I hold one of his phrases close to my heart:
"Breathe in, smile out"
I keep gently returning to in the course of a day and it gives an enormous sense of calm.
Thich Nhat Hanh has died
111–120 of 133 posts
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Specifically the "all is one" philosophy is a western misreading of the Three Marks of Existence, so it's easy to misidentify them as the same thing if you have never been properly exposed to the latter. An egocentric culture would rather extend the ego outward, rather than fully embrace the concept of ego being illusory.
The absurdity I like to point out sometimes (usually with a lot of downvotes when I talk about this on HN) is how capitalism corrupts nearly all. Countless employers sell their employees on the idea of "Learn meditation to help with work stress" instead of "Lets talk about by work is stressful and how we can fix that." The former just buzzword dishonesty, the latter something that could affect profits, and even if on…
Much as I admire Thich Nhat Hanh, I don't see how Buddhism is an answer to a culture that operates primarily from exploitation, predation, status seeking, self-importance, and bad faith.
I don't think anyone has that answer, because it's an incredibly hard question - how do you de-toxify a culture whose true values are defined by varying intensities of of sociopathy?
You end up with what you described - vacation and workplace Buddhism, where the more superficial elements of a different moral tradition are used to decorate and sweeten a life of striving that remains oriented towards other goals.
That still has value for the people who can appreciate it - something is better than nothing, after all.
But the Buddhist ideals of community fundamentally contradict capitalist ideals of aggressive ambition, individualism, and acquisition. I see no way of truly blending them without one giving way to the other.
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#113Wow. I used to go to the mindfulness retreats at his affiliated monastery in San Diego. You left your phone in your car, and had 3-5 days (or more sometimes) of meditation, fresh cooked meals, and nature. It was really peaceful, and so different from what I had expected (something like a cult, being plied for donations etc. there was none of that). I stopped going when I left California, but it's hard to feel much mo…
sounds close to military reserve periodic training/camps :)
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#114I'm feeling strangely saddened and also relieved seeing him lie completely still and peaceful at the memorial service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bq-bD00jt0&ab_channel=PlumV...
In 2011, I co-founded a software startup called Buffer, which I left in 2017 to live in multiple Thich Nhat Hanh / Plum Village monasteries for almost 2 years. I felt completely disoriented at the time, uncovering the many delusions of money, tech and fame as the final life answers, alongside broken relationships and friendships and nowhere to turn. The monks and nuns took me in in a way that I will be forever grateful for and Thich Nhat Hanh's teaching was the beginning on a long journey of self-discovery, healing, relaxation and coming to terms with reality as it is, right now.
Thich Nhat Hanh taught me something very ordinary: That it is important to pause often, to reflect, to sit still or walk in silence and to observe and acknowledge what is happening around you, inside and out. And to then act from that place of stillness and quiet with calm and kindness to the people around you. And to keep practicing this over and over again, without fail or getting tired from it.
I feel tremendous gratitude to him and his teaching, as well as the monks and nuns that dedicate themselves to his many practices and insights.
May he rest in peace and may his intentions and practices live on for a long time!
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#115I haven't heard of him until today. I am very interested in learning meditation/mindfulness, but as an agnostic I tend to shy away from religious teachings. Are his methods heavily religious?
There’s also a book by Sam Harris called Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion . I found it really good when I was in the same place that you are
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book too. Sam has a perspective that allows him to take the best parts of religion without believing in anything supernatural. This was perfect for me just after leaving religion when I was searching for a new way to be human.
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#116Thich Nhat Hanh taught that just like a cloud seems to disappear from the sky, it's not really, it has simply changed form. The appearance of vanishing is just that: an appearance. Really nothing is created or destroyed. In this way, there is no loss here, Thầy has transitioned into another phase of life. A beauty worth celebrating
That makes me wonder if Zen Buddhism includes an acknowledgement, either explicit or implicit, of entropy.
"Impermanence" is an essential teaching of Buddhism, which I'd say expresses a similar concept as entropy.
> All temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a continuous change of condition, subject to decline and destruction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impermanence
> Impermanence (Pali anicca, Sanskrit anitya) means that all things (saṅkhāra) are in a constant state of flux. Buddhism states that all physical and mental events come into being and dissolve.
> Human life embodies this flux in the aging process and the cycle of repeated birth and death (Samsara); nothing lasts, and everything decays. This is applicable to all beings and their environs, including beings who are reborn in deva (god) and naraka (hell) realms. This is in contrast to nirvana, the reality that is nicca, or knows no change, decay or death.
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
The absurdity I like to point out sometimes (usually with a lot of downvotes when I talk about this on HN) is how capitalism corrupts nearly all. Countless employers sell their employees on the idea of "Learn meditation to help with work stress" instead of "Lets talk about by work is stressful and how we can fix that." The former just buzzword dishonesty, the latter something that could affect profits, and even if on…
Much as I admire Thich Nhat Hanh, I don't see how Buddhism is an answer to a culture that operates primarily from exploitation, predation, status seeking, self-importance, and bad faith. I don't think anyone has that answer, because it's an incredibly hard question - how do you de-toxify a culture whose true values are defined by varying intensities of of sociopathy? You end up with what you described - vacation and…
> I don't see how Buddhism is an answer
The origination story of Buddhism starts with a guy with the highest status and wealth, in a society of extreme inequality, leaving his fortunes behind to help everybody (hint hint).
The first ashrams where so radically inclusive, letting people from all caste and gender live as equals, that they were chased out from many villages by armed crowds. (hint hint)
If that's not clear enough, Thich Nhat Hanh literally called his practices "engaged Buddhism".
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#118Wow. I used to go to the mindfulness retreats at his affiliated monastery in San Diego. You left your phone in your car, and had 3-5 days (or more sometimes) of meditation, fresh cooked meals, and nature. It was really peaceful, and so different from what I had expected (something like a cult, being plied for donations etc. there was none of that). I stopped going when I left California, but it's hard to feel much mo…
You got me curios on this. Knowing any retreats in Europe? I'm from Austria, but I would be open to going in nearby countries for something like this.
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think this is as simple as a google search. This isn't a regular business, and it would be nice to get a HN-user-vetted answer on a retreat that doesn't try to upsell you, and offers the "right" daily events.
No, not 'why can't you just google it'. The question is why can't you just DO it. Take some food in to your room, put your devices outside, close your door.
Cconsider that some people don't have that kind of luxury; their living room and bedroom are one and the same. Mine are.
Re: Thich Nhat Hanh has died
#120Thich Nhat Hanh taught that just like a cloud seems to disappear from the sky, it's not really, it has simply changed form. The appearance of vanishing is just that: an appearance. Really nothing is created or destroyed. In this way, there is no loss here, Thầy has transitioned into another phase of life. A beauty worth celebrating
> Really nothing is created or destroyed
Information is created and can be destroyed.