Thich Nhat Hanh Way: New York City honors Zen Master and peace icon with street name

The dedication ceremony for "Thich Nhat Hanh Way" was held on April 11 at the intersection of West 109th Street and Broadway, according to Plum Village, the monastic community founded by Hanh.

Organized by the New York City Council, Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation and Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, the event drew the participation of city officials, Buddhists, and local residents, who gathered to celebrate the legacy of one of Buddhism's most influential figures, Lion's Roar reported.

Following the naming ceremony, attendees engaged in silent walking meditation, retracing some of Hanh's own journeys through New York.

Widely considered the world's second most influential Buddhist leader after the Dalai Lama, Hanh began studying and practicing Zen Buddhism in 1942 and became a monk at age 23.

After leaving Vietnam in 1966, he settled in Plum Village in southern France, where he taught mindfulness and peace, frequently lecturing across North America and Europe.

Central to his teachings was the concept that mindfulness allows individuals to find happiness by living fully in the present moment, fostering internal and external peace.

In 2014 he suffered a stroke and spent several months hospitalized in France. He returned to Vietnam in October 2018, living his final years at Tu Hieu Temple, where his spiritual journey began. He passed away in 2022 at 95.

Also known for his poetry and peace activism, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Martin Luther King, Jr., and authored over 100 books, including the acclaimed bestseller "The Miracle of Mindfulness."