Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other [Paperback]

In this Buddhist perspective on resolving conflict, global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh demonstrates how a real peace process is based on spiritual, not political strength. Inspired by an ongoing Buddhist retreat project for Palestinians and Israelis, Peace Begins Here offers practical ways to handle our strong emotions and misperceptions and provides a possible way out of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Peace Begins Here features stories from individual Palestinians and Israelis, as well as examples from Thich Nhat Hanh’s life, including his experience with nonviolent action during the war in Vietnam and its aftermath. Highlights include personal stories from participants in the peace retreats and Thich Nhat Hanh’s collected practices for peace, including deep listening, deep relaxation, mindful walking, mindful eating, and loving speech. The road map to peace is not created by governments but by people who are able to be truly present with each other, practicing deep listening and empathy for the suffering of others. Thich Nhat Hanh has brought Palestinians and Israelis to Plum Village, France, for retreats where they begin their own peace process. This paperback outlines some of the practices they tried and is spiced with stories from participants in these retreats. Thich Nhat Hanh adds his thoughts about cultivating the seeds of peace, dealing with anger, fostering reconciliation, walking the path of nonviolent resistance, and creating a people's peace treaty.
—Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice

Peace Begins Here is a guide. It offers instruction in core practices such as mindful eating, walking, and speaking and in the more challenging processes such as deep listening, taking care of ourló7