one turn around the sun ago, “The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95.”
Thay addressed his death with the following words:
“Even when the cloud is not there, it continues as snow or rain. It is impossible for the cloud to die. It can become rain or ice, but it cannot become nothing. The cloud does not need to have a soul in order to continue. There’s no beginning and no end. I will never die. There will be a dissolution of this body, but that does not mean my death. I will continue, always.”
we are called to continue honoring the father of mindfulness, this bodhisattva of peace by coming back to our mindful breathing and walking generating the energy of peace, compassion, and gratitude to offer our beloved Thay taking refuge in our friends and community and family resolving to do our best over the coming days to generate the energy of mindfulness, peace, and compassion, to send to our beloved Teacher…
in closing on this day of Tet, lunar new year and when we celebrate the astonishing light of our interbeingness, a poem of Thay’s:
Oneness
“The moment I die, I will try to come back to you as quickly as possible. I promise it will not take long. Isn’t it true I am already with you, as I die each moment? I come back to you in every moment. Just look, feel my presence. If you want to cry, please cry. And know that I will cry with you. The tears you shed will heal us both. Your tears are mine. The earth I tread this morning transcends history. Spring and Winter are both present in the moment. The young leaf and the dead leaf are really one. My feet touch deathlessness, and my feet are yours. Walk with me now. Let us enter the dimension of oneness and see the cherry tree blossom in Winter. Why should we talk about death? I don’t need to die to be back with you.”
Published in Thich Nhat Hanh, Call Me by My True Names (1993)
rest in peace, Thay, we are all here for you and feel your eternal presence with us with every breath…
