Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism

I've used this wonderful little book in a variety of college classes since it first appeared three years ago, and every time I reread it and discuss it with my students, I discover something new in it. Like all of Thich Nhat Hanh's writings, Calming the Fearful Mind can be (unintentionally) deceptive. The simplicity of its style can come across to the careless or antagonistic reader as simple-mindedness. But a closer scrutiny reveals a definite line of argumentation running throughout the entire book. Nhat Hanh's claim is that the purveyors of violence in our world suffer from ill-being, and that their violence is a reflection of their interior pain. If we want to do something to lessen violence, we need to treat rather than retaliate, and this involves, minimally, deep listening on our part. Deep listening in turn requires mindfulness (nonjudgmental awareness not only of what the speaker is saying, but also of my own reactions to it), patience, and compassion. How different the world might be today, suggests Nhat Hanh, had there been a mindful response to 9/11. But of course it's not only terrorists who suffer from ill-being. Most of us do as well. So Nhat Hanh offers advice on how both individuals and societies can be more mindful of our own dis-ease, both how it's generated and how to overcome it. In the commonsensical way so characteristic of Buddhist psychology, Nhat Hanh suggests that a great deal of who we are is dependent on the foods we eat. If we improve our diet, we improve our interior states, which in turn can't help but affect our behavior in the world. According to Nhat Hanh, we feed on four "nutriments": edibles, sensations, volitions, and ideas. Consistent with his doctrine of "interbeing," or the interconnectedness of all reality, he insists that our choice of diet not only affects us but is also part of a greater whole. Agri-industrialized edibles contribute to environmental degradation; unwholesome sensory food spooned out by our media-driven culture can make us stupid; volitional foods can addictions that demand immediate gratification of unwholesome tastes; and violent idea-formation food can fix us in destructive dispositional patterns. So one way to change ourselves and our world is to clean up our diets, and much of Nhat Hanh's book explains how we can do this. Calming the Fearful Mind is, then, offers both a diagnosis and a prescription for our troubled age. It's well worth taking seriously.

This book addresses a much needed gap in the literary marketplace, namely, how one is to live in the modern atmosphere of fear, hatred, mistrust, and constant enmity. TNH's response is that it is untenable, undesirable, and that we must change ourselves in order to meet the demands of our age. This book strikes right at the root of terrorism, which is, as with all forms of violence, suffering, and despair. When we cease listening, and refuse to engage in dialogue, we have given in to despair, and the cycle of violence continues apace. TNH worked in Vietnam during the War, for peace, and learnt much from his experiences. He applies those lessons here. A must read for anyone who is at a loss regarding how to function amidst this so-called "clash of civilizations", as some have framed it. An answer to the Greed, Hatred, and Delusion that is wracking the globe right now. Wonderful, heartwarming, courageous stuff.

Thich Nhat Hanh comes to this brief but soulfully turgid book by way of a long history of Buddhist thinking and practice, having witnessed the atrocities of the Vietnam war, absorbed the nihilistic effect of evil and electing to form conclaves of believers of peace and serenity in spiritual retreats in Northern California, Vermont and southern France. His response to the current climate of a globe drowning in terrorism is simple: turn thoughts to listening, hearing, understanding and stay calm and shun blowing things up! 'Misunderstanding, fear, anger, and hatred are the roots of terrorism. They cannot be located by the military...To uproot terrorism, we need to begin by looking into our hearts.' His quiet wisdom is disarming. He advocates, no, pleads with us to listen to and hear and study the Muslim ideology to better understand the conflict in Iraq, a conflict as unwinable as that in Vietnam. His discussion of the concept of suicide bombings in contrast to the self-immolations of the monks in Vietnam who elected to symbolize their beliefs by sacrificing their own lives is poignant: suicide protest is a form of communication but one that results in the global observers refusing to listen, to react instead in fear and in rage. To that end Hanh directs his recurring plea to listen to those who make even such dire statements, that only by truly listening to the motivation and the passion that drives such acts can we understand and react out of learning. 'America has been overwhelmed by fear'. Hanh suggests that fear can be exchanged for insight through the act of deeply listening to those whom we seem to oppose. 'In the war with Vietnam, the Americans had the intention to save Vietnam from Communism. It was a good intention, but this desire to save us destroyed us...The intention to love is not yet love. We must know how to love. True love doesn't destroy the object of its love.' Transpose some words here, like Iraq for Vietnam, like dictatorship for Communism, and we are in the process of understanding the quiet timeliness of this little volume speaking for peace. It is quiet, it is readable and understandable, and it is necessary for each of us. Recommended reading. Grady Harp, November 05

i purchased this book today, 9/11/05 at a bookstore here in nyc. i'm not sure if it was placed on display by mistake as i've just read it is not to be released until october--but i am so thankful to have been able to read this today. the memories of the attacks are so fresh today. i know that i've been ill at ease all day--sometimes struggling just to breathe. the simple act of opening this book has calmed me down. thich nhat hanh, in his ever-gentle way, has reminded the reader that all too often we try to treat the symptoms and not the cause. by seeking out to destroy terrorists we are ignoring the root of the issue which, according to thay, are misunderstanding, fear, anger and hatred. i've seen so many "quick fixes" reported in the medical commmunity urging folks to take the newest pill to alleviate the pain rather than finding the source of the pain and treating it instead. rather than attacking, he urges citizens to listen with compassion... to wait until we have calmed down before reacting... to try and understand where this behavior is coming from. he urges us to seek the roots and to act with compassion. and not once does he dismiss the severity of the situation. thay, having coming from war-torn vietnam and witnessing horrific examples of human cruelty, still recommends stopping and breathing before acting. it amazes me how his steadfast voice rings like a bell. this is a slim volume, but one that is filled with wisdom. thich nhat hanh gently, yet firmly, reminds us to act wisely, compassionately and responsibly. i turn to this teacher and his books often for much needed advice. this is one that i will return to again and again in these troubled times.