Engaged Buddhism
Thich Nhat Hanh
The Monk Who Made Peace a Practice
Thich Nhat Hanh is for the person who wants a spiritual practice that doesn't retreat from the world but engages with it more fully. You've probably been drawn to the idea of mindfulness but sensed that the commercialised version is missing something — the ethical core, the social dimension, the commitment to suffering beyond your own. Thay (as his students called him) was a Vietnamese Zen master who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. He made mindfulness inseparable from compassion, and compassion inseparable from action.
mindfulness as practiceinterbeingengaged compassionthe present momentpeace as action
Where to Start Reading
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
The most comprehensive introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh's Buddhism. Covers the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and his concept of 'interbeing' — all in accessible, warm prose. Start here.
The Miracle of Mindfulness
A short, practical guide to mindfulness — originally written as a letter to his students. The simplest and most direct of his books. Can be read in an afternoon.
Being Peace
Thich Nhat Hanh on peace as something you practise, not something you achieve. Short talks on how inner transformation and social action are the same thing.
“There is no way to peace — peace is the way.”