A gift for Thay

As we approach Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay) 94th birthday, we would like to invite all our friends to offer a gift for Thay.

As his monastic disciples, every year around this time we would ask Thay or ask his attendants what Thay needs or would like to have for his birthday. Thay, having lived a monastic vow of simplicity all his life would almost always reply that the best gift you can offer him is not anything material, but to hear how practising the Dharma has helped you to transform your suffering into peace, joy and happiness, or how you have reconciled with your family, touched your friends and those around you with your practice of mindfulness, loving kindness and compassion.

So this year we would like to invite all his students to offer Thay the gift that would make him most happy – your stories of how Thay has touched your life. How have you applied what Thay has taught to overcome your difficulties or to make a difference in your community or society?

Please write your story (approximately 300-600 words) in the field below “A gift for Thay”. In order for us to share your stories on Thay’s continuation day, please share yours by the 8th of October, 2020 although stories after this are still welcome! You can remain anonymous by changing the names in your story, and we will not post your personal details like your name or email address. We will select a few to post on our website as an offering to Thay on this anniversary of his birthday. Other stories that are not published on Thay’s anniversary will be posted at a later date.

Please remember, your story can touch people’s hearts and be a source of inspiration for others to help them out of their difficulties. This will bring a lot of happiness to Thay as he can see his Dharma body continue to grow and flourish in this beautiful way. As Thay’s monastic students, we hope to hear many stories from you because you strengthen our faith and encourage us in our work of keeping his legacy alive.

In trust, brotherhood and sisterhood,

Plum Village monastic Sangha