Love Letter to the Earth - Thich Nhat Hanh (2013).epub

Love Letter to the Earth is Thich Nhat Hanh’s passionate appeal for ecological mindfulness and the strengthening of our relationship to the Earth. While many experts point to the enormous complexity in addressing issues ranging from the destruction of ecosystems to the loss of millions of species, Thich Nhat Hanh identifies one key issue as having the potential to create a tipping point. He believes that we need to move beyond the concept of the "environment," as it leads people to experience themselves and Earth as two separate entities and to see the planet only in terms of what it can do for them. Thich Nhat Hanh points to the lack of meaning and connection in peoples' lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism. He deems it vital that we recognize and respond to the stress we are putting on the Earth if civilization is to survive. Rejecting the conventional economic approach, Nhat Hanh shows that mindfulness and a spiritual revolution are needed to protect nature and limit climate change.

Review
"Love Letter To The Earth persuasively holds that our personal and collective happiness and well being are integrally dependent on the health of the planet, the soundness of the ecosystems that comprise our world, and the necessity of a mindfulness-based spirituality in order to limit the damage we inflict upon the world we to which we are so dependent. Articulate and thoroughly 'reader friendly', Love Letter To The Earth is highly recommended reading, especially for non-specialist general readers with an interest in environmental issues and in Buddhist thought."—The Midwest Book Review

“We have to live in such a way that a future will be possible for our children and our grandchildren. Our own life has to be our message.” - Thich Nhat Hanh in A Love Letter To The Earth

"Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the root cause of the environmental crisis and, in doing so, offers a roadmap to an entirely new dream of the Earth." — Wade Davis, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society, author of The Serpent and the Rainbow

"Thich Nhat Hanh makes an eloquent, uplifting, and urgent call to recognize that our health and happiness are inextricably tied to Mother Earth and all of our kin, the other species that make up the web of life. We need this great wisdom if we are to move from our destructive path." — David Suzuki, author of The Sacred Balance

"In this clear-eyed, loving paean, Thich Nhat Hanh illuminates both our connection and our responsibility to the beautiful planet we call home." — Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, author of Coming Clean

"Understanding our unbreakable connection to the abstraction we call 'the environment' really is the first step to sensible action. In that sense, this is a very practical book!" — Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth and The End of Nature

About the Author
Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the best-known Zen Buddhist teachers in the world today. His best-selling books include The World We Have and Peace Is Every Step. He lives in Plum Village, in Southwest France, where he gardens, writes and teaches the art of mindful living.

Biography
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk, a renowned Zen master, a poet, and a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness.