Who is Thich Nhat Hanh?

Thich Nhat Hanh, a world-renowned Vietnamese spiritual leader known as the main inspiration behind Engaged Buddhism, died on Saturday at the stroke of midnight at his root temple, the Tu Hien Temple in Hue, Vietnam, at the age of 95.

Announcing his death, the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism released a statement, saying, “Our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away peacefully. We invite our global spiritual family to take a few moments to be still, to come back to our mindful breathing, as we together hold Thay in our hearts in peace and loving gratitude for all he has offered the world.”

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Born on October 11, 1926, in Hue, Vietnam, Hanh received training in Vietnamese traditions of Buddhism from the age of 16 and went on to found the Vạn Hạnh Buddhist University in Vietnam.

He went to the US in 1961 to study at the private Princeton Theological Seminary, and was subsequently appointed as a lecturer on Buddhism in Columbia University. However, he returned to Vietnam in 1963 to help with non-violent peace efforts, but was eventually barred from entering the country a few years later.

Hanh then went back to the US in 1966 to help with peaceful anti-war efforts. It was during this period that he became acquainted with Martin Luther King Jr., who even publicly nominated him for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize, saying, “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of [this prize] than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” However, no award was given out that year.

Known to his followers as Thay, the Vietnamese word for ‘teacher’, Hanh is credited as the main inspiration behind Engaged Buddhism, a social movement that seeks to incorporate and apply Buddhist values and teachings to contemporary problems of socio-economic suffering, environmental issues, and injustice.

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Indeed, Hanh coined the term “Engaged Buddhism” and is the author of over 100 books, 75 of which are in English. His most famous works include, ‘The Miracle of Mindfulness’, ‘Peace Is Every Step’, and ‘You Are Here’.

Over the course of his life, Hanh founded nine monasteries across the world and dozens of affiliated centres for the practice of Engaged Buddhism. His influence within Buddhist circles is considered second only to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.