The Latest Breaking News from Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness is often presented as a path to calm, but its Buddhist roots explain why it can also bring difficulties

Mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular in the United States and around the world in recent decades. Apps such as Headspace, Calm and Plum Village – inspired by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh – are helping people build a steady practice, reduce stress and improve sleep.

The Conversation · Jul 16

Building ‘beloved community’: Remembering the friendship between Martin Luther King Jr. and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh

Before Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, he asked several of his friends to continue his life’s work building what he called “beloved community.” One of the people he invited was the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet and mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.

The Conversation · Jan 14

Meditating on the connectedness of life could help reunite a divided country – here’s how ‘interbeing’ works

The late Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh often emphasized the interconnectedness of everything in this world. He explained how meditation can change our perceptions about the things we encounter in our daily lives by revealing this interdependence.

The Conversation · Dec 4, 2025

MLK’s vision of social justice included religious pluralism – a house of many faiths

The life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have been the subject of ongoing debate ever since his assassination on April 4, 1968.

The Conversation · Mar 30, 2023

This course asks, 'What is mindfulness?' – but don't expect a clear-cut answer

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

The Conversation · Mar 23, 2023

Activist's self-immolation stirs questions on faith, protest

Last Friday, on Earth Day, a 50-year-old photographer and climate-change activist named Wynn Bruce set himself on fire outside the U.S. Supreme Court

The Independent UK · Apr 26, 2022

Earth Day immolation on SCOTUS steps

A friend called the self-immolation "a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis"

Salon · Apr 26, 2022

How Buddhism has changed the west for the better

We are not who we were very long ago. A lot of new ideas have emerged from Buddhism and other traditions emphasizing compassion, equality, nonviolence and critical perspectives on materialism and capitalism

The Guardian - US · Feb 8, 2022

What is walking meditation?

For Thich Nhat Hanh, the late Vietnamese monk who popularized mindfulness in the West, walking was not simply a way to get from one place to another, or an activity to be reserved for a perfect forest path. It could be a profound contemplative practice putting people in touch with…

The Conversation · Feb 4, 2022

'A cloud never dies:' A California monastery mourns mindfulness advocate Thich Nhat Hanh

The low peaceful notes of a bell floated over the Deer Park Monastery in the mountains of Escondido, California, where hundreds of people gathered recently to honor the beloved Zen teacher and poet Thich Nhat Hanh.

Los Angeles Times · Feb 1, 2022