MY LIFE IS MY MESSAGE - Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh, monk, zen teacher, writer and peace activist, born in Vietnam in 1926, was the organiser of a non-violent resistance movement after the outbreak of the Vietnam War.

We follow Thich Nhat Hanh around the time of Memorial Day of 9/11 in Washington D.C., where he teaches Members of Congress the concepts of ‘Mindful Living’. He tries to convey his message of peace straight to the centre of world power.


Thousands of people participate each year in the meditation retreats led by Thich Nhat Hanh. In his monastic community Plum Village in the south of France, his home base, he brings groups of Palestinians and Israelis together. Horrible experiences are exchanged and discussed for the first time, in the hope that people may come to recognize each other’s suffering.


From his experiences during the Vietnam war, and later as an exile, Thich Nhat Hanh knows what it means to live in life-threatening circumstances. His modesty, his great social engagement and the fact that he lives what he preaches, make him a very popular figure. He is able to convey the essence of Buddhist teachings in very simple terms, with a direct link to the realities of daily life.

Directed by: George Schouten
Commissioning editor / executive producer: Babeth M. VanLoo
With: Thich Nhat Hanh, Sister Chân Không, Issa Souf, Ruth Mason, Eliyahu Mclean, Nazek Arar, Nuha Badawia, Sandra/Cúc Nghiêm, Brother Phâp Due, Brian Baird, Tom Udall, Tim Ryan, Gary Shandling & Christina Torres Mendes
Camera: Bernd Wouthuysen
Sound: Martijn van Haalen
Editor: Marina Bodbijl
Music: Harry de Wit
Voice-over: Jan Kuijper, Nicoline Tania
Interviews US: Jean Karel Hylkema
With thanks to: Community of Mindful Living, Plum Village; Order of Inter Being, Netherlands; Faith & Politics Institute, Library of Congress, Louis Capps, Jo Ann Emerson & Carolyn Cleveland

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