Going Home: Summary and book reviews of Going Home by Thich Nhat Hanh, plus links to an excerpt from Going Home and a biography of Thich Nhat Hanh.

In Going Home, Thich Nhat Hanh celebrates the life-affirming roots of two disparate spiritual traditions. As he says, "Redemption and resurrection are neither words nor objects of belief. They are our daily practice. We practice in such a way that Buddha is born every moment of our daily life, that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life." While Living Buddha, Living Christ further opened the door to dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism, Going Home takes us on a journey into the practice of a revitalized Christianity. In Living Buddha, Living Christ, Buddha and Jesus say hello to each other. In Going Home, they sit down together and have a lengthy conversation. They ask each other for advice. They talk about how they can be united. They demonstrate their theological convergence. They talk about each other's prayers, rituals, and forms of practice. This book is an exquisite guide to establishing deep roots in the traditions into which we are born, a moving reading experience for anyone interested in finding their spiritual home.

Media Reviews

Publishers Weekly Despite Hanh's tendency to ignore significant differences between Buddhism and Christianity, his book speaks powerfully about the need for tolerance and love in overcoming those differences.   Kirkus Reviews Following up on his Living Buddha, Living Christ, Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh's newest book explores the connections between Buddhism and Christianity. In a series of pithy addresses, the author, a Vietnamese monk, considers, inter alia, the similarities between the Christian practice of baptism and the Buddhist practice of taking refuge. Thich Nhat Hanh captures his assessment of the two traditions' compatibility in a culinary metaphor a fan of French cuisine can also love Chinese food. To support his conclusion that there is ``no conflict at all between the Buddha and the Christ in me,'' he sometimes describes Christianity in terms that many Christian readers might not recognize, such as when he asserts that ``all of us are Jesus.'' But the author's overarching point stands in the late 20th century, both Buddhism and Christianity are struggling to maintain meaningful presences in the world. Rather than see each other as antagonists, Buddhists and Christians should learn from each other, and work together in the pursuit of common goals. Sure to appeal to New Age dabblers, but with enough meat to attract serious students as well, this is a valuable addition to the growing literature on these two religious traditions.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Persephone Adams
Thich Nhat Hanh is a truly gifted and kind hearted man. I enjoy any book that has the ability to connect people. Eastern and Western views may be stated differently but many of the concepts are quite similar. Hanh sheds light on the beauty of...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Gavin Beeker
Thich Nhat Hanh is a beautiful author, writing in almost poetry. Sure, Christianity and Buddhism are very different. But as Thich points out so well in his book, as human beings, Christianity and Buddhism both have beautiful, fulfilling messages...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Brian Nguyen
This is the worst book I've read ever in my entire life. The author is just a big liar about what he wrote.

It wastes your time and spoils your mind if you read his book.

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Books with similar themes

• Religious or Spiritual Themes