Thich Nhat Hanh, dead at 95

Thich Nhat Hanh, the well-known Zen master, died recently in Vietnam at the temple where he lived. An author, poet and teacher, he spoke about “engaged Buddhism,” applying Buddhist principles to social issues and in daily life.

But what does this really mean, and how can people who don’t identify as Buddhists learn from Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching? Today I want to look at the implications of his work for Health and Healing.

On slowing down

“There is no need to run, strive, search or struggle. Just be. Just being in the moment in this place is the deepest practice of meditation. Most people cannot believe that just walking as if you have nowhere to go is enough.”

What I know best is American medicine, and as a doctor I can say our field is in crisis. It has truly lost its way, between the electronic medical record, lack of time with patients, profiteering, and burnout. Workaholism is the culture of medicine and that is antithetical to Health and Healing. We physicians and other healers need to slow way down. See less patients. Write less emails and Epic notes. Just go for a walk, and listen to the birds.

On death

“Our greatest fear is that when we die we will become nothing. Many of us believe that our entire existence is only a life span beginning the moment we are born or conceived and ending the moment we die. We believe that we are born from nothing and when we die we become nothing. And so we are filled with fear of annihilation.

Doctors, nurses, and other clinicians must address the fear of death over and over. Say a patient has laryngeal tuberculosis. He or she is probably afraid. We absorb that fear, and without healing rituals we are at risk of getting sick ourselves.

On meditation

“Breathing in, repeat, ‘in the here, in the here.’ Breathing out, ‘in the now, in the now.’ Although these are different words, they mean exactly the same thing. I have arrived in the here, I have arrived in the now. I am home in the here. I am home in the now.”

Before we give SSRIs or benzodiazepines for anxiety or depression, we should teach our patients to breathe. To meditate. To be calm. Pills might still be necessary. But they are not a panacea. Hopes and prayers for health and healing, we tell ourselves.

On war

“We know very well that airplanes, guns and bombs cannot remove wrong perceptions. Only loving speech and compassionate listening can help people correct wrong perceptions. But our leaders are not trained in that discipline, and they only rely on the armed forces to remove terrorism.”

Of course the only answer is non-violence. Of course we must stand up for a peaceful, verdant world.

On mindfulness

“With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment.”

So to the clinicians out there who are struggling because of COVID, I say to you, be present with your emotions. Validate your pain. And then move on. Organize. Speak out. Sing out. We shall overcome.

On suffering

“We have the tendency to run away from suffering and to look for happiness. But, in fact, if you have not suffered, you have no chance to experience real happiness.”

I have suffered. So have you. Let’s be grateful for our traumas. They help us grow and transform, a metamorphosis.

On fear

“Most of us experience a life full of wonderful moments and difficult moments. But for many of us, even when we are most joyful, there is fear behind our joy… Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch nonfear, you are free.”

I agree, of course. If we can identify our greatest fears, understand their root causes, and validate them, even thank them, then we can move on.

Say my greatest fear is developing severe mental illness and being locked up in a psychiatric ward, pumped full of drugs, getting electroconvulsive therapy, and eventually withering up and dying alone. That fear, of psychiatry and psychiatrists, can erode at my happiness and lead to anxiety. But if I can say “thank you” to that fear, that enables me to imagine a better future, and to heal.

On happiness

“There is no way to happiness — happiness is the way.”

So very true. Here’s to Health and Healing.