Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Thich Nhat Hanh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Nhat_Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh 2

Thích Nht Hnh

Thich Nhat Hanh in Paris in 2006.

Religion Zen (ThiềnBuddhist
School Lâm Tế Dhyana (Línjì chán)
Founder of the Order of Interbeing
Lineage 42nd generation (Lâm Tế)
8th generation (Liễu Quán)
Othername(s) Thầy (teacher)

Personal

Born October 11, 1926 (age 86)
Tha Tien, Quang Ngai province, Vietnam (then in French Indochina)

Senior posting

Based in Plum Village (Lang Mai)
Title Thiền Sư
(Zen master)

Religious career

Teacher Thích Chân Thật
 

 

Thích Nht Hnh (/ˈtɪk ˈnjʌt ˈhʌn/; Vietnamese: [tʰǐk ɲɜ̌t hɐ̂ʔɲ] ( listen); born October 11, 1926) is a Vietnamese ZenBuddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He lives in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogneregion in the South of France,[1] travelling internationally to give retreats and talks. He coined the term Engaged Buddhism in his book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire.[2] A long-term exile, he was given permission to make his first return trip to Vietnam in 2005.[3]

Nhất Hạnh has published more than 100 books, including more than 40 in English. Nhat Hanh is active in the peace movement, promoting non-violent solutions to conflict.[4]

Biography

Tu Hieu Pagoda

Buddha hall of the Từ Hiếu Temple

Born as Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Nhất Hạnh was born in the city of Quảng Ngãi in Central Vietnam in 1926. At the age of 16 he entered the monastery at Từ Hiếu Temple near HuếVietnam, where his primary teacher was Dhyana (meditation Zen) Master Thanh Quý Chân Thật.[5][6][7] A graduate of Bao Quoc Buddhist Academy in Central Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh received training in Zen and the Mahayana school of Buddhism and was ordained as a monk in 1949.[2]

In 1956, he was named editor-in-chief of Vietnamese Buddhism, the periodical of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Association (Giáo Hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam Thống Nhất). In the following years he founded Lá Bối Press, the Van Hanh Buddhist University in Saigon, and the School of Youth for Social Service (SYSS), a neutral corps of Buddhist peaceworkers who went into rural areas to establish schools, build healthcare clinics, and help re-build villages.[1]

Nhat Hanh is now recognized as a Dharmacharya and as the spiritual head of the Từ Hiếu Temple and associated monasteries.[5][8] On May 1, 1966 at Từ Hiếu Temple, Thich Nhat Hanh received the “lamp transmission”, making him a Dharmacharya or Dharma Teacher, from Master Chân Thật.[5]

During the Vietnam War

In 1960, Nhat Hanh came to the U.S. to study comparative religion atPrinceton University, subsequently being appointed lecturer in Buddhism atColumbia University. By then he had gained fluency in FrenchChinese,SanskritPaliJapanese and English, in addition to his native Vietnamese. In 1963, he returned to Vietnam to aid his fellow monks in their non-violent peace efforts.

Nhat Hanh taught Buddhist psychology and Prajnaparamita literature at the Van Hanh Buddhist University, a private institution that focused on Buddhist studies, Vietnamese culture, and languages. At a meeting in April 1965 Van Hanh Union students issued a Call for Peace statement. It declared: “It is time for North and South Vietnam to find a way to stop the war and help all Vietnamese people live peacefully and with mutual respect.” Nhat Hanh left for the U.S. shortly afterwards, leaving Sister Chan Khong in charge of the SYSS. Van Hanh University was taken over by one of the Chancellors who wished to sever ties with Thich Nhat Hanh and the SYSS, accusing Chan Khong of being acommunist. From that point the SYSS struggled to raise funds and faced attacks on its members. The SYSS persisted in their relief efforts without taking sides in the conflict.[2]

Nhat Hanh returned to the US in 1966 to lead a symposium in Vietnamese Buddhism at Cornell University and to continue his work for peace. He had written a letter to Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965 entitled: “In Search of the Enemy of Man”. It was during his 1966 stay in the U.S. that Thich Nhat Hanh met with Martin Luther King, Jr. and urged him to publicly denounce the Vietnam War.[9] In 1967, Dr. King gave a famous speech at the Riverside Church in New York City, his first to publicly question the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.[10] Later that year Dr. King nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize. In his nomination Dr. King said, “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of [this prize] than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity”.[11] The fact that King had revealed the candidate he had chosen to nominate and had made a “strong request” to the prize committee, was in sharp violation of the Nobel traditions and protocol.[12][13] The committee did not make an award that year.

