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To Hear Thay's Voice (May 17, 2005)
I was very moved by this program. I have read some of Thich Nhat Hanh's writings, and have wanted to learn more about the person. To hear his voice and to hear others speak who are personally acquainted with him was an inspiration. The report by the policewoman who underwent a workshop in working mindfully with perpetrators of crime left me in tears. Thank you.
Lynn Mather
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Thay's Teaching in the Prisons (May 3, 2005)
I have been a student of Thay's since 1997 when I went to Plum Village entirely ignorant of his teachings or in fact of Buddhist principles. The moment I stepped onto the soil made sacred by many, many mindful steps, I felt I was at home. His teachings have made a deep and profound difference in my life.
I am writing to thank you for reaching a friend of mine who is in prison. As a way of sharing Thay's teachings, I write to 16 people in prisons all across the country. Some of these prisoners have told me that my contact with them was the only communication they have had in years that treated them with respect as human beings. Each month mail comes to me filled with hopes and suffering and I try to reply to each one with support and understanding, and sometimes mini dharma lessons. Visits with three of "my prisoners" in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California have added a special aspect to my mission. I have provided "my prisoners" with copies of books by Thay and Bo Lozoff (co-founder with Ram Das of The Prison Ashram & leader of the Humankindness Foundation).
One day, a letter brimming with excitement came from Wakeel, one of four prisoners I write to at Red Onion State Prison, a Supermax facility in Virginia. "Oh, Carole, this morning I was listening to NPR and I got to hear Thay's voice for the first time! It is wonderful to read his teachings from the books you sent me, but I am so happy to actually get to hear him talk and hear his voice! It makes his teachings so much more immediate for me!" Thank you from the depths of my heart for taking Thay's voice to one of his students who is unable to hear Thay anytime he wishes.
Carole Baker
Shade Gap, PA (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Mindfulness (April 25, 2005)
I am currently taking an Eastern religions class as well as a Western religions class which complement each other nicely. We learned the practice of mindfulness and read the book The Miracle of Mindfulness. I find this practice very interesting but very hard to learn, especially in this multitasking world that we live in. I have tried many times to just concentrate on my breath and soon find myself thinking of a hundred different things, however, when I can keep concentrating on my breath it is very relaxing. I would recommend this practice to anyone, however it takes a lot of time to learn and is more difficult then it first seems. I would also like to say that it is nice that you have a variety of different religious people on your show; I was raised Catholic but seem to lean more towards the Eastern religions and it is nice to hear a bit of all the different religions.
Tiffany Olson
Cokato, MN (Listens via Web Audio)
Exactly What the Country Needs (April 14, 2005)
Your program featuring Thich Nhat Hanh was remarkable. This program is exactly what our country (indeed the world) needs today. Your open, apolitical conversation about engaged Buddhism and the real-life impacts that Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings have had on people from different walks of life truly impacted me. I have not heard anything quite like your program before. Thank you.
Kevin Emerson
Salt Lake City, UT (KUER, 90.1 FM)
The Message and Your Voice (March 24, 2005)
I am struck with two thoughts from this powerful program. The first is the universal truths spoken by Thich Nhat Hanh. In my head, I kept finishing his statements, not with his words, but with the language that helped save my life, the 12 Steps. This was a great reminder that describing a life well lived sounds very similar regardless of the tradition.
The second is how calming it must have been to be in his presence. The differences in Krista Tippett's voice when she spoke with Thich Nhat Hanh suggests the serenity to be found in his presence and his teachings. Your show continues to enrich my life.
Davis Chung
Amissville, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM and Web Audio)
Meaning to Paul's Words (March 23, 2005)
Now I know what Paul meant by being struck with lightning. I will always strive to keep my heart from darkness. Thank you for your work, Krista.
William Harris
Milwaukee, WI (WUWM, 89.7 FM)
Each Thing Makes a Difference (March 22, 2005)
Friends have been listening to your program for months. Today, after hearing of
your program this past Sunday, I logged on and I listened. This program touched me deeply, and I stopped working to listen to each word. They comforted me and challenged me to think. Think that what I do each and every day makes a difference, somewhere to someone. I am researching which retreat to take this year with Thich Nhat Hanh. As a Catholic struggling with the exclusions in our faith and as an anti-war supporter, this feels like a place called home. Thank you.
Jacqueline Henmi
Saint Louis, MO (KWMU, 90.7 FM)
Speaking a Universal Truth (March 22, 2005)
I am in the first year of training as a pastor at a Lutheran theological seminary. I was on my way to my teaching parish when I listened to your show on Thich Nhat Hanh. The words of Brother Thay touched me in a deep way. I understood at that moment that he was speaking a universal truth that transcends all faiths.
As Christians, we should embrace his teaching, which is very much at the true core of Christian teaching. His teaching would bring unity to the whole Christian church and help all of us to open our hearts to those of other faiths. Thank you for your program. It is very enlightening and very well executed.
