Love Is Liberation

A grounded guide for living ethically, with true joy, in a world that seems complex, chaotic, and morally compromised

How can we live a good life that causes least harm and benefits ourselves and others? The common principles of the major world religions to live ethically are expressed succinctly in the five precepts of traditional Buddhism—not to kill, steal, lie, or ingest harmful substances, and to refrain from sexual misconduct. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Five Mindfulness Trainings are a revolutionary reframing of these guiding principles as positive steps we can follow to cultivate key attributes that, practiced wholeheartedly, lead to a transformed, loving, and joyful life, not only for oneself, but also for our communities and the planet. In Love Is Liberation, Thich Nhat Hanh’s students Valerie Brown and Marisela B. Gomez share expansive contemplations on the Five Mindfulness Trainings for mindful and ethical living, calling us forward toward individual and collective awakening, compassion, and peace: 

• reverence for life,
• true happiness,
• true love,
• loving speech and deep listening,
• and nourishment and healing.

Aware of the interconnection of all people, and the truth that if one person lives on the knife edge of racial, ethnic, social, structural, and systemic oppression and discrimination, we are all affected, the authors address the suffering of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, who face disproportionate levels of violence, poverty, sickness, displacement, and death. Five BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ mindfulness practitioners share examples of how each training impacts their daily lives, to show the powerful transformative potential of each training.

The book is a courageous call forward to end the cycle of racial, ethnic, and social inequities and discrimination through training ourselves to make ethical choices and take action from a place of love, which is the ultimate liberation.