial were dependent on and subservient to a warring foreign power, the United States. Above all, he writes, most South Vietnamese wanted peace and independence.

Examination of the Buddhist Peace Movement, Topmiller argues, typifies both "the ambiguity felt by Vietnamese over the American [Cold War] crusade" and "America's frustration over its inability to influence events in South Vietnam." The Buddhists, who hoped to establish peace and democracy and to eradicate poverty and injustice, represented the most significant non-communist group that challenged the South Vietnamese government.

The Buddhist Movement's first defining moment came in June 1963 when an elderly monk protested his government's religious persecution by setting himself on fire. Photographs of the self-immolation and the government's repression of Buddhist protesters galvanized American and world opinion against South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was assassinated in a November coup.

As Topmiller emphasizes, the toppling of Diem did not work in favor of the Buddhists' drive for peace and nationalism. Instead, it created a political power vacuum filled by South Vietnamese generals, who permitted increased American intervention and an expansion of the war against communist North Vietnam. Washington secretly opposed the Buddhist objective of a populist government because it risked instability and possible cooperation with local communists, and at best, such a course would lead to a "neutralist" approach to the Cold War.

The United States found it increasingly difficult to maintain stability in South Vietnam, a country plagued by interest group factionalism and regional divisions.

Topmiller illustrates this vividly by reconstructing the 1966 Buddhist Crisis in Danang, where U.S. Marines attempted to prevent fighting between their military ally, the South Vietnamese Marines and Air Force, and Buddhist and student protesters, who were aided by dissident South Vietnamese army units. At one point, South Vietnamese fighter planes "accidentally" strafed and injured eight U.S. marines in Danang. A livid U.S. Marine general ordered American fighters to fly over the Vietnamese planes to forestall further strafing. Upset with this adverse action, the South Vietnamese launched additional planes to fly over the American jets. This retaliation only caused more U.S. planes to take to the air. Finally, "after more stern warnings" from the Americans, the Vietnamese Air Force "backed down."

Nevertheless, by the end of 1966, the U.S-backed government in South Vietnam forcefully subjugated the Buddhist Peace Movement. Topmiller suggests that the Buddhist Crisis may have represented a missed of opportunity for peace and a chance for the United States to avoid a humiliating and tragic defeat.

His well-written narrative and nuanced understanding of South Vietnamese and American motives and actions are the result of painstaking research in the United States and Vietnam, including interviews and correspondence with key actors.

With the United States at war in the Middle East, Topmiller's book serves to remind us of the challenges and pitfalls of American involvement in far-flung conflicts. ... Read more

Product Description
Combining the traditional and the contemporary, Stone Boy and Other Stories contains ten works of short fiction that illuminate Buddhist themes and Vietnamese culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great content
I ordered this book for a graduate school class and the content was really touching and inspiring.

Zen stories
Anything written by this gentleman is useful and instructive for Western readers. This is a series of short stories by a wonderful man who was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. The stories are wonderful and have short notes in the back that are references to give the reader information on the inspiration for the subjects. What a truly great read by my favorite unassuming Buddhist writer!

Perennial Favorite
Published in 1996, The Stone Boy remains a perennial favorite of mine, written by Zen master and teacher, Thich Nhat Hahn. He is a master storyteller and a poet, and this collection of short fictional stories explores the universal themes of love and compassion, against a backdrop of Vietnamese culture and his own spiritual experiences.

I personally appreciate being introduced to another culture, and particularly when the author is able to show how the thread of human connection transcends the visible world. These stories are infused with cathartic wisdom that permeates your soul, and showers you with sparks of inner awakening to the sacredness of all life. If words define our reality, this clustering of words articulates a mindful and luminous world of interconnection.

The Stone Boy and other stories
I love all of Thich Nhat Hanh's books.He writes about Buddhism, human rights, and personal healing from trauma in a universal and clear way.This book is especially beautiful.These are fictional stories that show Vietnamese culture, and Thich Nhat Hanh's own experiences.He transforms incredible pain into beauty that teaches deep truths. ... Read more

Product Description
Phrases &dialogues, along with vocabulary & useful information about customs and etiquette. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Confused & Disappointed
The order stated that this was a Tibetan Phrasebook: paperback and 144 pages.I received the order today and it was two cassette tapes. No book included. Is the book on the way??? ... Read more