VI
Mark học AINo Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life · Thich Nhat Hanh · Vietnamese title: Không diệt không sinh đừng sợ hãi
We fear death because we believe we came from nothing into being and will return from being to nothing. Looking deeply, nothing arises from nothing or vanishes into nothing; there is only manifestation and continuation. See that, and fear dissolves.
The book is compiled from dharma talks, so it spirals rather than runs in a line. Mark groups it into four stages, which are also the four posts on the fanpage.
| Notion | What we usually think | What deep looking shows |
|---|---|---|
| Birth · death | Nothing becomes somethingthen something becomes nothing | Manifesting · going hiddenlike cloud becoming rain |
| Coming · going | We came from somewhereand will go somewhere | No coming, no goingwe appear when conditions are sufficient |
| Being · non-being | Seen means it existsout of sight means gone | Beyond both being and non-beingsunflowers in April are already waiting |
| Same · different | We are separate from our parentsand from our children | Neither same nor differentlike the corn seed and the corn plant |
Nirvana, for Thay, is the extinction of these notions, not a place to go to.
Read slowly, one breath per line. The point is not sadness, but cherishing what we have today.
This is a spiritual book, so Mark doesn't grade it like a science book. Mark sorts its claims into three kinds: supported by research, to be read with care, and matters of faith. Tap each row for the reason.
Meta-analyses of mindfulness programmes (such as Goyal et al., 2014) show a moderate reduction in anxiety. Not a miracle, but real.
Research on "continuing bonds" (Klass et al., 1996) finds many people are comforted by keeping loved ones in their hearts rather than having to "let go". It depends on the person and the circumstances.
True in physics (conservation of mass and energy). The image of cloud becoming rain is accurate as nature.
Conservation applies to atoms and energy, not automatically to consciousness or a particular person. This is a leap from image to conclusion, and here the book persuades through feeling more than argument.
Nobody remembers being born. Attachment theory (Bowlby) holds something similar: infants are wholly dependent and the need for safety stays with us for life. Read it as a useful metaphor, not a real memory.
Terror management research shows reminders of death can make people more defensive and rigid. Slow, deliberate reflection on death, though, tends to come with gratitude and clearer priorities. How you do it matters more than the content.
This is the Buddhist view of emptiness and interdependent co-arising. It cannot be proven or disproven by experiment. Its value lies in whether it helps the practitioner suffer less.
One Zen reading of nirvana, unlike the idea of a realm reached after death. Thay presents it as lived experience, not theory.
Read slowly, read when you need it. Don't read to debate; read to breathe along.
Most of the book works for anyone: breathing to hold emotions, seeing loved ones in yourself, living so your "belongings" are good ones. None of this requires religious belief.
The hard part for sceptics is "there is no death". Read as "what makes me up carries on in other forms", it is very reasonable. Read as "I, with these memories and this awareness, still exist", the book does not prove it, and deliberately does not answer it head on.
The book is no substitute for therapy when fear of death or grief becomes overwhelming. It is a companion, not a doctor.
No need to wait for a loss to start practising. An ordinary day, following the book: