No one explains the essential elements of Buddhism bettter Thich Nhat Hanh. Here he continues to examine the basic teachings of meditation as taught by the Buddha and handed down through the Pali Canon. A perfect companion to his book, Breathe! You Are Alive, this work carefully explains for both the novice and more experienced pratitioner the nuances of deeper mediatation techniques as laid out in the Satipatthana Sutta. Thich Nhat Hanh writes with clarity and and makes the joy of meditation accessable to everyone with the desire find true happiness.

This is the author's presentation of the Satipatthana Sutra, the basic sutra on mindfullness. As in all of his works he does the work of a good Dharma teacher very well. He keeps his own personality and teaching idiosyncrasies out of the way so that the student's understanding can arise naturally. There are more elaborate and academic descriptions of the Sutra available and more detailed descriptions of how to use the Sutra in meditation. But this is good basic information presented in a good manner with no frills or personal quirks. The author gives a good commentary on the Sutra and explains why he translates certain passages, but he also gives the alternate interpretations.

This is a fine basic introduction to the central issue in Vapassana meditation. Highly recommended.