Thousands of people have attended the funeral of Thich Nhat Hanh Buddhist monks Religious Affairs
The Vietnamese religious image became known around the world for its contribution to the spread of Western ideology and Eastern Buddhism.
Funeral service was held Saturday for a Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, one week after the famous Zen master died at the age of 95 in Hue, central Vietnam.
Thousands of monks and scholars followed the caravan carrying Nhat Hanh coffin from Tu Hieu Pagoda, where he spent his final days, to the crematorium.
Others knelt and hugged each other on the sidewalk as they passed the coffin.
Nhat Hanh is known the world over for his contribution to the spread of ideology in the West and Buddhism in the East.
Born in Nguyen Dinh Lang in 1926 in Hue and anointed at the age of 16, Nhat Hanh incorporated the Buddhist teachings of compassion and suffering into a simple guide for a lifelong commitment to the cause of peace.
He founded the Plum Village Tradition, a practice of mental health art, and has gained many followers around the world.
At the wake of the seven-day awakening, Nhat Hanh was laid to rest in a welcoming hall at Tu Hieu Pagoda, where his disciples came to pay their respects and meditate as a tribute to his teachings.
“I am happy and at peace to be able to come to Hue to say goodbye and meditate on ‘Su Ong’ for the last time,” said Do Minh Hieu, a follower of Nhat Hanh who left Ho Chi Minh City with his family. for funerals. “Su Ong” is a loving Vietnamese word meaning “Grandpa Monk”.
According to his wishes, Nhat Hanh will be burned and his ashes will be scattered in Plum Village places 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 for his final days in central Hue, his hometown, where he was born, after many years of exile.
Nhat Hanh, a linguist who spoke in seven languages, founded Engaged Buddhism, a group that applied Buddhism to practical matters. This prompted him to protest against the US-sponsored war and set up a task force to run schools and hospitals, rebuild bombed-out villages and re-establish refugees in the war.
