In this episode Robert Thurman shares personal stories and a historical perspective on the life, work and writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. Opening with the Buddhist perspective on death and the bardo states outlined in the "The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between" this episode of the Bob Thurman podcast includes: a short history of non-violent philosophy and social action, an explanation of the central role of Thich Nhat Hanh's personal interactions and friendships with Christian Theologians were to modern culture and interfaith dialog, and a discussion of the importance of monastic communities to the sustainability of traditions in the West and to the development of any new forms of a future American Buddhism. Episode concludes with a humorous story of Thich Nhat Hanh's time visiting Columbia University in New York City with a group of happy monks and a timeless guided gratitude meditation and contemplation of peace by Professor Thurman.

Thich Nhat Hanh - Podcast Photo of Teaching children to read and write using a song about the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, Early 1960s via Plum Village, All Rights Reserved. To lean more about the life and work of Thich Nhat Hanh please visit: www.plumvillage.org. "Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh was a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, renowned for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. A gentle, humble monk, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Exiled from his native Vietnam for almost four decades, Thich Nhat Hanh was a pioneer bringing Buddhism and mindfulness to the West, and establishing an engaged Buddhist community for the 21st Century."