Dear Friends:
It has been almost one year since our beloved teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, passed or, as he often said when talking about death, continued in another form.
What form is that? Where did Thay go? If he were here at this moment, sitting peacefully before us on a cushion, he might point to one of us and say, “Ah, there! I am there in your smile.” Or he might gesture to a plum tree just beyond the window of the meditation hall and say, “I am also there, in that tree, where I often enjoy its shade and taste its sweet fruit.” Or he might hold up a cup and tell us that he is in the tea, and the tea is in him, the way a wave and the ocean are inseparable.
As 2022 comes to a close, we are so grateful for your being Thay’s continuation for us. We want to thank you for supporting our worldwide community through your generosity of spirit, your words of encouragement, and especially your mindfulness practice.
In a talk at Deer Park Monastery less than a week after Thay passed, Brother Phap Dung said our teacher continues in every person ever touched by his words and presence, whether encountered on a retreat, in one of Thay’s books, or watching a Dharma talk on YouTube.
“Our task is not to feel like we’re losing something,” Brother Phap Dung said. “It’s to trust that Thay has prepared us for this moment. Whatever path has helped us to become a better person, that is what we are continuing. That is Thay.”
Bowing deeply in gratitude,
Your Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation Family