Thousands of monks and disciples march in procession behind the coffin of Zen master and peace activist Zeno.
A funeral was held for the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who died a week ago in Hue, central Vietnam, at the age of 95.
Thousands of monks and disciples followed a procession of pallbearers transporting Thich Nhat Hanh’s coffin from Tu Hieu pagoda, where he spent his final days, to the cremation site. Others on the roadside kneeled and clasped their hands in prayer, bowing to the ground as the casket passed.
Thich Nhat Hanh was widely credited with popularizing mindfulness and socially engaged Buddhism, particularly in the West. He spent the majority of his life in exile at Plum Village, a retreat center he founded in southern France.
Thich Nhat Hanh, born Nguyen Dinh Lang in Hue in 1926 and ordained at the age of 16, distilled Buddhist teachings on compassion and suffering into simple guidance over a lifetime dedicated to working for peace.
During his anti-Vietnam War campaign in the 1960s, he was barred from returning to Vietnam. He was only permitted to return to the country in 2005 when the communist-ruled government welcomed him for the first of several visits.
He returned home in October 2018 to spend his final years at the Tu Hieu pagoda after surviving a stroke in 2014 that left him unable to speak.
During a seven-day wake, Thich Nhat Hanh lay in state in the pagoda’s full moon reception hall. As a tribute to his teachings, his disciples came to pay respect in silence and practice meditation.
“I am happy and feel at peace that I could come to Hue to say farewell and meditate with Su Ong for the last time,” said Do Minh Hieu, a follower of Thich Nhat Hanh’s who traveled from southern Ho Chi Minh City with his family for the funeral. “Su Ong” is an affectionate Vietnamese term meaning Grandpa Monk.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s ashes will be scattered at Plum Village centers and monasteries around the world, as per his wishes.
