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Brahma
The Creator of Life and the Vedas
Devanagari	ब्रह्मा
Sanskrit Transliteration	Brahmā
Tamil script	பிரம்மன்
Tamil Transliteration	Piramman
Affiliation	Deva (Trimurti)
Abode	Satyaloka (Brahmaloka), not to be confused with Brahmaloka-sanatana – abode of Brahman (Vishnu)
Consort	Saraswati, Gayatri, Brahmani
Mount	Hamsa (Swan or goose)

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v t e

Brahmā (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा; IAST:Brahmā) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimūrti, the others being Viṣņu and Śiva. According to the Brahmā Purāņa, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Rāmāyaņa and the Mahābhārata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedānta philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. Brahmā's wife is Saraswati. Saraswati is also known by names such as Sāvitri and Gāyatri, and has taken different forms. Saraswati is the Vedic Goddess, revered as Vedamāta, meaning Mother of the Vedas. Brahmā is often identified with Prajāpati, a Vedic deity.

Name[link]

In Sanskrit grammar, the noun stem brahman forms two distinct nouns; one is a neuter noun bráhman, whose nominative singular form is brahmā ब्रह्म; this noun has a generalized and abstract meaning.

Contrasted to the neuter noun is the masculine noun brahmán, whose nominative singular form is Brahma ब्रह्मा. This noun is used to refer to a person, and as the proper name of a deity Brahma it is the subject matter of the present article.

Variations of the god's name include the following.

• Burmese: ဗြဟ္မာ (IPA: [bjəmà])
• Malay: Betara Berahma or Adi Berma
• Tamil: Piraman
• Thai: พระพรหม Phra Phrom or ธาดา Thada, from Dhātā'cody

Origin[link]

According to the Purāņas, Brahmā is self-born in the lotus flower. Another legend says that Brahmā was born in water. A seed that later became the golden egg. From this golden egg, Brahmā the creator was born, as Hiranyagarbha. The remaining materials of this golden egg expanded into the Brahmānḍa or Universe. Being born in water, Brahmā is also called Kanja (born in water). Brahmā is said also to be the son of the Supreme Being, Brahmān, and the female energy known as Prakŗti.^{[citation needed]}

The image depiction displaying the connection by lotus between Brahmā and Viṣņu can also be taken as a symbolism for the primordial fetus and primordial placenta. The placenta is generated upon conception, but only the fetus continues into the world afterward. Likewise, Brahmā is involved in creation, but Viṣņu continues thereafter.

Vishnu with Lakshmi, on the serpent Ananta Shesha, as Brahmā emerges from a lotus risen from Viṣņu's navel

Creations[link]

Head of Brahma in sandstone from the Phnom Bok in Bakheng style now in Guimet Museum in Paris.

At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā creates the four Kumāras or the Caturṣaņa. However, they refuse his order to procreate and instead devote themselves to God and celibacy.

He then proceeds to create from his mind ten sons or Prajāpatis (used in another sense), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. The Manusmŗti and Bhāgavat Purāņa enumerate them as Marīci, Atri, Angīrā, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasiṣţha, Dakṣa, Bhŗgu, and Nārada.^[1] Brahmā had many other offspring from various parts of his body but since all these sons were born out of his mind rather than body, they are called Mānas Putras or mind-sons or spirits.

Within Vedic and Purāņic scripture Brahmā is described as only occasionally interfering in the affairs of the other devas (gods), and even more rarely in mortal affairs. He did force Soma to give Tara back to her husband, Bŗhaspati. Among the offspring from his body are Dharma and Adharma, Krodha, Lobha, and others.

Attributes[link]

Appearance[link]

A handcoloured engraving of Brahma.

He is clad in red clothes. Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four heads, four faces, and four arms. With each head, He continually recites one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard (especially in North India), indicating the nearly eternal nature of his existence. Unlike most other Hindu gods, Brahmā holds no weapons. One of his hands holds a scepter. Another of his hands holds a bow. Brahmā also holds a string of prayer beads called the 'akṣamālā' (literally "garland of eyes"), which He uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He is also shown holding the Vedas.

