Thich Nhat Hanh -

From Heart Sutra to “How to Sit”: The Tools We Pass Down

I almost always have a digital copy of Thich Nhat Hanh’s How to Sit open on my laptop. It’s part of the Mindfulness Essentials Series—easy to read, with each page presenting a single concept in an accessible manner. I often read a passage at work or during quick breaks to recenter myself.

My child recently saw the title and, missing the metaphor entirely, said, “But you already know how to sit.” I found this adorable. To get a reaction, I looked up another title, How to Smile, and showed it to them with a contorted, fake smile, asking if I should borrow it. The “WTF” look on their face was priceless.

The humor reminded me of my own journey into Buddhist philosophy. At my child’s age, my own father was deeply immersed in Buddhist texts. His way of introducing me to the Dharma was through the Heart Sutra. I had to use a calligraphy brush to copy out the Sutra daily during summer break. This was meant to cultivate mindfulness, but I resented the long, dry process of writing complex traditional Chinese characters.

Eventually, my father took the time to explain the Sutra’s meaning on weekends. The Heart Sutra is a text of immense depth, and while I only glimpsed its full meaning, the core concepts of impermanence and emptiness took root, allowing me to appreciate life’s ephemeral nature—a theme that runs through many of the Japanese literary works I love.

In retrospect, I can’t say I enjoyed my introduction to philosophical Buddhism. Yet, it did fundamentally shape me, giving me the philosophical tools to cope with adversity. I realize I am the most mindful precisely when things are not going right.

My child is being raised in a secular environment, and I won’t force them to copy Buddhist texts. However, I want them to have access to these philosophical tools for the inevitable adversities of life.

Perhaps the simple solution is to have the physical copies of Thich Nhat Hanh’s accessible “How to” books lying around. If not for the philosophical wisdom, perhaps they can at least learn to appreciate the poetic device of the titles.

A Page of Peace: Dharma Through German

Day 452 of German

Today is another workday, which means I have to be disciplined to fit German study into a tight schedule. When pressed for time, I usually limit myself to reviewing Tagesschau or completing a couple of lessons in LingQ (my subscription language learning software). Naturally, this meant I wasn’t able to dedicate time to reading Momo (my intensive reading exercise) today.

I am continuing to read Thich Nhat Hanh’s How to Dream. I found this book serendipitously in a bookshop on Granville Island last Sunday afternoon. I’ve deliberately limited myself to reading only a page a day, hoping to stretch the enjoyment out for approximately 100 days (the book has 116 pages, many of which include illustrations).

It may seem strange, but being able to read and listen to a language proficiently is a personal dream of mine. It feels both nice and appropriate to pursue this language acquisition journey with the guidance of the Dharma.

Though I was raised in a Buddhist country, I often found traditional Dharma texts dry and inaccessible. I deeply appreciate Thich Nhat Hanh’s writing; it is easy to read, understandable, and brings a genuine smile to my face. I’m happy to have this accessible Dharma text accompanying my daily efforts to acquire German.