Thich Nhat Hanh died January 22, 2022 at 95.
"Thich Nhat Hanh's portrayal of the plight of the Vietnamese people during the Indochina Wars is required reading now as the United States and Europe continue to grapple with their roles as global powers-- and the human effects of their military policies. Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire is of special interest for students of peace and conflict studies and Southeast Asian history. It also gives the reader insights into the thought of the young Thich Nhat Hanh, who would later go on to found--in exile--Plum Village in France, the largest Buddhist monastery outside Asia, and influence millions with his teachings on the path of peace and mindfulness." (.sandmanbooks.com/book/9781952692031)
Me and Thich Nhat Hanh (open letter to my brother):
It's personal.
I know you don't like (as in see the value in) Buddhism (or any religion), but what Thich Nhat Hanh said was, Buddhism, by spreading to the Western world, will eventually totally transform from its Eastern roots. It is not one shoe fits all, (my metaphor) but there will be as many kinds of Buddhism as Buddhists. He foresaw that the West would make Buddhism its own by individualizing the practice. This idea would have been very interesting to Jung who felt the same way you do about all religion, that it is impersonal and, for that reason alone, generally irrelevant to the modern world, which, because of its gigantic collective shadow, must individuate or destroy itself. I agree with you except that I have had so many (countless) spiritual experiences in my life that I had no choice but to take a different path from you. Now, at 73, I have a personal relationship with (Spirit / God / Nature ) -- that infinite intelligence behind creation that we in the Western world have no good name for because most of us have no direct relationship with our creator! So, without having studied the life and thought of this remarkable man (died Jan 22, 2022 at 95), I do not assume that I know something that T N H didn't know. Rather (as a struggling born-pacifist) I assume he knew something that I need to look at and try to understand, not as one on a spiritual path but as a Westerner who is repelled by his own Culture and violent traditions who, for the sake of his heart (and soul) needs to make peace with himself and the world that shocks, baffles and disgusts him on almost a daily basis.
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