Nothing To It

Book excerpt: In Nothing To It, Brother Phap Hai brings his characteristic warmth and humor to explore the many different gates to transformation offered by Buddhism. A gate is a teaching, practice, or way of looking at things. Each gate is an invitation to consider a new frame of reference through which we can consider our situation, an opportunity to look at things differently. Readers who enjoyed Bhante Gunaratana's Mindfulness in Plain English will delight in this new explanation from the Australian-born senior monk of Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California. There are fifty-eight gates explored in Nothing To It, arranged in ten traditional groups, with one chapter exploring each gate. Based on a series of talks given by Phap Hai in 2013, the book is designed to be equally valuable when read through at leisure or used as the text for a ten week self-guided course. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, additional reading suggestions on the topic, and writing exercises. The gates can be explored in order or investigated at random. Phap Hai’s charming blend of ancient wisdom, Dharma scholarship, and contemporary applications will offer all who read Nothing To It a new way of seeing the extraordinary opportunities for transformation in everyday life.