Is Nothing Something?: Kids' Questions and Zen Answers About Life, Death, Family, Friendship, and Everything in Between

Thich Nhat Hanh

Parallax Press, Mar 20, 2014 - Juvenile Nonfiction - 40 pages

In Is Nothing Something? Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh answers heartfelt, difficult, and funny questions from children of all ages. Illustrated with original full-color artwork by Jessica McClure, Is Nothing Something? will help adults plant the seeds of mindfulness in the young children in their lives. Beginning with the most basic questions, "What is important in life?" and "Why is my brother mean to me?" and progressing through issues that we all wrestle with, such as "How do I know if I really love somebody?", "How long am I going to live?", and "What does God look like?", each page presents a question with a short answer from Thich Nhat Hanh, appropriate for beginning readers to work with on their own. The back of the book has the first complete children’s biography of Thich Nhat Hanh, along with basic, kid-friendly instructions for mindful breathing and mindful walking. Both humorous and profound, Is Nothing Something? is the perfect resource for kids with questions, adults looking to answer them, and anyone with questions of their own.

Contents

• Why does the world exist?: 6
• Is nothing something?: 7
• What does God look like?: 8
• How long am I going to live?: 9
• Why is the sun so hot?: 10
• What is mindfulness?: 11
• Why are there good days and why are there bad days?: 12
• Why do we have to recycle things? Cant we just throw them away?: 14
• Why do people make wars?: 15
• I love my grandfather but he died How can he still be with me?: 16
• How can I remain calm when I see so many bad things in the world?: 17
• How can I love someone who likes different things than me?: 18
• Why do I sometimes feel lonely and that no one loves me?: 19
• How can I control my temper?: 20
• What do you do when youre scared?: 22
• How can I stop worrying so much?: 23
• What should I do when I feel sad?: 24
• What should you do if someone feels bad and you want to comfort that person and make him or her feel better?: 25
• Why do kids watch TV?: 26
• When my parents divorced they fought a lot Why cant they live together?: 27
• Why is my brother always so nasty toward me?: 28
• How do you know if somebody is a real friend?: 30
• Im having a problem with someone but Im too shy to speak to this person What do I do?: 31
• Why do I sometimes feel that everyone is against me?: 32
• I just moved to a new school How do I make friends?: 33
• What is meditation and why do people do it?: 35
• Why do people sometimes listen to a bell when they meditate?: 36
• Why dont monks and nuns eat meat?: 37
• Who was the Buddha?: 39
• Who is Thich Nhat Hanh?: 40
• May I give you a hug?: 45
• Mindful Breathing: 46
• Mindful Walking: 47
• Plum Blossom Books: 48

About the author

Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Is Nothing Something?: Kids' Questions and Zen Answers About Life, Death, Family, Friendship, and Everything in Between
• Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
• Illustrated by: Jessica McClure
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Parallax Press, 2014
• ISBN: 1937006654, 9781937006655
• Length: 40 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Nonfiction / Art / Drawing; Juvenile Nonfiction / Religion / Buddhism; Juvenile Nonfiction / Religion / Eastern