Zen Master Yixing and His Mindfulness Practice

Title: Thích Nhất Hạnh and His Mindfulness Practice

In 2018 I wanted to put together an article about Thích Nhất Hạnh, but I didn’t know how to start, so I wrote a title and set it aside. In 2019 I heard that Thích Nhất Hạnh returned to Vietnam because of illness (https://time.com/5511729/monk-mindfulness-art-of-dying/) and wanted to continue the piece, yet I still didn’t know where to begin, so I could only send my silent blessings. Recently, while figuring out how our team should run weekly meetings, I wanted to encourage everyone to practice a “three‑hour flow” on Wednesday evenings, and the topic of mindfulness resurfaced. I dug up a sharing I had done a few years ago about mindfulness, tweaked it a bit, and reposted it, also compiling a text version. Introducing the mindfulness and Zen that the master lived and taught to more people feels like the best tribute I can give him—thankful and wishing him peace 🙏

This article was written in early January 2022. Thích Nhất Hạnh passed away on 2022‑01‑22.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30030454
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/thich-nhat-hanh-dies/
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/thich-nhat-hanh-memorial/
Dedicated to the beloved Master Thích Nhất Hạnh.
卍❤️卍 May mindfulness bring calm and courage to more people 💪
“The old Way of White Clouds, mindfulness forever continues…”

Basic Meaning

[Baidu Baike – Mindfulness] (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%AD%A3%E5%BF%B5/17013413): Originally rooted in Buddhist meditation, it developed from sitting meditation, contemplation, and insight. It is purposeful and conscious attention to everything happening in the present moment, without judgment, analysis, or reaction—simply noticing and being aware of it.

English keywords and definitions: Mindfulness
https://www.google.com/search?q=Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a kind of energy that we generate when we bring our mind back to our body and get in touch with what is going on in the present moment, within us and around us. We become aware of our breathing and come home to our body, fully present for ourselves and whatever we are doing. The energy of mindfulness helps us touch life deeply throughout the day, whether we’re brushing our teeth, washing the dishes, walking to work, eating a meal, or driving the car. We can be mindful while standing, walking or lying down; while speaking, listening, working, playing and cooking.
https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. The goal of mindfulness is to wake up to the inner workings of our mental, emotional, and physical processes.
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention in the present moment without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness

Google Trends: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=Mindfulness
Interest seemed to dip after the pandemic, likely due to restrictions on outdoor activities and gatherings.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

The Zen master who brought mindfulness to the West: Thích Nhất Hạnh has been a pioneer bringing mindfulness in the West since the early 1970s, developing new ways to apply ancient wisdom to the challenges of modern life.
https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/

Biography

Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh is a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, renowned for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. A gentle, humble monk, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an Apostle of peace and non‑violence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Exiled from his native Vietnam for almost four decades, Thích Nhất Hạnh has been a pioneer bringing Buddhism and mindfulness to the West, and establishing an engaged Buddhist community for the 21st Century.

He is regarded as one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time and the most influential Zen monk worldwide, dedicating his life to sharing a “living Buddhism” that is accessible to ordinary people, promoting mindful living and non‑violent peace.

Born in 1926 in Vietnam; the 42nd generation of the Vietnamese Linji school and the 8th generation successor of the Vietnamese Lương Thế Tông lineage.
In 1967, nominated by U.S. civil‑rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1982, founded the “Plum Village” meditation center in southern France. Over the past three decades he has established numerous mindfulness retreat centers in Europe and North America, helping Buddhists, laypeople, and many children. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, greatly expanding Buddhism’s influence in the West.

The Community – Plum Village

Plum Village – The Plum Village Tradition of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh: https://plumvillage.org/ (https://plumvillage.org/)

Plum Village, near Bordeaux in southwest France, is the largest international practice center in the Plum Village tradition, and the first monastic community founded by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh (Thầy) in the West.

Plum Village is where Thầy realized his dream of building a “Beloved Community”: a healthy, nourishing environment where people can learn the art of living in harmony with one another and with the Earth.

Documentary – Walk with Me

Walk with Me (2017)

‘Walk With Me’ is a meditative film about a community of Zen Buddhist monks and nuns who have dedicated their lives to mastering the art of mindfulness with their world‑famous teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh.

