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| Thich Nhat Hanh (1926 - ) |
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 Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet, author, renowned teacher and peace activist. Hanh, a man of peace, is perhaps most well-known for his opposition to the Vietnam War first in Vietnam and then in the 1960s he made numerous trips to the US to urge the U.S. government to withdraw from Vietnam. In 1966, Hanh meet Martin Luther King, Jr asking him to openly oppose the War. On January 25, 1967, King sent a letter to the Nobel Institute in Norway nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. [1] In 1973, Hanh led the Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Talks resulting in the signing of the Paris Peace Accord on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam. In 1966, he established the Order of Interbeing, and established practice centers around the world. In the early 70s Hanh was banned from returning to Vietnam. At this time he took up residence in France. In 1982, he opened the Buddhist meditation center, Plum Village in the Dordogne, France. Hanh’s is one of the best known Buddhist teachers in the West. [2][3] His teaching cut across divides of religion, culture and politics. He offers a practice of mindfulness adapted to Western sensibilities. [4] In 2005, Hanh was finally allowed to make a return trip to his beloved Vietnam. He made a return trip in 2007. According to the Plum Village Website, the three goals of his trip back to Vietnam were to support new monastics in his order, organize and conduct "Great Chanting Ceremonies" intended to help heal remaining wounds from the Vietnam war, and to lead retreats for monastics and lay people. [5]If your cup is small, a little bit of salt will make the water salty. If your heart is small, then a little bit of pain can make you suffer. Your heart must be large. -TNH |
Date of Birth: 11 Oct, 1926
Location: France
State: Dordogne
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Views: 117
Summary
Nhat Hanh was born on October 11, 1926, in central Vietnam. Hanh knew at a young age what he wanted to do in life. At the age of 16, he joined a Zen monastery. By 1949, he became a fully ordained monk. Hanh, a brilliant man, was able to accomplish so much so soon. By 1956, he was already Editor-in-Chief of Vietnamese Buddhism. In the following years he founded Lá Bối Press, the Van Hanh Buddhist University in Saigon, and the School of Youth for Social Service (SYSS), a neutral corps of Buddhist peace workers who went into rural areas to establish schools, build healthcare clinics, and help re-build villages. [6] In 1960, Hanh decided to go to America and study comparative religion at Princeton University. He would soon become a lecturer himself at Columbia University. On May 1, 1966, Hanh received his Dharma transmission. By then, he had gained fluency in French, Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese, and English, in addition to his native Vietnamese. [7] Hanh eventually returned to the US in 1966 and met Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King would nominate Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize the following year. In the early 70's, Hanh was banned from returning to Vietnam so he stayed in France, after starting the Unified Buddhist Church there in 1969. After opening the Plum Village Buddhist Center, Hanh and his partner, Sister Chan Khong, started the Order of the Inter-being. The center has had a huge influence on Western Buddhism. In 2005 and 2007, Hanh was finally allowed to make trips to Vietnam.
References:
1. Nomination of Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize" letter by Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967, archived on the Hartford Web Publishing website http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/025.html
2. "Thich Nhat Hanh". BBC (2006-04-04). Retrieved on 2008-05-25. “Thich Nhat Hanh is a world renowned Zen master, writer, poet, scholar, and peacemaker. With the exception of the Dalai Lama, he is today's best known Buddhist teacher.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/people/thichnhathanh.shtml
3. "Thich Nhat Hanh". Time (Sunday, Nov. 05, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-25. “One of the most important religious thinkers and activists of our time, Nhat Hanh understood, from his own experience, why popular secular ideologies and movements?nationalism, fascism, communism and colonialism?unleashed the unprecedented violence of the 20th century.[...] Nhat Hanh, now 80 years old and living in a monastery in France, has played an important role in the transmission of an Asian spiritual tradition to the modern, largely secular West.” http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555013,00.html
4. Laity, Annabel (date unknown) "About Our Teacher", Green Mountain Dharma Center websitehttp://www.greenmountaincenter.org/About%20Us/tnhinfo.htm
5. Johnson, Kay (2007) "The Fighting Monks of Vietnam", Time Magazine (online version accessed 3/7/2007) http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1595721,00.html
6. Author and date unknown, "Thich Nhat Hanh", feature article on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/people/thichnhathanh.shtml
Related Links:
www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/ecourses.php?id=24
www.seaox.com/thich.html
www.plumvillage.org/
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