In the previous article in this series, we saw how Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism reached beyond Vietnam through powerful interfaith encounters during his 1966 peace tour to the West. He formed close friendships with Christian leaders such as Thomas Merton and Martin Luther King Jr., both of whom deeply resonated with his message of nonviolence and compassion. These relationships showed that spiritual connections across traditions can help build understanding, peace, and social change.
We also explored the difficult early years of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s exile in France, after he was banned from returning to Vietnam. Separated from his homeland, Thích Nhất Hạnh deepened his mindfulness practice, realizing that true home is not a place but the present moment. From this insight emerged two core Plum Village teachings: “I have arrived, I am home,” and, “no mud, no lotus”—both expressing how suffering can be transformed into understanding and joy.
In concluding this series, we will highlight six key characteristics of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism as it developed during wartime Vietnam:
(1) Behind-the-scenes contributions
(2) Nonviolent action rooted in compassion
(3) Beyond political sides
(4) Expatriate Buddhist activism
(5) Teaching Engaged Buddhism
(6) Living Engaged Buddhism
(1) Behind-the-scenes contributions
Street demonstrations were common during the Vietnam War. Many monks and nuns joined these public actions, but Thích Nhất Hạnh rarely appeared among them. This was not because he disapproved—far from it; he supported these efforts by working behind the scenes. He composed slogans and songs used by protesters, shaping the spirit of the marches without stepping into the streets himself.
This reflected his temperament. Scholar of philosophy and religion Sallie B. King described him as “more of a philosopher than the kind of activist who takes to the street.” (King 1996) Vietnamese Buddhist activist and writer Văn Minh Phạm, who worked closely with him at the time, echoed this view: “He was first and foremost a thinker and an artist.” (Phạm 2001) Similarly, the renowned Baptist minister and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. called him “humble and devout . . . a scholar of immense intellectual capacity . . . [and] a poet of superb clarity and human compassion.” (King 1967)
Rather than being a street protester, Thích Nhất Hạnh drew on his strengths as a thinker, teacher, writer, scholar, and poet. Creating slogans and songs was, therefore, a natural way for him to contribute.
(2) Nonviolent action rooted in compassion
Although Thích Nhất Hạnh was an active and outspoken social activist, he avoided political maneuvering and instead practiced spiritual pacifism rooted in love and compassion. (King 1996) He explained that Buddhist social action did not come from careful planning, but from compassion in the face of suffering:
We did not plan self-immolations or any of the other methods that were used. But confronting the situation and having compassion in our hearts, ways of acting came by themselves. You cannot prefabricate techniques of nonviolent action and put them into a book for people to use. That would be naive. If you are alert and creative, you will know what to do and what not to do. The basic requisite is that you have the essence, the substance of nonviolence and compassion in yourself. Then everything you do will be in the direction of nonviolence. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 1993)
He also stressed:
Nonviolence is not a dogma; it is a process. Other struggles may be fuelled by greed, hatred, fear, or ignorance, but a nonviolent one cannot use such blind sources of energy, for they will destroy those involved and also the struggle itself. Nonviolent action, born of the awareness of suffering and nurtured by love, is the most effective way to confront adversity. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 1993)
Because of this approach, when Thích Nhất Hạnh traveled to the West, he emphasized that he was not a political expert. His aim was to share firsthand accounts of Vietnam’s desperate situation and to explain why Buddhists were protesting. (Hassler 1966)
Thích Nhất Hạnh and his colleagues focused on peasants in rural areas, where life was less politicized than in the cities. Students of the School of Youth for Social Service, which he co-founded, lived in the countryside to better understand and help local communities. (King 1996)
This approach connects with my earlier article, “Buddhist Mindfulness Versus Secular Mindfulness, Part 2,” in which we explored how wise actions arise from mindful discernment of how to help. When we see reality clearly, our behaviors naturally follow from an understanding of what is most beneficial in each situation. Thích Nhất Hạnh’s responses show how mindful awareness and compassion leads to selfless and spontaneous action in life.
(3) Beyond political sides
Thích Nhất Hạnh refused to side with either the South or North Vietnamese governments. This reflected his teaching on interbeing, which shows that everything depends on everything else to exist. Interbeing can thus be expressed as: A is made of non-A elements (see my previous article “Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Teaching of Interbeing” for more on this deep insight).
This means the South is made of non-South elements, including the North, and the North is made of non-North elements, including the South. One side cannot exist without the other. The South and North Vietnamese governments, therefore, inter-are. Knowing that war arises from misunderstanding, Thích Nhất Hạnh sought reconciliation rather than victory. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 2005)
Some might say that he sided with the Vietnamese people and opposed the United States, which supported the war. His focus, however, was on ending suffering, the ultimate goal of all Buddhist teachings. The Vietnamese people endured the greatest hardships during the war, and his support for them meant working to relieve their suffering. Founding the School of Youth for Social Service and the Order of Interbeing was part of this effort.
What, then, about his stance against the United States? Sallie B. King explained:
The Buddhist movement obviously never opposed the American soldiers fighting in Vietnam in the sense of perpetrating or advocating any harm to them. . . . In opposing the United States, the Buddhists were opposing the underlying cause of the suffering of all involved, Vietnamese peasant and soldier as well as American soldier. During the war, Nhất Hạnh in particular saw the underlying cause of suffering to be the policies emanating from Washington. It was this that he opposed. (King 1996)
This is why Thích Nhất Hạnh travelled widely to appeal for global support to end the war in Vietnam. For him, social action meant opposing what causes suffering while remaining completely nonviolent, acting without anger and aiming for reconciliation. (King 1996) His refusal to take sides was not political but rooted in compassion and interbeing. He focused on helping those affected by the war, regardless of their affiliation.
Conclusion
We have explored three key characteristics of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism during wartime Vietnam: his behind-the-scenes contributions, his nonviolent action rooted in compassion, and his refusal to take sides. These lessons remain deeply relevant today, especially in conflicts where reconciliation seems impossible.
In the next article, we will examine the remaining three characteristics: his expatriate Buddhist activism, his efforts to teach Engaged Buddhism, and his embodiment of Engaged Buddhism in social action. Together, these six traits reveal the depth and practicality of his approach to relieving suffering and promoting reconciliation, even in the most difficult and divided times.
References
Hassler, Alfred. 1966. “Afterword.” In Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire (pp. 97—101). New York: Hill and Wang.
King, Martin L. 1967. Nomination of Thích Nhất Hạnh for the Nobel Peace Prize. Retrieved from http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/025.html
King, Sallie B. 1996. “Thích Nhất Hạnh and the Unified Buddhist Church: Nondualism in action.” In C. S. Queen (Ed.), Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia (pp. 321—63). Albany: State University of New York Press.
Phạm, Văn Minh. 2001. Socio-political Philosophy of Vietnamese Buddhism: A Case Study of the Buddhist Movement of 1963 and 1966. (Master’s thesis). University of Western Sydney, Australia.
Thích Nhất Hạnh. (1993). Love in Action: Writings on Nonviolent Social Change. Berkeley, California: Parallax Press.
Thích Nhất Hạnh. (2005). Being Peace. Berkeley, California: Parallax Press.
Related features from BDG
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism During Wartime Vietnam, Part 1
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism During Wartime Vietnam, Part 2
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism During Wartime Vietnam, Part 3
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism During Wartime Vietnam, Part 4