Sharon Kaya
Gettysburg, PA (WYPR, 88.1 FM)
Letting Thich Seep In (March 21, 2005)
I listened last evening for the first time and was so impressed with Krista Tippett's intelligence and ability to do such a wonderful interview. I closed my eyes and just let it seep in, and the entire show with Thich Nhat Hanh was just wonderful. I don't think I've ever listened to a better interviewer — and this from a long-time listener of Terry Gross and others. I look forward to listening for many years to come and am so pleased I found Speaking of Faith. Thank you.
Barbara Feuer
Bethesda, MD (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Asking the Right Questions (March 21, 2005)
What an amazing interview you conducted with Thich Nhat Hanh, Krista. You asked some of my questions, but many I found so insightful. I particularly enjoyed your inquiring about how he prepared for different groups and his reply, "We must have friends (in those groups). We must understand their suffering." Once again you have chosen a wonderful subject and made more of it that I ever thought possible!
Mary Finan
La Mirada, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
Trying to Effect a Positive Result (March 20, 2005)
I found your piece on Thich Nhat Hanh very moving. I am a public school teacher in Milwaukee at a high school that has many students who are under great duress. This year, I selected a book by Thich Nhat Hanh on peace for my weekly quotes. I am a math teacher, but for the past three years, I have looked for a book for a source of quotes to try and affect students' spirits. I can't say that it's been a huge success. I only hope that the quotes and brief discussion of them each week have a positive effect on the students.
I have difficulty reacting in a peaceful way to much of the anger and hostility students direct at me and at each other. I remember hearing about the retreat at Green Lake, but felt it was too close to the start of school to go. After hearing this program, I am convinced more than ever that this is the path I need to walk to be more effective in reaching students. Thank you for this inspiring program.
Penney Morse
Milwaukee, WI (WUWM, 89.7 FM)
Hopeful about Iraq (March 20, 2005)
I enjoy listening to your show most Sundays, despite the fact that it comes on the radio at 7 am. I think that having Thich Nhat Hanh on the second anniversary of the start of the second Iraq war is good timing. It makes me hopeful that an individual can make a difference in this world. But I still feel it is a big job. Keep up the good work.
Nina Todor
New Hope, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
A Fly-Fishing Referral (March 20, 2005)
I am familiar with this monk and have read many of his books. He was recommended to me by my fly-fishing guide in Montana. Thank you so much, and good, good luck to you.
Judith Wolcott
Salt Lake City, UT (KUER, 90.1 FM)
My Prayer Granted (March 20, 2005)
Thanks so much for your radio broadcast of Thây today. I was having a tough day at the end of a tough week and was actually yearning to hear his voice and get some teachings. Imagine my amazement when my prayer was granted and I heard his voice emerging from the constant public radio I have on as background to my daily activities. It felt very intimate; suddenly, there he was right in my loom room, kitchen, and everywhere else the radio was on, reminding me to transform my (many) negative mental formations and wrong perceptions.
Maria Damon
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
The Buddha in Me (March 20, 2005)
I just wanted to thank you for the airing of Thich Nhat Hanh and Zen Buddhism. It is always a good time to speak of peace, compassion, and forgiveness; the irony of the timing of things never seem to surprise me. A co-worker and I (at an elementary school) were speaking about being a Buddha and she asked me for any information that I had about Buddhism from my years of seeking peace and compassion. I wrote a list of things and Thich Nhat Hanh was on
the list, I can only hope she was listening. I loved the fact that police officers and government officials have been seeking zen practice.
Megan Elliott
Berlin, MD (WSDL, 90.7 FM)
Gentle Words on Palm Sunday (March 20, 2005)
Thank you. I awoke this morning to the broadcast of your episode with Thich Nhat Hanh. Recently his teachings have re-entered my consciousness. As if the eternal light came into my cold room and warmed me to awake, the episode gently brought me to consciousness. His book Creating True Peace has been my guide recently. Moment to moment I can reflect on the words of Thich Nhat Hanh. With his gentle direction the thorny thicket I walk through grows clear and free of obstacles and distractions. Piece by piece the path becomes more joyful to walk, and leads into peace.
When Thich Nhat Hanh last came through my town, I was fortunate to attend the gathering here in Washington DC. His focus brought me to a place within myself where I found a deep serenity. Leaving any practice, serenity has been unfamiliar. Thank you. Palm Sunday has not met me so grounded in too long a time.
John Brady
Washington, DC (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Deflecting Pain (March 20, 2005)
In yoga one day the teacher asked us to pick an intention for class and inwardly I asked for the answer to how to deal with a difficult and sometimes cruel relative. While we were lying on the floor at the end of the class, the teacher read us an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh's book Being Peace in which the monk explains how to deflect the pain of others by by feeling compassion for these people's pain. This, he explained, is what the Buddha did. He deflected the attack on him by turning arrows into flowers.
