Thich Nhat Hanh

Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a monk at the age of 16. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to remain meditating in the monasteries or help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastations of war. Thich Nhat Hanh chose to do both, helping found the "engaged Buddhism" movement.

Thich Nhat Hanh has addressed audiences at the White House World Summit Conference on HIV and AIDS, The Gorbachev World Forum and the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. He has led retreats on mindful living for Vietnam veterans, prison inmates, ecologists, businessmen, police officers and members of Congress. In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.