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Plum Village |
Additional Biography |
Talks
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Articles
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Books by Thich Nhat Hanh
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced "tik not hahn") has been living in exile
from his native Vietnam since the age of forty. In that year of 1966, he
was banned by both the non-Communist and Communist governments for his
role in undermining the violence he saw affecting his people. A Buddhist
monk since the age of sixteen, Thay ("teacher," as he is commonly known
to followers) earned a reputation as a respected writer, scholar, and
leader. He championed a movement known as "engaged Buddhism," which
intertwined traditional meditative practices with active nonviolent
civil disobedience. This movement lay behind the establishment of the
most influential center of Buddhist studies in Saigon, the An Quang
Pagoda. He also set up relief organizations to rebuild destroyed
villages, instituted the School of Youth for Social Service (a Peace
Corps of sorts for Buddhist peace workers), founded a peace magazine,
and urged world leaders to use nonviolence as a tool. Although his
struggle for cooperation meant he had to relinquish a homeland, it won
him accolades around the world. When Thich Nhat Hanh left Vietnam, he
embarked on a mission to spread Buddhist thought around the globe. In
1966, when Thay came to the United States for the first of many
humanitarian visits, the territory was not completely new to him: he had
experienced American culture before as a student at Princeton, and more
recently as a professor at Columbia. The Fellowship of Reconciliation
and Cornell invited Thay to speak on behalf of Buddhist monks, and he
offered an enlightened view on ways to end the Vietnam conflict. He
spoke on college campuses, met with administration officials, and
impressed social dignitaries. The following year, Nobel Peace Prize
winner Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the
same honor. Hanh's Buddhist delegation to the Paris peace talks resulted
in accords between North Vietnam and the United States, but his pacifist
efforts did not end with the war. He also helped organize rescue
missions well into the 1970's for Vietnamese trying to escape from
political oppression. Even after the political stabilization of Vietnam,
Thich Nhat Hanh has not been allowed to return home. The government
still sees him as a threat -- ironic, when one considers the subjects of
his teachings: respect for life, generosity, responsible sexual
behavior, loving communication, and cultivation of a healthful life
style.
Thay now lives in southwestern France, where he founded a retreat center
twelve years ago. At the center, Plum Village, he continues to teach,
write, and garden. Plum Village houses only thirty monks, nuns, and
laypeople, but thousands from around the globe call it home.
Accommodation is readily available for short-term visitors seeking
spiritual relief, for refugees in transit, or for activists in need of
inspiration. Thich Nhat Hanh gathers people of diverse nationalities,
races, religions, and sexes in order to expose them to mindfulness --
taking care in the present moment, being profoundly aware and
appreciative of life.
He has written more than seventy-five books of prose, poetry, and
prayers. Most of his works have been geared toward the Buddhist reader,
yet his teachings appeal to a wide audience. For at least a decade,
Thich Nhat Hanh has visited the United States every other year; he draws
more and more people with each tour, Christian, Jewish, atheist, and Zen
Buddhist alike. His philosophy is not limited to preexistent religious
structures, but speaks to the individual's desire for wholeness and
inner calm. In 1993, he drew a crowd of some 1,200 people at the
National Cathedral in Washington, DC, led a retreat of 500 people in
upstate New York, and assembled 300 people in West Virginia. His
popularity in the United States inspired the mayor of Berkeley,
California, to name a day in his honor and the Mayor of New York City
declared a Day of Reconciliation during his 1993 visit. Clearly, Thich
Nhat Hanh is a human link with a prophetic past, a soft-spoken advocate
of peace, Buddhist community, and the average American citizen.
Deer Park Monastery North American Tour 2005: Their Fall Tour
2005 with Thich Nhat Hanh and the monastics of Plum Village, Green
Mountain Dharma Center and Deer Park Monastery, begins with a 6 day retreat,
August 11th - 16th , at Stonehill College outside Boston. It ends with
a Peace Walk, "Peace Is Every Step" in Los Angeles on October 8th. In
between these two dates we have five more retreats, three of which will
be in our Deer Park Monastery in California, one in the Rocky Mountains
and one in Canada. There will also be four public talks and several
Days of Mindfulness. For more information you can go to their website
at:
http://www.deerparkmonastery.org/us_tour_2005/us_tour_2005.html.
Here
is an inspiring poem by Thich Nhat Hanh. May it help to bring peace to
all our hearts.
Kiss the Earth
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe
when we feel safe in ourselves.
CLICK HERE FOR:
BOOKS BY
Thich Nhat Hanh
More
Links:
Deer Park
Monastery :
Plum Village :
Brother Thay: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh :
Thich Nhat Hanh Audio Links:
Real Audio: Thây
reads from his book "Call Me By My True Names"
Real Audio: Thây
explains the meaning and use of the bell
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