Thich Nhat Hanh

 One of the best-known and most-respected Zen masters in the world today, poet, and peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh has led an extraordinary life. Born in central Vietnam in 1926, he joined the monkhood at the age of 16. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating inside them or to help the villagers out in the world who were suffering under the bombings and other devastations of the war. Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, helping to found the "engaged Buddhism" movement. His life has since been dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society. In Saigon in the early '60s, Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth Social Service (SYSS), a grassroots relief organization that rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical centers, resettled homeless families, and organized agricultural cooperatives. Rallying some 10,000 student volunteers, the SYSS based its work on the Buddhist principles of nonviolence and compassionate action. Despite government denunciation of his activity, Nhat Hanh also founded a Buddhist university, a publishing house, and an influential peace activist magazine in Vietnam.