"One day in 1981, seeing how absorbed I was wrapping parcels for hungry children in Vietnam, Thay Nhat Hanh asked me, 'If you were to die tonight, are you prepared?' He said that we must live our lives so that even if we die suddenly, we will have nothing to regret. . . .
"His words pierced through me, and I remained silent for several days. No, I was not prepared to die. My work was my life. I had found ways to help hungry children, despite the difficulties, and I was happy again, knowing how to avoid the restrictions of the authorities in Vietnam. I knew that every time people received one of my packages or some other helping act, new hope was born in them, and also in their sponsors in Europe and America. If I were to die suddenly, who would continue this work?
"I contemplated many practical questions like these, while following each in-breath and each out-breath. I was not exactly trying to find a solution. I knew that the ability to find one was in me and that when I was calm enough, an answer would reveal itself. So I continued to breathe and smile, and a few days later, I did see a solution. I knew that the only way I could die peacefully would be if I were reborn in others who wished to do the same work. Then my aspiration could continue even if this body of mine were to pass away. I thought about the young people who came to practice mindfulness with Thay, and I decided to share with them my experiences and deepest desires about helping suffering people. I would teach them how to choose medicines, how to wrap parcels, how to write personal letters to the poor, and how to keep Western people in touch with the suffering of the Vietnamese people. Under my guidance, a few young people were inspired to start their own committees, and today there are thirty-eight committees for hungry children. If I die tonight, by a car accident or a heart attack, these thirty-eight reincarnations will allow me to die in peace."
