Eyes of Compasssion

Overview

"Two of the special qualities of Eyes of Compassion are Jim Forrest's wonderful collection of photographs of Thich Nhat Hahn, members of his communities, as well as reproductions of his calligraphy; they add a fresh dimension to this paperback. The other is the Zen Master's enactment of boundless compassion." 

--Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice

“Jim and Thay died within a couple weeks of each other in January of this year – and this little book is a fitting adieu to a long friendship. In it, these two peacemakers show us that hope and humor, love and laughter, need not be threatened by darkness and war. Evil, Thay tells Jim, turns out to be nothing at all; and recalling Merton’s epiphany at Polonnaruwa, he asserts “everything is good”."

Joseph Quinn Raab, Merton Seasonal (ITMS)

Catholic Media Association - Honorable Mention - Ecumenism Interfaith Relations   

 Illumination Book Award Bronze Medal, Biography

"Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion." --Thich Nhat Hanh

Today, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the world's most influential and revered spiritual teachers. When Jim Forest met him in the mid-1960s, he was a little-known Vietnamese Zen monk, touring the United States on behalf of the cause of peace in his homeland. Jim, a Catholic peacemaker, was asked to accompany him on his travels and speaking engagements. From that beginning emerged a friendship over many decades, in which Jim learned through conversations and daily life about Nhat Hanh's spiritual teachings on "mindfulness," "interbeing," and the inner peace that is necessary for promoting world peace.

Jim Forest's intimate portrait, which includes photos and other illustrations, is a unique introduction to the life and teachings of a modern spiritual master.

Jim Forest (1941-2022), a co-founder of the Catholic Peace Fellowship, was author of many Orbis books, including All Is Grace, Living with Wisdom, At Play in the Lions' Den and Eyes of Compassion (his biographies of peacemakers Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Daniel Berrigan, and Thich Naht Hanh). His other bestselling titles include Praying with Icons, The Ladder of the Beatitudes, and Writing Straight with Crooked Lines: A Memoir.