Talks at Google

https://talksat.withgoogle.com/talk/zen-master (https://talksat.withgoogle.com/talk/zen-master)

Google Mindfulness Workshop

[Can mindfulness actually help you work smarter?] (https://blog.google/inside-google/life-at-google/mindfulness-at-work/)
[What’s It Like to Take Google’s Mindfulness Training?] (https://www.mindful.org/whats-it-like-to-take-googles-mindfulness-training/)
[2022: A new kind of “resolution” for the New Year] (https://blog.google/products/search/new-kind-of-new-year-resolution/)

Google search “breathing exercise”: https://www.google.com/search?q=breathing+exercise (https://www.google.com/search?q=breathing+exercise)

Books

Living in the Present Moment

https://book.douban.com/subject/29097237/ (https://book.douban.com/subject/29097237/)
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s practice journal, showing mindfulness through his own life experiences. Highly recommended.

The Miracle of Mindfulness

https://book.douban.com/subject/4726852/ (https://book.douban.com/subject/4726852/)
A comprehensive introduction to mindfulness.

The Way of the White Clouds – A Biography of the Buddha

https://book.douban.com/subject/25819842/ (https://book.douban.com/subject/25819842/)
The first volume alone is enough; also see the recommendation https://yuque.antfin.com/diforce/reports/pyqxy8#mygAr (https://yuque.antfin.com/diforce/reports/pyqxy8#mygAr)

Practicing with a Heavy Workload

https://book.douban.com/subject/26281301/ (https://book.douban.com/subject/26281301/)
Work is the best practice. All the challenges at work become conditions that support your practice.

Fellow Teacher – Master Sheng‑Yan

Founder of Taiwan’s Fo Guang Shan (Buddhist Order)

Fo Guang Shan’s philosophy – improving human quality, building a pure land on Earth
Fo Guang Shan’s spirit – dedicating ourselves to benefit society
Fo Guang Shan’s policy – returning to the Buddha’s original intention, promoting world purification
Fo Guang Shan’s method – advocating comprehensive education and holistic care

“Spiritual environmental protection” is the core concept Sheng‑Yan introduced in 1992, aiming to raise human quality through correct ideas, fostering a healthy mindset to face reality and solve problems. With spiritual safeguards, one can remain calm, stable, autonomous, and at ease in any circumstance, caring for oneself, others, and the future.

Key works: Three Books on Learning Buddhism (https://book.douban.com/subject/3042785/)

Introduction to Buddhist Studies
Faithful Buddhism
Common Questions in Buddhist Practice

Dialogues Between the Two Masters

“The Dharma Connection Between Thích Nhất Hạnh and Sheng‑Yan” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuK6vDr_XdE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuK6vDr_XdE)
“A Timeless Spiritual Conversation Between Two Masters” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i75JCdatqMg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i75JCdatqMg)
“Ink and Brush: A Calligraphic Exhibition of Thích Nhất Hạnh and Sheng‑Yan” (https://www.ddm.org.tw/event/2011/calligraphy/)
“Ink Extends the Dharma” (https://www.ddm.org.tw/maze/257/page8.asp)

Experiencing Mindfulness

Excerpts from Living in the Present Moment and The Art of Mindful Living

Core Points

Be settled in the present moment and aware of all phenomena.
Find joy and calm in everyday life.
Turn each present moment into the most beautiful moment of your life.

Start with Breath Awareness

As we breathe in, we simply become aware that we are breathing in, and as we breathe out, we become aware that we are breathing out. It can be very relaxing and pleasant to follow our breathing flow naturally in and out of our body. We may choose to follow our breathing at our belly or at our nostrils. As the air enters our body, we can feel it refreshing every cell. And as the air leaves our body, we can gently relax any tension we find.

Life unfolds between breaths.
We breathe every day, yet often forget we are breathing.
Awareness of breath brings the mind back to the body.

Walking Meditation

Walking in meditation means to walk in such a way that we know we are walking. We walk leisurely, enjoying every step. We become aware of the contact of our feet with the ground, and the flow of our breathing. We set ourselves… (content truncated)

Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on Masters. Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.