Living Buddha, Living Christ

Abstract

For over half a century, the remarkable contribution of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh (Thây) in promoting social peace through mindfulness meditation practice and inter-religious dialogues cannot be overestimated. Sectarian strife which manifests into widespread tension and warfare in the history of humankind is all rooted in clinging on “self”, particularly self “views”. Religious exclusivism, thinking our own religious tradition is monopolizing the only Truth, is a tumor and culprit to the above strife. To remedy this, the religious leaders must be consciously lobbying commonalities and shared values among various religious teachings, respecting pluralism, and avoiding magnifying doctrinal confl icts. Thây’s long-term effort in promulgating religious understanding and tolerance has been widely noted, leading him to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize at his earlier career.