Thich Nhat Hanh

[catherine]

One of my major spiritual influences in my life has died. My avatar is a photo of his calligraphy.

His books have changed my perspective on life, and therefore, my life.

Thank you, Thay.

[rosarugosa]

Oh no, I hadn't heard. I really loved his book on walking meditation.

[herbgeek]

Oh no. So sorry. What little I've read of his really resonated.

[Simplemind]

Oh no. I hadn't heard that. I love his writings.

[happystuff]

I haven't heard that either! So sad.

[Yppej]

There are some amazingly principled Vietnamese monks, including Thich Quang Duc, who burned himself to death protesting the government of South Vietnam. I couldn't do that. A hunger strike on the other hand ....

[Teacher Terry]

I too liked his writings.

[Simone]

I had the good fortune to sit two retreats with him in upstate New York. Both times, a good percentage of the retreatants were American veterans of the Vietnam War. Many of them found blessed relief from the anguish and remorse they were suffering because this saintly man dedicated himself to their healing and offered them forgiveness.
I remember feeling the he was in fact a saint. I'd never met one before, and haven't since.

[Tybee]

I had the good fortune to sit two retreats with him in upstate New York. Both times, a good percentage of the retreatants were American veterans of the Vietnam War. Many of them found blessed relief from the anguish and remorse they were suffering because this saintly man dedicated himself to their healing and offered them forgiveness.
I remember feeling the he was in fact a saint. I'd never met one before, and haven't since.

Thank you for sharing this beautiful account.

[happystuff]

Thanks for sharing that, Simone. What a wonderful memory and to have felt that way after being with him!

[Tradd]

Maybe 20 years ago I had to read his Living Buddha, Living Christ for a church book club group. That was a good one.

[JaneV2.0]

Some people die too soon, no matter how long they live. Sounds like he was one of them.

[catherine]

I had the good fortune to sit two retreats with him in upstate New York. Both times, a good percentage of the retreatants were American veterans of the Vietnam War. Many of them found blessed relief from the anguish and remorse they were suffering because this saintly man dedicated himself to their healing and offered them forgiveness.
I remember feeling the he was in fact a saint. I'd never met one before, and haven't since.

What awesome experiences, Simone!

I did have the chance, twice, to see him speak in person--once out in Long Island, and once at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. The energy of calm and peace he brought to the space was magnetic. I'll never forget it.

[razz]

DD! sent me this quote from the The Stoics podcast yesterday.

Quote:
"Someone wounds you, so you want to wound them back. With a harsh remark. By cutting them out of the next project. By putting the word out about them. Maybe they hold an abhorrent political view or have done something selfish or mean. So you want to punish them. You want to shame them, draw attention to their awfulness to send a message.

But every time we do this we sense something changing in us, something becoming ugly in us. We don’t feel great afterwards. We may even feel awful.

The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn, who just recently passed, cautions us:

“Punishing the other person is self-punishment.
That is true in every circumstance.”
This is why he was a peace activist. This is why he was a non-violent civil rights activist. He also found something out in pursuit of those causes and in his journey to enlightenment: Helping other people is self-help. Thich Nhat Hanh’s life and legacy bears this out. Thich Nhat Hanh, who died this past Saturday, was exiled from Vietnam after he published an anti-war poem in 1964. How did he respond? He started an organization that rebuilt war-torn villages and reunited war-torn families. He toured the world to speak out about the people suffering in his country. He became one of the great stewards of Buddhism, making the principles more accessible and applicable to millions of readers worldwide. Word of his brave and selfless efforts spread to the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., who would apply what he learned from Thich Nhat Hanh to his own peace movements.

Marcus Aurelius—and indeed all the Stoics—believed that we were part of an inner-connected organism. That you couldn’t help another person without helping yourself. We are all bees of the same hive, he liked to say. “Have I done something for the common good? Then I share in the benefits.”

This is why the Stoics believed that a good life hinges on justice, on helping others, on being a good steward of the hive, of the common good. It was true for Marcus. It was true for Thich Nhat Hanh, may he rest in peace. It is true for you: if you want to help yourself, you have to help others. Indeed, it is true in every circumstance.

P.S. If you haven’t read Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions, you must! "

[happystuff]

razz, your post reminds me of this quote by HH the 14th Dalai Lama:

“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.”