Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh

 

01.21.2022 REMEMBERING THICH NHAT HANH Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most important spiritual leaders of our time, died today at Từ Hiếu Pagoda in Vietnam. He was 95. Affectionately referred to as “Thay,” by his students, Thich Nhat Hanh has often been referred to as “the father of mindfulness.” In his 95 years, he made a global impact as a teacher, author, activist, and founder of the Engaged Buddhism movement. His simple yet deeply profound teachings led countless people towards a life of mindfulness, joy, and peace and helped define Buddhism for the modern world. We at Lion’s Roar are deeply saddened to share the news of his passing. The three pieces below offer a look into the remarkable life and teachings of this wonderful teacher. We hope his words and life’s example will touch your heart as they have ours.  In his book, At Home in the World, published in 2016, Nhat Hanh addressed the idea of his death, writing: “Even when the cloud is not there, it continues as snow or rain. It is impossible for the cloud to die. It can become rain or ice, but it cannot become nothing. The cloud does not need to have a soul in order to continue. There’s no beginning and no end. I will never die. There will be a dissolution of this body, but that does not mean my death.” “I will continue, always.” —Lilly Greenblatt, Digital Editor, Lion’s Roar

The Life of Thich Nhat Hanh Lindsay Kyte tells the story of what is perhaps Thich Nhat Hanh’s greatest teaching — his courageous life. In 1926, a boy named Nguyen Xuan Bao was born in the ancient imperial capital of Hué, Vietnam. He was attracted to Buddhism from an early age. One of his first childhood memories was seeing a captivating picture of a smiling, peaceful Buddha. On a school trip, he was disappointed not to meet a Buddhist hermit, but when he drank from a natural well he felt deeply refreshed. He later described this as his first religious experience. Nguyen Xuan Bao wanted to ordain as a monk at age 12, following in the footsteps of his older brother. His parents were initially hesitant, as he was so young and they knew monastic life would be challenging. However, by the time he actually ordained as a novice monk and received the novice precepts at age 16, he had their full support. In 1951, he took the full vows of a monk. He received the name Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh on The Practice of Mindfulness The great meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh teaches five mindfulness exercises to help you live with happiness and joy. Mindfulness gives birth to joy and happiness. Another source of happiness is concentration. The energy of mindfulness carries within it the energy of concentration. When you are aware of something, such as a flower, and can maintain that awareness, we say that you are concentrated on the flower. When your mindfulness becomes powerful, your concentration becomes powerful, and when you are fully concentrated, you have a chance to make a breakthrough, to achieve insight. If you meditate on a cloud, you can get insight into the nature of the cloud. Or you can meditate on a pebble, and if you have enough mindfulness and concentration, you can see into the nature of the pebble. You can meditate on a person, and if you have enough mindfulness and concentration, you can make a breakthrough and understand the nature of that person. You can meditate on yourself, or your anger, or your fear, or your joy, or your peace.

The Practice of Sangha Thich Nhat Hanh explains that sangha is more than a community, it’s a deep spiritual practice. Suffering (dukkha) is one of the biggest problems of our times. First we have to recognize this suffering and acknowledge it. Then we need to look deeply into its nature in order to find a way out. If we look into the present situation in ourselves and our society, we can see much suffering. We need to call it by its true names—loneliness, the feeling of being cut off, alienation, division, the disintegration of the family, the disintegration of society. Our civilization, our culture, has been characterized by individualism. The individual wants to be free from the society, from the family. The individual does not think he or she needs to take refuge in the family or in the society, and thinks that he or she can be happy without a sangha. That is why we do not have solidity, we do not have harmony, we do not have the communication that we so need. The practice is, therefore, to grow some roots.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!