Why is this Buddhist Walking Barefoot Across Vietnam?

Have you heard about the Vietnamese Buddhist named Thích Minh Tuệ who has been making a name for himself, walking barefoot north to south across Vietnam several times? He is currently in vicinity of Huế and has amassed a large following of disciples plus the massive crowd of onlookers who want to see the man who has been blowing up on TicTok and YouTube.

Recently, Thích Minh Tuệ has been creating a large buzz on Vietnamese social media. Some are calling him a new incarnation of the Buddha. He has developed such a large following that the local government authorities have been tasked with making sure everyone stays safe around him.

In YouTube videos, you see a massive procession following him along with the many more people who want to document the spectacle. He appears to have picked up dozens of followers (30 at last count) who have found inspiration to follow this Forest Gump journey as he walks with the goal of understanding the people of Vietnam. His followers wear the simple clothing one wears to meditate at the temple or copy his signature patched together cloak and kitchen pot alms bowl in a gesture of solidarity. Copies of his signature cloak are starting to be sold online to others who want to identify with him.

Thích Minh Tuệ wears no shoes. He only wears a simple garment and carries an alms bowl. He only eats one simple meal a day, preferably vegetarian, from the kindness of people placing food in his bowl. He only drinks water. He will rest for a bit for an afternoon meal, typically at noon, and eat the food which has been deposited into his bowl before setting out on his journey again on to the blistering concrete and asphalt roads of Vietnam.

He sleeps on the ground, often sitting upright, when he is tired. If there is no food in his bowl at the end of the day, he skips his meal, and it appears he has skipped quite a few meals. His bare feet have blackened and appear to need some medical treatment. When asked about the pain, he says ‘yes it hurts, but I focus on the joy of learning the Buddha’s teaching’. None of this stops him and he continues his journey, up and down Vietnam.

Three times he has already made this journey. This most recent journey is his fourth. As he continues to walk, the legend grows. People talk about strange lights appearing in the sky all over Vietnam as a sign of the spiritual leaders coming. They talk about misfortune happening to anyone who has tried to oppose him. …and the more he walks, the more the legend grows.

What is his goal? …to make a new Buddhist sect? …to protest the existing Buddhist monks fixation on amassing wealth for the temple rather than on focused meditation? …or, if you are a little less cynical, do exactly what he says and learn the Buddha’s teachings. Who knows? He seems to be keeping quiet about anything other than just following the Buddha’s path. He is determined to keep his vow he made to gain understanding.

In his silence, he has stirred up worries among government officials as well as the Buddhist religious clergy as they express concerns about Thích Minh Tuệ’s motives, but he just keeps walking.

Unfortunately, he may never reach his goal with such public attention because last week, one of his followers died from heatstroke on May 30th and two other followers have been hospitalized from heat related injuries causing him to reevaluate his journey in light of such attention. I doubt it was his goal to be seen so publicly. He decided to voluntarily end his journey for now. Will he disappear into the shadows of obscurity from which he came or will he move into the next phase of his following of the Buddha’s path?