An introduction to religious and spiritual experience

Buddhism and Christianity
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–)
A Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh is affectionately 
known as ‘Thay’ (teacher). He has given his life to making peace and in 
1967, Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize 
shortly before his assassination. The result of Thay’s efforts at reconcilia-
tion during the Vietnamese War (between North and South Vietnam, 
backed by the communists and the USA respectively) was for him to be 
condemned by both sides and forced into exile in 1966. He now lives in 
Plum village in the South East of France. There he has established a com-
munity which welcomes all, Buddhist or not. Before his exile Thich Nhat 
Hanh had established a movement of ‘engaged Buddhism’ in Saigon and 
the An Quang Pagoda there.
His message is one of integration and wholeness and mindfulness, 
being aware of each moment. He himself is a prolific author and travels 
widely leading mindfulness retreats and giving teachings. I took part in a 
retreat in Scotland and joined hundreds of others in a walking meditation 
with Thay across the famous Old Course in Gleneagles. The astonished 
golfers halted their game as we slowly, mindfully made our way across the 
links to the beach, where we sat in meditation as the sun rose before us. 

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Religious and Spiritual Experience
190
In 
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Thich Nhat Hanh describes such 
walking, remembering his own village in Vietnam:
I like to walk alone on country paths, rice plants and wild grasses on 
both sides, putting each foot down on the earth in mindfulness, know-
ing that I walk on the wondrous earth. In such moments, existence is a 
miraculous and mysterious reality. People usually consider walking on 
water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk 
either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are 
engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white 
clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two 
eyes. All is a miracle.
171
His own practice of mindfulness and constant meditation enabled Thich 
Nhat Hanh to deal with the opprobrium heaped upon him during the war 
years. He was criticized by all sides for his role as peacemaker. James 
Forest tells of when he was travelling with Thay in 1968 in America. 
During a visit to a Christian church in St Louis a man in the congregation 
stood up and vented his anger at the Vietnamese monk, suggesting that he 
should go and spend his time with his own people. Thay reacted calmly, 
speaking about dealing with the roots of the problem in Vietnam, which 
lay in America and advocating overcoming hatred with love. But the alter-
cation was costly for him, and afterwards he left the room. In order to 
calm himself, he had taken breaths that were too deep and slow and 
needed to recover. Experience is at the heart of his teaching.
Religious experience is inevitable human experience. It has to do with 
the human consciousness, both individual and collective. In Buddhism, 
religious practice begins with mindfulness. As the practice deepens and 
mindfulness becomes more sustained, the practitioner is able to touch, 
feel, see and understand more deeply. Understanding makes love and 
compassion possible, and when love and compassion are present, 
understanding deepens. The practitioner learns how to practice to 
maintain mindfulness and help it grow. She knows that while mindful-
ness is alive, transformation can take place.
172
Thich Nhat Hanh has written with deep insight of Christianity and 
Buddhism, bringing the two traditions together, despite Vietnam’s history 
of Christian-based denigration of Buddhism under French colonial rule.
On the altar in my hermitage in France are images of Buddha and 
Jesus, and every time I light incense, I touch both of them as my spiri-
tual ancestors.
173

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Mystics
191
He has drawn parallels between the wisdom of the two teachers and the 
traditions in 
Living Buddha, Living Christ
and 
Going Home, Jesus and 
Buddha as Brothers
, where he imagines the Buddha and Jesus meeting for 
tea and helping each other for the sake of humanity. Thay’s focus is on 
genuine underlying experience within religion.
Authentic experience makes a religion a true tradition. . . . The absence 
of true experience brings forth intolerance and a lack of understand-
ing. Organized religions, therefore, must create conditions that are 
favourable for true practice and true experience to flower.
174
He does not ignore the aspects which make harmony difficult, such 
as statements affirming that Jesus is the only Son of God and salvation 
is only possible through him, which excludes other religious traditions. 
He brings the same instinct to the reconciliation of the religions as 
to peacemaking, here quoting the second precept of the Order of 
Interbeing, founded within the Zen Buddhist tradition during the 
Vietnam War.
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, abso-
lute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. 
Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to 
receive others’ viewpoints.
175
Thich Nhat Hanh has a huge following of people attracted to his 
homely, practical form of mysticism. He has turned his exile into a new 
beginning and in the midst of conflict has brought peace. The Community 
of Interbeing co-ordinates his visits, retreats and book sales in the United 
Kingdom.