Farewell to mindfulness icon

To eternal rest: Buddhist monks taking part in Hanh’s funeral at Tu Hieu Pagoda in Hue. — Reuters

TENS of thousands of Vietnamese bade farewell to the late monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh –one of the world’s most influential religious leaders – ahead of his cremation ceremony in the country’s Buddhist heartland.

The Zen master, who was credited with bringing mindfulness to the West and whose reach in Buddhism was seen as second only to the Dalai Lama, died aged 95 a week ago at the Tu Hieu Pagoda in the central city of Hue.