A sacred responsibility

India, the birthplace of Buddhism and the hallowed site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, now bears a profound responsibility. On 25 April 2025, Thich Minh Tue, a Vietnamese Buddhist practitioner renowned for his strict adherence to dhutanga—a set of austere ascetic practices praised by the Buddha—arrived in Bodh Gaya with 35 fellow monastics. They intend to remain for 49 days, honoring  in silent reverence and prayer the Buddha’s meditation before his awakening.

As the Buddha taught:

Monks, there are these thirteen ascetic practices conducive to stilling the heart, conducive to higher knowledge, conducive to awakening. (Digha Nikaya 3)

Content with any robe, any alms food, any lodging, he went to dwell in the forest. I praise such a monk, who practices the dhutangas, who is content, solitary, and diligent. (Theragāthā 1062)

Following the path of Mahakasyapa Thera, the Buddha’s foremost disciple in ascetic practices, Thich Minh Tue remains constantly on the move, never staying more than three nights in one place. He lives entirely outdoors, sleeps sitting upright, begs for alms barefoot, and wears robes sewn from discarded cloth. He meditates in forests and cemeteries to confront impermanence directly. He owns nothing—not even shoes or shelter—carrying only a cloth bag and a rice cooker pot that serves as his alms bowl.

Such rigorous simplicity is not an affectation but a conscious embrace of the Buddha’s own lifestyle—an embodiment of the middle path.

As said in the Pali Canon:

Not by matted hair, nor by family lineage, not by birth in a Brahmin family, but by the practice of the ascetic life (dhutanga) is one a true renunciate. (Samyutta Nikaya 13.8)

India now has a unique opportunity to reaffirm its ancient role as guardian of the Dharma by protecting this living embodiment of the Buddha’s path—one who transcends race, creed, and nation. Thich Minh Tue’s presence in Bodh Gaya is not only a pilgrimage but a mirror for India to reflect upon its spiritual roots and moral commitments.

Rising threats and global attention

On 12 May, 16 private security agents, funded by anonymous Buddhist donors, began safeguarding the group. Their presence speaks to the uncomfortable truth: authentic Dharma challenges institutional authority, materialism, and spiritual complacency. Monastic life that challenges social norms through radical humility and renunciation often unsettles systems built on hierarchy, material success, and image control.

Since his pilgrimage went viral in May 2024, Thich Minh Tue’s path has attracted massive global attention. Videos of his journey garner more than five million daily views, and at least 50 YouTubers now track his movements. About a hundred devotees from around the world come daily to offer alms and seek blessings. These gatherings, although silent, are loud in their message: the world is hungry for spiritual authenticity.

Many believe he is a buddha-in-the-making, embodying purity, renunciation, and unwavering truth.

Not by birth does one become a Brahmin, but by conduct. (Sutta Nipata 3.9)

To his followers, he is not just a monk—he is the Dharma made manifest, walking barefoot across borders, meditating beneath trees, and begging without pride. Yet this radiant presence provokes hostility from those who cling to power or fear change. In an age of branding and control, his refusal to associate with any institution is a deeply disruptive act of spiritual independence.

A modern Mahakasyapa: The Man of Purity

Born Le Anh Tu on 19 May 1981, in Ha Tinh–Nghe An, the revolutionary heartland of Vietnam, he came from a revolutionary lineage. He served three years in the military before turning deeply toward spiritual life. These formative years forged within him a sense of duty, discipline, and resilience that later found profound expression in his spiritual path.

After ordaining as a novice in 2015 and a monk in 2017, a near-fatal lightning strike further deepened his resolve. In 2018, he renounced all institutional affiliations and embarked on a barefoot pilgrimage across Vietnam, walking 20 kilometers daily, without temple or sect. His renunciation was not out of rebellion, but out of a sincere longing to live by the earliest spirit of the Buddha’s teachings.

Walk on untrodden paths, and dwell in places where the noble ones have dwelled. (Udana 5.1)

In May 2024, Thich Minh Tue’s journey transformed into a national awakening. Over 90 million Google searches were recorded in one month. Streets overflowed with silent reverence as he passed. Monastics, artists, and civilians alike were drawn to his fearless simplicity and spiritual courage. In cities and villages, people wept in silence, bowed in humility, and whispered mantras of compassion.

Cultural reverberations and inspiration

Thich Minh Tue’s seven-colored patchwork robes, once mere symbols of renunciation, have become emblems of spiritual resilience. Artists, tailors, and designers began crafting clothing reflecting his colors, which now symbolize mindfulness, simplicity, and inner beauty. These robes are not worn to flaunt fashion but to carry a memory of spiritual depth and personal transformation.

Songs dedicated to his journey have emerged in Vietnamese, English, Chinese, Hindi, Malay, and Thai—a testament to his pan-Asian spiritual impact. Some songs are devotional hymns, others are contemporary ballads of suffering and liberation. In each, listeners hear echoes of an ancient path walked again in our time.

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. (Dhammapada)

Indeed, Thich Minh Tue lights countless candles with his footsteps. In schools, temples, marketplaces, and rural huts, his story is retold as a living parable of courage, simplicity, and truth.

Religious repression and institutional pushback

Despite Thich Minh Tue’s sincerity, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha declared him a non-recognized monk in May 2024, urging state suppression. The contrast is stark: while he lives beneath the sky, some institutional monks reside in luxury, commanding material wealth and political favor. This growing divide between the external trappings of religion and the inner realization of the Dharma has become increasingly visible.

When the monks are corrupted, the Dharma is lost. (Parinibbana Sutta)

Yet the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV)—outlawed by the state—publicly supported Thich Minh Tue. Inspired by his purity, 72 aspirants took monastic vows to walk with him. But officials, fearing unrest and spiritual awakening, forcibly disbanded the pilgrimage on 3 June 2024. They feared what they could not control.

