Expatriate Buddhist cleric welcomed warmly at home
Thua Thien-Hue(25-02-2005) — Monk Thich Nhat Hanh from Lang Mai pagoda in France concluded his week-long visit to his nativeland in the central coastal province of Thua Thien-Hue yesterday.
Monk Hanh and his party, consisting of foreign monks and nuns associated with his Lang Mai Pagoda, were welcomed at the airport upon arrival by a crowd of followers and clerics from the provincial Buddhist Sangha. They were then received by President of the provincial Sangha’s Executive Council Most Venerable Thich Duc Phuong at Tu Dam Pagoda.
The monk prayed at Tu Hieu Pagoda where he once presided, and visited his Trung Xa Village in Quang Dien District after 40 years far away. He said he was happy witnessing the great changes to his nativeland and the unity shown by the local community in national construction.
The delegation also visited the Hue imperial relics site and enjoyed court music.
Monk Hanh held a seminar on the prospects and development of Western Buddhism, and gave a lecture on the Buddhist conception of brotherhood at the Buddhist High School. — VNS