In 1969, Nhat Hanh was the delegate for the Buddhist Peace Delegation at the Paris Peace talks. When the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973, Thich Nhat Hanh was denied permission to return to Vietnam and he went into exile in France. From 1976-1977 he led efforts to help rescue Vietnamese boat people in theGulf of Siam, eventually stopping under pressure from the governments of Thailand and Singapore.[14]

Establishing the Order of Interbeing

Deer Park

Deer Park Monastery in California

Nhat Hanh created the Order of Inter-Being in 1966. He heads this monastic and lay group, teaching Five MindfulnessTrainings and Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. In 1969, Nhat Hanh established the Unified Buddhist Church (Église Bouddhique Unifiée) in France (not a part of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam). In 1975, he formed the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Center. The center grew and in 1982 he and his colleague Sister Chân Không founded Plum VillageBuddhist Center (Làng Mai), a monastery and Practice Center in the Dordogne in the south of France.[1] The Unified Buddhist Church is the legally recognized governing body for Plum Village (Làng Mai) in France, for Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine BushNew York, the Community of Mindful Living, Parallax PressDeer Park Monastery in CaliforniaMagnolia Village in Batesville, Mississippi, and the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.15]16]

He established two monasteries in Vietnam, at the original Từ Hiếu Temple near Huế and at Prajna Temple in the central highlands. Thich Nhat Hanh and the Order of Interbeing have established monasteries and Dharma centers in the United States at Deer Park Monastery (Tu Viện Lộc Uyển) in Escondido, California, Maple Forest Monastery (Tu Viện Rừng Phong) and Green Mountain Dharma Center (Ðạo Tràng Thanh Sơn) in Vermont both of which closed in 2007 and moved to the Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine BushNew York, and Magnolia Village Practice Center (Đạo Tràng Mộc Lan) in Mississippi. These monasteries are open to the public during much of the year and provide on-going retreats for lay people. The Order of Interbeing also holds retreats for specific groups of lay people, such as families, teenagers, veterans, the entertainment industry, members of Congress, law enforcement officers and people of color.[17][18][19][20][21] He conducted a peace walk in Los Angeles in 2005, and again in 2007.[22]

Notable students of Thich Nhat Hanh include: Skip Ewing founder of the Nashville Mindfulness CenterNatalie Goldberg author and teacher, Joan Halifax founder of the Upaya Institute, Stephanie Kaza environmentalist, Sister Chan Khong Dharma teacher, Noah Levine author, Albert Low Zen teacher and author, Joanna Macyenvironmentalist and author, Caitriona Reed Dharma teacher and co-founder of Manzanita Village Retreat Center, Leila Seth author and Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, and Pritam Singh real estate developer and editor of several of Nhat Hanh’s books.

Return to Vietnam

Thich Nhat Hanh 2007

Nhat Hanh during a ceremony in Da Nangon his 2007 trip to Vietnam

In 2005, following lengthy negotiations, Nhat Hanh was given permission from the Vietnamese government to return for a visit. He was also allowed to teach there, publish four of his books in Vietnamese, and travel the country with monastic and lay members of his Order, including a return to his root temple, Tu Hieu Temple in Huế.[3][23] The trip was not without controversy. Thich Vien Dinh, writing on behalf of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (considered illegal by the Vietnamese government), called for Nhat Hanh to make a statement against the Vietnam government’s poor record on religious freedom. Thich Vien Dinh feared that the trip would be used as propaganda by the Vietnamese government, suggesting to the world that religious freedom is improving there, while abuses continue.[24][25][26]

Despite the controversy, Nhat Hanh again returned to Vietnam in 2007, while two senior officials of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) remained under house arrest. The Unified Buddhist Church called Nhat Hanh’s visit a betrayal, symbolizing Nhat Hanh’s willingness to work with his co-religionists’ oppressors. Vo Van Ai, a spokesman for the UBCV said “I believe Thich Nhat Hanh’s trip is manipulated by the Hanoi government to hide its repression of the Unified Buddhist Church and create a false impression of religious freedom in Vietnam.” [27] The Plum Village Website states that the three goals of his 2007 trip back to Vietnam were to support new monastics in his Order; to organize and conduct “Great Chanting Ceremonies” intended to help heal remaining wounds from the Vietnam War; and to lead retreats for monastics and lay people. The chanting ceremonies were originally called “Grand Requiem for Praying Equally for All to Untie the Knots of Unjust Suffering“, but Vietnamese officials objected, saying it was unacceptable for the government to “equally” pray for soldiers in the South Vietnamese army or U.S. soldiers. Nhat Hanh agreed to change the name to “Grand Requiem For Praying”.[27]

 

Approach

Thich Nhat Hanh 2006

 

Thich Nhat Hanh in Vught, theNetherlands, 2006

Nhat Hanh’s approach has been to combine a variety of traditional Zen teachings with insights from other MahayanaBuddhist traditions, methods from Theravada Buddhism, and ideas from Western psychology—to offer a modern light on meditation practice. Hanh’s presentation of the Prajñāpāramitā in terms of “interbeing” has doctrinal antecedents in theHuayan school of thought,[28] which “is often said to provide a philosophical foundation” for Zen.[29]

Nhat Hanh has also been a leader in the Engaged Buddhism movement (he coined the term), promoting the individual’s active role in creating change. He cites the 13th-century Vietnamese King Trần Nhân Tông with the origination of the concept. Trần Nhân Tông abdicated his throne to become a monk, and founded the Vietnamese Buddhist school in the Bamboo Forest tradition.

