Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, and teacher who became one of the most influential spiritual figures of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries — a gentle revolutionary whose teachings on mindfulness transformed millions of lives worldwide. Born Nguyen Xuan Bao in Hue, Vietnam in 1926, he was ordained as a monk at sixteen and went on to found the Engaged Buddhism movement, which combines traditional Buddhist meditation with active social engagement. During the Vietnam War, he advocated for peace and reconciliation, leading Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. He was exiled from Vietnam for his peace activism and lived in France for decades, founding Plum Village, one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the West. His books — including The Miracle of Mindfulness, Peace Is Every Step, Anger, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, and dozens more — have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and introduced mindfulness practice to a Western mainstream audience. Anger teaches practical techniques for transforming anger into compassion through mindful awareness. Thich Nhat Hanh's writing is characterised by profound simplicity — he had the rare ability to express deep spiritual truths in language that anyone could understand. His teachings emphasise present-moment awareness, compassion, and the interconnectedness of all life. He died on 22 January 2022, aged ninety-five, at his root temple in Hue, Vietnam. The audiobook editions of Thich Nhat Hanh's books are meditative, calming, and deeply nourishing. His books and audiobooks are essential for anyone interested in mindfulness, meditation, peace, and living with greater awareness and compassion.