The Art of Grieving

The ceremony marking the 49 days since Thich Nhat Hanh's passing has now completed and his ashes have been returned to Plum Village in France, as well as other monasteries around the world. 

Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) believed that we should not fear death, and we have all been humbled by witnessing each stage of his memorial on YouTube over the last few weeks, from viewing Thich Nhat Hanh's body in his death bed, the casket procession through Hue in Vietnam, the cremation ceremony, and finally, his ashes returning to the monasteries worldwide. 

Buddhists from all lineages, not just his own, have honoured Thich Nhat Hanh’s death and social media feeds of people from all walks of life have been full of condolences for his passing. 

Thich Nhat Hanh really understood about loss and death and the art of grieving. It was that which gave him an enormous capacity for loving unconditionally in a transformative way. 

Through Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings, I've learnt that as a society, our capacity to love is held back by the fear of loss. We don’t open our hearts up as widely as we could. But the more we're able to master the art of grieving, and can step into that deep sadness and pain, the more we open ourselves up to the aliveness of life and love. 

His impact on the world can not be underestimated, and at a time of war we need his teachings more than ever before.

In the previous newsletter, I offered to collect and share some of your stories and experiences of Thich Nhat Hanh. I have been in awe of the response, and am delighted to share a snapshot of some of the stories at the bottom of this newsletter.

The strength of love and respect shown through these stories goes to show how much Thich Nhat Hanh impacted the lives of so many people.  

Onwards & Inwards