A friend recently sent me the following notice.
“Dear Beloved Community, with a deep mindful breath, we announce the passing of our beloved teacher, Thay Nhat Hanh, on January 22, 2022 at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at the age of 95. Thay has been the most extraordinary teacher… ”
On the Plum Village website his beloved community has set up a space to share gratitudes. The writings of this humble and courageous man- this extraordinary teacher, have been a source of inspiration and spiritual growth for me for many years. His simple and profound teachings have touched my heart and deepened my mindfulness practice. I am a better person for the wisdom and insights that he has shared.
One of the essays that has been influential to me speaks to our feelings of fear. Depending on how you think about it, we are all afraid of change- even when our habits of belief and behavior no longer serve us. Thich Nhat Hanh said that “when we look deeply into our fear, we see the desire for permanence. We are afraid of change.” I’m learning that change and impermanence is part of life. Thay, as many called him, spoke to this. When we try to hold on to a desire or are attached to an idea it leads to suffering. Since childhood I’ve tried to “fix” things. I’ve tried to be a connector. I have a strong radar around the body language, moods and behaviors of others. It served me well as a child-at least to some degree. They were my way-they were all I knew. I developed strong skills- they were needed- they were required for my sense of safety and self-protection. I honed them through the relationships available to me. They were needed for my survival. As an adult they became somewhat useful as a facilitator and collaborator. But increasingly they held me back and kept me closed off in many ways. Mindfulness and meditation- and the teachings of others like Thich Nhat Hanh have slowly and iteratively supported me in opening up to the feelings of fear, anger and grief I kept “stuffed” away. I am learning to let go and open up to change.
Impermanence- has many dimensions- change is inevitable. We don’t need to label it good or bad- it just is. We live and we get sick, we change and we all will die. Fear is natural and acknowledging it allows us to open up- to see it and let go of the power it can hold in us. A curious thing happens when we do that- when we see our fears and “have tea” with them we can feel a shift- an opening up- a flow towards creativity, curiosity and joy. It opens us up to a full life. This gift is something I’m grateful for- I can now fully explore the ebb and flow of holding both suffering and joy together and am pulled towards the life forces that flow through and from me. My gratitude for Thich Nhat Hanh is deep. I never met him but he has changed my life. He changed the world. He changed my life. He is transformed like the cloud he spoke of- never-ending but changed. Much gratitude to this great teacher.
