Nhat Hanh, Thich (1926–)

Born Nguyen Xuân Båo in Central Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced Tick-Naught-Hahn) is an expatriate Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, and teacher of international renown. Hanh came to international prominence in the 1960s for his work to reconcile North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. For his tireless efforts to bring peace to his country, in 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr., nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since the age of 40, Hanh has lived in exile at Plum Village, a meditation center in a small community in southwestern France where he teaches, writes, gardens, and works to help refugees worldwide. He also conducts retreats in Europe and North America to help veterans, children, environmentalists, psychotherapists, artists, and other individuals who seek to cultivate inner peace and to promote a more peaceful world.

A key concept in Hanh's approach to creating peaceful states is mindfulness. Mindfulness is predicated on the idea that one needs to be present—in the here and now—to transform lives and environments that are filled with stress, anger, and frustration into those of happiness and community. Along these lines, Hanh emphasizes the following practices to promote mindfulness: walking meditation, mindful breathing, mindful consumption, right thought, compassionate observation, deep listening, and loving speech.

In more recent years, Hanh has increasingly worked with civil servants and those who work in the public sphere. Beginning with a retreat he conducted for law enforcement officers in Wisconsin, Hanh has demonstrated the usefulness of mindfulness practices for teachers, social workers, and others who work in people-helping professions. Hanh is the author of more than 75 books of prose, poetry, and prayers.