This world-famous activist and monk explains his enlightenment in this blended book of narrative and theory. Hanh explains about his experience as a young man, his experience of his own body, mind, emotions, desires, and of his eventual decision to become a monk in a school of Buddhism called Mahayana Buddhism. He explains that he was a young monk when one day, he saw a nun and became infatuated with her. As he got to know her, he only fell more and more in love.
This is contrary to the call on Buddhist monks to abdicate their romantic aspirations. The result was a conflict of interests in Hanh's mind that forced him to consider life in at least two points of view. There was the theoretical teaching of Buddhism, and there was the tactical experience of an instinct that also felt true and sacred to him. After explaining this, he turns to the various scriptures of Buddhism, teaching and providing commentary as he goes.
He explains that love brought him to a religious awakening. The emotions of adoration and true love taught the young monk lessons that he carried with him through his entire life. By learning the correct responses to various emotional conundrums, he explains that a person can cultivate in their mind an experience of love so total and powerful that it calms a person and gives them clarity in life. He teaches about the Diamond and the Lotus, and he teaches from the Avatamsaka Sutras.
