Continuing the Legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

By Sister Ocean (Chan Trang Hai An)

During the monastics’ 2015 US Tour, we spent an evening in New York City to “discuss the interbeing of spirituality and action in the struggle for racial justice.” As two hundred attendees filed into a breathing room, the home of Thay’s calligraphy exhibit at ABC Home, they were asked to reflect on the question: What do you need to fully invite yourself into the space? Answers included:

Respect

Forgiveness

Acceptance

Listen without judging

Imperfection is okay

Moderated by Arthel Neville, the panelists (Sister Peace, Marisela Gomez, Alycee J. Lane, and Rev. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel) started by looking at the historical meetings of Thay and Dr. King, and then shared about the many ways that they live out the teach­ings today. Many topics were covered, including the power of deep listening, self-hatred, the interbeing of violence and nonviolence, and the many ways to be an activist. Many people, myself included, shed tears that evening—tears of sorrow, tears of gratitude, and tears of joy. While each panelist spoke from her specific experi­ences, the themes were universal. Racial inequity has wounded everyone, and in a small way, the conversation allowed for a col­lective healing. Rev. Manuel reflected, “What touched my heart during the panel discussion was the deep listening that occurred in the audience. I could see in many eyes a joy as we made an inquiry into spirit and action.”

Alycee J. Lane shared, “What touched me most about the evening—besides, of course, the words of wisdom from the sis­ters with whom I shared the stage—was the audience’s palpable hunger for a way to make the legacies of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr. sources of power in their lives and in the world. Those who trekked through the rain that night to share in the conversation on Nhat Hanh and King are testimony to the fact that something else is afoot—namely, an awareness that we are not meant to tread the path of violence and hate, and that we must, like Nhat Hanh and King, step forward to be witnesses to our more noble selves.” 

Marisela Gomez commented, “There are two things—of many—which marked this event in my heart: the energy of the embodied wisdom of the panel and how this shaped our sharing, and the willingness of the participants to continue this inquiry into how spirit and action enhance our opportunity for collective healing.”

To finish the evening, the participants were asked to reflect on a different question: What will you take home with you? The answers, written on cards and posted for all to see, included: 

Deep listening is an act of nonviolence and activism.

Start with loving myself—work through my anger as an activist.

Forgiveness evokes peace.

Where do spirit and action meet in your life? Who can you have a conversation with about this? You are invited to watch the recording of the panel, reflect on what you will take with you, and share it with someone you love. We can all engage in sacred activism.

To see the full presentation, please go to the Plum Village Online Monastery channel on youtube.com, or go to the Blue Cliff Monastery channel for clips and a slide show reflection from the evening. We have already begun plans to continue this conversation at Blue Cliff Monastery and in New York City. For future events and retreats, stay tuned to the Blue Cliff calendar at bluecliffmonastery.org/calendar. 

This event was made possible in part thanks to generous hosting by ABC Home and a grant from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, whose support enabled Blue Cliff Monastery to bring the inspiring guest speakers to New York.