Healing the Wounds

Thich Nhat Hanh in Ho Chi Minh city, leading Vietnamese monks in a Buddhist ceremony to heal the wounds of the Vietnam war 40 years ago.It has been estimated that over 1.4 million military personnel were killed in the Vietnam war, of which 6% were members of the United States armed forces. The estimates of civilian fatalities range from 2 to 5.1 million. Many of Thich Nhat Hanh's friends, family and disciples where killed during the war in Vietnam by both the guerillas and the Americans. Ben Tre, a city of three hundred thousand people, was bombed to destruction by the Americans after a number of guerillas entered the city and tried to shoot down American aircraft.

It was not only the people of Vietnam who suffered during the war. The young American soldier who was sent to Vietnam in order to kill and be killed also suffered, and that suffering continues today. It is not just the family but the nation that suffers in the end. War is War. It is misunderstanding and fear that lies at the foundation of the suffering and it is only by overcoming that fear and misunderstanding that one is able to heal the wounds and forgive.

Thich Nhat Hanh was abel to understand the nature of the suffering. Born central Vietnam in 1926 he became a monk at the age of 16. In the early 60’s he founded the School of Youth Social Service, (SYSS). The SYSS based its work on the Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassionate action. The organization rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical centers, resettled homeless families, and organized agricultural cooperatives. He was banned from returning to Vietnam in 1966 after visiting the USA and Europe. He persuaded Martin Luther King, Jr. to oppose the Vietnam War publicly in America, and so helped to galvanize the peace movement. The following year, Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Today Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the best known and most respected Zen masters in the world today, a poet, and peace and human rights activist.

"True peace is always possible, yet it requires strength and practice, particularly in times of great difficulty. To some, peace and nonviolence are synonymous with passivity and weakness. In truth, practicing peace and nonviolence is far from passive. To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love, and compassion, even in the face of misperception and conflict. Practicing peace, especially in times of war, requires courage."

This weekend, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we in the UK remember the soldiers that fell in two world wars and all the other conflicts that have claimed countless sons’s, fathers, brothers, husbands and lovers. All good men who fought for “King and country”, but also, lets not forget the countless numbers of civilians on all sides who where killed in the “Name of Freedom”, the innocent ones caught up in the conflict over which they had no control. Let us learn from Thich Nhat Hanh and remember that and it is only by overcoming our fear and misunderstanding that will help us to heal our wounds and forgive.