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Our Beloved Thich Nhat Hanh

By Mary O'Malley  |  February 28, 2022

On January 22, 2022, a very beloved teacher of mine and of many people all over the world, passed, Thich Nhat Hanh. He was a Buddhist monk, a peace activist, and one of the most influential Zen masters to support peace around the world. He also was the author of many beautiful books, reminding us of the power of mindfulness and the preciousness of every moment. His message was so powerful he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King.  

When hearing of his death, rather than feeling sorrow, it reminded me of the great joy he brought into my life. I had the wonderful grace of being with him for a weekend at Camp Indianola in the late 80s. One afternoon, we all took a walk down to the beach and it just naturally happened that I walked beside him, stunned by the grace of walking with this human being who invited us to live with peace in every step. 

To get a glimpse of how deeply he was an invitation into being life rather than constantly doing life, here is one of my favorite quotes from him: 

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or on thin air but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle!” 

Beside my sink I have a quote from him that has stayed close to my heart for all these many years: 

“If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact, we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus, we are sucked away into the future – and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.” 

I hope your heart sings as much as mine does when writing these quotes for you. But it’s important to know that while the concept of being here and now is so very simple, coming back to life as he is suggesting is not easy. In fact, it is the most challenging thing will ever do because we are addicted to thinking about life rather than being present for it.  

But just one moment of being fully here when you wash your dish, or eat your cereal, or drink your tea, or clean your hands is oh so powerful. Moments such as these sprinkled throughout your day matter, truly matter.  

So, in honor of this exquisite, aware, powerful human being called Thich Nhat Hanh, I invite you to hold the intention today to sprinkle moments of pure presence here and there, so they can accumulate in your life, and you can again know the joy of being fully alive, not only for yourself but for the healing of our world. 

  2. Rest In Peace Thich Nhat Hahn.
    Thank you for all the beautiful experiences you share with us Mary.

  3. Thank you Mary. Exquisitely perfect timing for this message to reach me. My sister is on hospice and expected to pass today. Thank you for reminding me to be present and accepting of my and my family’s feelings as I grieve the loss of her abiding friendship.

  4. Bless you, Mary, for remembering our Divine friend, Thich Nhat Hanh. When he passed, I read two of his famous poems, “Call me by my true names” and “The Good News.”

    Yesterday, I took two of his books off the shelf. They are thin, like he was, but strong inside like he was: Being Peace; The Miracle of Mindfulness.

    Your post made me also think of David Stendl-Rast’s Gratefulness.org and the powerful & wonderful video to start any day in any present tradition, “A Good Day.” https://gratefulness.org/blog/good-day-10-yr-anniversary/

  5. Thank you for this beautiful article. I love how Thich Nhat Hanh teaches me about the art of suffering: how to be there for every part of me that is calling for my loving attention, deep listening, and tender compassion.

    Here’s a quote from his book, The Art of Living: When suffering comes up, we have to be present for it. We shouldn’t run away from it or cover it up with consumption, distraction, or diversion. We should simply recognize it and embrace it, like a mother lovingly embracing a crying baby in her arms. The mother is mindfulness, and the crying baby is suffering. The mother has the energy of gentleness and love. When the baby is embraced by the mother, it feels comforted and immediately suffers less, even though the mother does not yet know exactly what the problem is. Just the fact that the mother is embracing the baby is enough to help the baby suffer less. We don’t need to know where the suffering is coming from. We just need to embrace it, and that already brings some relief. As our suffering begins to calm down, we know we will get through it.