Thich Nhat Hanh
His life and teachings.
1926-2022
One of the best known and most respected Zen masters in the world today, poet, and peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh (called Thây by his students) led an extraordinary life. Born in central Vietnam in 1926 he joined the monkshood at the age of sixteen.
The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating in the monasteries, or to help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastation of the war. Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, helping to found the "engaged Buddhism" movement. His life was dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society. In Saigon in the early 60s, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth Social Service, a grass-roots relief organization that rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical centers, resettled homeless families, and organized agricultural cooperatives. Rallying some 10,000 student volunteers, the SYSS based its work on the Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassionate action. Despite government denunciation of his activity, Nhat Hanh also founded a Buddhist University, a publishing house, and an influential peace activist magazine in Vietnam. After visiting the U.S. and Europe in 1966 on a peace mission, he was banned from returning to Vietnam in 1966. On subsequent travels to the U.S., he made the case for peace to federal and Pentagon officials including Robert McNamara. He may have changed the course of U.S. history when he persuaded Martin Luther King, Jr. to oppose the Vietnam War publicly, and so helped to galvanize the peace movement. The following year, King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Subsequently, Nhat Hanh led the Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Talks. |
Plum Village
In 1982 he founded Plum Village, a Buddhist community in exile in France, where he continued his work to alleviate suffering of refugees, boat people, political prisoners, and hungry families in Vietnam and throughout the Third World.
He also received recognition for his work with Vietnam veterans, meditation retreats, and his prolific writings on meditation, mindfulness, and peace. He published some 85 titles of accessible poems, prose, and prayers, with more than 40 in English, including the best selling Call Me by My True Names, Peace Is Every Step, Being Peace, Touching Peace, Living Buddha Living Christ, Teachings on Love, The Path of Emancipation, and Anger. In September 2001, just a few days after the suicide terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he addressed the issues of non-violence and forgiveness in a memorable speech at Riverside Church in New York City. In September of 2003 he addressed members of the US Congress, leading them through a two-day retreat. Thich Nhat Hanh continued to live in Plum Village in the meditation community he founded, where he taught, wrote, and gardened; and he led retreats worldwide on "the art of mindful living." |
Teachings
Thich Nhat Hanh's key teaching is that through mindfulness we can learn to live in the present moment instead of in the past and in the future. Dwelling in the present moment is, according to Nhat Hanh, the only way to truly develop peace, both in one's self and in the world. Here is another one of his teachings:
stopping and deep looking
meditation Just as a bird has two wings, the practice of meditation has "stopping" and "deep looking." The two wings depend on each other. Stopping means to be still in order to recognize, nourish, heal, soothe, and focus the mind. Deep looking means to regard in depth the true nature of reality so that understanding may arise to transform all sadness and pain, taking refuge in meditation. Thich Nhat Hanh published many books on mindfulness, meditation, Buddhism, peace, the environment, and other topics during his lifetime. A quick search on the web will produce a useful introduction to his writings.
* * * * * How do you pronounce Thich Nhat Hanh? The English pronunciation is: Tik · N'yat · Hawn By his students he was affectionately known as Thay (pronounced "Tay" or "Tie"), which is Vietnamese for "teacher." Courtesy: Parallax Press |
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