An obituary
Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in Hue, Vietnam on January 22, 2022, at the age of 95.
Most Buddhists are likely familiar with the Dharma teacher, at least by name. With his numerous books, especially on mindfulness, he has become a household name to millions of people in the West, often referred to as the “gentle teacher.”
Co-founder of an Engaged Buddhism
It is often overlooked that his path as a founder of “Engaged Buddhism” was a political one in his younger years. His active advocacy for an end to the Vietnam War in the 1960s, together with Martin Luther King, among others, earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
A pioneer of the mindfulness movement
His vision of a culture of reconciliation based on secular mindfulness and his talent for explaining the Dharma in simple words and images made him one of the pioneers of the secular mindfulness movement.
Regardless of his tradition, he integrated elements of Theravada or Vipassana and Zen Buddhism into his teaching and practice of mindfulness meditation, and in some cases also linked them with Western ideas, e.g., existentialism.
On the way to an order of equals
After his forced exile from Vietnam, he founded the Order of Interbeing and, in 1982, the European center of the Order, Plum Village in France, where he often stayed when he was not leading and teaching retreats worldwide. In doing so, he ignored traditional Buddhist monastic rules and appointed nuns and monks as equals. Nevertheless, the monastic hierarchy between ordained and non-ordained members was maintained.
I was able to meet Thich Nath Hanh personally in 2003 at a retreat for people in helping professions and will remember him as an open and always friendly person who authentically gave everyone his undivided attention.
Self-commitment to openness
His openness was also manifested in the 14 mindfulness exercises central to his Sangha, in which, among other things, the values of freedom, non-attachment to views, and detachment from absolute truths are formulated:
“… we (are) determined to avoid narrow-mindedness and not to cling to our current views. We are determined to learn and practice non-attachment to views and to be open to the experiences and insights of others in order to benefit from the collective wisdom. We are aware that our current knowledge is not an immutable, absolute truth.” (1).
The path is everyday life
He advocated not only an undogmatic, but also a pragmatic and experience-based path of Dharma practice:
“At some point, however, all our notions and ideas must take precedence over immediate experience. Words and ideas are only useful when put into practice. When we stop discussing and start putting the teachings into practice in our lives, the moment comes when we realize that path and life are one…”(2).
It is to be hoped that those who follow and now take on his legacy will implement his vision of a peace-building Sangha.
