As Thích Nhất Hạnh's UK visit draws to a close, Freddie Matthews reflects on the sacred ideas and ideas of the sacred that are left with us, with particular reference to politics and lifestyle.
The name ‘Thích Nhất Hạnh’ (pronounced ‘Tik N'yat Hawn’) is unlikely to provoke familiarity for the average UK citizen. Nonetheless, for modern spiritual seekers, social reformers as well as many 20th century historians, this Vietnamese monk’s name chimes as powerfully as the bronze temple bell he so often sounds at his public talks. Indeed, at a time in British history when sources of spiritual sustenance appear as lacking as the water in our reservoirs, Thích Nhất Hạnh’s visit to the UK this month was a timely reminder of the importance of experiencing the sacred in our lives; not simply for the betterment of the individual, but for the grander goal of social, political and ecological harmony.
The name ‘Thích Nhất Hạnh’ (pronounced ‘Tik N'yat Hawn’) is unlikely to provoke familiarity for the average UK citizen. Nonetheless, for modern spiritual seekers, social reformers as well as many 20th century historians, this Vietnamese monk’s name chimes as powerfully as the bronze temple bell he so often sounds at his public talks. Indeed, at a time in British history when sources of spiritual sustenance appear as lacking as the water in our reservoirs, Thích Nhất Hạnh’s visit to the UK this month was a timely reminder of the importance of experiencing the sacred in our lives; not simply for the betterment of the individual, but for the grander goal of social, political and ecological harmony.
Born in Central Vietnam in 1926, the
85 year old Zen Master has lived his life both as Buddhist monk and global
peace activist, compassionately directing his students towards the eternal (yet eternally overlooked) presence of
the sacred within their own lives. During the 1960s, whilst lecturing at
various North American Universities, the young monk urged the U.S. government
to withdraw its troops from Vietnam. In honour of his worthy efforts, Martin
Luther King, Jr. famously nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967,
petitioning that Thích Nhất
Hạnh’s ideas for peace, if
applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to
humanity.” Despite this, in 1976 the Vietnamese government refused the monk re-entry
back into Vietnam, forcing him to seek exile in France where he established ‘Plum
Village’, the meditation centre and Buddhist community where he has resided and
taught ever since.
Fast forwarding into the 21st
century, the Zen Master still continues to spread his message of social harmony
and peace. Over the past month ‘Thây’ (as he is affectionately known
to his students) has tirelessly conducted a string of sold-out public events across
the UK including an evening lecture at the Royal Festival Hall, a five day
residential retreat in Nottingham, a four day ‘Educators
Retreat’, as well as an intimate address at the House of Commons hosted by Lord
Richard Layard; where he spoke to politicians, educators and journalists
(amongst others) about the practical application of Eastern spiritual practices
such as ‘mindfulness’ within modern secular settings, as well as tangible
methods for creating a more loving, sustainable, and emotionally balanced
society. A particularly poignant moment of the discussions came with the
suggestion by one journalist that Westminster politicians adhere to the chimes
of Big Ben as if they were ‘mindfulness bells’; tools to bring the incessant
bickering of political debates (as well as one’s own attention) back to the
present moment with coolness, alertness and compassion.
Perhaps the profoundest moment of Thây’s visit
however, was a two hour guided meditation led by the monk in Trafalgar
Square on Saturday 31st March. On this mild Spring afternoon, unprecedented
numbers of meditators (around 2000) flocked to the square, mats and cushions in
arms, ready to join in what is increasingly becoming an annual tradition in the
capital. Certainly, the gesture of uniting over two thousand dedicated
meditators into a public space was itself a sacred act, and testament to the
value of meditation practice on countless people’s lives in modern Britain.
Though Thây’s tranquil
voice was often drowned out beneath the incessant traffic that orbited the sea
of attendees, meditators appeared calm and diligent in their practice, generating
a tangible atmosphere of serenity for the curious onlookers who respectfully
flanked the area’s peripheries. As Thây uttered serenely to his
audience, “Breathing in, I am aware of my
in-breath, breathing out I am aware of my out-breath.” Though this guidance
may at first seem simplistic to many, as countless meditators have experienced,
mindful re-acquaintance with one’s own breath is a potent
method for reconnecting oneself with the sacred, itself
buried in the present, eternal now.
As Thây advises of the experience of drinking tea in one of his earlier works:
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if
it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.”
As one might sense, as part of this
practice (referred to broadly as ‘mindfulness’), one strives to become
something of a ‘connoisseur’ of the present moment, unswayed by the inevitable
internal chatter of intellectual bias. As Thây notes in his classic writing, The Miracle of Mindfulness (1991):
“Feelings,
whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and
treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine
I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my
heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have
were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more
carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard
green plant, and teapot are all sacred.”
Pertinently, such an attitude of
radical engagement with the world allows ‘the sacred’ to be accessed in every
moment (and object) of life, releasing this profound experience from the
confines of subjective pre-conditions.
Furthermore, as Thây
notes in his recent work on ecological awareness, The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology (2008),
this state of awareness is causally connected to the state of the planet
itself. As Thây warns, “The bells of mindfulness are calling out to us,
trying to wake us up, reminding us to look deeply at our impact on the planet.”
Regardless of one’s own
acknowledgement of the ecological peril the world currently faces, Thây’s sentiment
reminds us that ‘the sacred’ lies in our connection
to the world around us; as Thây
would call it, our sense of ‘interbeing’ with it. This sense of ‘interbeing’
may be felt strongest in churches, temples, nature, raves, protests, or indeed,
alongside our loved ones. As thousands of British citizens evoked at Trafalgar
Square however, it is no more simply accessed than in a humble recognition of the
present moment.
Thích Nhất Hạnh continues a programme of teachings across
Ireland until the 15the April. His tour then recommences in Germany and the
Netherlands in August 2012. More information on his life, teachings, practice
and schedule can be found at www.plumvillage.org
Author
Freddie Matthews
Works Cited
Hạnh, Thích Nhất, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Rider, London, 1991
---The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology, Parallax, Berkeley, 2008
King, Martin Luther, 'Nomination of Thich Nhat
Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize' , World History Archives [online], Available at: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/025.html
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