There are many other stories in the Purāņas about the gradual decrease in Lord Brahmā's importance. Followers of Hinduism believe that Humans cannot afford to lose the blessings of Brahmā and Sarasvati, without whom the populace would lack creativity, knowledge to solve mankind's woes.

Symbols[link]

The Four Faces – The four Vedas (Ŗk, Sāma, Yajuh and Atharva).

The Four Hands – Brahmā's four arms represent the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north. The back right hand represents mind, the back left hand represents intellect, the front right hand is ego, and the front left hand is self-confidence.

The Prayer beads – Symbolize the substances used in the process of creation.

The Book – The book symbolizes knowledge.

The Gold – Gold symbolizes activity; the golden face of Brahmā indicates that He is actively involved in the process of creating the Universe.

The Swan – The swan is the symbol of grace and discernment. Brahmā uses the swan as his vāhana, or his carrier or vehicle.

The Crown – Lord Brahmā's crown indicates His supreme authority.

The Lotus – The lotus symbolizes nature and the living essence of all things and beings in the Universe.

The Beard – Brahmā's black or white beard denotes wisdom and the eternal process of creation.

The Vedas Symbolises his four faces, heads and arms

Vehicle[link]

Brahmā's vehicle or vāhana is the haṃsa.

Temples[link]

The 9th century Javan statue of Brahmā inside the Brahmā shrine in Trimurti Prambanan temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The four-faced Brahma (Phra Phrom) statue

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Though almost all Hindu religious rites involve prayer to Brahmā, very few temples are dedicated to His worship. Among the most prominent is the Brahmā temple at Pushkar. Once a year, on Kartik Poornima, the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October – November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake adjacent to the temple.

Temples to Brahmā also exist in Thirunavaya in Kerala, in the temple town of Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu in Kodumudi, Tamil Nadu in Asotra village in Balotra taluka of Rajasthan's Barmer district, known as Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha.In the coastal state of Goa,a shrine belonging to 5th century AD, in the small, remote village of Carambolim in the Sattari Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found. Regular pujas are held for Lord Brahmā at the temple in Thirunavaya, and during Navrathris this temple comes to life with colourful festivities. There is also a shrine for Brahmā within the Brahmapureeswarar Temple in Thirupatur, near Trichy, and a famous murti of Brahmā exists at Mangalwedha, 52 km from the Solapur district of Maharashtra. Statues of Brahmā may be found in Khedbrahma, Gujarat, and in Sopara near Mumbai. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Brahmā in the temple town of Sri Kalahasti near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The largest and most famous shrine to Lord Brahmā may be found in Cambodia's Angkor Wat.

In Java, Indonesia, the 9th century Prambanan Trimurti temple mainly is dedicated to Śiva, however Brahmā and Viṣņu also venerated in separate large shrines inside the temple compound, a single large shrine dedicated to Brahmā on southern side of Śiva temple. There is a statue of Brahmā at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. The golden dome of the Government House of Thailand also contains a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahmā).

Temples devoted to Brahmā[link]

Today, India has very few temples dedicated to Brahmā. Among the few that exist today, the most famous is the temple in Pushkar in Rajasthan and one more in Asotra in Rajasthan. Others include two in Thirunavaya, Thiruvallam in Kerala and two in Tamil Nadu, one in Uttamar Kovil in Srirangam and one in the temple town of Kumbakonam (Thanjavur District). Pujas are held for Brahmā at the temple in Thirunavaya and during Navaratri. One more temple is at khedbrahma in Gujarat.