From that point, he faced state-backed repression. Yet even brief appearances to receive alms drew thousands, their silence louder than any protest. It became clear that a new form of resistance had emerged—not one of violence nor of slogans, but of peaceful presence, unwavering truth, and bare feet on earth.

Coerced exile and international pilgrimage

On 12 December 2024, Thich Minh Tue was forcibly exiled. His family was summoned, his power cut, and while meditating in the lotus posture, he was taken by plainclothes agents to the Laos border, with no time for farewell. No explanation was given. No due process followed. Only silence and force.

Still, he walked on.

Denied entry into Myanmar due to conflict, Thich Minh Tue pressed forward—on foot, in truth, in prayer. His group’s resolve reflected the Buddha’s words:

Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, the wise are not moved by praise or blame. (Dhammapada 6)

Despite geopolitical boundaries and bureaucratic constraints, the journey continued. Thich Minh Tue and his companions traversed Laos and Thailand with sincerity, refusing to carry money or accept luxury. They chose open fields over hotel rooms, silence over protest, mindfulness over fear. Along the way, they touched hearts across borders, becoming messengers of peace simply by walking.

Defamation, accusation, and betrayal

While in Thailand, Doan Van Bau, a former police colonel and self-appointed leader of the group, monopolized media access and manipulated the public narrative. This marked a new chapter of internal strife. What began as solidarity became control, and what was once protection morphed into restriction.

In February 2025, after leaving the group, Doan Van Bau launched a defamatory campaign, accusing the members of fabricating the pilgrimage for asylum and YouTube fame. These accusations invited heightened scrutiny from foreign governments, endangering the monks’ safety. In the eyes of the state, these falsehoods provided the perfect justification for increased surveillance.

In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, anonymous reports accused the pilgrims of fraud. Thailand abruptly revoked visa extensions. The monks had to travel 2,500 kilometers by chartered bus in 48 hours, abandoning their spiritual route. The emotional and physical toll was immense, but they pressed on.

Harassment and life-threatening attacks

They faced glass shards on roads, impersonators ordering them to leave, stones thrown at night, and orchestrated provocateurs sowing chaos. Several monks fell ill from suspected food poisoning. Such acts were not isolated. They appeared coordinated—a pattern of obstruction aimed at instilling fear and exhaustion.

These are not random acts. They reflect organized attempts to halt a pure pilgrimage—not by debate, but by intimidation and threat. Even in sacred places such as Bodh Gaya, where one might expect refuge, they were chased from field to field. In every location, danger followed.

Transnational persecution

In an alarming escalation, the Vietnamese monastic authorities petitioned Sri Lanka to expel the group—calling them frauds—just before Sri Lanka’s president attended the UN Vesak 2025 festival in Vietnam. This was not a spiritual decision but a political maneuver designed to protect image over truth.

The irony was glaring: the event’s theme was: “Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha: Unity, Compassion, and Harmony.”

The letter was signed by Ven. Thich Nhat Tu, head of the Department of International Affairs of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. It exemplified a tragic inversion: using positions of power not to uplift sincere practitioners but to silence them.

Only through local human rights lawyers was the group able to leave safely.

Do not harm others with what you yourself find hurtful. (Udana 5.18)

The international Buddhist community must not remain silent. When monastics are harassed, defamed, and forced into exile for following the Buddha’s example, the integrity of global Buddhism is at stake.

Ongoing state surveillance and threats

On 20 May, Vietnamese police accused Thich Minh Tue of threatening “national unity and religious harmony.” His older brother, a party member, was disciplined. His younger brother was barred from travel. YouTubers and volunteers were grounded, while slanderers moved freely. The message was clear: support him, and you will suffer.

Multiple nations have seen visa obstacles, food tampering, and coordinated defamation. In this climate, a serious attempt on Thich Minh Tue’s life cannot be ruled out. Indeed, spiritual persecution in the 21st century wears new masks—digital defamation, surveillance, visa cancellation, forced disappearance.

The Dharma’s true enemy is ignorance, and the darkness of greed and fear.

Historical echoes: silencing the pure

A senior UBCV monk has warned: will Thich Minh Tue share the fate of Minh Dang Quang and Huynh Phu So, spiritual leaders who vanished during wartime?

The purest flames are often the ones that regimes seek to extinguish. Thich Minh Tue is not merely a pilgrim; he is a living reminder of the power of one person walking in complete surrender to the Dharma.

Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not moved by praise or blame. (Dhammapada 6.81)

This moment is more than an incident of repression. It is a test of the human conscience. It is a mirror to the soul of global Buddhism.

A call to conscience: will India uphold the Dharma?

India stands at a moral crossroads. Will it honor the Buddha’s legacy by offering sanctuary to a monk who walks barefoot in his footsteps?

This is more than policy—it is a spiritual moment. India can shield not just a person but the flame of awakening embodied. To protect Thich Minh Tue is to uphold the Buddha’s teachings against the tides of materialism and fear.

One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings, one is called noble. (Anguttara Nikaya 10.176)

Millions of Buddhists are watching.

Will India extinguish this fragile flame of awakening? Or will it rise to its sacred calling and protect a man who walks, fearless, in the footsteps of the Buddha?

The answer may define this era of Indian Buddhism. Let it be a chapter of compassion, courage, and true reverence for the Dharma.

Let the sacred land of Bodh Gaya not merely be a site of pilgrimage, but a sanctuary for those who live the path in its fullest truth.

See more

Global Call for Compassion: Let Thich Minh Tue Walk in Peace! (change.org)

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