It’s difficult to express the gratitude I feel for Thich Nhat Hanh and his quietly powerful way of teaching Buddhist practices, which to me are the most helpful way to deal with our tricky minds.
For the past 20 years I drew strength and understanding through near death, the death of a child, betrayal, divorce, more betrayal, financial ruin, illness, and other life challenges thanks to Thây’s presence, wisdom, and example.
He was always clear that Plum Village and the practice were never about him, and he shunned the guru status that so many good teachers succumb to in their lives.
We are fortunate to have walked the earth at the same time as a living Buddha, and we are all better for it.
One of the greatest lessons I learned from Thich Nhat Hanh (Thây*), was to see the suffering in others and to understand the causes of suffering.
As long as something is experienced as suffering by the individual it’s worthy of compassion, since the cause of all suffering is ignorance.
Through any challenging relationships and personalities, the understanding that grows from compassion shows us that defensive or offensive behaviour and the prickliness of personality come from suffering.
Realising that I didn’t need to personalise events or consider myself the target of other’s behaviour was very liberating.
This has allowed me to experience people in a variety of situations which used to be much more challenging for me. It has also made me a much better teacher and guide.
There is no hierarchy in suffering: for some people it comes from extreme trauma, for others it is from not getting what they want. Regardless, their suffering will cause them to behave in a way that attempts to mask their vulnerability and to try to prevent further suffering for themselves.
What they don’t see is that this usually causes suffering around them.
I did much of my personal grieving around the time of his stroke because I thought that would be the last time I ever saw him. I was immensely grateful to see him again in 2015 and 2016 at Plum Village.
When he left for Vietnam in 2018 it was clear that he wanted to die there. I had hoped to visit him in 2020, but Covid prevented most of us from traveling to many places, and Vietnam in particular.
I have experienced the passing of many influential teachers over the past three decades – at times only discovering them at the same time as learning about their death, as happened with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in 1991.
One thing I am certain of is that good teachers live on in the teachings, and live on in their students. Thây wanted his continuation to be our own practice, and to share that with others in whatever way we could.
No coming, no going. No after, no before. I hold you close to me. I release you to be free. Because I am in you and you are in me.
Thích Nhất Hạnh
As a longtime student and practitioner, and as a teacher of Mindfulness since 2014, I have chosen to honour my teacher’s life by offering even more mindfulness-centred teachings, the first since Spring 2020.
I am happy to invite you to a free talk and practice session on alleviating suffering – what Thây called “the Art of Suffering”. Register here on Eventbrite.
What remains is an immense feeling of gratitude and affection for the most significant teacher of the many wonderful teachers I have been fortunate enough to learn from in my lifetime.
Thank you dear Thây!
With much love and light,
Susan
(Dharma name – Path of Grace of the Heart)