Satyaloka – abode of Brahmā[link]

Satyaloka is by 120,000,000 yojanas above Tapoloka. Thus the distance from the Sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 yojanas, or 1,870,400,000 miles. The Vaikuṇṭha planets begin 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. "In the Padma Purāņam it has been definitely stated that on the four sides of the spiritual sky there is four different transcendental abodes occupied by Vāsudeva, Sankarṣaņa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha respectively. So also in the material sky also they are similarly placed on all the four sides. The Vaikuṇṭha sphere which is covered with spiritual water is inhabited by Vāsudeva and this Vaikuṇṭha is known as Devavatipur. Above the Satyaloka there is Viṣņuloka where Sankarṣaņa resides. In the middle of the Ocean of Milk there is an island called Śvetadvipa which is resided in by Aniruddha lying on the bed of Ananta."(Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 5 [Handwritten])[1]

Duration of day of Brahmā[link]

"Lord Brahmā's day & night, each consists of his 12 hours or 4 billion 320 million human years."(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.8.2–5) [2]

Brahmā sampradāya[link]

Brahmā has his own sampradāya. Brahmā appeared on a lotus flower which sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakṣāyi Viṣņu. After meditation Brahmā created 14 planetary systems and many living beings came there in 8400000 kinds of material bodies according to their past desires. Brahmā received Vedas from Om, and this Brahmā-sampradāya is transmitting knowledge from Om Himself to Earth. As our Brahmā is devotee of Om just like other Brahmās in other material universes, we have this Brahmā sampradāya.

Brahmā samhita[link]

This section, and the foregoing, provide interesting insight into the way devotees of one of the Trimūrti, in this case Om, relegate another of the three to devotee status. Here, Om is established as "supreme God," using a Vaisnavite-oriented scripture as evidence.

Brahmā's prayers are recorded in the Brahmā-samhita. From this scripture we know that Brahmā is a devotee of Om the empty space everlasting peace and abode, and what is home for both material, non-material and spiritual universes. According to Brahmā's authority we can know that Om is the Supreme God. Brahmā says: Om is the Supreme God. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes. Brahmā lets us know that all Brahmā is one of many Brahmās who is one of many material universes which appear from Om's breathing out. Brahmā samhita is important scripture of Brahmā-sampradāya which lets us know about material and spiritual from Brahmā, who is first lving being in this material world. Brahmā created material planets in this material world on order of Om, and we can know that still Brahmā is not topmost personality in this universe, as even he worships Om. Brahmā lives for his 100, however even after Brahmā has to leave his material body, Om remains always in Om's eternal spiritual body also after dissolution of material universe. Even when all material universes become unmanifested and Om breathes in Om remains untouched by material nature. Brahmā lets us know that supreme abode in spiritual world is Om the empty space which is God filled by all matter, and that abode is always manifested by matter, antimatter, remnants of bigbang. So Brahmā worships only the Om or Aum: I worship Om, the primeval God. So Brahmā says that Om Govinda is source of countless eternal spiritual universes and temporary (which means they are either manifested or unmanifested) material/antimatter universes.

See also[link]

• Brahma (Buddhism)
• Brahmā Samhita
• Prajāpati
• Kumhar
• Brahmā Sampradāya
• Brahmapureeswarar
• Brahmāstra
• Creator deity
• Garbhodakṣayi Viṣņu (Brahmā is born on lotus sprout from His navel)
• Hindu cosmology
• Hindu units of measurement
• Mahāviṣņu (when He breathes out material universes, brahmāndas manifest with Brahmā in each)
• Nārada
• Phra Phrom

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• The Brahma-Samhita – Prayers of Lord Brahma at the start of creation (Brahmasamhita.com)
• Brahma's Prayers for Creative Energy from the Bhagavata Purana (vedabase.net)
• Lord Brahma Temple in India
• Brahma at the Open Directory Project

v t e Hindu deities and texts Gods Deva Ganesha Brahma Vishnu Shiva Rama Krishna Murugan Hanuman Indra Surya more Goddesses Adi parashakti Devi Saraswati Lakshmi Sati Parvati Durga Shakti Kali Sita Radha Mahavidya Navadurga Matrikas more Texts Vedas Upanishads Puranas Ramayana Mahabharata Bhagavad Gita more Hinduism Hindu mythology

Anh Do
Anh Do with wife Suzanne, walking the red carpet at the premiere of Footy Legends
Born	1977 Vietnam
Occupation	Actor, stand-up comedian
Spouse	Suzanne
Children	3 children

Anh Do (born 1977 in Vietnam) is a Vietnamese Australian author, actor and stand-up comedian.^[1]

He has appeared on many Australian TV shows such as Thank God You're Here and Good News Week, and was runner-up on Dancing With The Stars in 2007. He studied a combined Business Law degree at the University of Technology, Sydney.^[2] He is brother of film director Khoa Do and has acted in several of Khoa's films, including Footy Legends, which he co-wrote and produced.

