Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Miracle of Mindfulness summary
Thich Nhat Hanh
An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
20 mins
Brief summary
'The Miracle of Mindfulness' by Thich Nhat Hanh is a guide to the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. It teaches how to be present in every moment, to breathe, and to maintain calm in our busy lives.
Topics
Table of Contents
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
Live each moment of your life by keeping your mind on the task at hand.
In the 1940s, when Thich Nhat Hanh was a novice monk at Tu Hieu Pagoda monastery in Hue, Vietnam, he was often handed the unenviable task of standing in the kitchen on a cold winter’s day, cleaning the dishes for around one hundred other monks. This was made even more laborious by the fact that he had no soap to use – only ashes, husks of rice and freezing water.
Since then, the monastery’s kitchen has been equipped with hot running water, soap and scourers. The novice monks can do the dishes quickly, and relax with a cup of tea to reward themselves afterward.
But surprisingly, instead of viewing these modern upgrades as an improvement, the author views them as a problem for today’s novice dishwashers.
Why?
Because he believes that doing dishes simply because you want them to be clean is the wrong way of approaching this task. The right way to wash up is to clean the dishes purely for the sake of cleaning the dishes.
If we hurry through the dishes like a boring chore to be endured, with our minds already looking ahead to the cup of tea waiting for us when we’re finished, then we cannot possibly be cleaning the dishes for the sake of cleaning them. Moreover, we cannot be fully alive while undertaking this task. It’s impossible for us, as we stand in front of the sink wishing away the time, to appreciate the wonder that is life. That’s because we’re neither conscious nor mindful of our bodies, our movements, or the thoughts that we’re experiencing in those precious moments of doing the dishes.
Instead, we’re already living in the future, sitting at the table with that cup of tea. In other words, you’re not really cleaning the dishes at all. In fact, once you get to that cup of tea, your mind will already be focused on still other matters, only dimly aware of the taste of the tea in your mouth. So, again, you will be ripped away from the present, into the future, unable really to live even a few moments of your life.
But there is a better way. The Sutra of Mindfulness, an ancient Buddhist text, teaches us that whatever we find ourselves doing at any given moment, we must be fully conscious and mindful of it. Let’s learn more about this idea in the following blinks.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Miracle of Mindfulness?
Key ideas in The Miracle of Mindfulness
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Miracle of Mindfulness about?
The Miracle of Mindfulness (1975) explains how practicing the ancient Buddhist art of mindfulness can help improve our well-being and our lives. Using typical examples from our daily life, these blinks demonstrate how we can all get more from the present, and start to appreciate the miracle of life again.
Best quote from The Miracle of Mindfulness
After only three months of observing such a day of mindfulness once a week, I know that you will see a significant change in your life.
—Thich Nhat Hanh
Who should read The Miracle of Mindfulness?
- Anyone wanting tips on how to de-stress
- Those looking for an insight into Buddhism
- Deep thinkers searching for a fresh perspective on the nature of life
Categories with The Miracle of Mindfulness
Book summaries like The Miracle of Mindfulness
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
29 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth