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| Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (https://plumvillage.org/articles/please-call-me-by-my-true-names-song-poem/) |
Earlier today, Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in his hometown of Hue,
Vietnam at the age of 95. Thich Nhat Hanh was called an “Apostle
of peace and non-violence” by Martin Luther King Jr. for his stance against the
Vietnam War which led to his exile from Vietnam until recently. He was an influential Zen Buddhist monk, poet
and peace activist who brought Buddhist teachings to people in North America
and Europe. His teachings, particularly
those on bringing mindfulness and compassion to everyday life will live on for
generations. He repeatedly taught people
to “walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.”
During his exile he founded the Plum Village monastery in
France and other centres around the world where he taught until suffering a stroke in 2014. In 2018 he was given permission to return to
Hue, Vietnam, the place of his birth to live out his final years.
Thich Nhat Hanh was author of over a hundred books which were translated into dozens of languages around the world. You can listen to him read one of his most famous poems Please Call Me by My True Names as well as an explanation of how he came to write this poem here.
So, in honour of and with gratitude for Thich Nhat Hanh’s life and teachings, I
will walk today in the forest as if I am kissing the Earth with my feet.
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