Resources for Teachers and Students

Prepare: Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Master, is a proponent of "engaged Buddhism," which combines traditional meditative practices with non-violent action to curb oppression and injustice. Although he has never received the award, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. His biography can be found on the website of the Community of Mindful Living.

Read: Thich Nhat Hanh's Architects of Peace essay was excerpted from his journals, which have been published as Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals 1962-1966. The essay deals with the nature of Great Compassion.

Explore: Thich Nhat Hanh currently runs a Buddhist meditation center in the South of France called the Plum Village. The center's website offers an overview of his teachings, especially those concerning the virtue of mindfulness.

Write: Thich Nhat Hanh, in his Architects of Peace essay, teaches that when we can begin to see that black mud and white snow are neither ugly nor beautiful, and when we can see them without discrimination or duality, then we begin to grasp the Great Compassion. He relates the ability to grasp compassion directly to the ability to be at peace and to achieve peace. But how does a person learn to see without discrimination or duality? Write a three-to-five page personal essay relating, anecdotally, whether you have had to learn to see without discrimination or duality in your own life. In your own life, how would you interpret the relationship between peace and learning how to see in such a way?

Extend: The cornerstone of Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings relate to the concept of mindfulness. Those interested can view Hanh's, The first five mindfulness trainings, which deal with suffering. Following this, one is prepared to consider the 14 mindfulness trainings, which deal with subjects such as openness, anger management, and generosity.

Additional Resource: Most of the book-length writings of Thich Nhat Hanh have been published by Parallax Press and are still in print. A listing of these books, complete with sample chapters, can be found on Parallax's website.

Biography of Thich Nhat Hanh