Thousands of people in Vietnam and across the globe on January 29 bade farewell to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the final day of the week-long memorial services.
| Thousands of people at the funeral of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Hue, Vietnam on Jan 29. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
In a momentous and solemn event which lasted many hours, people witnessed the final ceremonies at Tu Hieu Temple, Hue, Vietnam, followed by the procession (cortège) of the monk (Thay or Master)’s coffin through the temple grounds, and then out towards the city of Hue, where it will then be driven to the Cremation Park, for ceremonies before the lighting of the fire, according to the Plum Village.
The cremation was held one week after he passed away at Tu Hieu Temple on January 22, at the age of 95.
In the morning of January 30, the ashes will be taken to the final resting place – Tu Hieu Temple, and Plum Villages around the world as he wished.
Following his death, Consul General Marie C. Damour of the US Mission to Vietnam praised Thich Nhat Hanh in a statement “Thich Nhat Hanh will be remembered as arguably one of the most influential and prominent religious leaders in the world.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in extended his deepest condolences, saying Thich Nhat Hanh is considered a living, respected and influential Buddha, one of the spiritual leaders of many people around the world that he respects a lot.
The Tibet spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, mourned the death of Thich Nhat Hanh.. He said the best way to pay tribute to the Zen master is to continue his work of promoting peace around the world.
In 2018, he returned home to Hue, in central Vietnam, to live out his last days at the Tu Hieu Temple, where he was ordained 80 years ago.
| Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh at the World Bank's headquarters in New York in 2013. Photos: Plumvillage |
Global spiritual leader
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddist Monk, is a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, renowned for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace.
The revered “father of mindfulness” is one of the world’s most influential Zen masters, spreading messages of mindfulness, compassion, and nonviolence with the establishment of dozens of monasteries and practice centers around the world following the original Plum Village in France, the largest of his monasteries and receives visits from thousands of people a year.
The monk has been a pioneer in bringing Buddhism to the West. Tens of thousands of lay students apply his teachings on mindfulness, peace-making, and community-building in schools, workplaces, businesses, and even prisons throughout the world.
More recently, Thich Nhat Hanh has founded Wake Up, a worldwide movement of thousands of young people training in these practices of mindful living, and he has launched an international Wake Up Schools program training teachers to teach mindfulness in schools in Europe, America, and Asia.
Jeff Wilson, Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies, Renison University College, said “Thich Nhat Hanh was the most influential Buddhist teacher of the past fifty years. In addition to promoting mindfulness, his ability to present Buddhist insights and practices in clear, accessible, and heartfelt language greatly increased the number of people exposed to Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh’s legacy will continue to shape Buddhism’s present and future.”
His following grew with teachings and more than 120 books on meditation, mindfulness, and Engaged Buddhism, as well as poems, children’s stories, and commentaries on ancient Buddhist texts that have been sold in their millions, including five million books in the US alone.
Some of his best-known volumes include “Being Peace”, “Peace Is Every Step”, “The Miracle of Mindfulness”, “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching”, and “The Art of Living”.
In his book “Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life,” he wrote “If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.”
In addition, with his understanding of birth, fear, and death, people can be liberated from fear and such perception enables them to “enjoy life and appreciate it in a new way.”
The monk has gone but he remains in people’s hearts as he said “I am a continuation like the rain is a continuation of the cloud.”
| Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh with his calligraphy. |
