• The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

  • Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
  • By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
  • Narrated by: René Ruiz
  • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (2,213 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching  By  cover art

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
Narrated by: René Ruiz
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

With poetry and clarity, Thich Nhat Hanh imparts comforting wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy–all qualities of enlightenment.

“Thich Nhat Hanh shows us the connection between personal, inner peace, and peace on earth.”—His Holiness the Dalai Lama

In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, now revised with added material and new insights, Nhat Hanh introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha’s teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives.

Covering such significant teachings as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Three Dharma Seals, and the Seven Factors of Awakening, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching is a radiant beacon on Buddhist thought for the initiated and uninitiated alike.

©2014 Thich Nhat Hanh (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Thich Nhat Hanh writes with the voice of the Buddha.”—Sogyal Rinpoche

“If there is a candidate for 'Living Buddha' on earth today, it is Thich Nhat Hanh.”—Richard Baker-roshi

“Thich Nhat Hanh is a real poet.”—Robert Lowell

Featured Article: I Think, Therefore I Am—Philosophy for Beginners


Philosophy, the study of knowledge, reality, and so much more, is everything and everywhere. It's thinking, both big and small, about existence and the human experience. Learn about the concepts and insights behind the wide-ranging, mystical subject that is philosophy. Feast your ears on these timeless, brilliant audiobooks by and about famous philosophers, from ancient Rome to modern-day thinkers.

More from the same

What listeners say about The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,710
  • 4 Stars
    351
  • 3 Stars
    97
  • 2 Stars
    41
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,413
  • 4 Stars
    313
  • 3 Stars
    98
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    13
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,416
  • 4 Stars
    293
  • 3 Stars
    97
  • 2 Stars
    29
  • 1 Stars
    14

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great overview of Buddhism

Any additional comments?

If you're genuinely interested in Buddhist teachings and philosophy, at some point you're going to have to actually sit down and learn some specifics other than meditation and mindfulness. That's where I found myself prior to purchasing this book and it serves this purpose very well. I would say this is the kind of book that requires you to pay attention and pause and reflect on the various concepts and I found myself rewinding the narration quite a bit but only because the teachings are very deep. Thich Nhat Hanh does a great job of reintroducing core concepts several times throughout the book from different perspectives which really helps to understand some of the subtleties of the teachings and I feel as though I have absorbed quite a bit.

The only suggestion that I might make to anyone interested in this book would be to consider buying the printed text. The reason is that almost all of the teachings are presented as lists and there are frequently lists within lists which made it a little tough to follow at certain points in the narrated version. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator's presentation is possibly the best I've encountered so far.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

58 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Buddhist Bible

I believe Thich Nhat Hanh is on a par with the Dalai Lama. That nominated Martin Luther King for the Nobel Peace Prize. I have read this at least four times. It's my favorite book on Buddhism. Excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the very best...

One of the very best overviews of the Buddhist path available today. Written by one of the greatest contemporary Buddhist practitioners. This master of the Dharma shares the teachings and the action steps that if practiced will become a blessing of enlightenment to all sentient beings.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely the Best Guide to the Buddha's Path

While it is a very long discourse, there is no better or richer teaching than this book on the path that leads us out of suffering into happiness as first taught by the Buddha himself. This book is like a Buddhist's Bible, complex but logical as a comprehensive explanation of how so many over the milenia have found solace in the realizations given to all mankind bt the Buddha. There is no finer teacher other than the author of this book as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good traditional information on Buddhism

I found this audiobook version of this great book.

This is a great source of information on Buddhist precepts & philosophy. It is delivered in a more traditional type language which can be a little harder to grasp and process so careful and slow listening is recommended. The narrator does a good job, though I would maybe have liked some more variation in his tone.

I would say this is a more "advanced beginner" type book where a lot of information is well explained, in addition, now we start building upon some fundamental concepts. If this is your first experience with Buddism, take your time, do not rush listening as there is a lot here.

Having a PDF version of some of the listings and interactions would be a great addition to this audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Homeschool education

My son and I used the book for our daily homeschool coarse on spirituality. It was written in simple language that was easy to follow.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good Book - Difficult to Follow

This book was exactly what I wanted. It is a good overview of what Budism is and a high level discussion of its core teachings.

I however found it difficult to follow at times due to the repetitive nature of how it is written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Deeper teaching of the main thoughts of Buddhism

I would suggest reading one or two basic books on Buddhism before tackling this book. It is well written and gives great explanations of Buddhist concepts. I will defiantly be listening to this book again. There are many ideas that I need more time to absorb. I will also be getting more books from this author, excellent job.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best descriptions of nothing

This book reflects the everlasting light that will guide the way to ultimate understanding.

The narrator reads with a clear and pleasant voice. He is able to adapt his pitch so to make the content come alive.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing

I highly recommend this book! This book has the potential to change the way you think about everyday life. As well, the way in which you live that life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful