Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh: The Zen Peacemaker

The passing away of Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) is a deep and irreversible loss to humanity. He passed away on January 22 2022 at the age of 95.  

He was a Buddhist monk and a social activist. He served as Chair of the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace Delegation to the Paris Peace Accords and was nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Love, kindness and humanism were the essence of his life. Even though he was a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, his view of the world, humanity and life was not limited to his country or to his religion.

As early as 1978 he was already on his mission to bring help and healing to human suffering. Following the communist success in Vietnam there were thousands of people trying to find refuge in other countries. While in Singapore for a conference, he tried to smuggle several of these refugees on shore and bring them to the French embassy. When he himself faced the threat of deportation he said, “If I could not be peaceful in danger, the peace  I might realize in easier times would not mean anything.”

This was what he called mindfulness which could help a human being understand and connect better with the living world and the other living worlds. He gave Buddhism a practical application through mindfulness. This was an example of “engaged Buddhism”, where mindfulness is a way of dealing with the injustices and the problems of life.

His philosophy of “interbeing”, according to which each of us is a connected part of the fabric of life and not a solitary entity has profoundly influenced the climate change movement of today.

Starting with just one book Being Peace from a small publishing house in 1987, he went on to write more than a hundred books.

His writings are in numerous genres such as memoirs, reflections, poetry and spiritual teachings related to mindfulness and meditations

It would be worthwhile to dwell on the priceless wisdom in some of his books.

His book Being Peace which celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2017 dwells on the core of Buddhist teachings but with its take on mindfulness would enrich anyone from any religion.

The fourteen lessons of training in mindfulness in this book aim at the creation of a just, peaceful and harmonious world.

As Jack Kornfield mentions in the introduction to this book:

“If we are peaceful, we are happy We can blossom like a flower and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” (Being Peace: 3/3)

Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates his idea of mindfulness and in keeping a smile on the face while being mindful thus:

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is a wonderful moment. (Being Peace: 4/7)

He teaches us about empathy and understanding through examples from daily life. In order to illustrate the meaning of ‘Budh’ which means understanding he gives the example of a brother and sister.

The brother attempts to awaken his sleeping sister because she might be late for school. But in return she might kick him or tell him to get out.

How would the well-meaning brother react–would he hit her back because he had done a good action out of concern for his sister.

But the brother may have realized that she was sick and could not sleep all night and maybe that was why she reacted in a negative way.

This understanding that dawns on him, is true understanding and empathy. This is the awakening of Budh in the brother.

Such perceptions have kept the lamp of peace and harmony alive in societies and the world.

The book also talks about deep vision and contemplation when one is confronted with problems. Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that an individual is made up of non-individual elements such as associations, biology, physiology, geography, experiences, etc., and to perceive one as only an individual leads to unhappiness and suffering and to wrong perception.

In order to be a source of benefit to society one needs a deep, contemplative vision.

“Leaves are usually looked upon as the children of the tree. Yes, they are children of the tree, born from the tree, but they are also mothers of the tree. The leaves combine raw sap, water, and minerals, with sunshine and gas, and convert it into a variegated sap that can nourish the tree. In this way, the leaves become the mother of the tree. We are all children of society, but we are also mothers. We have to nourish society. If we are uprooted from society, we cannot transform it into a more livable place for us and for our children. The leaves are linked to the tree by a stem. The stem is very important.”

In this analogy of a tree he has presented the importance of a deep and contemplative vision for the future of society.

In his book No Mud No Lotus he deals with the problem of human suffering and along the lines of Buddhism sees its root in ignorance and meaningless desires.

But he does not present just an idea or ideal, rather he shows practical ways at how to deal with the suffering which are the outcome of modern life. He sees suffering and happiness as two sides of the same coin. Deep breathing, contemplation and meditation are some ways according to him that can help alter our perception as seeing suffering separate from happiness.

The book opens with the beautiful lines:

“Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud.”

In his book The Sutra On the Eight Realizations of The Great Beings, there are eight realizations which have been discovered by The Great Beings, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Their realised wisdom is meant for all human beings who suffer and to lead them towards nirvana or freedom from suffering.

The First Realization is the awareness of the temporariness of the world.

The Second Realization is about desire as being the cause of suffering.

The Third Realization is about the perfect understanding that there is no end to desire.

The Fourth Realization is that laziness is the obstacle to the practice of contemplation.

The Fifth Realization is the awareness that ignorance is the cause of the endless cycle of birth and death.

The Sixth Realization is that poverty is the cause of hatred and anger whereas generosity is something that resolves anger, hate and enmity.

The Seventh Realization is about five kinds of desires which lead to difficulties

The Eight Realization is that everyone is suffering caught up in the cycle of birth and death. The Great Vow should be taken to help everyone and guide all living beings to the realms of eternal joy. (The

Sutra on The Eight Realizations of The Great Beings: 6-9)

His writings on practical applications of Buddhist spiritual wisdom, led him to touch on a variety of concerns related to the world of today.

In his essay “The Bells of Mindfulness” Thich Nhat Hanh has talked about how developing mindfulness can save us from destroying the planet.

This essay which figures in a collection of essays related to spiritual ecology shows how he was involved with the future of the planet.

He has quoted thus before the essay starts

Every day, priests minutely examine the Law and endlessly change complicated sutras. Before doing that though, they should learn how to read the love letters sent by the wind and rain, the snow and moon.(The Bells of Mindfulness)

In these very lines one can see his flexible and progressive thinking and his concern for Mother Earth.

Like enlightened ones from different religions of the world, Thich Nhat Hanh too believed in service to humanity from the heart.

Unless one learns to understand and empathize deep from within one’s heart, change cannot be brought about in society.

References;

Hanh, Thich Nhat. Being Peace. Parallax Press, 2005.

Hanh, Thich Nhat. No Mud No Lotus.Parallax Press, 2014.

Hanh, Thich Nhat. The Sutra On the Eight Realizations of The Great Beings. Trans. Diem Thanh Truoung and Carole Melkonian, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., 1987.

Hanh, Thich Nhat. “The Bells of Mindfulness” in Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth, A Collection of Essays. Ed., Lewellyn Vaughan -Lee. The Golden Sufi Center: 2013.