Thích Nhất Hạnh
Nguyễn Xuân Bảo was born on the 11th of October 1926 in Huế, the ancient capital of central Vietnam. He belonged to the 15th generation of the Nguyễn Đình family line. His father worked as an official for the French administration while his mother managed their home. He lived with a large extended family at his grandmother's house until he turned five years old. A drawing of a peaceful Buddha sitting on grass brought him joy when he was seven or eight years old. Later, a school trip took him to a mountain where a hermit sat quietly day and night. He found a natural well there and drank from it feeling completely satisfied. This specific experience sparked his desire to become a Buddhist monk. At age twelve he expressed interest in training as a monk. His parents were cautious but eventually allowed him to pursue this path at sixteen.
Nhất Hạnh returned to South Vietnam on the 16th of December 1963 after a military overthrow of President Ngo Dinh Diem. He helped restructure Vietnamese Buddhism following a congress that formed the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam in January 1964. Two students founded La Boi Press with a grant from Mrs. Ngo Van Hieu. The press published twelve books within two years before publishers risked arrest. Nhất Hạnh edited the weekly journal Sound of the Rising Tide which the government closed down. On the 1st of May 1966 he received lamp transmission making him a teacher at Từ Hiếu Temple. In June 1966 he released a five-point proposal to the U.S. government recommending an end to air strikes. The South Vietnamese junta accused him of treason for refusing to take sides. He moved to Paris in 1966 and became chair of the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace Delegation. Both North and South Vietnamese governments exiled him for his refusal to support either side.
The book The Miracle of Mindfulness originally titled The Miracle of Being Awake served as a manual for social workers facing daily danger in Vietnam. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the mindfulness-based stress reduction course available at hospitals worldwide. Around eighty percent of medical schools offered mindfulness training by 2015. One survey found thirty-five percent of employers used mindfulness practices in their workplaces. A 2019 report valued the U.S. mindfulness industry at $1.1 billion. University of Washington professor Marsha M. Linehan credited his work with laying foundations for dialectical behavior therapy. James Shaheen called him an icon in American Buddhism who made ancient wisdom accessible to modern psychology. His teachings bridged psychological science with healthcare systems globally.
After thirty-nine years in exile Nhất Hạnh returned to Vietnam on the 12th of January
2005. He visited his root temple Từ Hiếu Temple near Huế where he lived until his death. A severe brain hemorrhage struck him in November 2014 leaving him unable to speak verbally for the rest of his life. He flew to San Francisco in July 2015 for aggressive rehabilitation before returning to France in January 2016. In November 2018 at age ninety-two he returned to Vietnam one final time to live at Từ Hiếu Temple. Plainclothes police monitored his activities daily while he communicated through gestures and nods. He died on the 22nd of January 2022 at age ninety-five due to complications from his stroke seven years prior. His ashes were scattered across temples associated
Common questions
When and where was Thích Nhất Hạnh born?
Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, known as Thích Nhất Hạnh, was born on the 11th of October 1926 in Huế, the ancient capital of central Vietnam. He belonged to the 15th generation of the Nguyễn Đình family line.
Why did Thích Nhất Hạnh leave South Vietnam in 1966?
The South Vietnamese junta accused him of treason for refusing to take sides during the conflict. Both North and South Vietnamese governments exiled him for his refusal to support either side after he moved to Paris in 1966.
How did Thích Nhất Hạnh influence modern psychology and healthcare?
University of Washington professor Marsha M. Linehan credited his work with laying foundations for dialectical behavior therapy. His teachings bridged psychological science with healthcare systems globally through books like The Miracle of Mindfulness.
What happened to Thích Nhất Hạnh's health in November 2014?
A severe brain hemorrhage struck him in November 2014 leaving him unable to speak verbally for the rest of his life. He later flew to San Francisco in July 2015 for aggressive rehabilitation before returning to France in January 2016.
When did Thích Nhất Hạnh die and how old was he?
He died on the 22nd of January 2022 at age ninety-five due to complications from his stroke seven years prior. His ashes were scattered across temples associated with Plum Village after a five-day funeral ending with cremation on the 29th of January.