THICH NHAT HANH is a Vietnamese Zen monk, poet and peacemaker. Together with the Dalai Lama he is one of the most representative figures of Buddhism in the world today.
Born in central Vietnam in 1926, he was ordained as a monk at the age of 16. Since youth, he has engaged so that Buddhism could bring peace, build reconciliation and promote brotherhood in society. A witness to the devastation brought to his country by the war, it became clear to him that Buddhism could not remain closed in temples uninterested in the affairs of the world around it, but that it had to act with equanimity, compassion and effectiveness, bringing people tangible help, spiritual teachings and support.
In 1964, during the war in Vietnam, he established one of the most important non-violent resistance movements of the century, the “School of Youth for Social Service”. This was formed by groups of volunteer monks and laypeople who went into the countryside to build schools and hospitals and rebuild bombed villages, despite being attacked by both sides in the conflict, who considered them allies of the enemy.
In 1967, while in the United States, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King. After meeting Thich Nhat Hanh, King publicly announced his opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. Two years later, when he had been forced into exile, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the Buddhist Peace Delegation, which was one of the parties involved in the Paris peace talks; though, after the agreements were signed, he was refused permission to return to Vietnam. Settling in France, in 1982 he founded Plum Village, a monastic and lay community near Bordeaux, where he still lives and teaches the art of mindful living. It was only in January 2005, after 39 years of exile, that he received an official invitation from the Vietnamese government to return to his homeland. He visited for three months with a large group of followers on a trip of reconciliation and teachings.
Every year he leads retreats on the art of mindful living around the world that are attended by thousands of people. He has led special retreats for American and Vietnamese veterans of Vietnam war, American politicians and congressmen, psychotherapists, artists, environmental activists, and groups of Israelis and Palestinians practitioners.
His many books have been translated into many languages. The Italian editions are published by Ubaldini, Mondadori and Neri Pozza.

Further information on Thich Nhat Hanh and his community can be found at www.plumvillage.org and www.esserepace.org (in Italian).