And that is what I have been doing ever since. In literally the twinkling of an eye, Thich Nhat Hanh changed my life in one miraculous moment. I learned to recognize that when people try to hurt me it is a reflection of their pain, and has nothing to do with me. I acknowledge their pain and work to feel compassion, thus turning arrows into flowers.
Leslie Caplan
St. Louis, MO (KWMU, 90.7 FM)
Hopeful about Iraq (March 20, 2005)
I enjoy listening to your show most Sundays, despite the fact that it comes on the radio at 7 am. I think that having Thich Nhat Hanh on the second anniversary of the start of the second Iraq war is good timing. It makes me hopeful that an individual can make a difference in this world. But I still feel it is a big job. Keep up the good work.
Nina Todor
New Hope, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Releasing My Anger (March 20, 2005)
I was deeply moved by your interview with the Buddhist monk. I had been struggling with anger this morning (as I think many Americans do because of our hectic way of life). He gave me some useful tools to deal with some of these feelings. It was the perfect interview for me this morning. I am a devout Catholic, and I love my faith, especially the mystics like Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, but I learn so much from listening to the Buddhists, especially. It is a shame that we live at the apex of scientific knowledge, but we so often are unaware of the wisdom of the ages that could make our lives so much more meaningful. I often try to wake up early so I can listen to your program. It is educational
and inspiring. Thank you so much.
Mary Alice Kobler
Palatine, IL (WBEZ, 91.0 FM)
Threads of Light and Love (March 19, 2005)
Thank you for a most wonderful, moving program today, which has just ended. I have been a great admirer of Thich Nhat Hanh for many years now, and have been fortunate to see him speak in person twice. He weaves threads of light and love and fresh air into our heavy world, and I feel your program did a beautiful job of bringing that message of light into the world. I was especially moved by Krista's wise and probing questions. They were worthy
of their subject — and that's the highest praise I can think of. Keep up the great work!
Marc Farre
Piermont, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)
"Walking the Line" (March 19, 2005)
Ms. Tippett, you mentioned in the body of your reflection on the monk "Thay" that you find it hard not drift from side-to-side when walking the line between being a spiritually curious person and a journalist (I'm paraphrasing). May I suggest that you spend most of your good time on the spiritual side of the line and simply recognize yourself as a spiritual individual who happens to be a journalist? Carry on with the great work you're doing.
B.E. Chamberlain
Fort Lauderdale, FL (WLRN, 91.3 FM)
A Profound Experience (March 18, 2005)
I just listened for the second time to your piece on Thay. It was sent around our
listserve that it is to be rebroadcast this Sunday morning and evening on WETA radio, 90.9 FM. Fortunately, I remembered I could go online to hear it at will. As you know, Thay is currently in his native land of Vietnam until the middle of April. I was one of many who had the incredible opportunity to spend some time there during this rare and historic visit. I accompanied the sangha on segment two to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and Hue, Thay's place of birth, study, and ordination.
Having spent time with him and the monastics, you may be able to imagine just how incredibly profound and special this time was and is. I am hopeful that you will follow up with another segment in the future re-telling this part of the the journey. Thanks for for sharing your vision with all of us.
Much Metta (Metta means loving-kindness. In Metta the heart opens unconditionally,
encompassing all that is, with acceptance, awareness, and good will. The word Metta comes from the ancient language of Pali, is universal, finding expression in all cultures and societies.)
Jackie Randolph
Washington, DC (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Thay's Teachings (May 4, 2004)
I've always naturally had a Buddhist mentality, even without formal training or reading. And as I have started my reading and exploring I realize that often times I have been on the right path all along. However, as a human, I still suffer from ego, anger, desire, and unhappiness. Thay's teachings help me to "practice" the art of being happy.
Nicholas Segura
Kansas City, MO (KCUR, 89.3 FM)
Challenging My Understanding of Faith (June 21, 2004)
I find your program very interesting. This one in particular was fascinating in its emphasis that suffering is an integral part of morality, and that heaven itself must include suffering to be ethical. Is is not a thought we all share? We normally think of heaven as a place of peace where loving kindness permeates, and suffering no longer exists when, in the words of Isaiah, the Lion lies down with the lamb. I am still thinking about that notion. Thank you for making my thoughts troubled and for challenging my understanding of faith, and the meaning of suffering.
Leon Rogson
Los Angeles, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
Buddhism and Fierceness (April 25, 2004)
I wanted to thank you for your great work. Your work is truly right on for our age and having a huge and positive impact on the American psyche. I was especially moved by your interview with the policewoman at the Thich Nhat Hanh retreat.
