Reddit mentions of Breathe, You Are Alive: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing

>1) What are some good ways to start practicing mindfulness?

Mindfulness of breathing may seem basic, but the Buddha said that one can reach enlightenment by this alone. There are many great things about mindfulness of breath, including that you can do it anywhere, anytime and it is very relaxing.

A great place to start is the Anapanasati Sutra (Anapanasati means "mindfulness of in-and-out breathing.") If you want something more in-depth, you can check out the book "Breathe, You Are Alive!" by Thich Nhat Hanh.

>2) I catch myself have a lot of negetive thoughts about other people and myself, is there something I should work on with regard to my thought process or attitude?

Metta meditation is wonderful for this! You start by wishing happiness and freedom from suffering for yourself, and then move on to wishing the same for others. You can find instructions on it here or [here](http://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Loving-Kindness-Meditation-(Metta). One nice thing about metta meditation is that it doesn't take long (you can have a very productive session in just 5 minutes.)

This is also a great one to take "off the cushion" - when someone is annoying you, just try to realize that they are probably being unpleasant because they are, in some way, suffering. Then wish that they can be free of that suffering, and you will probably find whatever anger or ill-will you have will evaporate.

Wishing well to yourself is also a wonderful skill. When you find yourself having to perform some task, and mentally grumbling "this is terrible, I can't believe I have to do this, if only I had done [X] I could have avoided this..." you can catch yourself and realize, "why am I causing myself extra suffering? I must do this thing, so let me enjoy it as much as possible."

>3) Are there books or other reading materials of some kind that might help with further quesrions?

Too many to count! But if you're looking for an intro to meditation and mindfulness, I'd say Breathe, You Are Alive! is a great start.

I love Thich Nhat Han's Breathe, you are alive, it's very practical and easy to read. Also Thanissaro Bhikkhu's with each and every breath is perhaps my favorite book on meditation, although it is probably a more difficult read than TNH's book.

I suggest the Satipatthana Sutta with a practice-oriented commentary. It's probably the most comprehensive sutta.

Here are a couple good ones:

Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening (Joseph Goldstein)

Then there's the Anapanasati Sutta, which is also considered to be very authentic and comprehensive. In it the Buddha shows how he used the breath to practice the four establishments of mindfulness to achieve full awakening. Here are a couple good commentaries:

Breathe, You Are Alive: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing (Thich Nhat Hanh)


Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation (Larry Rosenberg)

Hmm, good question. I can't claim to have read a lot of Thay's work (because as you said, there's quite a bit), but my hunch based on what I have read is that where you should start depends on your current knowledge of Buddhism.

Thay seems to write two types of books: a "general audience" type book that draws on Buddhism, but only to the extent that the teachings can be practiced by anyone regardless of their background. The Miracle of Mindfulness might be an example of this, or his "one-word-title books" as I call them: Power, Savor, Fear, etc.

The other type of book he writes seems to be intended for readers who either are already Buddhist or interested in going more deeply into Buddhist teachings. To know where to start with these works, a lot depends on how familiar you already are with the Buddha's teachings. I can tell you the order I read them, which seemed to work quite well:

Started with: The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: This is Thay's overview of the core teachings of Buddhism. I see this book like this: if Buddhism was a country, this would be a map of it. It shows you all the major points of interest, and the roads connecting all of them together. After reading this, you'll have a good grasp of what the different pieces of Buddhism are and how they work together to help you toward awakening/enlightenment.

But if you've never read anything about Buddhism at all before, I'm personally not sure if this is a good first book as it's not exactly a light read. Don't get me wrong: it's written with Thay's usual elegance and clarity, but it's packed with a lot of stuff (in the best sense). I was already somewhat familiar with the basics of Buddhism, so for me it was easy to build on that; but for someone brand new, I think the "general audience" books would still be a better start.

After that first book: In the first book itself, Thay recommends three sutras every serious practitioner should study regularly: the Bhaddekaratta Sutra, the Anapatasati Sutra, and the Satipatthana Sutra. Thankfully, Thay has translated and written commentaries on all three sutras and my links go to his books on these sutras.

Not much more I can share given that I'm about halfway through Thay's book on the Anapanasati Sutra. What I can say is that I can see why he says these are sutras to be studied throughout your life. They have some really powerful teachings that I have no doubt will take me years to grasp and practice properly.

Hope that helps. I'm sure others have read far more of Thay's work than I have, and can either correct my attempt here or give better recommendations.