Book Review: The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, Authored by Haemin Sunim

About the Author:  Mr. Haemin Sunim, was born in South Korea and educated at Berkeley, Harvard & Princeton. He is a Buddhist monk, who received monastic training from Haein monastary in South Korea and taught Asian religions  at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. 

He is one of most influential zen monks in the world with over 1.5 million followers on twitter. This book is so popular that it has already sold over 3 million copies the world over being available in over 30 languages.

Book presentation: The book is printed by Penguin Life & made out of FSC certified paper.The print quality and the font used are soothing to the eyes.   

                                            B  e  a  u  t  i  f  u  l

The books contains many graphic illustrations quite artistically put and soothes the eyes and keeps one's interest intact.

The book runs over 250 pages covering 8 Chapters. Each chapter has an essay and complemented by short massages of wisdom for the readers to read and re-read to absorb and remember.

Chapter-1: Rest (sub chapters-Why am I so busy? & When life disappoints rest a moment)

Chapter-2: Mindfulness (Sub chapters- Befriend your emotions & When you are feeling low)

Chapter-3: Passion (Sub chapters- Temper your eagerness & Being right isn't important being happy together is)

Chapter-4: Relationships (Sub chapter- The art of maintaining a good relationship & The journey of forgiveness)

Chapter-5: Love (Sub chapter- First love & I love your ordinariness)

Chapter-6: Life (Sub chapter- Do you know Kung Fu & Three liberating insights)

Chapter-7: The future (Sub chapter- One word of encouragement can change the future & When you look for your calling)

Chapter-8: Spirituality (Sub chapter- Long lost cousins & Two spiritual paths in one family)

It starts with a prologue and ends with an epilogue with the beautiful quote:

'Only when we slow down can we finally see clearly our relationships, our thoughts, & our pain. As we slow down, we are not entangled in them. We can step out and appreciate them for what they are!'

It is advisable to read one chapter at a time very slowly till you feel you have got the advice the Author intended to convey you for your own good.

The Buddhist influence is quite distinct and one can relate to the examples and quotes in real life.

The book is quite relevant to present pandemic time when the world is locked down and each one of us is reflecting. 

A book like this one helps understand the importance of universal brotherhood. It helps to find true happiness in this utterly chaotic world & how to wade thru the troubled waters.

I strongly recommend having a personal copy of the book for periodic reference and revising; refreshing one's soul. 

A must buy kind of book- surely, presently & ever.

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Book Review: The Power of NUNCHI, Authored by Euny Hong

Ms Euny Hong the author of the book is of Korean origin. She moved from US to Korea at the age of 12 to do her schooling and later came back to US to do her B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University and pursued Journalism as a career. 

She was interviewed by France 24, an international news channel. (https://youtu.be/Y0ImdHF3kZk). Here she speaks eloquently on the book with the anchor.

NUNCHI is the Korean secret to happiness and success.

Nunchi (noon-chee): 'eye measure', or the subtle art of gauging other people's thoughts and feelings to build harmony, trust and connection.

She lucidly explains the 8 rules of Nunchi with examples and quiz questions.

Rule-1: First empty your mind. Clear your mind of preconceptions in order to observe with discernment.

Rule-2: Be aware of the Nunchi Observer Effect. When you enter a room you change the room. 

Rule-3: If you just arrived in the room, remember that everyone else has been there longer than you. Watch them closely to gain information.

Rule-4: Never pass up a good opportunity to shut up. If you wait long enough and listen carefully, most of your questions will be answered without you having to say a word.

Rule-5: Manner exist for a reason. Respect the cultures.

Rule-6: Read between the lines. People do not always say what they think and it is their prerogative. Do not just go for the spoken words but look at the combination of words and the body language to make a sense of what is being conveyed by the speaker.

Rule-7: If you cause harm even i n i n t e n t i o n a l l y, it is sometimes as bad as if you'd caused it intentionally. So do exercise caution and be sensible.

Rule-8: Be quick and nimble. Speed matters most in quick Nunchi.

Nunchi is perhaps the most important skill you will ever learn- a skill that gets to the core of being human.

With practice one can master the art of Nunchi. 

I liked the Mantra given by Author: 

Observe, observe, observe; listen, listen, listen. 

Human beings are blessed with two eyes, two ears and one mouth. 

Observe & listen twice as much or more as we speak.

The book ends with notes and off course the acknowledgement. 

The book is for all those who want to excel in their life. Highly recommended as a self help book.

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Book Review: Everyday UBUNTU, Authored by Mungi NGOMANE

The book is written by Ms Mungi NGOMANE, grand daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Noble Peace laureate, who played a major role in the anti-apartheid moment.

The Author is deeply influenced by her grand father and her mother who both shaped her to be good human being and is reflected in the book all over.

Ubuntu is an African way of life and is a Xhosa word from South Africa meaning that each person's humanity is bound up with the humanity of others. 

It is a philosophy that expresses belief in a universal bond.

I AM ONLY, BECAUSE YOU ARE

The book draws inspiration from the Constitution of Rainbow Nation spelt out over 14 Chapters. 

Each chapter is worth reading and encourages one to absorb the contents to make it a habit for ever.

Chapter -1: See yourself in others

Chapter-2: Strength lies in Unity

Chapter- 3: Put yourself in the shoes of others

Chapter-4: Choose to see the wider perspective

Chapter-5: Have dignity and respect for your self and others

Chapter-6: Believe in the good of everyone

Chapter-7: Choose hope over optimism

Chapter-8: Seek out ways to connect

Chapter-9: The power of the F- word --Forgiveness (watch film- Long Night's Journey into Day- https://vimeo.com/ondemand/longnightsjourneyintoday) & Mississippi Burning- https://youtu.be/SUtlJwfNEtI

Chapter-10: Embrace our diversity

Chapter-11: Acknowledge reality

Chapter-12: Find humour in our humanity

Chapter-13: Why little things make a big difference

Chapter-14: Learn to listen so that you can hear

The books has many African proverbs; the one I liked is --'Nobody knows everything but everyone knows something'.

And some famous quotes from Archbishop Desmond Tutu- 'Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness'.

And the one from Martin Luther King, Jr.-'We must accept finite disappointment but not loose infinite hope'.

The special feature of the book is that it gives notes at the end of the book for a keen reader to explore further.....

A must read book that helps bring out the human in one & all...Go for it...

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