Via Marc J. Francis // Thich Nhat Hanh on anger and war

 

As we wake up to the terrible news that Russia has now invaded Ukraine we all know there will be a tragic loss of life.

I was looking for guidance and found a speech from Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) about anger and war which helped me make some sense of the overwhelming emotions of sadness and fear as the world continues to be destabilised.

Just after the collapse of the World Trade Centre on Sept 11th 2001, Thay gave a speech at the Riverside Church in New York, and centred his message on finding a sense of calm and peace in the face of violence and anger. He was hoping the US would not retaliate through violence and war but, unfortunately, they did. That said, his words ring true regardless of what actions others might take and I hope you appreciate reading them.

You can watch the video above or read the transcript below...

I would like to tell you how I practised when I got angry during the war in Vietnam. There was a lot of injustice and many thousands of friends of mine were killed. I got very angry but at that time I was already a solid practitioner. I did not say anything. I did not act because I knew that acting or saying things while you are angry is not wise. It may create a lot of destruction. I went back to myself recognizing my anger, embracing it and looked deeply into the nature of my suffering. I was able to understand the nature of the suffering in Vietnam. I saw that not only did Vietnamese suffer but Americans suffered as well during the war in Vietnam. The American young men who were sent to Vietnam to kill and to be killed underwent a lot of suffering and the suffering continues even today.

"I was able to see the real enemy of man is ignorance, discrimination, fear, craving and violence."

So I went to America to call for the US government to look deeply and revise that policy. I remember I met with the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and I told him the truth about the suffering. He kept me with him for a long time and he listened deeply to me and I was very grateful for his quality of listening. Three months later when the war was intensified I heard that he resigned from his post. Hatred and anger were not in my heart - that is why I was listened to by many young people in my country advocating them to follow the path of reconciliation and together we helped bring about the negotiations for peace in Paris. I hope my friends here in New York are able to practice the same.  There are ways that we can go back to ourselves and practice, so that we rediscover our calmness our tranquility, our lucidity - ways by which we can look deeply to understand the real causes of the suffering. That understanding will help us to do what needs to be done and not to do what could be harmful to us and to other people."

This transcript has been edited slightly for legibility and brevity. For the full speech view the film.

Walk With Me

A cinematic journey into the world of mindfulness with the Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh. Watch Now