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Thich Nhat Hanh, a well-known Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace campaigner, and outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, has died at the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam. He was 95 years old.
Plum Village, the monastic group he established, confirmed the news on their website.
Thich Nhat Hanh died “peacefully” on Saturday morning, according to Plum Village.
“Thay [Thich Nhat Hanh] has been the most exceptional teacher, whose tranquility, gentle compassion, and light insight have touched the lives of millions,” according to a statement from Plum Village.
“Whether we met him on retreats, at public presentations, or through his books and online teachings – or simply through the story of his extraordinary life,” the statement said, “we can see that Thay [Thich Nhat Hanh] has been a true bodhisattva, an enormous force for peace and healing in the world.”
In 1961, Thich Nhat Hanh moved to the United States to teach comparative religion at Princeton University. Later that decade, he taught at Cornell and Columbia Universities, where he disseminated a message of peace and persuaded Western authorities to halt the Vietnam War, according to Plum Village.
Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who described him as “an apostle of peace and nonviolence.” That year, however, no Nobel Peace Prize was presented.
Because of Thich Nhat Hanh’s anti-war mission, both North and South Vietnam denied him permission to return to any country for decades.
He had been banished for 39 years and was finally allowed to return to his hometown in 2005.
