Thich Nhat Hanh brings Buddhism to life: "What is the

point of seeing and understanding if we do not act?"

Thich Nhat Hanh is called the "teacher of mindfulness," the pioneer of the Engaged Buddhism
movement with nearly 1,250 ordained disciples, millions of lay practitioners, and hundreds of millions of
readers across five continents.

With his influence, he is regarded as the most famous Buddhist monk in the world after His Holiness the
Dalai Lama. Thich Nhat Hanh was also nominated by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1967 as "an apostle of peace and nonviolence."

His powerful influence raises questions about his life journey and his contributions to society. In this
video, let's delve deeper into the life of this meditation master.

Thich Nhat Hanh's Journey to Buddhism

At the age of 16, he was ordained as a monk.
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, his birth name is Nguyen Dinh Lang, was born on October 11 1926, in the
ancient capital of Hue, is the third child in a family with three older brothers, one older sister, and a
younger brother born after him.

In many later sermons, he often recalled a critical moment, perhaps when he was nine years old when
he accidentally saw a picture of the Buddha on the cover of a Buddhist magazine brought by Anh Nho -
his older brother. The image of the Buddha sitting peacefully on the grass with a compassionate smile
captured the boy's mind and left a deep impression on him about peace and tranquillity.

By the time Thich Nhat Hanh was about eleven years old, one evening after dinner, he and his older
brothers and two friends sat together, talking about their aspirations for the future. Some wanted to
become doctors, some wanted to become lawyers. Anh Nho, Thich Nhat Hanh's brother, was the first in
the group to want to become a monk. Initially, the idea of becoming a monk was new to the others in
the group, but after some discussion, they all agreed to become monks together. Later, when recalling
the memory, Thich Nhat Hanh said, "In that conversation, there was a clear desire to rise within me. I
knew deep in my heart that I wanted to become a monk."

In 1942, at the age of 16, Thich Nhat Hanh was ordained at Tu Hieu Temple with the dharma name
Phung Xuan, meaning "meeting spring."

The Engaged Buddhism Journey

The Philosophy of Engaged Buddhism
Engaged Buddhism was initiated by Thich Nhat Hanh in the 1960s, amidst the intense warfare in
Vietnam. Engaged Buddhism is a way to bring the teachings of Buddhism closer to real-life situations,
modernize Buddhism, and help people while still maintaining its core values.

In his work "Buddhism enters life" Thich Nhat Hanh succinctly outlines the essence of Engaged
Buddhism as Buddhism being present in every moment in life, and Engaged Buddhism is the wisdom to
respond to what is happening in the present moment, here and now.

With Engaged Buddhism, there are two things that practitioners need to do:

First is to practice, aiming for a happy and peaceful life.

This first element is demonstrated in the mindfulness practices that Thich Nhat Hanh encourages
everyone to follow. He once shared, "Mindfulness is part of life. When you are mindful, you are fully
alive, you are present... When you are mindful, you can recognize, embrace, and handle the pain, the
sorrow within you and around you to bring you relief."

The second aspect that Engaged Buddhism requires is: dedicating one's abilities to saving lives, and
helping alleviate human suffering through concrete actions.

This second element is clearly illustrated in Thich Nhat Hanh's sharing in the book "Peace Is Every Step":
"During the Vietnam War, many villages were destroyed by bombs. People everywhere suffered
immensely. Along with the monks, nuns, and lay practitioners in the temple, after much deliberation, we
decided to leave the monastery to go help the people. Buddhism began to enter life from that moment
on. Because what is the point of seeing and understanding if we do not act?"

This aspect is also evident in peace movement activities, efforts to promote religious harmony, and the
construction of a universal ethical foundation that Thich Nhat Hanh undertook during his years abroad.

Bringing the concept of Engaged Buddhism to the world

From the 1950s and 1960s in Vietnam to his activities in Paris in the 1970s, Thich Nhat Hanh realised
that establishing a peaceful living environment and building mindful communities was the surest path to
healing the wounds of war, suffering, and sowing the seeds of peace, healing, reconciliation, and
awakening in the world.

In 1982, in the Dordogne River Valley, southwestern France, he and his colleagues established a
mindfulness meditation centre called Plum Village, named after the 1250 damson trees (also called plum
trees) planted on this fertile land.

Over the next two decades, Plum Village developed into the largest Buddhist meditation centre in the
Western world, attracting practitioners from all over the globe, with more than 4,000 attendees each
summer and hosting over 10,000 practitioners for study yearly.
 For Westerners seeking a spiritual path but wishing to avoid getting entangled in religious doctrines,
they find in Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings a solution to their problem. Unlike the stricter requirements of
other religions (or the meditation techniques of other Buddhist monks), Thich Nhat Hanh's approach is
very simple and accessible to anyone.

Another factor that contributes to Thich Nhat Hanh's ideals being widely embraced in the West is the
notion of "Boundless Buddhism." Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Our Buddhism is a boundless Buddhism." He
encourages everyone to maintain their roots rather than converting to Buddhism. For him, "everyone
can benefit from the teachings and practices of Buddhism. Buddhism is a treasure of all humanity, not
just for Buddhists."

Currently, Plum Village has expanded to 11 centres spanning from Asia to Europe, with over 1,000
monks and nuns worldwide.