Vietnamese bid farewell to father of mindfulness
Gulf Times
Buddhist monks walk and pray during the procession to a cremation ground for Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh at Tu Hieu pagoda in Hue province on January 29, 2022
Tens of thousands of Vietnamese on Saturday bade farewell to the late monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh -- one of the world's most influential religious leaders -- ahead of his cremation ceremony in the country's Buddhist heartland.
The Zen master, who was credited with bringing mindfulness to the West and whose reach in Buddhism was seen as second only to the Dalai Lama, died aged 95 a week ago at the Tu Hieu Pagoda in the central city of Hue.
His remains were brought to an open cremation site on Saturday morning, followed by a crowd of tens of thousands including Buddhist monks in yellow and brown robes and followers dressed in grey.
The procession chanted Buddhist prayers.