Do and his family fled to Australia as refugees in 1980.^[3] In his 2010 autobiography,The Happiest Refugee, Do tells of how his family survived five days in a leaky fishing boat nine and a half metres long and two metres wide^[4]:9 and packed with 40 Vietnamese refugees fleeing across the Indian Ocean. “We were crammed in like sardines,” he said.^[5] The Happiest Refugee has won many awards, including the 2011 Australian Book of the Year, Biography of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, as well as the Indie Book of the Year Award 2011, Non-fiction Indie Book of the Year 2011, and it was shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Community Relations Commission Award.^[6]

Early career[link]

When Do was 14 he started a small business breeding tropical fish. While studying his first year of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, he owned a stall which sold American-Indian artefacts, which he later expanded to 4 franchised stores. A few months before finishing his combined Business Law degree, law firms offered him jobs which required 60 hours of work a week. He opted to take up stand-up comedy instead.^[7]

His author's profile and an extract from his book, The Happiest Refugee,^[8] were used in the 2011 School Certificate Examinations in New South Wales, leading to an extensive number of Facebook groups and fan pages being made about him and his achievements. Due to the question regarding writing a letter to the principal asking him to be a guest speaker at the end of year assembly, he has been offered the chance to do this in many schools around the state..

Acting filmography[link]

• Double the Fist (2008) as Krakbot
• Crooked Business (2008) as Benny Wing
• Kick (2007) as Hoa Tran
• Footy Legends (2006) as Luc Vu
• Solo (2006) as Nguyen
• Pizza as Chong Fat (2005–2007)
• Blue Water High – (Episode: It's Hard to Be Normal) (2005) as Robbo
• Little Fish (2005) as Tran
• The Finished People (2003) as Factory Worker
• All Saints (2003) (Episode: The Devil to Pay) as Tim Salter
• Don't Blame Me (2002) as Vinnie
• SeaChange (2000) as Quan Tho

Filmography (as himself)[link]

• Talking Heads (2010, Series 6 Episoode 33) Guest
• Top Gear Australia (2009) Guest
• The Squiz (2009) as host
• Made In China (2008) as host
• Short and Curly
• Deal or No Deal special (2007) as contestant (won maximum prize of $200,000)
• Dancing with the Stars (2007/season 7) as contestant
• Thank God You're Here (2006 & 2007) as contestant
• The NRL Footy Show, comedian
• Matty Johns Show as himself in segment Anh Can Do
• Pictures of You, guest

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Anh Do at the Internet Movie Database

Thích Nhất Hạnh
Thich Nhat Hanh in Paris in 2006.
Religion	Zen (Thiền) Buddhist
School	Lâm Tế Dhyana (Línjìchánzōng) Founder of the Order of Interbeing
Lineage	42nd generation (Lâm Tế) 8th generation (Liễu Quán)
Other name(s)	Thầy (teacher)
Personal
Born	(1926-10-11) October 11, 1926 (age 85) Tha Tien, Quang Ngai province, Vietnam
Senior posting
Based in	Plum Village (Lang Mai)
Title	Thiền Sư (Zen master)
Religious career
Teacher	Thích Chân Thật

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Thích Nhất Hạnh ( listen; born October 11, 1926) is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France where he was in exile for many years. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan.^[1] He is often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.

