Have you ever experienced a book that just immediately calmed you when you started reading it? Made you want to slow down and look at life? I mean, besides the Bible or your religious text of choice. That’s what The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down did for me. My goodness. I was just uplifted to this place of peace! I can’t recommend it enough.
A bit of background into Haemin Sunim:
Haemin Sunim is one of the most influential Zen Buddhist teachers and writers in South Korea, where his books have sold more than three million copies and are popular as guides not only to mediation but also to overcoming the challenges of everyday life. 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 lives in Seoul when not traveling to share his teachings.
Thanks, Penguin Random House!
I don’t remember what made me get this book. I think it must have been after a breakup or work thing where I realized that I needed to find a place of peace somewhere.
The Layout
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down is broken into eight different themed chapters: Rest, Mindfulness, Passion, Relationships, Love, Life, The Future, and Spirituality. Each chapter then has a brief introduction, a series of quotes, an anecdote, and then some additional quotes. I started keeping some of those Post-It tabs with me to mark my favorite quotes and moments.
To Share
After finishing this book, I immediately wanted to send a copy to everyone I could think of. I had to buy more sticky tabs because I was running out and didn’t want to forget any of my favorite bits. One thing I struggle with a lot is acting immediately. If I’m hurt or frustrated or angry, I tend to react immediately. I don’t take a step back, remove emotion, and think of the situation from a more analytical standpoint. One of my favorite parts:
An emotional reaction often leads to a regrettable outcome.
This book is just filled with wisdom! I could spend post after post sharing my favorite quotes and how I relate to each and every of my twenty-five marked passages. I think it would be a better plan for you to read it and let me know which were your favorites. Who knows? Maybe I’ll do a Quotes blog on excerpts just from this book. Stay tuned!
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