What it Means to 'Live Like a Buddha'

THE LATE ZEN MONK THICH NHAT HANH IS ONE OF MY BUDDHIST HEROES

The late Thich Nhat Hanh, dharma brother a force behind Engaged Buddhism and founder of the Zen Order of Interbeing.

Have you ever met someone who exuded kindness and compassion? Who oozed positivity and encouragement at every turn? Who seemed to exist on a different plane?

Who comes to mind when you read that? Can you picture them in your mind? For me, this person is the late Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen monk who founded the Order of Interbeing and the Plum Village Community in France. He was a true Buddha in our midst.

Have you've met a Buddha, one who is awake? I'm not talking about the superficial wokeness of the new age, but the kindness and compassion of one who walks with self-assurance and ever-present gentleness. These are the Buddhas among us.

What is a Buddha?

When Gautama Siddhartha, a prince in what is now Northern India and Nepal, achieved full enlightenment (freedom from suffering in all forms), his contemporaries called him a Buddha, or 'one who is awake.'

There is a s…