The monks and nuns of the Plum Village Buddhist community and meditation center have announced that the renowned Zen Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, affectionately known as Thay, returned to his hermitage in Dordogne in the south of France last Friday, from the United States, where he has been receiving medical treatment.

In November 2014, Thay was hospitalized in France following a severe brain hemorrhage. After months of rehabilitation, he was released from the stroke rehabilitation clinic at Bordeaux University Hospital in April 2015 and returned to Plum Village, where attendants from the monastery and visiting medical professionals continued to aid his recovery. On 11 July 2015, Thay was flown to San Francisco to undergo a more intensive rehabilitation program at the UCSF Medical Center where, in September 2015, Thay spoke his first words since his stroke.

A news update published on the Plum Village website noted that since the beginning of the New Year, Thay, who turned 89 last October, had clearly expressed a desire to return to his hermitage at Plum Village.

“Thay is satisfied with the progress he has made so far, thanks to the phenomenal care and attention of the doctors at UCSF, as well as all the many wonderful therapists treating him in the past six months. Thay would now like to return home to benefit from the healing collective energy there and to be with his Plum Village family. The doctors approved of Thay’s decision and assured us that Thay could make the journey without risk,” the statement said, adding that an attendant team would continue to provide around-the-clock care and rehabilitation treatment. (Plum Village)

“We are profoundly grateful for all the support and loving donations that Thay and the attendants have received throughout their stay in San Francisco. The loving embrace of the global sangha has allowed Thay to make great progress on his path of recovery, and he returns to Plum Village invigorated and full of joy. (Plum Village)

“On the eve of the New Year, Thay joined in the joyful celebrations with his attendants, smiling and humming along as they sang. In the last few days, Thay has also enjoyed listening animatedly to recordings of his own voice reading some of his best-loved poems. We are all happy to trust in Thay’s new intuition to return to Plum Village. In the coming weeks we will celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Daffodil Festival, and the Great Ordination Ceremony at Plum Village, and are very happy to know that Thay will be able to enjoy these celebrations with us.” (Plum Village)

Thay, born Nguyen Xuan Bao on 11 October 1926, is an influential Zen teacher, a poet, and the author of more than 100 books. As an advocate for peace, he was influential in the anti-war movement, encouraging non-violent protests during the Vietnam War. Thay founded the Order of Interbeing and the Unified Buddhist Church, and in 1982 established the Plum Village Buddhist Center in France with his colleague Sister Chan Khang. He has been a central figure in the transmission of Buddhism to the West and in marrying an authentic Zen tradition and lineage with a progressive approach to issues such as social activism, science versus faith, and religion versus spirituality.

See more

An Update on Thay’s Health: 8th January 2016 (Plum Village)
Thich Nhat Hanh Speaks First Words Since November 2014 Stroke (Buddhistdoor Global)
Update on the Health of Thich Nhat Hanh (Buddhistdoor Global)
Thich Nhat Hanh Recovers from Brain Hemorrhage and Returns to Plum Village (Buddhistdoor Global)
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh Emerges from Coma (Buddhistdoor Global)
Thich Nhat Hanh Recovering from Brain Hemorrhage (Buddhistdoor Global)