October 10, 2024
No Birth, No Death
Followers
of Vietnamese Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, who call
their teacher Thay, dub his birthday “Continuation Day,” honoring the
teaching that “birth and death are just notions; they’re not real…When we understand that we can’t be destroyed, we’re liberated from fear.”
In his book, Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm,
Thay writes about this concept of continuation, weaving in personal
accounts of losing his mother and realizing that she wasn’t actually
gone.
"I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just that: an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother was still alive in me and always would be.
I opened the door and went outside. The entire hillside was bathed in
moonlight. Walking slowly in that soft light through the rows of tea
plants, I observed that my mother was indeed still with me. My mother
was the moonlight caressing me as she had so often done, very gentle,
very sweet. Every time my feet touched the earth, I knew my mother was
there with me. I knew this body was not mine alone but a living
continuation of my mother and father, my grandparents and
great-grandparents, and of all my ancestors. These feet I saw as
'my' feet were actually 'our' feet. Together my mother and I were
leaving footprints in the damp soil.
From that moment on, the idea that I had lost my mother no longer existed. All I had to do was look at the palm of my hand, or feel the breeze on my face or the earth under my feet, to remember that my mother is always with me, available at any time.
When you lose a loved one, you suffer. But if you know how to look
deeply, you have a chance to realize that his or her nature is truly the
nature of no-birth, no-death."
This week’s Three Teachings celebrates Thay’s Continuation Day, which is tomorrow, October 11, with his teachings on finding freedom from fear and grief.
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How to Break Free From Fear By Thich Nhat Hanh
Read more of the excerpt above, which comes from Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, Thich Nhat Hanh’s practical and personal guide to overcoming fear.
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The Heart of the Matter By Thich Nhat Hanh
In the Winter 2009 issue of Tricycle,
Thay answered three questions about emotions, the last of which
pertained to the fear of losing a loved one. Read his advice for coping
with and shifting the perspective on loss.
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How to Ease Pain and Generate Joy By Thich Nhat Hanh
In his book No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering, Thay writes about how to skillfully engage with suffering. Read his advice and try a practice for transforming suffering.
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