In the mid-1960s, Thich Nhat Hanh was a little-known Vietnamese Zen monk, touring the United States on behalf of the cause of peace in his homeland. Jim Forest, a Catholic peacemaker, was asked to accompany him on his speaking engagements. From there emerged a friendship over many decades, in which Jim learned through conversations and daily life about Nhat Hanh's spiritual teachings on mindfulness and the inner peace that is necessary for promoting world peace. Over the years Thich Nhat Hanh became one of the most influential and revered spiritual teachers in the world. Jim Forest's intimate portrait, which includes photos and other illustrations, is a unique introduction to a modern spiritual master and his teachings.
Eyes of Compassion: Learning from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jim Forest, Orbis, Paperback, 156 pp, $20.00

Jim Forest, who lives in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, is the author of many books, including All is Grace, Living with Wisdom, and At Play in the Lions' Den (his biographies of peacemakers Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Daniel Berrigan). Other bestselling titles include Praying with Icons and Writing Straight with Crooked Lines: A Memoir.

CONTENTS: Eyes of Compassion
Introduction by Mobi Warren	xi
Washing disches	1
One action	2
Brother against brother	10
Everything is destroyed	13
Martin Luther King	17
Seeking enlightenment and saying no	19
Climbing stairs and mindful breathing	22
Eyes of compassion	23
Ginger tea and fragrant palm leaves	24
Chopsticks	27
Greener grass	28
Half smiles	29
What is Zen?	30
A clock in place of a crucifix	32
Are you 21?	33
Hippie clothing	33
Meeting a baby bear	34
Bombs away	35
Dry stone masonry	37
Eating tangerines	39
Becoming a duck	40
Killing the Buddha	41
Killing a concept	43
Tra Loc	45
Saying yes	46
Letter to a prisoner	47
A flight to Paris	48
Becoming a monk	52
Roots of engaged Buddhism	53
Deep sadness	56
Closed eyes	57
Only the rice loves you	59
Salt	60
Looking at a dish	61
Hoa Binh	64
The Path of Return	65
Nhat Chi Mai	67
A new dawn	69
The thief-proof moon	70
Two trees equal forest	70
Letters from Vietnam	73
"Vietnamization"	75
Two shores or one shore?	76
Tear-stained letters	78
Buddha's robe	79
Jim will answer	81
Children first	82
Quan Yin	83
Sweet Potatoes	85
La Boi Press	87
Candy factory	92
Repression in postwar Vietnam	93
Buddhist mouse traps	98
A place to sit, a path to walk	98
Getting into the stream	100
Interbeing	102
Cooking with Thich Nhat Hanh	104
Small b buddhists and small c christians	107
The raft is not the shore	108
The pirate and the child	112
Forgetfulness, gratitude, and mindfulness	117
Being peace	117
The supermarket as zendo	120
Plum Village	120
Processions	123
One will be three	125
Everything is good	127
Letting go	131
Postscript	134
The present moment	135
Appreciation	136
Notes	137