"Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the greatest teachers of our time. He reaches from the heights of insights down to the deepest places of the absolutely ordinary."- Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo - Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Columbia University "This is a book of wise and wonderful teachings, a breath of fresh air for the heart. It opens the doors to an awakened life."- Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry In May 1998, more than four hundred practitioners from around the world joined Thich Nhat Hanh's first 21 - day retreat in North America in Vermont to experience mindfulness. The Path of Emancipation, which transcribes this retreat, comprises an in - depth instruction in the 'Sixteen Ways of Breathing" from the Discourse on the full Awareness of Breathing. When Thich Nhat Hanh discovered this discourse, he said, "I felt I was the happiest person in the world." Applying the teachings to everyday life, Thich Nhat Hanh shows how it is possible to slow down and get in touch with our breathing. He teaches the practice of mindful breathing, walking and sitting and how the practice of mindfulness releases suffering and leads to a wholesome and happy life.