Thich Nhat Hanh, known to his followers as ‘Thay’, died on 22 January this year at the age of 95. His was a life dedicated to mindful living. He was also an author of many bestselling books. He had taught the art of mindful living for over seventy years. He had become a household name for people all over the world, who took Zen teachings seriously. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had once said that ‘Thich Nhat Hanh shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth’. He was a real master, who taught mostly by his own practice of what he believed. He literally walked the talk as many of his disciples would vouch for. He would often take them out for mindful walking, and they could simply walk along, basking in the light and depth of his awareness.
He had been revolutionary in being one of the monks in Vietnam to ride a bicycle…to bring much greater gender equity in the Buddhist Sangha… as one of his followers would say, “The basis of Thay’s practice was to water the seeds of mindfulness, thereby becoming aware of our mental formations as they arise''(from a foreword by Shantum Seth in ‘Thich Nhat Hanh-Answers From the Heart’). Thay was a poet too, who would put the precepts of mindfulness into poetry…
The mind can go in a thousand directions.
But on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.
With each step, a gentle wind blows.
With each step, a flower blooms.
And in a chapter on mindful walking, Thay says, "when you walk, you might like to take the hand of a child. She will receive your concentration and stability, and you will receive her freshness and innocence. From time to time, she may want to run ahead and then wait for you to catch up. A child is a bell of mindfulness, reminding us how wonderful life is. At plum Village, I teach the people a simple verse to practice while walking: 'Yes, yes, yes,' as they breathe in, and 'Thanks, thanks, thanks,' as they breathe out. I want them to respond to life, to society, and to the Earth in a positive way. They enjoy it very much".(Excerpts taken from Answers from the Heart- Thich Nhat Hanh)
He had stood against the Vietnam war. And he had influenced Martin Luther King Jr. to come out against the war in Thay’s homeland, Vietnam. He was unique in many ways. Once Richard Baker Roshi, another Zen master, said, 'Thay is a cross between a cloud, a snail, and a piece of heavy machinery'.
May be the biggest contribution that Thay made to the contemporary world is making the 2600 old Buddha teachings relevant and practical for our times. With him passes a giant in mindful living.
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