• Fear

  • Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm
  • By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
  • Narrated by: Dan Woren
  • Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,661 ratings)

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Fear  By  cover art

Fear

By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
Narrated by: Dan Woren
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Publisher's summary

Without fear, we are able to see more clearly our connections to others. Without fear, we have more room for understanding and compassion. Without fear, we are truly free.

Most of us live in a constant state of fear - of our past, of illness and aging and death, and of losing the things we treasure most. But it doesn't have to be this way, promises Zen master and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

Drawing on a lifetime of mindfulness in action, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to use the practice of living in the present to acknowledge and embrace our fears, recognize their origins, and render them powerless. The world-renowned Zen teacher guides us through practical exercises for transforming fear into clarity. The worries of the past and the anxiety of the future disappear as we discover the power of the present moment. Not only are we are able to handle challenging emotions as they arise, but we can summon feelings of well-being and contentment, no matter what the unknown may bring.

Rooted in the moment, we have the capacity to restore balance and happiness and be present with what is beautiful and affirming inside us and around us, every day.

©2012 Thich Nhat Hanh (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: 50+ Wise Thích Nhất Hạnh Quotes That Will Inspire You to Live a Better Life


An esteemed peace activist and writer, Thích Nhất Hạnh became one of the founders of the Engaged Buddhism movement during the Vietnam War. After the war, Thích Nhất Hạnh moved to the United States to bring this ideology of Engaged Buddhism to the West. We offer this collection of his quotes to gently remind you to live in the moment while making an active commitment to positive change in your community—and the world.

What listeners say about Fear

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    5 out of 5 stars

A great great book

First let me clarify that this is a Buddhist book filled with the teachings of the Buddha ... i am not a Buddhist yet i found it extremely helpful ... it's kind of a next step after one digs deep into one's self (introspection work) ... it helps with getting over the pain and suffering (after being acknowledged and experienced that is )
I found it much more "REAL" than the self -help books that usually left me lost and frustrated ... i highly recommended
note: the narration was excellent

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48 people found this helpful

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Here Comes The Dark Side!

Thinking you need a pill, drink, smoke or other distraction to get you through? Listen to Thay as you freak out, because freaking out from fear is what we do. We are all one when it comes to fear. Let us sit together and rest under the Tree of mindfulness with Thay to encounter our fear as precious human beings.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Buddhism for the 21st Century

This is an important book. Fear is part of life. There is no need to hide from it. Breathing in the moment is a key practice. Being in the present is of outmost importance. The past is gone. And the future does not exist yet. The only thing we have is the present moment. The book explains in length the importance of the energy of mindfulness and concentration to overcome fear. “When we suppress our fearful thoughts, they continue to fester there in the dark. We are driven to consume (food, alcohol, movies, etc.) in an attempt to forget and keep those thoughts from surfacing in our conscious mind. Running away from our fear ultimately makes us suffer and makes others suffer, and our fear only grows stronger.”
The book also introduces an interesting concept: the interbeing, meaning things are not, they do not stand alone, but they do exist because of other concepts exist at the same time. “When we look deeply into a sheet of paper, we see that it’s full of everything in the cosmos: the sunshine, the trees, the clouds, the earth, the minerals, everything—except for one thing. It’s empty of one thing only: a separate self. The sheet of paper cannot be by itself alone. That is why the word inter-be can be more helpful than the word be. In fact, to be means to inter-be. The sheet of paper cannot be without the sunshine, cannot be without the forest. The sheet of paper has to inter-be with the sunshine, to inter-be with the forest.”
There is a very interesting chapter that resonates with the moment the world is living as I write this (August 2020, covid pandemic). We need to make sure ALL people, all groups are safe, if we want to have a safe life. This is interesting, and I could not agree more, because nobody wins, unless everybody wins.
I appreciated when he spoke about how the TV can be a drug, and the classic concept in meditation of the blue sky (I learned this from Headspace), meaning when you look up, sometimes there are clouds (trouble), but you know there is always a blue sky beyond the clouds. “Television can be used as a kind of drug. When the suffering in us is too much to bear, we sometimes turn on the television set to forget our pain. It fills our living room with images and sounds. Even if what we’re watching isn’t satisfying, we often don’t have the courage to turn off the TV. Why? Because although it’s uninteresting or even disturbing, we think it’s better than going home to ourselves and touching the pain within. Distraction is the policy for many of us. Some of us choose to live in a television-free zone, like we have non-smoking zones or nondrinking zones. But many others of us practice television watching or video game playing to cover up our discomfort.”
“In our society, there is so much fear, suffering, violence, despair, confusion. But there is also, at the same time, the beautiful blue sky. Sometimes the blue sky reveals itself to us entirely. Sometimes it reveals half of itself, sometimes just a little bit of blue peeks through, and sometimes none at all. Storms, clouds, and fog hide the blue sky. The kingdom of heaven can be hidden by a cloud of ignorance or by a tempest of anger, violence, and fear. But if we practice mindfulness, it’s possible to be aware that even if the weather is very foggy, cloudy, or stormy, the blue sky is always there for us above the clouds. Remembering this keeps us from sinking into despair.”
The last chapter (the longest) is more of a 'compendium' of some basic Buddhist concepts and different techniques explained in order to practice mindful meditation. It talks about impermanence, which is an essential philosophical concept in Buddhism.

