"Auch wenn der Versuch schwierig sein mag, den Weltfrieden durch innere Wandlung der einzelnen Menschen herbeizuführen, er ist der einzige Weg. 'Ich pflanze ein Lächeln' ist ein Reiseführer, der genau in diese Richtung weist." Seine Heiligkeit der XIV. Dalai Lama

If Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master Nhat Hanh says the same thing over and over, it could be because not enough people have heard him, and those who have need a reminder. He speaks to both groups in this work, coauthored by Harvard nutritionist Cheung, urging mindfulness about what people put in their mouths. It's a diet book and a meditation book, an unusual hybrid that makes sense for Nhat Hanh because it applies his essential wisdom: pay attention; breathe. If you consistently do that, you'll eat less, and at least two-thirds of Americans surely need to follow that advice.

Zen meditation master and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh offers his practical teachings about how to bring love and mindful awareness into our daily experience. These rare moments were recorded during a family meditation retreat. Kind - purposeful - illuminating - here is an abundant treasure of traditional gathas (teachings) that unify meditation practice with the challenges we face in today's world. Enhanced features include traditional Vietnamese music performed by the monks and nuns of Plum Village, a meditation practice from Thich Nhat Hanh's Mindful Movements video, and an interview with the author.

Thich Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. He'll go on and on with stories about tree-hugging or metaphors involving raw potatoes; he'll tell you how to eat mindfully, even how to breathe and walk; he'll suggest looking closely at a flower and to see the sun as your heart. As the Zen teacher Richard Baker commented, however, Nhat Hanh is "a cross between a cloud, a snail, and piece of heavy machinery." Sooner or later, it begins to sink in that Nhat Hanh is conveying a depth of psychology and a world outlook that require nothing less than a complete paradigm shift.