Cracking the Walnut

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary on Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Middle Way, one of the most famous Buddhist texts in existence Nagarjuna is a giant in the Buddhist canon, thought to be the greatest Buddhist philosopher after the Buddha. He lived in southern India in the 2nd century CE. Cracking the Walnut contains the text of Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Middle Way (Mulamadhyamakakarika), defending the essential premise that all things have the nature of emptiness, they have no self-nature, but are in a constant process of change and interrelationship with one another. Weaving Nagarjuna's text with commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh, taken from talks given at two 3-month-long retreats, helps us bring these teachings into our daily life. They are strong teachings, designed to break through all metaphysical speculation. To a greater or lesser extent, we all have notions and ideas about life. Sometimes our ideas can contribute to the advancement of humanity, but the problem comes when