Who Is Thich Minh Tue - Wandering Ascetic Buddhist in Vietnam
Video - Thich Minh Tue, who practiced the Buddha's most ascetic practice - The 13 dhutangas:
Pilgrim Walked Alone for 6 Years
Since 2017, a man from Central Vietnam has been walking quietly across the country by himself, going from South to North and back again. He does this as a personal pilgrimage to study and follow Buddha.
But all of a sudden, at the start of May 2024, he became the most famous person in Vietnam and set a lot of records on social networks that had never been broken before. He is now live-streamed on social networking sites every time he goes for a walk.
It was made clear that he did not go to a temple or belong to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. He only saw himself as a normal Vietnamese citizen who was learning to follow Buddha and picked the 13 dhutangas, which are the most austere practices that Buddha taught.
 |
| Pilgrim spends 6 years traversing Vietnam on foot |
Who is Thich Minh Tue: Real Name, HomeLand, Early Career
Le Anh Tu is the real name of the ascetic pilgrim Thich Minh Tue. He was born on May 19, 1981, in Ky Van commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh, which is in the central province of Vietnam, according to the Vietnamese newspapers.
Like many other young men in Vietnam, Mr. Tu used to be a normal guy who went to school, worked, and served in the army.
After being hit by lightning, though, he learned a lot and chose to become a monk. He changed his name to Thich Minh Tue (religious name) and became a monk at a temple in July 2015.
He left the temple and went to the mountain to live alone in a rock hole and beg for food every day. He decided to walk across Vietnam from South to North and back again since 2017 after staying in one place for a while.
Thich Minh Tue: Early Life
Le Xuan, Le Anh Tu's 80-year-old father, revealed to the local media that his family had four children total, with Tu being the second.
Mr. Tu is an excellent student and a wonderful son in the family. Following high school graduation, Tu enlisted in the army. Following that, Tu went to the Gia Lai province's Central Highlands Forestry Intermediate School.
Following his graduation, Tu worked as a surveyor for a private company. The family does not wish to get married and has not seen Tu with a partner up to this point.
Tu unexpectedly invited his family to become monks in 2015. "I also mentioned to you that becoming a monk is a very challenging endeavor when you requested. Assuming you are committed to become a monk, good practice is necessary," Xuan said to some local newspapers.
"If you break the precepts, you cannot leave if you are unsuccessful in cultivating."
Following a night of contemplation, Xuan re-asked the following morning and, upon seeing that his son remained adamant about becoming a monk, he and his wife consented to their son's monastic career. Tu gave his father a watch, a phone, a refrigerator, and eight meters of gold fabric for each of his parents before he became a monk. Tu hasn't spoken to his family since he became a monk.
Tu presented eight meters of yellow linen to each of his parents before he became a monk. Tu also gave his father a refrigerator, a phone, and a watch. Xuan claims that his son hadn't spoken to his family since turning monk, until lately when he watched his videos online.
When Xuan noticed that his child was black and slender, he felt terrible for him. However, his family had always accepted his child's karma and expected him to be kind and strong, not materialistic or money-grubbing, and to accomplish good deeds.
What Made Him So Famous and Respected?
 |
| Thich Minh Tue used to walk alone, but now there are always people following and surrounding him, which affects his practice. |
The public was very interested in Thich Minh Tue, especially on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. His images of walking and practicing asceticism drew a lot of attention, and enormous crowds of people followed him on his journey and made offerings. The public's reaction to this has been very divided; some believe he is being utilized to generate views and social network impacts.
One of the 13 early virtues (ascetic practices) is asceticism, which is primarily what moves people when they think of the Pilgrim Thich Minh Tue.
Every day, he was given vegetarian food only once, and he didn't take any money. On the way, he picked up pieces of cloth and sewn them together himself. In particular, he only slept sitting down or in empty houses or cemeteries. Even when people beat him up or tried to get rid of him, he didn't blame them, get mad, or stop them from following the path of asceticism. He always wished everyone happiness and joy, and he told large groups of people not to follow him so that he wouldn't mess up their lives.
| The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has declared that Thich Minh Tue is not an official monk and does not belong to any temple or monastic structure of the church, despite the fact that he is referred to as a "teacher" or "monk" by many on social media. Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice President and General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, also confirmed this information and urged people not to mistake him for a monk. |
Six-Year Pilgrimage
 |
Mr. Minh Tue began traveling by foot to numerous provinces and cities in 2017. He gave it a lot of thinking before deciding to quit his reliable job and his house and go walking.
Following that, he requested permission from his family to walk and follow the teachings of the Buddha. At first, he said that taking the bus could be exhausting. He has only taken public transportation when necessary, such as by boat or river, and has only walked from 2020 to the present. He has traveled to practically every region of the nation thus far.
Minh Tue hasn't spoken to his family in the last six years since he avoids using the phone for personal reasons. But he added that he never forgets his parents' thanks in prayer and that he always prioritizes his family.
"I hope and pray for my parents' well-being. Even if I don't own any tangible possessions, I assure my family that I will never cause them any pain. For instance, doing things against the law," Tue revealed. According to Thich Minh Tue, all walks are not tough for him. When you move, you'll feel as though there are no more impediments in your way if your mind is at ease, content, and capable of conquering challenges.
