Why is Thich Nhat Hanh called Thay?

Question

I have noticed that Thich Nhat Hanh refers to himself in the third person as "Thay". Why is this, and what is its meaning?

Answer 1

I grabbed this quote from the wiki, in the section "Names applied to him":

"Thich Nhat Hanh is often referred to as "Thay" (Vietnamese: Thầy, "master; teacher") or Thay Nhat Hanh by his followers. On the Vietnamese version of the Plum Village website, he is also referred to as Thiền Sư Nhất Hạnh which can be translated as "Zen Master", or "Dhyana Master".[37] Any Vietnamese monk or nun in the Mahayana tradition can be addressed as "Thầy" ("teacher"). Vietnamese Buddhist monks are addressed "Thầy tu" ("monk") and nuns are addressed "Sư Cô" ("Sister") or "Sư Bà" ("Elder Sister")".

Here is a quote from a website named "Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:

"Thich Nhat Hanh – affectionately referred to as Thay (means teacher in Vietnamese) by his students – brings the art of mindful living and engaged Buddhism to the world, transforming suffering and bringing peace to millions. Now, in this moment, we each have a joyful opportunity to support Thayʼs teachings".

Here is a quote from a website named Buddhism Guide:

"Thích Nhất Hạnh is often referred to as "Thầy" ("master; teacher") or Thầy Nhất Hạnh by his followers. Any Vietnamese monk or nun can be referred to and are often addressed as "Thầy" or "Thầy tu" ("priest; monk")".

Here is a quote from Dharma Folk:

"But I’m not done! Now what about the name Thầy?**

Many people refer to the Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh as Thầy. Indeed, this is what most Vietnamese speakers use when we speak about him in Vietnamese. It is also the term we use when we talk about or to any monk or male teacher. After all, thầy is simply a title. Thầy means “teacher,” and in Vietnamese it’s also used like a pronoun with reference to teachers. When talking to a monk, thầy means “you,” and when a monk talks to you, then thầy means “me.”

Regardless, thầy has crossed linguistic barriers and has found a home of its own in the English language Buddhist community as Thay — a direct reference to Venerable Thầy Thích Nhất Hạnh. In this case, no matter how much it confuses me, Thay has become his English nickname, as used by hundreds (if not thousands) of English speakers worldwide".

Lanka