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Here’s a moment I will never forget…
Thich Nhat Hanh was going to be at an anti-war rally in Seoul, Korea and there was no way I was going to miss it.
It was 2003, mere days after the US had declared war on Iraq. My wife at the time and I were living in Korea working as English teachers and studying Kouk Son Do, a form of meditation based on Korean Buddhism which was introduced to us by our friend and assistant director of our school, Moon Jin-Soon. Despite the anti-American sentiment in Korea because of America’s decision for war, I nonetheless wanted to demonstrate my desire for peace.
We took a train 2.5 hours to Seoul, and headed to the large square to join more than 10,000 people at the peace rally. We quickly spied a group of buddhist monks in their grey habits. We recognizable them thanks to the fact that we had visited many buddhist temples and monasteries as part of our meditation practice.
One of the monks noticed us as well. We were holding signs on which we had scrawled, “Americans for Peace” in bold letters. He met us with an easy, broad smile and introduced himself in excellent English. “No war. No nuclear,” he said warmly. We reciprocated and quickly became acquainted, sharing warmth and appreciation for each other. Soon crowds began gathering around us like flies and reporters started snapping photos. Our new monk friend squeezed between us and the three of us hoisted our signs for peace in the air in solitary proclamation.
Suddenly, the enormous crowd of more than 10,000 people hushed to an alarming silence as a different group of a dozen monks wearing brown habits took the stage. It was Thich Nhat Hanh, the world-famous Vietnamese Thien Buddhist monk and peace activist with a small group of monks. He stood before the 10,000-person crowd and gave a beautiful speech on peace and offered prayers, sang, and rang bells. He instructed us all to meditate on peace and think, “brotherhood, brotherhood,” as we inhaled and “peace, peace,” as we exhaled. Then he and his monks began a slow peace walk through a cordoned off portion of the crowd.
I had read several of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books and had admired his work for many years. As he slowly came closer and closer to where I stood in the crowd, each step a prayer for peace, I was quiet on the outside but screaming in excitement on the inside. I felt equal parts humbled and star-struck. He was an undeniable rockstar in the Buddhist world and I was thrilled to be experience this powerhouse peacemaker in person.
As Thich Nhat Hanh slowly led his intimate procession through the silent crowd, our new monk friend leaned in close to us and whispered, “Stay close to me.” I looked at his face and he had a glint in his eyes, like he was planning some sort of surprise.
We stood and watched in reverence as Thich Nhat Hanh passed with his monks. Suddenly, I felt someone gently pushing me from behind. Surprised, I turned my head and was met with a huge smile from our new monk friend. He gracefully and assertively lifted the barriers that kept the crowds back and gently ushered us to join the back of the slow processional, placing himself in the rear. Before I even realized what was happening, I had become a part of Thich Nhat Hanh’s peace posse. Holding my “Americans for Peace” sign at my heart, I walked silently through the crowd as 10,000 pairs of eyes looked directly and silently at me, our heart repeating silently in tandem, "brotherhood, brotherhood... peace, peace..."
Then, breaking the silence, I heard, “Scott!” I looked into the crowd in complete surprise to see my friend Moon Jin-Soon. Her presence at the rally was a complete surprise to me. As I passed, she reached out her hand. I grabbed it, tears streaming down both of our cheeks.
Thich Nhat Hanh led the procession in a circle and eventually, after several minutes, back up on the stage in the center of the enormous crowd. I stood there on the stage on display before thousands of people knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Once Thich Nhat Hanh had finished his remarks, prayed again for peace on behalf of all of us, everyone uniformly bowed, remained held in a second of silence, then erupted in uproarious cheers.
Surreal.
The ceremony over, we were instantly flooded with hordes of people patting us on the back and taking more pictures. Onto the stage ran our friend, Moon Jin-Soon. We embraced each other and began crying again, feeling unified in our desire for peace and grateful for our friendship.
The three of us trained home together happily sharing stories and basking in the love of the day. On the way home, Moon Jin-Soon told us that the monk who had befriended us and ushered us into the march was a pretty big deal in Korean Buddhism. It was providence that we happened to meet him.
I’m grateful for peace. I’m grateful for Thich Nhat Hanh. I’m grateful for my opportunity to participate in that peace rally. I’m grateful for friendship. I’m grateful for love that defies cultures, time, and generations. I’m grateful for providence. I’m grateful for Thich Nhat Hanh. I’ll always be grateful for and remember that experience until the day I die.
What are your once-in-a-lifetime moments that you're grateful for?