What is Dhutanga - the 13 noble ascetic practices praised by the Buddha?A set of thirteen austere voluntary practices which monks (but not nuns) may adopt if they so desire. Probably to be selected one at a time, these practices are not part of the Vinaya rules and have sometimes been condemned as overly ascetic. They are: (1) wearing patched-up robes; (2) wearing only the same three robes; (3) eating only alms food; (4) not omitting any house on the almsround; (5) eating at one sitting; (6) eating only from the almsbowl; (7) refusing all further food; (8) living in the forest; (9) living under a tree; (10) living in the open air; (11) living in a cemetery; (12) being satisfied with any dwelling; (13) sleeping only in a sitting position. |
Walk for Life, Until Die"I intend to walk for the remainder of my life. I only want to put the Buddha's teachings into practice in order to better myself; I'm not trying to communicate anything. "As I stroll, my constant wish is for everyone to live a happy and fulfilling life with their families," Tue said.
|
Minh Tue stated that despite having visited the temple in the past, he does not follow Buddhism at this time and is not employed by any Vietnam Buddhist Sangha temples or monasteries.
"I don't need to know about the documents relating to me because I have no affiliation with any political party, religion, or organization. It is your responsibility to put the teachings of the Buddha into practice: don't kill, don't steal, don't have sex, don't lie, don't drink alcohol, eat one vegetarian meal a day before noon, don't watch movies or listen to music, and don't hold onto money. I don't take money in any form from anybody, and all I get in the afternoon is a bottle of mineral water; if they don't give it to me, that's it," Minh Tue stated.
Health After A six-year Pilgrimage
 |
| The ascetic pedestrian's foot soles |
According to some local sites, Dr. Phan Xuan Trung of Hoa Hao Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City made certain diagnoses based on remarks regarding Mr. Minh Tue's daily diet, living habits, and appearance. his health following six years of austere self-cultivation.
Master Thich Minh Tue leads a simple life; he eats just one lunch, only vegetarianism, whatever is offered to him, makes no choices, and abstains from overindulging. You might easily think of Vietnamese food as consisting of bread, potatoes, maize, fruit, and cakes. There's never a shortage of food. Avoid using MSG, sugar, or salt for seasoning. As a result, the primary nutritional components of Mr. Minh Tue's daily meal will be fiber and carbohydrate, with trace amounts of vegetable protein and fat.
Walking requires the energy that is created by starch. He has been walking nonstop for the last six years at a fairly quick pace, using food as his primary source of energy for his leg muscles. The body is thin, the skin is dry, and the muscles are small yet flexible because there isn't any extra food to produce visceral or subcutaneous fat. In addition, food will be largely transformed into energy rather than producing intermediary metabolites like lipids and proteins, which helps prevent metabolic diseases.
Reduced protein will result in lower levels of waste, uric acid, and creatinine. Reflux, digestive problems, and problems with the liver and gallbladder are less common because the digestive system is not working as hard. Rice has adequate protein to support the body's nutrition production and cell regeneration.
Thich Minh Tue's Famous Quotes“For me, the walking journey is not difficult. When I’m on the move, if my mind is peaceful and happy there are no obstacles in my way.” “My journey is a lifelong walk.. I don’t intend to spread any message as everything in Buddhism has been taught by the Buddha. I just want to practice per the teachings of the Buddha to complete myself. When I walk, I pray for everyone to always be happy with their families.”
"I am not a teacher or a monk at all. Like all of them, I am a citizen of Vietnam. I don't want to learn or practice for the sake of preaching or propaganda at all." "Buddha tells me how to do it so that I can be happy and peaceful, but I don't have to know it myself." "Because some things are right and some things are wrong, people shouldn't learn fortune telling. Fortune telling was not taught by the Buddha. Everyone should learn morality and commandments instead of divination. They should strive to uphold the five precepts, which are: "Don't kill, don't steal, don't commit adultery, don't lie, and don't drink alcohol to be happy."The first and most crucial of the rules of wisdom and focus is to keep them. You cannot become a Buddha if you break the precepts." |
Thich Minh Tue Stopped his Journey
As Thich Minh Tue walked and begged for money, a lot of people followed him, which caused chaos in society and had bad effects on the environment and traffic.
One man who volunteered to follow Thich Minh Tue died of heatstroke on May 30. His name was Luong Thanh Son and he lived in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Also, two women who were following Thich Minh Tue passed out earlier from being too tired and too hot.
So, the local government met with Thich Minh Tue and told him they respected his religious freedom. They also made it clear that they would always make it easy for him to walk around barefoot and practice his religion.
Also, government officials said it was very important to make sure people were safe and had social security. So, on June 3, 2024, Thich Minh Tue stopped his journey of walking around barefoot and begging for food
After getting help from the police to get a citizen ID card, it's not clear where Thich Minh Tue is.
 Who Is Vietnamese Singer of 'See Tinh' (See Love): Biography, Career, Personal Life of Hoang Thuy Linh See Love (Vietnamese name ‘See Tinh’) of pop star Hoang Thuy Linh has gone viral recently. Read on to know her biography, career and personal ... |
 How Many Billionaires Are There in Vietnam 2023 - Top 6 Richest Vietnamese The US magazine Forbes has updated its 2023 list of richest people in the world, in which Vietnam has six billionaires (seven billionaires in 2022). |
 Top 7 Weirdest Things in Vietnam Vietnam - the S-shaped destination attracts thousands of tourists annually because of its stunning lanscapes and unique culture and even bizarre things to discover. Here ... |