In the early 1960s, he founded the School of Youth for Social Services (SYSS) in Saigon. This grassroots relief organization rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools, established medical centers, and resettled families left homeless during the Vietnam War.^[2] He traveled to the U.S. to study at Princeton University, and later to lecture at Cornell University and Columbia University. His focus at the time was to urge the U.S. government to withdraw from Vietnam. He urged Martin Luther King, Jr. to publicly oppose the Vietnam War; King nominated Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize in January 1967. He created the Order of Interbeing in 1966, establishing monastic and practice centers around the world. In 1973, the Vietnamese government denied Nhat Hanh permission to return to Vietnam and he went into exile in France. From 1976 to 1977 he led efforts to rescue Vietnamese boat people in the Gulf of Siam.

Nhất Hạnh has become an important influence in the development of Western Buddhism.^[3][4] His teachings and practices aim to appeal to people from various religious, spiritual, and political backgrounds, intending to offer mindfulness practices for more Western sensibilities. He lives in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France,^[2] travelling internationally to give retreats and talks. He coined the term Engaged Buddhism in his book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire.^[5] A long-term exile, he was given permission to make his first return trip to Vietnam in 2005 and has returned regularly since.^[6] He was awarded the Courage of Conscience award in 1991.^[7]

Nhất Hạnh has published more than 100 books, including more than 40 in English. A journal for the Order of Interbeing, The Mindfulness Bell, is published quarterly which includes a Dharma talk by him. Nhat Hanh continues to be active in the peace movement, promoting non-violent solutions to conflict.^[8] He has also been featured in many films, including The Power of Forgiveness showcased at the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival.^[9]

Biography[link]

Thich Nhat Hanh in Vught, the Netherlands, 2006

Born as Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Nhất Hạnh was born in the city of Quảng Ngãi in Central Vietnam (Thừa Thiên) in 1926. At the age of 16 he entered the monastery at Từ Hiếu Temple near Huế, Vietnam, where his primary teacher was Dhyana (meditation Zen) Master Thanh Quý Chân Thật.^[1][10][11] A graduate of Bao Quoc Buddhist Academy in Central Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh received training in Zen and the Mahayana school of Buddhism and was ordained as a monk in 1949.^[5]

In 1956, he was named editor-in-chief of Vietnamese Buddhism, the periodical of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Association (Giáo Hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam Thống Nhất). In the following years he founded Lá Bối Press, the Van Hanh Buddhist University in Saigon, and the School of Youth for Social Service (SYSS), a neutral corps of Buddhist peaceworkers who went into rural areas to establish schools, build healthcare clinics, and help re-build villages.^[2]

Nhat Hanh is now recognized as a Dharmacharya and as the spiritual head of the Từ Hiếu Temple and associated monasteries.^[1][12] On May 1, 1966 at Từ Hiếu Temple, Thich Nhat Hanh received the "lamp transmission", making him a Dharmacharya or Dharma Teacher, from Master Chân Thật.^[1]

During the Vietnam War[link]

In 1960, Nhat Hanh came to the U.S. to study comparative religion at Princeton University, subsequently being appointed lecturer in Buddhism at Columbia University. By then he had gained fluency in French, Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese and English, in addition to his native Vietnamese. In 1963, he returned to Vietnam to aid his fellow monks in their non-violent peace efforts.

Nhat Hanh taught Buddhist psychology and Prajnaparamita literature at the Van Hanh Buddhist University, a private institution that focused on Buddhist studies, Vietnamese culture, and languages. At a meeting in April 1965 Van Hanh Union students issued a Call for Peace statement. It declared: "It is time for North and South Vietnam to find a way to stop the war and help all Vietnamese people live peacefully and with mutual respect." Nhat Hanh left for the U.S. shortly afterwards, leaving Sister Chan Khong in charge of the SYSS. Van Hanh University was taken over by one of the Chancellors who wished to sever ties with Thich Nhat Hanh and the SYSS, accusing Chan Khong of being a communist. From that point the SYSS struggled to raise funds and faced attacks on its members. The SYSS persisted in their relief efforts without taking sides in the conflict.^[5]

Nhat Hanh returned to the US in 1966 to lead a symposium in Vietnamese Buddhism at Cornell University and to continue his work for peace. He had written a letter to Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965 entitled: "In Search of the Enemy of Man". It was during his 1966 stay in the U.S. that Thich Nhat Hanh met with Martin Luther King, Jr. and urged him to publicly denounce the Vietnam War.^[13] In 1967, Dr. King gave a famous speech at the Riverside Church in New York City, his first to publicly question the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.^[14] Later that year Dr. King nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize. In his nomination Dr. King said, "I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of [this prize] than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity".^[15] The fact that King had revealed the candidate he had chosen to nominate and had made a "strong request" to the prize committee, was in sharp violation of the Nobel traditions and protocol.^[16][17] The committee did not make an award that year.

