Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk, led his first
21-day retreat in North America in the spring of 1998. Attended by several
hundred followers, the retreat marked an important step on the road to the
re-establishment of peaceful relations between the United States and
Vietnam; it was also a seminal spiritual event in its own right. "The
Path of Emancipation" is essentially a transcription of Thich Nhat Hanh's
teachings at the retreat, and it is an important and elegant book.
Containing talks from the retreat, transcriptions of question and answer
sessions, and two appendixes on "mindfulness trainings," and how to become
more deeply aware of one's breathing, each page of "The Path of
Emancipation" is replete with wisdom and insight. What makes this book such
an unusual and important document, however, is its power as a testimonial
to the 21-day retreat itself. It captures a unique historical moment in
the development of Buddhism in America--as well as spiritual teachings
that transcend time.