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  • Published: 5 January 2022
  • ISBN: 9781946764867
  • Imprint: Parallax
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 208
  • RRP: $37.99

The Eight Realizations of Great Beings

Essential Buddhist Wisdom for Waking Up to Who You Are



A pithy guide to the Buddha's instructions to unlock the powerful insights that make us "great"—by wise, warm, and humorous Brother Phap Hai, the most senior Australian Dharma teacher ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh

In this essential sutra for sincere practitioners, the Buddha says, "If you would like to be enlightened, take on these eight subjects for meditation and apply their corresponding insights to your daily life." Brother Phap Hai's lively, down-to-earth explanation of spirituality's original self-help manual makes this book a must-read for all seeking inspiration on the path of self-realization and compassion. Beginning with a brief historical overview of the sutra's origins, Brother Phap Hai explores each of the eight realizations and shares a story in each chapter from his own journey to become a monk himself.

Ordaining as a Buddhist monk in 1997 while still in his twenties, Brother Phap Hai has been practicing mindfulness on a daily basis for much of his adult life. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh authorized him to teach in 2003, and since then, he has guided and mentored thousands of students in meditation. Brother Phap Hai calls the Buddha's Discourse on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings his "'Desert Island Sutra' because it distills the essence of the Buddhist path." In his words, it is everything you need in a practical meditation manual, "a very structured exposition of realizing the entirety of the Buddhist path for yourself."

  • Published: 5 January 2022
  • ISBN: 9781946764867
  • Imprint: Parallax
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 208
  • RRP: $37.99

Praise for The Eight Realizations of Great Beings

"Like his teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, not only concerned with how we live, but willing to meet us where we live.... Grounded in Buddhist practice and philosophy, the exercises and encouragement here are not highfalutin,' but practical and doable." —Rod Meade Sperry, editor of LionsRoar.com "We are fortunate to have Brother Phap Hai as a guide … Along with his constant encouragement as a good spiritual friend, he embodies the characteristics of a Dharma teacher he so eloquently describes." —Rebecca Li, PhD, dharma teacher in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen and Gen X Dharma Teachers Conference coorganizer "Playful, accessible commentary that reads like a conversation with a friend, full of unusual candor and ease." —Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within