Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) was a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, scholar and poet whose life was dedicated to helping others realise inner and outer peace. In Vietnam, he founded the School of Youth for Social Service (“the little peace corps”), an instrument for re-building villages that were destroyed by bombs and for resettling tens of thousands of people fleeing the war zones. He also founded the Van Hanh Buddhist University, La Boi Press and the Tiep Hien Order of Interbeing.

In 1966, he came to the U.S. and Europe at the invitation of the Fellowship of Reconciliation to “represent the wishes of the Vietnamese people of all faiths who had no means to speak for themselves”. His life-long efforts to generate peace and reconciliation moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. Unable to return to Vietnam after his overseas tour, he received asylum in France, where he served as chairman of the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace Delegation to the Paris Peace Talks.

In more recent years Thich Nhat Hanh conducted many mindfulness retreats in Europe and North America, including retreats for veterans, caring professionals, artists, psychotherapists, environmentalists, and children. He lived in Plum Village, a small community in southern France, where he continued teaching, writing, gardening, and helping refugees worldwide.

Visits to Rigpa Centres

• Lerab Ling, 12-15 June 1993