The low peaceful notes of a bell floated over the Deer Park Monastery in the mountains of Escondido, California, where hundreds of people gathered recently to honor the beloved Zen teacher and poet Thich Nhat Hanh.
Nhat Hanh, who died in January at the age of 95, never lived at the mountain monastery he founded in 2000, but he visited many times to lead retreats.
Devotees say they can still see their teacher in the rustling of the wind through the oak trees, or in the form of a rock where he once gave a talk. Dotted throughout the property are small wooden signs painted in his distinctive calligraphy with gentle reminders to live fully, and joyfully, in the moment: "I have arrived, I am home." "Peace is every step." "Enjoy breathing."
