Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh is a teacher, an author, and a peace activist. He coined the term Engaged Buddhism and has been a world leader in non-violence practices and teachings.

Nhat Hanh joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16, studied Buddhism as a novice, and was fully ordained as a monk in 1949. In the early 1960's, he founded the School of Youth for Social Services (SYSS) in Saigon, a grass roots relief organization that rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical centers, and resettled families left homeless during the Vietnam War.

He created the Order of Interbeing in 1966, and established monastic and practice centers around the world. His home is now Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France.

Nhat Hanh continues to be active in the peace movement. He has sponsored retreats for Israelis and Palestinians encouraging them to listen and learn about each other and given speeches urging warring countries to stop fighting and look for non-violent solutions to problems.

In 2007, Thich Nhat Hanh received permission from the Vietnamese Government to return to Vietnam to untie the wounds of war. The 70 Day trip included retreats for lay people and monastic, meetings with Government Officials, Social Services Work, and three, three day long chanting ceremonies in the key cities of Ho Chi Ming City, Hanoi and Hue.

FROM THE OMEGA INSTITUTE

The New York Times has written, "Among Buddhist leaders influential in the West, Thich Nhat Hanh ranks second only to the Dalai Lama." He has published more than 100 books, including Peace Is Every Step, Being Peace, Touching Peace, Living Buddha Living Christ, Teachings on Love, and Anger.

Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a monk at the age of sixteen. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to remain meditating in the monasteries or help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastations of war. Thich Nhat Hanh chose to do both, helping found the "engaged Buddhism" movement.

After visiting the United States and Europe in 1966 on a peace mission, he was banned from returning to Vietnam. On subsequent travels to the United States, he made the case for peace to federal officials. He persuaded Martin Luther King, Jr. to publically oppose the Vietnam War, which helped galvanize the peace movement. In 1967, King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Thich Nhat Hanh has addressed audiences at the White House World Summit Conference on HIV and AIDS, The Gorbachev World Forum and the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. He has led retreats on mindful living for Vietnam veterans, prison inmates, ecologists, businessmen, police officers and members of Congress. Just a few days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Thich Nhat Hanh preached nonviolence and forgiveness in a memorable speech at Riverside Church in New York City.

See Velcrow Ripper's article on Thich Nhat Hanh which appeared in Shabhala Sun magazine in the September, 2007 issue

WEB LINKS
Plum Village

"The Fighting Monks of Vietnam" Buddhist Channel Article 

BOOKS INCLUDE
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Anger
The Art of Mindful Living
Living Buddha, Living Christ
Love in Action
Teaching of Love
Truly Seeing
Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings