Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master, poet, bestselling author and peace activist, has been a Buddhist monk for over 40 years. He was chairman of the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace delegations during the Vietnam War and was nominated by Dr Martin Luther King for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1966 he visited the United States and Europe on a peace mission and was unable to return to his native land. Today he heads Plum Village, a meditation community in southwestern France, where he teaches, writes, gardens and aids refugees worldwide.