Eastern Religions
Peace is Every Step Paper
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He lives in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France, travelling internationally to give retreats and talks. He has published more than 100 books. He was born in central Vietnam in 1926; At the age of 16 he entered the monastery at a Temple near Hue, Vietnam, where his primary teacher was Dhyana Master Thanh Quy Chan That. A graduate of Bao Quoc Buddhist Academy in Central Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh received training in Zen and the Mahayana school of Buddhism and was ordained as a monk in 1949. He lived through the Vietnam War, seeing all of the terrors of war. Nhat Hanh taught Buddhist psychology and Prajnaparamita literature at the Van Hanh Buddhist University, a private institution that focused on Buddhist studies, Vietnamese culture, and languages. At a meeting in April 1965 Van Hanh Union students issued a Call for Peace statement. It declared: "It is time for North and South Vietnam to find a way to stop the war and help all Vietnamese people live peacefully and with mutual respect." Nhat Hanh left for the U.S. shortly afterwards. That’s just the beginning of Thich Nhat Hanh’s life story, his life is a very active and involved one.
Nhat Hanh's novel "Peace is Every Step" is a work that centers on the concept of meditation and enlightenment. Hanh bases his discussion on Zen Buddhism, using anecdotes and personal testimonials to demonstrate meditation techniques. He urges the reader to adopt the practice of conscious breathing as a method for reminding themselves about their existences on this earth. Hanh believes that adoption of these practices will help practitioners increase the value of their relationships, obtain peace at higher levels, and increase their feeling of joy. The novel represents a personal journey for the author and serves as an instructional guide for