Thích Nhất Hạnh

Activist Type

Peace

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet, and peace activist who promotes nonviolence toward humans and animals. Nhất Hạnh, a Princeton graduate, is fluent in seven languages, has written over 100 books, and pioneered “Engaged Buddhism,” which refers to applying Buddhist insights to problems of social, political, economic, and environmental nature. In the mid-1960s, Nhất Hạnh co-founded the School of Youth for Social Services and created the Order of Interbeing. He was exiled from South Vietnam in 1966 after expressing opposition to the war and refusing to take sides.

Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Prize in 1967 for his peace activism during the Vietnam War, although no prize was awarded that year. After over 30 years in exile, he was finally able to make his first return visit to Vietnam in 2005.

Artwork by

Anne Di Lillo

The inspiration for the style of this portrait came more from Buddhist symbols than Vietnamese art itself, as Thích Nhất Hạnh is a monk. The spiraling surface which creates his head is meant to be a strip of cloth from a monk’s robe. These robes are made from the most common dyes available, and in Southeast Asia these tend to be vegetable and spice based, giving the fabric an orange hue. The openings in the cloth allow a view into his head, revealing a calm space free of turmoil, referencing his practice of meditation.

Vietnam

Capital

Hanoi

Founded

September 2, 1945

Demonym

Vietnamese