Haemin Sunim is one of the most influential Zen
Buddhist teachers and writers in the world. Born in South Korea, he
came to the United States to study film, only to find himself
pulled into the spiritual life. Educated at UC Berkeley, Harvard,
and Princeton, he received formal monastic training in Korea and
taught Buddhism at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He
has more than a million followers on Twitter (@haeminsunim) and
Facebook and is one of Spirituality & Health’s Top 10 Spiritual
Leaders of the Next 20 Years and one of Greatist’s 100 Most
Influential People in Health and Fitness. His books—The Things You
Can See Only When You Slow Down, which has been published in more
than thirty languages, and Love for Imperfect Things—have sold
more than four million copies and are popular as guides not only to
meditation but also to overcoming the challenges of everyday
life. When not traveling to share his teachings, Haemin Sunim
lives in Seoul, where he founded the School of Broken Hearts, a
nonprofit that offers group counseling and meditation for people
experiencing challenges in life.
Chi-Young Kim (co-translator) is the translator of
the New York Times bestselling Korean novel Please
Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin, for which she received the
Man Asian Literary Prize, and the Korean contemporary
classic The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi
Hwang. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Youngcheol Lee (illustrations) is a Korean artist. His
paintings have been shown in more than 150 exhibitions and are
admired for their idyllic quality. You can see more of his artwork
at www.namusai33.com.
“Wonderful . . . They read almost like haikus.” —Lakshmi Singh,
NPR’s All Things Considered
“Ancient Buddhist philosophy for the modern age . . . Profound but
relatable wisdom on coping with the daily grind—and on keeping
sight of what really matters. Leave this book on your nightstand to
clear your head before bed.” —Real Simple
“Wise advice on how to reflect and slow down.” —Elle, “10 Books Kim
Kardashian’s Book Club Should Read”
“Its short teachings are the perfect length for fitting into a
fast-paced life. . . . It’s just the thing for a quick hit of
dharma right after you wake up or before you go to sleep.”
—Tricycle, “Top 9 Buddhist Books of the Year”
“ ‘What I’m trying to do,’ says Sunim, ‘Marie [Kondo] is doing
through a material and hands-on approach.’ When people ‘stop and
pause,’ says Sunim, they ‘realize the state of their minds.’ . . .
They can appreciate the joy that they are experiencing in the
moment.” —KonMari Newsletter
“Ingeniously simple tips from a zen monk that’ll boost your
mood, career—and relationships.” —Daily Mail
“What could have simply been a collection of homilies instead read
like haiku . . . sparingly but beautifully illustrated.” —The
Telegraph
“[A] lovely, illustrated Buddhist guide to staying present.
Reminiscent of The Prophet and worthy of a place on my nightstand,
this book offers a calm in life’s storm.” —Allison K. Hill, Los
Angeles Daily News
“I both cried and laughed while reading this bite-sized book of
wisdom. . . . Sunim’s words are profound but familiar, simple but
artful, and each chapter feels more like a conversation with a
thoughtful, loving friend than reading another book on
mindfulness.” —Emma Koonse, Publishers Weekly “Staff Pick”
“His reminders to simply pause and breathe are welcome to anyone
caught up in the hecticness of daily life.” —Metro
“Offers practical advice on everything from handling setbacks to
relationships. Best for reclaiming your zen.” —Stylist
“Loving, practical, and kind, The Things You Can See Only When You
Slow Down is a beautiful reminder of the rewards of living wisely.”
—Jack Kornfield, bestselling author of A Path with Heart and The
Wise Heart
“This book is wonderful—straight from the heart of a wise, kind
teacher. Written simply and with gentle humor, it will help you
find lasting happiness in a changing world.” —Rick Hanson, Ph.D.,
New York Times bestselling author of Buddha’s Brain and
Hardwiring Happiness
“Filled with gems of wisdom, this book will lift up your heart and
enliven your spirit.” —Tara Brach, bestselling author
of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge
“Not only a useful and practical book, it’s a beautiful one as
well. Everyone who wants to thrive more in their life should have
it on their nightstand.” —Arianna Huffington
“I believe this elegant book will help heal a river of grief that
runs through our entire nation, just below the surface, everywhere
I go. People ache for time with those they love, with friends and
family, with nature. My hope is that everyone who opens this book
will immediately find some passage, some way into a secret garden
of slow time, where things of great beauty and truth grow, and
blossom, in effortless abundance. It is a glorious refuge—a timely,
welcome escape from the pervasive trance of ordinary, relentlessly
productive time.” —Wayne Muller, bestselling author of Sabbath and
A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough
“The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down proves what the
Wise have always taught: As goes our attention, so comes our
experience. The more we attend to living in the present moment, the
richer becomes our experience of it . . . and of our own higher
possibilities.” —Guy Finley, bestselling author of The Secret of
Letting Go
“Full of insightful and practical advice—and wonderfully portable,
like a daily guidebook. I read it with great interest.” —Bhante
Gunaratana, author of Mindfulness in Plain English
“A book for our time—filled with universal truths, beautifully
expressed and lovingly illustrated. Every short
paragraph is self-contained—each its own seed sending roots
into the deepest and most timeless wisdom. This is a book to keep
close at hand.” —Mark Williams, co-author of Mindfulness: An
Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
“Haemin Sunim has offered us a remarkable gift, a compendium of
practical wisdom. It is accessible brilliance.” —Allan Lokos,
founder and guiding teacher, Community Meditation Center, NYC;
author of Through the Flames, Patience, and Pocket Peace
“Haemin Sunim’s book has a place in my backpack now. When I read it
at the coffee shop, my coffee break becomes a meditation break. At
bedtime, it brings me peace. And in the morning it inspires
me.” —Joseph Emet, author of Finding the Blue Sky and Buddha’s
Book of Meditation
“What a blessing this book is; I am so glad it’s in the world.
Absolute wisdom.” —Nancy Colier, author of The Power of Off
“Full of wisdom and love, this is a book to keep as a dear
companion. Hold it close. With its simple yet deeply profound
messages, it will become a wise friend to turn to again and again.
Haemin Sunim bridges East and West in his own life story and his
writing. Truly this is a gem.” —Vidyamala Burch, founder and
codirector of Breathworks and coauthor of You Are Not Your
Pain
“A remarkable guide to how to live a life of unpretentious
authenticity and compassionate engagement. In Haemin Sunim’s brief
essays and aphorisms, the insights of Buddhism have fully become
the stuff of life itself.” —Robert Buswell, Director of
Buddhist Studies, UCLA
“Perfect for readers looking for a respite from busy lives and
tumultuous times . . . Sunim evokes a calm assuredness in his
philosophy, reminiscent of Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An antidote to the polarization that has gripped our waking lives:
It’s quiet, meditative, radical in its simplicity, and organized
into relatable bite-size chapters that will have you breathing
easier and appreciating the small things in life. Few books have
the power to pull us out of our indignant turrets and cynical
worldviews like this one.” —Signature
“Visually and literarily breathtaking . . . Akin to Aesop’s fables,
full of simple truths . . . The aphoristic rather than affirmative
content sets this book apart from others in the self-help category.
. . . The verses look to the eye as lovely as they ring to the ear.
The white space surrounding these verses emphasizes their
simultaneous simplicity and profundity. . . . Sometimes the images
are Chagall-esque in their metaphysical approach. Sometimes they’re
Impressionistic. Always, they gorgeously represent the content on
the pages. . . . Whether you are a fan of self-help, into Zen
practice, a Buddhist, or none of those things, this book shows it’s
all there for the taking: mindfulness, self-awareness, and a little
daily peace.” —Korean Literature Now
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