16 votes

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen master, dies at 95

4 comments

  1. [2]
    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    Really don't know what to say. This hits hard. I truly love this man. His books, and I read many, helped me profoundly, and really shaped many aspects of how I live, view myself and the world. I'm...

    Really don't know what to say. This hits hard. I truly love this man. His books, and I read many, helped me profoundly, and really shaped many aspects of how I live, view myself and the world. I'm currently reading one of his books. He's with me everyday, whenever I'm in peace, whenever I'm in need of piece, of a gentle word that subtly warms me and brings me closer to Buddha.

    I shouldn't feel this way, that's not what he taught me. But.. shit.

    7 votes
    1. Merry
      Link Parent
      I pretty much listen through the Heart of the Buddha's Teachings each year, always learning something new about Buddhism and about myself. His teachings were my graduation from listening to the...

      I pretty much listen through the Heart of the Buddha's Teachings each year, always learning something new about Buddhism and about myself. His teachings were my graduation from listening to the basic info from Alan Watts to something way more meaningful and practical in my life. I usually get my learnings these days from the Buddhist Society of Western Australia and the Abhayagiri monastery these days, but there is so much still to learn from Thich Nhat Hanh. Hopefully I can one day visit and stay at Plum Village in France.

      4 votes
  2. 0x29A
    Link
    A beautiful human being. I don't even know how to articulate it, but any time I watch/listen to Thich or read his works, there is just an overwhelming sense of peace and compassion that emanates...

    A beautiful human being. I don't even know how to articulate it, but any time I watch/listen to Thich or read his works, there is just an overwhelming sense of peace and compassion that emanates from him. I don't ascribe anything supernatural to him, but if there is someone that embodies those things, it is TNH.

    Definitely has had a strong influence on me over the years. I am not religious but I did gravitate a bit towards Buddhism for a while after leaving my original faith (conservative Christianity) before arriving at my current atheist-ish worldview. To this day, a lot of it still resonates me (at least from TNH's more open approach to it).

    5 votes
  3. lou
    Link

    It is difficult to overstate the importance of Thich Nhat Hanh’s role in the development of Buddhism in the West, particularly in the United States. He was arguably the most significant catalyst for the Buddhist community’s engagement with social, political, and environmental concerns.

    Today, this aspect of Western Buddhism is widely accepted, but when Nhat Hanh began teaching regularly in North America, activism was highly controversial in Buddhist circles, frowned upon by most Buddhist leaders, who considered it a distraction from the focus on awakening.

    At a time when Western Buddhism was notably parochial, Nhat Hanh’s nonsectarian view motivated many teachers to reach out and build bonds with other dharma communities and traditions.

    4 votes