A collection of autobiographical stories highlighting Thich Nhat Hanh's experience as a novice monk in Vietnam.We are given a portrait of Thich Nhat Hanh as a young man testing the Buddhist teachings, planting seeds that would carry him through the ordeals of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. The simplicity and clarity of monastic life provides the background against which characters are lovingly presented: the elderly cook, the master who sews by lamplight, the lizard who dares to eat rice offered for the Buddha, the young French soldier seeking understanding, and others.
