Dr Martin Luther King nominate Thich Nhat Hanh for Nobel Peace Prize
Dear Blog friends,
This letter says it all. I am blogging it here for one reason and one reason only: TO SHARE WITH YOU THE GREATNESS OF DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AND THE SAINTLY MONK THICH NHAT HANH.
I do not need to write too much only just read the letter, contemplate and be moved as I am. Today this letter touched my heart as I type tears stream down my face in gratitude to Dr Martin Luther King for being such an exceptional human being and who continues to inspire although he has physically left us. He recognizes another powerful soul like himself in Ven Thich Nhat Hanh. It is always beautiful to see one spiritual being rejoicing in the deeds of another. One spiritual being praising another. Please share this with everyone you know. I offer my humblest gratitude to Dr King for what he stands for. I offer my respects to Ven Thich Nhat Hanh for practicing Dharma in an age where materialism is the new religion.
Tsem Rinpoche
1967 25, January
The Nobel Institute
Drammesnsveien 19
Oslo, NORWAY
Gentlemen:
As the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate of 1964, I now have the pleasure of proposing to you the name of Thich Nhat Hanh for that award in 1967. I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize than this gentle Buddhist monk from Vietnam.
This would be a notably auspicious year for you to bestow your Prize on the Venerable Nhat Hanh. Here is an apostle of peace and non-violence, cruelly separated from his own people while they are oppressed by a vicious war which has grown to threaten the sanity and security of the entire world.
Because no honor is more respected than the Nobel Peace Prize, conferring the Prize on Nhat Hanh would itself be a most generous act of peace. It would remind all nations that men of good will stand ready to lead warring elements out of an abyss of hatred and destruction. It would re-awaken men to the teaching of beauty and love found in peace. It would help to revive hopes for a new order of justice and harmony.
I know Thich Nhat Hanh, and am privileged to call him my friend. Let me share with you some things I know about him. You will find in this single human being an awesome range of abilities and interests.
He is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. The author of ten published volumes, he is also a poet of superb clarity and human compassion. His academic discipline is the Philosophy of Religion, of which he is Professor at Van Hanh, the Buddhist University he helped found in Saigon. He directs the Institute for Social Studies at this University. This amazing man also is editor of Thien My, an influential Buddhist weekly publication. And he is Director of Youth for Social Service, a Vietnamese institution which trains young people for the peaceable rehabilitation of their country.
Thich Nhat Hanh today is virtually homeless and stateless. If he were to return to Vietnam, which he passionately wishes to do, his life would be in great peril. He is the victim of a particularly brutal exile because he proposes to carry his advocacy of peace to his own people. What a tragic commentary this is on the existing situation in Vietnam and those who perpetuate it.
The history of Vietnam is filled with chapters of exploitation by outside powers and corrupted men of wealth, until even now the Vietnamese are harshly ruled, ill-fed, poorly housed, and burdened by all the hardships and terrors of modern warfare.
Thich Nhat Hanh offers a way out of this nightmare, a solution acceptable to rational leaders. He has traveled the world, counseling statesmen, religious leaders, scholars and writers, and enlisting their support. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.
I respectfully recommend to you that you invest his cause with the acknowledged grandeur of the Nobel Peace Prize of 1967. Thich Nhat Hanh would bear this honor with grace and humility.
Sincerely,
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Wow…..Two great masters from two different countries ,having a mutual understanding and respect for each other.Beautiful friendships between 2 different faiths, cultures and traditions ….thats beautiful.
Reading the letter from Dr Martin Luther King paints a thousands words,
Martin Luther King Jr. was an civil-rights activist,spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement while Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk,scholar,poet and peace activist.
Both of these great masters made a huge impact among the younger generations of today with their work amd inspirations.
The most generous act of peace was Nobel Peace Prize that was conferred on Nhat Hanh,nomminated by Dr Martin Luther King.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing
[…] compassionate toward those who are suffering," while Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel peace prize in 1967 for his work in seeking to end the Vietnam war. King said that conferring the award "would […]
It is so wonderful to read of these two great beings of different culture and background to have mutual respect for each other.
