Thursday 13 November 2014

Praying with all my heart

Praying this morning with all my heart. Thich Nhat Hanh, the great Zen Buddhist master of Plum Village is France is seriously ill in hospital. He is eighty-eight years old and has been unwell through this last year, recently suffering a massive brain haemorrhage. Thay has worked tirelessly his whole life for peace and forgiveness, for wise practice of compassion and loving-kindness. To have breathed the same air in this lifetime is a great honour. 


Lifting Thay into the light. Here is a man the Lord Jesus loves very much . . . Seigneur, celui que tu aimes est malade. Seigneur, prends pitié. O Christ, prends pitié. . . Watch over him now, loving Lord. This man who has taught others the way of loving-kindness . . . who has lived in self-discipline and established compassion . . . his whole life has been the thing you love best, Lord Jesus . . . reach down to him, determine his course, enfold him in the peace of your good purposes . . . You in whose hands are all our days. Ah, Lord Jesus, take good care of this man.



This I pray, this I pray.    

May he be peaceful. May he be set free.

     

The brothers and sisters of his community at Plum Village have asked that we maybe set a little time aside to chant with them today. Here they are.




UPDATE NOVEMBER 16th

Plum Village, 15 November, 2014

To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,

Thầy is now in a hospital with a highly reputable neurologist monitoring his progress. He is in the right place with the best possible care and attention. New tests have been done. Doctors report that Thầy is showing good progress in terms of remaining stable and not having major changes in his condition during this critical part of his recovery. The area of hemorrhage has not grown and his vital signs are normal.

In the early morning, Saturday, November 15, Thầy opened his eyes for the first time since his cerebral hemorrhage, to look at his attendants for a brief moment. He was very conscious and attentive to what was happening around him, lifting his left hand to touch the attendant next to him. Since then, he has also opened his eyes several times and his gestures of communication are clearer, nodding or shaking his head to respond. Thầy has been able to rest and sleep peacefully for several hours each day. The doctors are cautiously optimistic and remind us that Thầy’s condition is still in a critical stage and conditions can change at any moment.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 26th

Official Announcement
Re: Thay’s current condition
Plum Village, 22 November, 2014
To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,
The doctors have expressed surprise at Thay’s resilience and stability over the last week, as the intensive treatment continues. Thay’s blood pressure and pulse are stable, he is still breathing on his own, and he is becoming increasingly peaceful. However, in recent days Thay has been sleeping more deeply and communicating less.
The monks and nuns attend our teacher continuously at his bedside, breathing with him, embracing him with their love, praying that the millions of healthy cells in Thay’s body may become millions of bodhisattvas, helping his brain to heal. As Thay’s condition remains critical, please intensify your practice of generating the energy of Great Compassion of Avalokita for Thay.
Let us support Thay by sustaining our practice of mindfulness throughout the day, wherever we are, keeping Thay alive within us and within our community. With deep conscious breaths and mindful steps, let us allow Thay’s teachings to ripen within us, helping us see Thay’s continuation body and Thay’s sangha body.
May we let go of resentments against those who have hurt us, and release our fear and sorrow, by coming back to the calm and gentle breathing that Thay has transmitted to us. This is the best way we can support Thay and be his beautiful continuation.
With trust and love,
The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village

UPDATE DECEMBER 1st

Official Announcement
Plum Village
November 30, 2014
To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,
As the Winter Retreat continues to unfold in all our practice centers in Europe and America, Thay’s condition in the hospital remains stable.
Thay continues to rest peacefully with the ticking clock on his pillow, and we sense that he is relying on his deep awareness of breathing, rooted in Store Consciousness, to guide his healing process. Even the doctors have been surprised at the consistent level of oxygen in his blood. Thay is truly the best breather in the world, inspiring us to deepen our full awareness of the breath. Thay continues to remind us that each day we are alive is a miracle, and that simply to breathe is a gift.
The latest scan shows that Thay’s hemorrhage has slightly reduced in size. The edema is still present, but has not worsened. The doctors have met to re-evaluate their approach and review how to nourish Thay’s body more as we enter medium-term treatment. Thay continues to receive 24-hour care from his monastic attendants as well as hospital nurses. We are very grateful for the commitment of the hospital neurologists who are maintaining Thay’s healing process with open hearts and minds.
Earlier this year, Thay accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to go to the Vatican on December 1 & 2 to support a global initiative to end modern slavery. A delegation of 22 monks and nuns, including Sister Chan Khong and Thay Phap An (Director of our European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Germany) are now in Rome to realise Thay’s wish.
We continue to be grateful for your messages of support and the energy of mindfulness and compassion being generated for Thay. Wherever we are, we know that our practice of nourishing and healing ourselves is the best way we can all take care of Thay, and take care of the present moment.
Because suffering is impermanent, that is why we can transform it.
Because happiness is impermanent, that is why we have to nourish it.
-TNH, 10th June 2014
With trust and love,
The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village

7 comments:

DaisyAnon said...

Very sad, I have been so helped by his writings.

Judy Olson said...

Thank you for providing the opportunity to sit with him in what may be his last hours on this earth, I hadn't seen this anywhere else, so, but for you, I might have missed it.

Pen Wilcock said...

:0) xx

Elizabeth @ The Garden Window said...

May God grant him all things needful, and strengthen and comfort those who love him.

Pen Wilcock said...

Amen [']

gretchen said...

thank you, pen, for posting this. i had not heard. thay has been one of my teachers in life through his lovely writings. we shall keep vigil.

Pen Wilcock said...

:0) xx