Mitchell Rabin of A Better World Interviews Thich Nhat Hanh & Master Sheng-Yen in NYC

World-renowned and beloved Buddhist teacher and poet Thich Nhat Hanh, came to NY to celebrate the release of his dear friend Ch'an Master Sheng-Yen's book on The Heart Sutra, for which he wrote the introduction. Born in Vietnam October 11, 1926, he passed January 22, 2022.

The world mourns the loss of this man of great peace and heart.

These interviews occurred at the celebration of the book's publication. The book was the fruit of 15 years of work.

A bit about Thich Nat Hanh from the NYT, By Seth Mydans

A monk with global influence and an ally of Martin Luther King, he championed what he called “engaged Buddhism,” applying its principles in pressing for peace.

Thich Nhat Hanh in his room at his temple in Vietnam in 2019. He was exiled from his country after opposing the war there in the 1960s.

Thich Nhat Hanh in his room at his temple in Vietnam in 2019. He was exiled from his country after opposing the war there in the 1960s. Credit...Linh Pham for The New York Times

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was one of the world’s most influential Zen masters, spreading messages of mindfulness, compassion and nonviolence, died on Saturday at his home in the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam. He was 95.

The death was announced by Plum Village, his organization of monasteries. He suffered a severe brain hemorrhage in 2014 that left him unable to speak, though he could communicate through gestures.

A prolific author, poet, teacher and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh was exiled from Vietnam after opposing the war in the 1960s and became a leading voice in a movement he called “engaged Buddhism,” the application of Buddhist principles to political and social reform.

Traveling widely on speaking tours in the United States and Europe (he was fluent in English and French), Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced tik nyaht hahn) was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism, urging the embrace of mindfulness, which his website describes as “the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment.”

Sheng Yen, (January 22, 1931 – February 3, 2009) was a Taiwanese Buddhist monk, religious scholar, and writer. He was one of the mainstream teachers of Chan Buddhism. He was a 57th generational dharma heir of Linji Yixuan in the Linji school (Japanese: Rinzai) and a third-generation dharma heir of Hsu Yun. In the Caodong (Japanese: Sōtō) lineage, Sheng Yen was a 52nd-generation Dharma heir of Dongshan Liangjie (807-869), and a direct Dharma heir of Dongchu (1908–1977).

Sheng Yen was the founder of the Dharma Drum Mountain, a Buddhist organization based in Taiwan. During his time in Taiwan, Sheng Yen was well known as a progressive Buddhist teacher who sought to teach Buddhism in a modern and Western-influenced world.

In Taiwan, he was one of four prominent modern Buddhist masters, along with Hsing Yun, Cheng Yen and Wei Chueh, popularly referred to as the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Taiwanese Buddhism. In 2000 he was one of the keynote speakers in the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held in the United Nations.