In 1969, Nhat Hanh was the delegate for the Buddhist Peace Delegation at the Paris Peace talks. When the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973, the South Vietnamese government denied Thich Nhat Hanh permission to return to Vietnam and he went into exile in France. From 1976-1977 he led efforts to help rescue Vietnamese boat people in the Gulf of Siam, eventually stopping under pressure from the governments of Thailand and Singapore.^[18]

Establishing the Order of Interbeing[link]

Deer Park Monastery in California

Nhat Hanh created the Order of Inter-Being in 1966. He heads this monastic and lay group, teaching Five Mindfulness Trainings and Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. In 1969, Nhat Hanh established the Unified Buddhist Church (Église Bouddhique Unifiée) in France (not a part of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam). In 1975, he formed the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Center. The center grew and in 1982 he and his colleague Sister Chân Không founded Plum Village Buddhist Center (Làng Mai), a monastery and Practice Center in the Dordogne in the south of France.^[2] The Unified Buddhist Church is the legally recognized governing body for Plum Village (Làng Mai) in France, for Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York, the Community of Mindful Living, Parallax Press, Deer Park Monastery in California, and the Magnolia Village in Batesville, Mississippi.^[19]

He established two monasteries in Vietnam, at the original Từ Hiếu Temple near Huế and at Prajna Temple in the central highlands. Thich Nhat Hanh and the Order of Interbeing have established monasteries and Dharma centers in the United States at Deer Park Monastery (Tu Viện Lộc Uyển) in Escondido, California, Maple Forest Monastery (Tu Viện Rừng Phong) and Green Mountain Dharma Center (Ðạo Tràng Thanh Sơn) in Vermont both of which closed in 2007 and moved to the Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York, and Magnolia Village Practice Center (Đạo Tràng Mộc Lan) in Mississippi. These monasteries are open to the public during much of the year and provide on-going retreats for lay people. The Order of Interbeing also holds retreats for specific groups of lay people, such as families, teenagers, veterans, the entertainment industry, members of Congress, law enforcement officers and people of color.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} He conducted a peace walk in Los Angeles in 2005, and again in 2007.^[25]

Notable students of Thich Nhat Hanh include: Skip Ewing founder of the Nashville Mindfulness Center, Natalie Goldberg author and teacher, Joan Halifax founder of the Upaya Institute, Stephanie Kaza environmentalist, Sister Chan Khong Dharma teacher, Noah Levine author, Albert Low Zen teacher and author, Joanna Macy environmentalist and author, Caitriona Reed Dharma teacher and co-founder of Manzanita Village Retreat Center, Leila Seth author and Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, and Pritam Singh real estate developer and editor of several of Nhat Hanh's books.

Return to Vietnam[link]

Nhat Hanh during a ceremony in Da Nang on his 2007 trip to Vietnam

In 2005, following lengthy negotiations, Nhat Hanh was given permission from the Vietnamese government to return for a visit. He was also allowed to teach there, publish four of his books in Vietnamese, and travel the country with monastic and lay members of his Order, including a return to his root temple, Tu Hieu Temple in Huế.^[6][26] The trip was not without controversy. Thich Vien Dinh, writing on behalf of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (considered illegal by the Vietnamese government), called for Nhat Hanh to make a statement against the Vietnam government's poor record on religious freedom. Thich Vien Dinh feared that the trip would be used as propaganda by the Vietnamese government, suggesting to the world that religious freedom is improving there, while abuses continue.^[27][28][29]

