Dalai Lama saddened by demise of friend, spiritual brother Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh

DHARAMSALA, 23 Jan: His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed sadness over the passing of  “his friend and spiritual brother Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.”

“His Holiness the Dalai Lama was saddened to learn that his friend and spiritual brother Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh had passed away,” the Tibetan leader’s office said in a statement on the official website dalailama.com.

“In his peaceful opposition to the Vietnam war, his support for Martin Luther King and most of all his dedication to sharing with others not only how mindfulness and compassion contribute to inner peace, but also how individuals cultivating peace of mind contributes to genuine world peace, the Venerable lived a truly meaningful life,” the Dalai Lama has said in his condolence message to the followers of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist in Vietnam and around the world.

The Tibetan Nobel laureate concluded by stating that “I have no doubt the best way we can pay tribute to him is to continue his work to promote peace in the world.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022), the Vietnamese monk who founded the Engaged Buddhism movement emphasizing social justice and spiritual cultivation, “passed away peacefully” at the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam on Saturday at the age of 95, his Zen teaching organisation, Plum Village, said.

He was a poet, peace activist and Zen master among others.