Thousands of people at the funeral of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh New Religions

The Vietnamese religious icon was recognized worldwide for helping to spread the practice of mindfulness in the West and socially committed Buddhism in the East.

The funeral was held on Saturday Thich Nhat Hanh Vietnamese Buddhist monkHe was a well-known master at the age of 95 and died a week ago in central Vietnam.

Thousands of monks and disciples carried the coffin of Nhat Hanh from Tu Hieu Pagoda, where he spent his last days, carrying a procession of carters to the crematorium site.

Others knelt and clasped their hands in prayer on the side of the road and bowed to the ground as they passed the coffin.

Nhat Hanh was recognized worldwide for helping to spread the practice of mindfulness in the West and socially committed Buddhism in the East.

Nguyen Dinh Lang was born in Hue in 1926 and was ordained at the age of 16 when Nhat Hanh distilled Buddhist teachings on compassion and suffering in a simple guideline dedicated to working for peace throughout his life.

He founded the Plum Village Tradition, a practice of the art of living carefully, and gained a significant number of followers worldwide.

In the seven-day announcement, Nhat Hanh Tu Hieu was placed in the full moon reception hall of the Pagoda, where his students came to worship in silence and practice meditation as a tribute to his teachings.

“I am happy and reassured that I can come to Huera for the last time to say goodbye and reflect on‘ Su Ong ’,” said Do Minh Hieu, a follower of Nhat Hanh who traveled from Ho Chi Minh City with his family. for funerals. “Su Ong” is a lovely Vietnamese term meaning “Grandfather Monk”.

According to his wishes, Nhat Hanh will be cremated and his ashes will be scattered in Plum Village centers and monasteries around the world.

As a pioneer of Western Buddhism, Nhat Hanh founded the Plum Village Monastery in France.

He suffered a stroke in 2014, which left him speechless, and he returned to Vietnam to spend his last days in the central city of Hue, the ancient capital and his hometown, after spending much of his adult life in exile.

Nhat Hanh, who spoke seven languages, founded Engaged Buddhism, a movement to apply Buddhist thought to practical problems. This prompted the U.S.-backed war to fight back and launch a relief team to manage schools and clinics, rebuild bombed villages, and relocate war refugees.