Yesterday was kind of tough for a lot of the participants in the Winter Practice Period after word came that Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) had died in Hue, his home town in Vietnam, at the age of 95.
He was not one of my main Dharma teachers, but he was known of by me and respected for his gentleness, kindness and wisdom.
As one of the many Buddhist opponents of the Vietnam War, he was a leading figure in the long struggle in the United States to end it. He was exiled from Vietnam for his efforts, and he was only able to return years after the victory of the North. He settled in France at his Plum Village retreat, farm and Zen Center.
I've heard tell that he was basically incapacitated after a stroke in 2014, and was unable to speak for the last several years. His teaching, of course, is very widespread and continues to profoundly influence the thinking and actions of individuals, Buddhist and not, throughout the world.
Memories were shared at a memorial service held in his honor last night. Reminders of his wisdom included a comment he'd made after another Dharma teacher had died. He said (paraphrase), "Oh, I knew him. He said he always wanted to come to Plum Village but never did during his lifetime. Now he's here! He's here in the trees and the birds and the sky, and we're walking with him now. Isn't it wonderful?"
Another memory that has stuck with me since I first heard it from a Dharma teacher last summer:
He visited San Francisco Zen Center in the 1980s during a period of turmoil and difficulty. Part of his mission was to help overcome the current difficulties and help assure a strong future. As part of his mission, he went to Green Gulch, the Center's farm in Marin County, where he walked with residents and visitors on the trail that led to the ocean. As he was walking, he said to the assembly (paraphrase), "You have one of the most beautiful sites and paths in North America. Why are you all so grim?"
That has stuck with me ever since I heard it last year. To me, it is the essence of Suchness, the epitome of the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, and the core teaching of Buddhism.
Yes, you may be facing problems and difficulties now, and those problems may grow or diminish, but that's not all there is. Look around you. Take a moment to see outside yourself. Take time to recognize the extraordinary essence of where you are, for example, and the Suchness of the whole. Why are you all so grim when there is so much more than what is bothering you at the moment. Look around. This is the most beautiful place you can be. You're blessed.
Oh, he may have passed from the material world, but his influence, like that of so many other Honored Ones, will long carry on.
RIP