Favorite quotes:

“The only way to ease our fear and be truly happy is to acknowledge our fear and look deeply at its source.”

“The Buddha taught that when we call up and get in touch with the truth that we cannot escape old age and death, our fear—and the foolish things we do to try not to feel it—will cease.”

“When you let go mentally, you relax physically, because the body and the mind are two aspects of one reality.”

“Concentration means you keep the insight alive for a long time. It’s not just a flash; that’s not enough to liberate you. So in your daily life, you keep that insight of nonself, of emptiness, of impermanence alive.”

“A feeling is just a feeling. And you are much more than that feeling. We shouldn’t let ourselves be carried away by a feeling, even a pleasant one, much less an unpleasant one. We just practice recognition of the feeling.”

“Nirvana literally means cooling, the putting out of flames; in Buddhism, it refers to extinction of the afflictions brought about by our wrong perceptions.”

“Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by despair. You can make good use of every minute and every hour of your daily life.”

“The more we practice, the more we are gentle with our fear and are able to embrace it, the more the fear goes away.”

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Clinging to the monk

Would you listen to Fear again? Why?

yes, the content is vast

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator is good however, much can be learned through listening to the sound of Thich Nhat Hanhs voice.

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Why a narrator?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, principally because of the narrator whose smooth delivery left me unmoved.

What could Thich Nhat Hanh have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I'd much rather listen to the author himself - even though his delivery can be difficult at times, it carries so much more than having someone else reading from a text.

Could you see Fear being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

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Great Book

Learned simple breathing and mantra exercises to be more mindful and let things go more easily. Be Present
Be Still.... Wait

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Incredibly insightful and transformative

Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how important mindfulness practice is for cultivating joy and happiness. When we don't practice mindfulness, we suffer - we are afraid and we disconnect from others. When we understand what is causing our emotions, such as our anger and fear, we can better understand ourselves and others. He also highlights how important it is to model mindfulness practice for our children and others that interact with us in our day-to-day lives. He is the best teacher of all because he teaches us to find the teacher within.

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It's needed

This book came to me in my time of need, that aside I'm mostly always conflicted of the thought of death in the sense that I don't believe people just die and disappear and this book as supported me with the evidence as to why this is true. This book has also help me to understand that the most powerful moment is this moment and once we learn to be present with our feelings, ourselves and our environment that's when we can Learn to appreciate life for what it is and enjoy our time on earth without much fear. I will definitely be reading this book again and again and again and using the knowledge to help with the betterment of my life and the betterment of others life. If anyone know of any similar books please recommend.

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A poor representation of the teachings.

What disappointed you about Fear?

I read and listened to other versions of the same teachings and been inspired by them but this is a very bleak and matter of fact presentation of these ideas. If you are just learning about this way of thinking or being you should not start with this. I would look to Jon Kabat Zinn for a more realistic approach. I'm going out on a limb here but I feel that the Dali lama is so out of touch with the common man that it is difficult for him to present these ideas in a way that would appeal to the common man with everyday and current times struggle. His world is too far removed.

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Helpful but convoluted at the same time

Helpful and insightful but very in-depth with the training of a monk the observations can be over the heads of lay people.

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