Despite the controversy, Nhat Hanh again returned to Vietnam in 2007, while two senior officials of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) remained under house arrest. The Unified Buddhist Church called Nhat Hanh's visit a betrayal, symbolizing Nhat Hanh's willingness to work with his co-religionists' oppressors. Vo Van Ai, a spokesman for the UBCV said "I believe Thich Nhat Hanh's trip is manipulated by the Hanoi government to hide its repression of the Unified Buddhist Church and create a false impression of religious freedom in Vietnam." ^[30] The Plum Village Website states that the three goals of his 2007 trip back to Vietnam were to support new monastics in his Order; to organize and conduct "Great Chanting Ceremonies" intended to help heal remaining wounds from the Vietnam War; and to lead retreats for monastics and lay people. The chanting ceremonies were originally called "Grand Requiem for Praying Equally for All to Untie the Knots of Unjust Suffering", but Vietnamese officials objected, saying it was unacceptable for the government to "equally" pray for soldiers in the South Vietnamese army or U.S. soldiers. Nhat Hanh agreed to change the name to "Grand Requiem For Praying".^[30] He has returned regularly since.

Approach[link]

Nhat Hanh's approach has been to combine a variety of traditional Zen teachings with insights from other Mahayana Buddhist traditions, methods from Theravada Buddhism, and ideas from Western psychology—to offer a modern light on meditation practice. Hanh's presentation of the Prajñāpāramitā in terms of "interbeing" has doctrinal antecedents in the Huayan school of thought,^[31] which "is often said to provide a philosophical foundation" for Zen.^[32]

Nhat Hanh has also been a leader in the Engaged Buddhism movement (he coined the term), promoting the individual's active role in creating change. He cites the 13th-century Vietnamese King Trần Nhân Tông with the origination of the concept. Trần Nhân Tông abdicated his throne to become a monk, and founded the Vietnamese Buddhist school in the Bamboo Forest tradition.

Names applied to him[link]

Nhat Hanh at Hue City airport on his 2007 trip to Vietnam (aged 80)

The Vietnamese name Thích (釋) is from "Thích Ca" or "Thích Già" (釋迦), means "of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan."^[1] All Buddhist monks and nuns within the East Asian tradition of Mahayana and Zen adopt this name as their "family" name or surname implying that their first family is the Buddhist community. In many Buddhist traditions, there are a progression of names that a person can receive. The first, the lineage name, is given when a person takes refuge in the Three Jewels. Thich Nhat Hanh's lineage name is Trừng Quang. The next is a Dharma name, given when a person, lay or monastic, takes additional vows or when one is ordained as a monastic. Thich Nhat Hanh's Dharma name is Phung Xuan. Additionally, Dharma titles are sometimes given, and Thich Nhat Hanh's Dharma title is "Nhat Hanh".^[1]

Neither Nhất (一) nor Hạnh (行)—which approximate the roles of middle name or intercalary name and given name, respectively, when referring to him in English—was part of his name at birth. Nhất (一) means "one", implying "first-class", or "of best quality", in English; Hạnh (行) means "move", implying "right conduct" or "good nature." Thích Nhất Hạnh has translated his Dharma names as Nhất = One, and Hạnh = Action. Vietnamese names follow this naming convention, placing the family or surname first, then the middle or intercalary name which often refers to the person's position in the family or generation, followed by the given name.^[33]

Thich Nhat Hanh is often referred to as "Thay" (Vietnamese: Thầy, "master; teacher") or Thay Nhat Hanh by his followers. On the Vietnamese version of the Plum Village website, he is also referred to as Thiền Sư Nhất Hạnh which can translated as "Zen Master", or "Dhyana Master".^[34] Any Vietnamese monk or nun in the Mahayana tradition can be addressed as "Thầy" ("teacher"). Vietnamese Buddhist monks are addressed "Thầy tu" ("monk") and nuns are addressed "Sư Cô" ("Sister") or "Sư Bà" ("Elder Sister").

See also[link]

• Buddhism in France
• Buddhism in the United States
• Buddhism in Vietnam
• Order of Interbeing
• Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States
• Religion and peacebuilding

References[link]