Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. His live has been dedicated to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts. Thich Nhat Hanh has also written extensively on ways to find inner peace and inner happiness. He is credited with coining the term ‘Engaged Buddhism’ – a series of teachings which seek to bring practical Buddhist wisdom into daily life.
He was born Nguyen Xuan Bao, in the city of Qu’ng Ngai in Central Vietnam in 1926. At the age of 16, he entered into a Zen Buddhist monastery and took the name Thich Nhat Hanh. As well as practising meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth for Social Service (SYSS) – this was a voluntary organisation which visited rural areas in Vietnam helping to provide education, health care services and improving local infrastructure.
In 1960, Thich Nhat Hanh moved to the US, where he studied comparative religion at Princeton University. Thich Nhat Hanh became fluent in several languages and well versed in different religious traditions. During the 1960s, Thich Nhat Hanh was active in supporting fellow Buddhists who were supporting non-violent efforts to promote peace in Vietnam – racked by civil war. Despite not taking sides, Buddhists often faced censure from the south Vietnamese government who accused them of favouring Communists. In 1965, Thich Nhat Hanh issued an influential document ‘Call for Peace’.
Thích Nhҩt Hҥnh introduced Vietnamese mindfulness meditation and “Engaged Buddhism” to the American public during the Vietnam War before 1975. This can be considered the period of American Engaged Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism, however, is not a new Buddhist practice. It began in Vietnam during the 1960s, with Thích Nhҩt Hҥnh’s “Tiếp-Hiện Order,”or “Inter-Being Order,” as a way to promote peace and to protest against war in Vietnam. Based upon Bodhisattva practices, it encouraged members of the InterBeing Order to engage in social services that provide comfort to people and alleviate the suffering caused by war and poverty. This type of social engagement had previously been undertaken by several prominent figures in Vietnamese history who served as the National Buddhist Preceptors and advisors to the Vietnamese kings of ancient times. During the Lý Dynasty (1010-1225), the strategic relocation of the capital of ancient Vietnam to Thăng Long, or Hanoi at the present time, was accomplished at the direction of Meditation Master Vҥn Hҥnh. One can perhaps visualize the level of political engagement of these ancient Buddhist masters by comparing such a move to the strategic designation of Washington D.C. as the capital of the U.S. in 1800. Thích Nhҩt Hҥnh also introduced Vietnamese mindfulness meditation along with his engaged Buddhism. Vietnamese mindfulness meditation, which is based upon a Theravada meditative sutta, appeared to be extremely practical in dealing with the daily tasks of life. Soon after its introduction it developed a phenomenal appeal for the American public. It even became an essential part of his Engaged Buddhism. Books written by Thích Nhҩt Hҥnh on this type of mindfulness meditation are still very popular.