Names Applied to Him

Thich Nhat Hanh 20072

Nhat Hanh at Hue City airport on his 2007 trip to Vietnam (aged 80)

The Vietnamese name Thích () is from “Thích Ca” or “Thích Già” (釋迦), means “of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan.”[5] All Buddhist monks and nuns within the East Asian tradition of Mahayana and Zen adopt this name as their “family” name or surname implying that their first family is the Buddhist community. In many Buddhist traditions, there are a progression of names that a person can receive. The first, the lineage name, is given when a person takes refuge in the Three Jewels. Thich Nhat Hanh’s lineage name is Trừng Quang. The next is a Dharma name, given when a person, lay or monastic, takes additional vows or when one is ordained as a monastic. Thich Nhat Hanh’s Dharma name is Phung Xuan. Additionally, Dharma titles are sometimes given, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s Dharma title is “Nhat Hanh”.[5]

Neither Nht () nor Hnh ()—which approximate the roles of middle name or intercalary name and given name, respectively, when referring to him in English—was part of his name at birth. Nht (一) means “one”, implying “first-class”, or “of best quality”, in English; Hnh (行) means “move”, implying “right conduct” or “good nature.” Thích Nhất Hạnh has translated his Dharma names as Nhất = One, and Hạnh = Action. Vietnamese names follow this naming convention, placing the family or surname first, then the middle or intercalary name which often refers to the person’s position in the family or generation, followed by the given name.[30]

Thich Nhat Hanh is often referred to as “Thay” (VietnameseThy, “master; teacher”) or Thay Nhat Hanh by his followers. On the Vietnamese version of the Plum Village website, he is also referred to as Thiền Sư Nhất Hạnh which can be translated as “Zen Master”, or “Dhyana Master”.[31] Any Vietnamese monk or nun in the Mahayana tradition can be addressed as “Thầy” (“teacher”). Vietnamese Buddhist monks are addressed “Thầy tu” (“monk”) and nuns are addressed “Sư Cô” (“Sister”) or “Sư Bà” (“Elder Sister”).

Awards and Honors

Nobel laureate Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.[11] Nhat Hanh did not win it (as of 2012, the peace prize was not awarded 19 times including that year).[32] He was awarded the Courage of Conscience award in 1991.[33] He has been featured in many films, including The Power of Forgiveness showcased at the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival.[34]

Nhat Hanh, along with Alfred Hassler and Sister Chan Khong, became the subject of a graphic novel entitled The Secret of the 5 Powers in 2013.[35]

