Thich Nhat Hanh is a renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist teacher who has written numerous books, created 800 meditation groups in two dozen countries, led retreats for U.S. political leaders and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
But when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport in January for a three-month retreat, he said, he was pulled aside for an hour. Security guards searched his bags, read through his private letters and asked a fellow monk whether he had ever made bombs, he said.
"The war on terrorism has forced us to look at everyone as a potential terrorist," Nhat Hanh said in a recent interview at his organization's Deer Park Monastery in Escondido. "When the culture goes like that, it goes wrong, because you don't have much chance to discover the good things in people. In fact, we are trying to look for the negative things ... and that is very depressing."
To help Americans heal their trauma, anger and fear stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Buddhist monk has decided to spend his annual winter retreat in the United States for the first time in what he calls "a peace offering to America."
With about 250 fellow monks and nuns also visiting Deer Park, Nhat Hanh plans to present a series of public lectures, retreats and other events over the next month. The activities are aimed at sharing what he calls Buddhist mindfulness training -- how to cultivate peace and calm in daily life through deep breathing, slowing down and living fully in the present.
Nhat Hanh is scheduled to deliver a lecture at 2 p.m. Sunday at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center on the theme "Creating True Peace: Transforming Violence in Ourselves, Our Families and Society."
The frail, soft-spoken monk, 77, who was exiled from Vietnam in 1966 and lives at his Plum Village monastery in France, will also present two unusual gatherings during his time here. From March 19 to March 21, Nhat Hanh -- a poet and writer -- will offer a retreat for creative artists on how to work peacefully in the entertainment industry. The retreat stemmed from a request by a Hollywood producer for techniques to deal with the jealousy, anxiety and loneliness in the business.
A second retreat scheduled for March 25-27 will offer mindfulness training for ethnic minorities. In addition, the monastics plan an "alms round" procession next Saturday at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. This follows an ancient practice in which monks and nuns travel by foot to give teachings and receive food and other offerings in exchange.
