The Vietnam week on MyamarMike has started and I decided to dedicate this week to the outstanding meditation teacher, excellent mind, the real Hinayana warrior - Thich Nhat Hanh. BTW - all the dharma dwellers are still warmly welcomed at MyanmarMike Forums!

Since his days in Vietnam , Thich Nhat Hanh has been a leading proponent of “engaged Buddhism,” a way of life and a spiritual practice that works actively in the world to relieve suffering. Nhat Hanh continues his work to alleviate the suffering of refugees, boat people, political prisoners and hungry families in Vietnam and other Third World countries. He has been instrumental in initiating the declaration, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, dedicating 2001-2010 as the “International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World” (Resolution A/RES/53/2519/111998). He collaborated with the Nobel Peace Laureates in drafting the “Manifesto 2000,” with six points on the Practice of Peace and Non-violence distributed by UNESCO. In December 2000, Thich Nhat Hanh was invited to give a lecture at the White House World Summit Conference on HIV and AIDS. He has also been invited to speak at The Gorbachev World Forum and the World Economic Summit in Davos , Switzerland .

Thich Nhat Hanh has received recognition for his prolific writings on meditation, mindfulness, and peace. He has published over 85 titles of accessible poems, prose, and prayers, with more than 40 of those works in English. His best-known books include Peace is Every Step , Being Peace , Touching Peace , Call Me by My True Names , Living Buddha, Living Christ , Teachings on Love , and Anger .

Now eighty years old, Thich Nhat Hanh is emerging as one of the great teachers of our time. In the midst of our society’s emphasis on speed, efficiency, and material success, Thich Nhat Hanh’s ability to walk calmly with peace and awareness and to teach us to do the same has led to his enthusiastic reception in the West. Although his mode of expression is simple, his message reveals the quintessence of the deep understanding of reality that comes from his meditations, his Buddhist training, and his work in the world.

Master’s Quotations.

• Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
  as if it is the axis
  on which the world earth revolves
  - slowly, evenly, without
  rushing toward the future;
  Live the actual moment.
  Only this moment is life.

• Relief, Peace, well-being, joy and better relations with others will be possible if we practice mindfulness in our everyday life. I am convinced that everybody can practice mindfulness, even politicians, political parties, even the Congress. This is a body that holds the responsibility for knowing the nation’s situation well, and knowledge of this kind requires the practice of looking deeply. If our elected officials are not calm enough, do not have enough concentration, how can they see things deeply?
  
• The Buddhist Sutra of Mindfulness speaks about the meditation on the corpse: meditate on the decomposition of the body, how the body bloats and turns violet, how it is eaten by worms until only bits of blood and flesh still cling to the bones, meditate up to the point where only white bones remain, which in turn are slowly worn away and turn into dust. Meditate like that, knowing that your own body will undergo the same process. Meditate on the corpse until you are calm and at peace, until your mind and heart are light and tranquil and a smile appears on your face. Thus, by overcoming revulsion and fear, life will be seen as infinitely precious, every second of it worth living.

http://www.deerparkmonastery.org/
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/Thich-Nhat-Hanh-meditation.html/