This delightful children's book tells the story of a young boy in Vietnam who climbs a mountain, hoping to meet the famed Hermit that lives there. Instead, he finds the secret to his own happiness. The story is based on an actual event in Thich Nhat Hanh's own life. During his school years, his interest and commitment to becoming a monk deepened, leading to visits to temples and other places of worship, including a class fieldtrip to visit a hermit in the mountains.
One of the best known and most respected Zen masters in the world today, poet, and peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh has led an extraordinary life. Born in central Vietnam in 1926 he joined the monkshood at the age of sixteen. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating in the monasteries, or to help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastation of the war. Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, helping to found the "engaged Buddhism" movement. His life has since been dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society.
Thich Nhat Hanh continues to live in Plum Village in the meditation community he founded, where he teaches, writes, and gardens; and he leads retreats worldwide on "the art of mindful living."