I have come to be with you,
to weep with you
for our ravaged land
and broken lifes.
We are left with only grief and pain,
but take my hands
and hold them.
I want to say
only simple words.
Have courage. We must have courage,
if only for the children,
if only for tomorrow.
(Thich Nhât Hanh. Call me by My True Name. Berkeley: Parallax press, 1999, p. 10)
Venerable Thich Nhât Hanh, Zen master in the tradition of the Vietnamese Lam Te School (Rinzai resp. Lin Chi), recalls in these lines the horrors of war, but gives us a glimmer of hope in the end, the hope of a life in peace. As a young monk, Thay („ Teacher“ as Thich Nhât Hanh is respektfully called by his disciples) was deeply affected by the devastation of his native land, the wrath of war that brought mutilation and death to women and children, old and young people alike. Together with a few monks, nuns and lay people, who thought and felt like him, he founded the “Tiep Hien Order” ( the Order of “Interbeing”). The first members of the Order were recruted from the School of Youth for Social Services, with the intention to apply the ancient teachings of Buddha to the reality of modern times. These young Buddhists comforted those, whose bodies were burnt in the fires of war, held them in their arms and consoled the survivors. They rebuilt the destroyed huts, only to see them going up in flames during the next air raid. They stood as a neutral force between the warring parties of North and South and cared for all those ravaged by war and violence. This was the moment when “Engaged Buddhism” was born, a movement that had inspired many since and gained vast acceptance throughout the world.
Thay understands “Engaged Buddhism” as a way of life, where Buddhism is present in each ordinary action, may it be peeling vegetables, driving a car, or at the work place. He relies on two Buddhist texts, which are fundamental to the meditation practice of mindfullness (Anapanasati sutta and Satipatthana sutta) and encourages his disciples to practice mindfullness every moment of the day. With regard to the modern world he rephrased the traditonal five precepts of Buddhist ethics so that they address the problems and ills of modern societies and economics. In general these ideas and principles are reflected in the Manifesto 2000 for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolenc of the UNESCO Commission, signed by more than a million people.
Thay asks his disciples to observe a strict neutrality with regard to all religious and political ideologies, even those of Buddhism, so that they can serve all those in need regardless of their religious or political orientations. For instance, the members of the “Order of Interbeing” pledge „Aware of the suffering created by fanaticism and intolerance, we are determined not to be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist teachings are guiding means to help us learn to look deeply and to develop our understanding and compassion. They are not doctrines to fight, kill, or die for.“
The Maitreya-Fonds was created on the basis of these principles of “Engaged Buddhism” as taught by Thay. The five trainings in mindfulness are the ethical basis for our charitable activities in Vietnam. Of course, we are deeply committed to ideological neutrality. Thus we select projects, that we will sponsor according to the nature and amount of need, and not according to the religious or political affiliation of the aid recipients. As practising Buddhists, for whom social engagement is an integral part of their spiritual practice, we see in the impoverished first and foremost their own strength, which we want to support through our aid programs. These aid programs are no alms but contributions to further the innate talents and self responsibility of the aid recipients. As a practical consequence, our “Social workers” in Vietnam are the hub of our aid projects in Vietnam. We in the West provide them with the means to carry out their work so that Thay’s words in the follwoing poem become reality:
„Listen to the call of the homeland.
Mountains and rivers are so beautiful.
Let us go back to our home to touch our roots.
Crossing the bridges of understanding and love,
we arrive at our true home.“
(Thich Nhât Hanh. Call Me by My True Name. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1999, p. 167)
The five Trainings in Mindfulness you can find here.