The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching

An introduction to core Buddhist teachings by the Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh, published in 1998. It is organised in three parts. The first explains the Four Noble Truths, starting from the Buddha's first discourse, and stresses that suffering and well-being depend on each other: understanding suffering is itself a way out of it. The second goes through the Noble Eightfold Path, from right view and right thinking to right mindfulness and right concentration, with practical advice on speech, livelihood and daily attention. The third covers many other teachings in short chapters, among them the two truths, the three Dharma seals (impermanence, non-self and nirvana), the three doors of liberation, the four immeasurable minds, the five aggregates, the six perfections, the seven factors of awakening and the twelve links of dependent co-arising. Throughout, Nhat Hanh uses his idea of interbeing, that nothing exists by itself apart from everything else, and ties each teaching to mindful breathing and practice.

It is one of the clearest single-volume guides to what the Buddha taught, written by a teacher who always ties doctrine to practice, and it suits complete beginners.