Remembering the Life and Teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh

On Tuesday, February 22, BIA will host the online event Remembering the Life and Teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh: Virtual Remembrance of Thay's one Month Passing. 

Dhamma comrades of Ajarn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and Thich Nhat Han may appreciate the 2019 collection of Ajarn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s talks Dhamma for Social Renewal, wherein translator and renowned Theravada Buddhist scholar Donald Swearer notes key similarities with Thich Nhat Han’s own teachings, including the 1976 work, The Miracle of Mindfulness. 

In the Forward, the equally esteemed Buddhist scholar, Sulak Sivaraksa writes: “In this book, Ajarn Don shows us the links between Buddhadasa’s and Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings. The latter is a progenitor of socially engaged Buddhism. In fact, Buddhadasa admired Nhat Hanh’s writings, even insisting that they are more poetic and eloquent than his own.”

Indeed, in his 1993 remembrance On the Passing of Buddhadasa for Tricycle magazine Sulak recounts: “In his final days, before he lost consciousness, he asked his monk attendant to read to him the Thai edition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Present Moment Wonderful Moment. He told the monk to practice according to the teaching contained in the book. He said he too would practice accordingly—to be mindful all the time. Those were his last words.”

We look forward to hearing more of Thay’s wisdom as we celebrate his life and teachings this Tuesday evening. We hope you can join us.