January 22: Note from Brad
Dear All,
This message hopefully finds you well, with peace in your hearts. My heart is grieving today for the loss of a great teacher, mine and many others, Thich Nhat Hanh. Thay, as he was called by us, was a guiding light for many. He introduced me to a spiritual practice that has remained and grown through the years, one that I shared along with my family in retreats to Blue Cliff Monastery in upstate New York. Getting to sit and practice with him there was one of the high points of my life. Thay was the model of a teacher: not only did he have a way of communicating with all of us that was simple and loving, but he also had a comprehensive understanding of Buddhism that was incomparable. His translations and commentary on the suttas from the Pali Canon and sutras from the Mahayana tradition have provided us with an approachable, clear guide to Buddhist practice. Thich Nhat Hanh was always politically engaged. Following Buddhist principles, he advocated for racial reconciliation alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, who nomintated him for the Noble Peace Prize in 1967. There is much more to say about this great man, but I will only add that if you are interested in a comprehensive introduction to his teaching, you could start with “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching.”
Here is a quote from Thay that I always come back to, and will today
“If we know how to suffer, we suffer less.”
With love,
Brad
Hi all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your responses and insights to my last post about Thich Nhat Hanh’s passing! On a happier note, here is a pic from 2013 when our oldest daughter Eden got to ask Thay a question and be up there with him. If I recall she asked him how to deal with anger. He looks like he’s weighing his answer carefully!
Brad
