Fragrant Palm Leaves

Fragrant Palm Leaves

Summary

'It isn't likely that this collection of journal entries will pass the censors. If it can't be published, I hope my friends will circulate it among themselves. I'll leave Vietnam tomorrow...' Thus Thich Nhat Hanh begins his 11 May 1966 journal entry. Since that time, he has been unable to return to his homeland but, now based in France, he has become one of the world's most respected spiritual leaders.

Fragrant Palm Leaves
reveals a vulnerable and questioning young man reflecting on the many difficulties he and his fellow monks faced in Vietnam trying to make Buddhism relevant to the people's needs. We follow him, in 1964, as he helps establish the movement known as 'engaged Buddhism': starting self-help villages, a new university, a Buddhist order and many other efforts for peace. Fragrant Palm Leaves is regarded by many Vietnamese as Thich Nhat Hanh's most endearing and stimulating book. It offers readers a glimpse into the mind of a great thinker and activist and shows how to live fully, with awareness, during a time of challenge and upheaval.

About the author

Thich Nhat Hanh

Born in Hue, Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh was a Buddhist Zen Master, poet, scholar and human rights activist. In 1967, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King. He founded the Van Hanh Buddhist University in Saigon, the School of Youth and Social Service and the Plum Village Buddhist community and meditation centre in France, where he lived for many years. He was the author of many acclaimed books including Peace is Every Step, Old Path White Clouds and Fear, which have sold millions of copies around the world. In 2018, he returned to Vietnam to live at the Tu Hieu Temple, where he was first ordained when he was sixteen years old. He died on 22nd January 2022, at the age of 95.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more