Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

I am deeply troubled by how we are harming the earth, our Mother. I have also been a student of Thich Nhat Hanh’s for over 30 years and now a teacher in his tradition. This is his last book before he passed, and perfect for me, as a spiritual practitioner and an environmental activist. The book is an antidote to my periodic bouts of despair about climate change. It provides penetrating understanding of the suffering on the planet and its root causes in greed, hatred, and the delusion of separateness. I loved his stories, teachings, and practical advice for healing… show more.

If there is only one book you read on the climate and other ecological crises, it is this. In fact, you will need this book after you read books 4 and 5 on my list. It is a book I constantly return to. Almost every page is dog-eared.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s zen teachings on deep ecology, engaged activism, community building, and collective awakening help to see ways forward in the face of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, injustice, and inequality. He offers guidance on how to use spirituality, meditation, and mindfulness to look deeply at ourselves and our world. We… show more.

This is the most recent compilation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s thoughts, experiences, and teachings on humans within a more-than-human world, edited and with commentary by his brilliant, passionate student, Sister True Dedication. As always, Thich Nhat Hanh presents very practicable tools for cultural and personal awakening (one in the same). As always, he presents insight rooted more firmly in the ground of being than any other mind I have ever encountered. If there is a path by which the world and its inhabitants will thrive, it is the path that Thich Nhat Hanh walks.