See also

References

  1. a b c “Religion & Ethics – Thich Nhat Hanh”. BBC. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  2. a b c Nhu, Quan (2002) “Nhat Hanh’s Peace Activities” in “Vietnamese Engaged Buddhism: The Struggle Movement of 1963-66”, reprinted on the Giao Diem website “Nhat Hanh’s Peace Activities”
  3. a b Johnson, Kay (16 January 2005). “A Long Journey Home”. Time Asia Magazine (online version). Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  4. ^ Samar Farah, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor (April 4, 2002). “An advocate for peace starts with listening”. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  5. a b c d e Lineage – Order of Interbeing[dead link]
  6. ^ Cordova, Nathaniel (2005). “The Tu Hieu Lineage of Thien (Zen) Buddhism”Blog entry on the Woodmore Village website. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  7. ^ “Thich Nhat Hanh”. Published on the Community of Interbeing, UK website. Archived from the original on January 2, 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  8. ^ Mau, Thich Chi (1999) “Application for the publication of books and sutras”, letter to the Vietnamese Governmental Committee of Religious Affairs, re-printed on the Plum Village website. He is the Elder of the Từ Hiếu branch of the 8th generation of the Liễu Quán lineage in the 42nd generation of the Lâm Tế Dhyana school (Lin Chi Chán  in Chinese or Rinzai Zen in Japanese)
  9. ^ “Searching for the Enemy of Man” in Nhat Nanh, Ho Huu Tuong, Tam Ich, Bui Giang, Pham Cong Thien”Dialogue. Saigon: La Boi. 1965. P. 11-20. Retrieved 13 September 2010., Archived on the African-American Involvement in the Vietnam War website
  10. ^ Speech made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Riverside Church, NYC (April 4, 1967). “Beyond Vietnam”. Archived on the African-American Involvement in the Vietnam War website. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  11. a b King, Martin Luther, Jr. (letter) (January 25, 1967). “Nomination of Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize”. Archived on the Hartford Web Publishing website. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  12. ^ Nobel Prize Official website “Facts on the Nobel Peace Prize. “The names of the nominees cannot be revealed until 50 years later, but the Nobel Peace Prize committee does reveal the number of nominees each year.”
  13. ^ Nobel Prize website – Nomination Process “The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years. The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize.”
  14. ^ Author and date unknown. “Thich Nhat Hanh”. Article on the Integrative Spirituality website. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  15. ^ “Information about Practice Centers from the official Community of Mindful Living site”. Retrieved 09 March 2013.
  16. ^ webteam. “About the European Institute of Applied Buddhism”. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  17. ^ Deer Park Monastery site
  18. ^ “Colors of Compassion is a documentary film”. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  19. ^ “Article: ”Thich Nhat Hahn Leads Retreat for Members of Congress” (2004) Faith and Politics Institute website”. Faithandpolitics.org. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  20. ^ Frank Bures. “Bures, Frank (2003) ”Zen and the Art of Law Enforcement” – ”Christian Science Monitor””. Csmonitor.com. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  21. ^ Deer Park Monastery
  22. ^ “”Thich Nhat Hanh on Burma”, Buddhist Channel, accessed 11/5/2007″. Buddhistchannel.tv. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  23. ^ Warth, Gary (2005). “Local Buddhist Monks Return to Vietnam as Part of Historic Trip”. North County Times (re-published on the Buddhist Channel news website). Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  24. ^ “Buddhist monk requests Thich Nhat Hanh to see true situation in Vietnam”Letter from Thich Vien Dinh as reported by the Buddhist Channel news website. Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 2005. 2005. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  25. ^ “Vietnam: International Religious Freedom Report”. U.S. State Department. 2005. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  26. ^ Kenneth Roth, executive director (1995). “Vietnam: The Suppression of the Unified Buddhist Church”Vol.7, No.4. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  27. a b Johnson, Kay (2 March 2007). “The Fighting Monks of Vietnam”. Time Magazine (online version accessed 3/7/2007). Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  28. ^ McMahan, David L. The Making of Buddhist Modernism. Oxford University Press: 2008 ISBN 978-0-19-518327-6 pg 158
  29. ^ Williams,Paul. Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd ed.Taylor & Francis, 1989, page 144
  30. ^ Geotravel Research Center, Kissimmee, Florida (1995). “Vietnamese Names”Excerpted from “Culture Briefing: Vietnam”. Things Asian website. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  31. ^ “Title attributed to TNH on the Vietnamese Plum Village site” (in(Vietnamese)). Langmai.org. 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  32. ^ “Facts on the Nobel Peace Prize”. Nobel Media. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  33. ^ The Peace Abbey – Courage of Conscience Recipients List[dead link]
  34. ^ “First line up”. Dawn Breakers International Film Festival (DBIFF). 12/05/2009. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  35. ^ Sperry, Rod Meade (May 2013), “3 Heroes, 5 Powers”, Shambhala Sun 21(5): 68–73 

Writings

Audiobooks

External links 

Official websites

 

Overseas Vietnamese Monk Talks with Buddhist Sangha 

(18-01-2005) http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01REL180105

 Tich Nhat Hanh
Monk Thich Nhat Hanh visits Quan Su Pagoda in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam

 

HA NOI — The Party and the State have created favorable conditions for religious followers to practice their religions and beliefs, Director of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Ngo Yen Thi told visiting Monk Thich Nhat Hanh during a reception yesterday.

Vietnamese monks and nuns inside and outside Viet Nam have joined with the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha to aid national construction and to raise the country’s image internationally.

Thi expressed his hope that Monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s visit would contribute to the development of Vietnamese Buddhism.

He told Monk Thich Nhat Hanh that many pagodas were being built or upgraded around the country, such as the Truc Lam Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang Ninh or several pagodas in the northern province of Vinh Phuc and the central highland province of Lam Dong.

Monk Thich Nhat Hanh is based in France, where he is a widely respected Buddhist leader.

The monk said his delegation of monks and nuns wanted to learn more about the country and to share their ideas with their Vietnamese colleagues.

He said he and his companions were very grateful for the preparations made by the Government and the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha.

Monk Thich Nhat Hanh also visited the Most Venerable Thich Tam Tich, patriarch of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha, and other clergymen at Quan Su Pagoda in Ha Noi.

On behalf of the Viet Nam Buddhist Church, the Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, vice chairman of the Dharma Executive Council and rector of the Viet Nam Buddhist Academy, received the delegation. Venerable Thich Thanh Tu described the visit as a journey to the roots.

Monk Thich Nhat Hanh thanked the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha for facilitating the visit, a long time dream of many monks and nuns. — VNS