Influential Zen Master Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh (vegan): Peace Activist and Poet, Part 2 of 2

In 1965, while in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), the Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh founded the School of Youth for Social Service, formed by volunteers who were inspired by the ideals of service to the community. This was the beginning of “Engaged Buddhism” – a way of practice responding to suffering through walking meditation and mindful breathing.

In 1966, the Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh left for the US and Europe to call for an end to the violence. He visited 19 countries, speaking for the voiceless and describing their agony and aspirations. In a press conference on June 1, 1966, Thích Nhất Hạnh proposed a five-point peace plan for Âu Lạc (Vietnam) that included ceasefire and the withdrawal of American troops. As a result, he was refused re-entry into his country, beginning a nearly four-decade exile. Thích Nhất Hạnh continued the call for peace and held press conferences in cities such as Copenhagen, Denmark; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Geneva, Switzerland.

He served as the official representative of Âu Lạc (Vietnam) for the Buddhist Peace Delegation at the Paris Peace Talks from 1968 to 1973. He also taught Buddhism at the prestigious Sorbonne École Pratique des Hautes Études.

The Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh shifted his focus to creating a living community with mindfulness practice. Established in 1982, Plum Village became the mindfulness practice center, set amidst the rolling hills and grapevines of the Dordogne Valley in southwest France, where 1,250 plum trees had been planted. The Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh translated the Buddhist Five Precepts as the “Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings”: The First Mindfulness Training:“Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.”

The Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh also taught about the environment and collaborated with other scientists and intellectuals to convene the first conference on the environment in Menton, France, in 1970.

In his letter to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), he stated: “Look around you – what you see is not your environment, it is you… This is the kind of awareness, the kind of awakening that we need, and the future of the planet depends on whether we’re able to cultivate this insight or not.” Furthermore, he emphasized: “Reducing the amount of meat we eat and alcohol we consume... is a true act of love for ourselves, for the Earth, and for one another. Eating with compassion can already help transform the situation our planet is facing, and restore balance to ourselves and the Earth.”

In his lifetime, the Venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh had authored over 100 books focusing on Buddhist teachings, kindness, mindfulness, and compassion to a worldwide audience. A great spiritual leader, peace activist, poet, and a pioneer of Buddhism in the West, he was well-known for continuous activism for peace and human rights, leading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. He was also the founding father of Engaged Buddhism.