Funeral held in Vietnam for influential monk Thich Nhat Hanh

By HAU DINH
Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A funeral has been held for the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, a week after the renowned Zen master and peace activist died at the age of 95 in Hue in central Vietnam. Thousands of monks and disciples on Saturday trailed a procession of pallbearers carrying Nhat Hanh’s coffin from Tu Hieu Pagoda, where he spent his last days, to the cremation site. Others kneeled and clasped their hands in prayer on the roadside and bowed to the ground as the casket went past. Nhat Hanh was globally recognized for spreading the practice of mindfulness and socially engaged Buddhism. For most of his life, he lived in exile at Plum Village, a retreat center he founded in southern France.