We offer extracts from a new book that shares Thich Nhat Hanh’s intimate letters and wisdom.
Letter writing as a practice
For Zen Master Thich Nhất Hạnh, whom I (Sister Dinh Ngheim) and others affectionately called “Thầy” or “teacher” in Vietnamese, letter writing was an art, a deep practice of awareness and connection, and an important channel for him to transmit his love for his students. Thầy knew that, by sitting down and writing a letter, he could express intimacy, care, and his full attention; he was able to com municate his insight and his energy in a heartfelt and lasting way.
Thầy had many students, and he wanted to understand each one. However, in a community as large as the Plum Village monastic sangha—composed of monks and nuns from monasteries and practice centers around the world—it would have been impossible for each monastic to meet with Thầy one-on-one. Letter writing became a vital thread connecting Thầy to his large monastic family. But even when the community was quite small, Thầy encouraged us to write to him. He likely understood that we could let ourselves be more vulnerable through our writing, that we could write things down that we were too shy to tell him face to face. In our letters to Thầy, we could reveal deep joys and deep suffering directly from our hearts, sometimes for the first time.
Even though Thầy suggested we write to him from the very early days of our monastic community, we never expected to receive a personal letter from Thầy. I remember the first time he wrote to us—we were so happy, so surprised! We each received a photocopy of that and subsequent letters, and these copies remain dear to many of us—we cherish them and keep them safe to this day.
Over the years, I have enjoyed reading these letters many times, whenever I need some energy to inspire my practice or a reminder of Thầy’s deep love for his students. We’re happy to share many of these most cherished letters with you in this book. Thầy often wrote to us when something significant happened in the community, or when he felt like we needed some inspiration.
Vitamins for the Sangha
That first letter, for instance, came during a summer retreat in Plum Village, France. Even though the long annual summer retreat is a very joyful time of year, it is also the most exhausting period for the monastic community. Thầy saw clearly that he could boost our energy by writing to us during these busy stretches; after he noticed how much his first letter helped, he began writing to us regularly during each summer retreat.
We often said that these letters were like vitamins for us during those weeks of hard and loving work! As we see in the letters included here, Thầy felt deeply responsible for his community’s energy and capacity for practice. Our collective harmony and vitality were his top priorities.
Of course, Thầy’s deep practice of letter writing precedes the formation of his monastic community. He loved writing letters to lay students and reading their letters to him; he learned so much from lay friends’ letters about lay life, about each letter writer’s unique difficulties, and about critical social or political circumstances or events.
Indeed, as the letters in this book illustrate, letter writing played a vital role in Thầy’s engaged social action right from the beginning. Thầy read and reflected deeply on every letter he received from his students, lay or monastic, and he usually made sure that the letter writer received guidance; even if Thầy didn’t follow up directly, he’d identify a lay or monastic teacher to help that person through their difficulty. Thầy often responded to a letter he’d received by incorporating his reflections into a Dharma talk, or by offering a talk on a particular topic. This is why many people in the audience felt that Thầy was speaking directly to them about their unique suffering. In a sense, he was speaking directly to that person, because he truly received each letter writer’s deepest sufferings, aspirations, and joys, bringing those elements with him into the talks that he gave.
Letters from a Zen Master
A Chance to Look Deeply
July 30, 1998
Dear monastics and permanent residents,
The Summer Opening is an occasion for us to serve and bring relief to many people. But it is also an opportunity to practice. Please be aware of what happens to you while getting in touch, acting, interacting, reacting, etc. … so that we can have a chance to look deeply into what is there, in our mind and in the situation.
Also please take note of these things, write them down, so that later we can sit down together and share them with each other— so every one of us will have a chance to learn and to grow in the practice.
Love and trust,
Thầy
nh
Seizing the Opportunity
Fragrant Creek Hermitage
October 28, 2002
Dear Family,
The Buddha has given us many opportunities: Each trip is an opportunity. Each stay is an opportunity. Each morning is an opportunity. Each step is an opportunity. Each sitting session is an opportunity. Do we know how to take the opportunity when it presents itself ? The Sangha has offered us many opportunities. Thầy has offered us many opportunities. Our brothers and sisters have offered us many opportunities. The question is whether we can take them, whether we can be available to them in the here and now, to realize that we have many chances, and not to complain later that we have not had any opportunities at all.
In 1964, Thầy wrote in his poem “Dựng Tượng Tuổi Thơ,” “Each time you fall, you stand up. This is the way to grow up, to make life open itself to you.” We can all learn from our direct experience. Of course, we have our old habit energies, but we can always cultivate new wholesome ways of thinking, speaking, and acting. Each step, each breath, and each trip gives you that chance. Our happiness depends on us, on our way of responding to events, not on other people. Our suffering also depends on us. Knowing this, we no longer blame or complain; we are determined to begin anew with ourselves. Because another opportunity is presenting itself.
Autumn is beautiful. We are a Sangha, a family. And our family is big. We are the continuation of the Buddha and the ancestors. May the Buddha and the ancestors give each of my beloved ones a great deal of energy.
Lovingly,
Thầy Nhất Hạnh
Nothing To Fear
Bangkok
May 19, 1975
Dear fellow social workers,
I know you are very busy with your relief work for our people, the victims of the war. I went back to your place but couldn’t find any of you, which left me feeling quite emotional. I will try to find out how you are doing in the Central region, whether you are healthy, and if you have the means to continue helping our people there. If there is any news, I will let you know. Communication with the Central region can be quite difficult.
Currently, wherever you are working, please write me a short letter each about the relief activities you are engaged in. I will compile your letters into a report on your work and the current situation to send to our partner organizations, requesting additional resources foryour work. An Tiêm is printing Ý Thức Em Mặt Trời Tỏ Rạng, a book about practicing meditation while doing social work; once printed, Anh Thiều will send each of you a copy.
Please read it carefully and apply it to your daily life. Only by doing so can we work sustainably. At this time, we need to stay calm and not waste energy on unnecessary actions. We should practice deep, long breathing and maintain a smile throughout the day. We must work closely with the church and help the members of the school administration, leaving aside childish blame and using kind speech to build on our efforts. Relief work for our people is like firefighting.
Focus your mind on the work, but do not forget to nourish your spiritual life. While working, remember to keep your breath steady, light, and deep, and maintain a quiet smile on your lips. Look at the peaceful faces and budding smiles of the bodhisattvas. They can “endure” thanks to those two practices. This land is ours, wherever we go. Do not worry too much about the political landscape.
Focus on the present task: if our people need us, we serve. If we maintain mindfulness and a pure heart, there is nothing else to fear. Everything depends on the mind. You can ask brother Thieu for my address.
With trust,
nh
[The book Ý Thức Em Mặt Trời Tỏ Rạng Thầy mentions in this letter was later translated into English and published as The Miracle of Mindfulness]
In Love and Trust: Letters From A Zen Master is published on October 15th, 2024 by Parallax Press.
It offers a striking look at Thich Nhat Hanh as seen through his intimate letters to monastics, lay practitioners, allies in the peace movement, and other friends on the path. Through these touching pieces of correspondence, we see Thich Nhat Hanh at his warmest and most inspirational, at his most candid and direct. These personal messages of love and trust demonstrate the deeply human origins of Thầy’s teachings—and Thầy’s own deeply human expression of them.
In Love and Trust is composed primarily of newly translated letters, presented in English for the first time. The book features archival photos and Thich Nhat Hanh’s own handwriting throughout.