I love buddhism but, instinctively, I have always known that there is a place for fierceness in personal spiritual discipline and enlightened social activism. Thank you for covering what needs to be covered in these rapidly changing and challenging times. The kind of investigative spiritual journalism is exactly what this planet needs to open communication between ideologically isolated people and groups.
Mike Stokes
Santa Monica, CA (KPCC 89.3 FM)
Swimming Upstream (April 25, 2004)
In our contemporary Western milieu, the practice of mindfulness and compassion is countercultural. Yet, it is the only way to realize true peace — both individual and worldwide. As more and more spiritual seekers discover and embrace this way, we are closer to a new birth as a society where no one is forgotten, no one is unimportant or inferior, where we realize that despite the superficialities of language, culture, color, gender and way of life, we are all connected. We are all one, all part of Spirit, Om, God, Allah or whatever word means the all-embracing, all-compassionate One to the individual. John Donne alluded to this when he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. It's taken us a very long time to hear it. Mea culpa.
Evelyn Rodgers
Lynwood, IL (WBEZ 91.5 FM)
Becoming Mindful (April 24, 2004)
During the last two years I have read and practiced engaged buddhism. Putting together body and mind, "stopping, calming, resting, healing" as Thây would say. I was present at this retreat at Green Lake and met Thây for the first time. I went because I was searching and was skeptical of the practice even though I had found some peace in practicing alone. After a week with Thay and the monks and nuns that came with him from Plum Village, I had no doubt of my direction.
Upon my return home, I have continued to grow deeper into the practice and have found very little to be skeptical of. At first it seems very simple, breathing in and out, then it expands into something much deeper than I could have ever imagined. I have been a social worker for 30 years and I have started to assist my clients by using what I have learned. I do not worship Thây, I respect him as a learned teacher deeply devoted to the practice.
Thây and the Buddha said "Don't believe me blindly, try and if it does or doesn't work for you you now know for yourself." I have taken refuge in the buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. I continue to learn, grow, and practice. I have arrived, I am home in the here and in the now.
Robert Lyman
Duluth, MN (WSCN 100.5 FM)
Chewing on These Teachings… (April 25, 2004)
I just saw the movie Dogville, which seemed to be a meditation on human frailty and propensity to do awful things (lack of mindfulness of the citizens of Dogville), compassion and forgiveness (mindfulness of Grace), and then loss of mindfulness (again by Grace). Which leads to a question, among others. How should one confront evil/violent/destructive behaviors if the perpetrator of those behaviors has no apparent will to become mindful of him- or herself?
Not that I disagree with what Thây says, but I wonder how he would have counseled those who lived in Nazi Germany, or in present-day Palestine/Israel — situations where mindfulness may have no effect, and arguably only result in further oppression/violence — or prevent any surcease to it. Is there a point where one must draw the line at one's resistance to oppression/violence by others? At violence itself? What if an oppressor pays no heed to this line? Should one merely suffer through oppression and still have compassion for oppressors? That approach in the occupied territories seems only to result in destroyed olive groves, further appropriations of land, and lack of good faith in negotiations. But I do understand that violence in response to those activities is abhorrent, and only furthers the vicious circle. And furthermore, mindfulness in response to terrorism threatens a society — a society with strong memories of suffering and a strong will to maintain control of their lives to prevent another Shoah.
Are Thây's teachings just another way of turning the cheek, like Jesus's teaching, and choosing to maintain one's integrity (while still suffering) rather than lose one's integrity, and perpetuate the spiral? If so, it seems that one must then be willing to "lose everything" one wishes for (for Israelis, more innocent lives to be lost, and loss of control over their destiny after centuries of oppression; and for Palestinean Arabs, further expropriation of land, lives, dignity, etc.), in order to avoid perpetuating anger and violence and hate.
Clint Brass
Arlington, VA (WETA 90.9 FM)
Moments of Spirituality (April 25, 2004)
Thank you so much for having the program with Thich
Nhat Hanh. His thoughts are inspiring! I hope to
attend one of Thai's seminars and look forward to
seeing the schedule on this Web site. I listen to
your program every Sunday even though it's on at
6:00 in the morning! Thanks for all your efforts
which have brought these moments of spirituality
to public radio.
Kay Wade
Chicago, IL (WBEZ 91.5 FM)
Comfort in Thich Nhat Hanh's Words (April 23, 2004)
Thây's words and his voice comfort me enormously, especially in this time of great trial for the United States. He is the one person who can set me back on the right path when I become too depressed by events, or too angry. He has helped me to learn that world peace begins with "peace in oneself," and taught me so many other things that have changed my life over the past ten years.
Listening to his voice comforts me so. He radiates such compassion. I only wish more people could be introduced to this phenomenon, and I'm afraid many are too put off by the notions of Buddhism, or his Vietnamese nature, to open themselves to his teachings. I hope your radio program helps.
Carolyn Dingus
Waianae, HI (Listens via Web Audio)
