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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Miranda Bryant

From MLK to Silicon Valley, how the world fell for ‘father of mindfulness’

Thich Nhat Hahn leading people in a walking meditation in 2013
Thich Nhat Hahn leading people in a walking meditation in 2013. Photograph: Zuma Press/Alamy

Before he got sick, Thich Nhat Hanh urged his followers not to put his ashes in a vase, lock him inside and “limit who I am”. Instead, the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet and peace activist apparently told them: “If I am anywhere, it is in your mindful breathing and in your peaceful steps.”

And after the 95-year-old’s death on Saturday, the breadth of the legacy of his extraordinary life was laid bare as news of his death reverberated around the world, drawing tributes from leading figures from across psychology, religion and social justice.

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