Martin Luther King Jr had such great respect of Ven Thich Nhat Hanh. He saw the great qualities of this saintly monk who like him work tireless to promote peace and non-violence and yes,it is always beautiful to see one spiritual being rejoicing in the deeds of another.
Both of them have sacrificed so much to bring peace, harmony and humanity to the world and to me this is real dharma.
Thank you, Rinpoche for highlighting this inspiring letter.
Who would have thought! This letter just truthfully demonstrated how in between people, they recognize good qualities and praise. Let alone it was from Martin Luther King Jr to Ven Thich Nhat Hanh. In a worldly samsara world, people tend to complain and look at the negative qualities first. But both of them highly respected beings just demonstrated how to recognize one’s good qualities. That just show pure attainments and humbleness.
Of course this letter touches everybody’s heart and soul with deep feelings, and would move anyone to tears, through such selfless act of an exceptional human being. Like the saying goes, it takes one master to know another, and it would take one powerful soul like Dr. Martin Luther to recognise another special spiritual being same like himself and to be able to rejoice in such deeds of one like that of Ven Thich Nhat Hanh! Even at his own funeral, after Dr. Martin Luther was assassinated, it was said that he has himself specifically instructed that there’ll be no mention of his awards and honors, but it be said that he tried to “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, be right on the Vietnam war question, and love and serve Humanity.” It really is beyong words to describe such a Legendary, so filled with grace, care and humility!! Thank you Rinpoche, for sharing with us such a wonderful and meaningful exposure.
It is so humbling and aspiring to read of two great masters from two different countries, faiths, cultures and traditions having a friendship of mutual respect, kinship and love for each other. This is Dharma.
Wow! They do everything they can to inspire many people. Such humility! Just like our Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and Kechara Organisation…
Has anyone heart the last speech Martin Luther King
gave the night before the died ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oehry1JC9Rk&feature=fvst
It’s strong, and gets quite interesting about 1:20
What an odd couple. Just tells you when people are of one heart and mind in this case a mind to benefit others and are selfless it does not matter what they look like on the outside they would come together. When I first found out about this many years back my thoughts were the same I never imagined these two great minds would collaborate to spread peace. It really shows what a great man Martin Luther King to expound the good qualities of another man. Thich Nach Hant then I think has not much political leverage politically for a man of Martin Luther stature. IMHO i dont think the black community then and now does not know much about this great Vietnamese master, I could be wrong.
We act out how we feel inside(i think rinpoche said this before), and inside Martin Luther’s heart is endless beauty and kindness.
apologies – I should’ve said. His Holiness )
I’m so happy to see this post about Martin Luther King, and Thich
Nath Hanh together -wow! MLK his writing always seems so sane, and he is always so incredibly gracious. whenever I see picture of him, he seems so powerful + stable. really reminds me of HH Karmapa somehow.
Many thanks, Rinpoche, for publishing this beautiful, inspiring, heart-opening letter. Happy New Moon Buddha Day! May all beings rest in the Heart of enlightenment in this very lifetime.
I feel fortunate can read this letter and with great respect for this two parties. Dr Martin Luther King have a great and generous heart. Ven Thich Nhat Hanh also same. I knew Ven Thich Nhat Hanh through his books, Ven Thich Nhat Hanh is a great writer, his book have great impact for new generation’s practitioner.
I not read much his book, but I knew he created a very huge impact among of young practitioner in the world. To me, Ven Thich Nhat Hanh is a qualify Nobel Peace Prize winner same as Dr Martin Luther King because what they presented in front of us is a great heart!!!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Wow, this is an amazing letter, so moving! Hopefully this letter will inspire the world’s politicians/leaders/citizens to rejoice and learn from another person’s sincere peace making efforts, regardless of race, religion and rank. Thank you Rinpoche for highlighting this.
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful endorsement of Ven Thich Nhat Hanh by the legendary Dr Martin Luther King. It is such a short yet powerful summary of the qualities of Ven Thich Nhat Hanh and i find this part particularly touching and true, “His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” This is what Rinpoche consistently advises us – to apply the Dharma teachings which are universal and have limitless benefits. If we do so, we can achieve inner peace and eventually world peace.
The letter that Thich Nhat Hanh wrote to Martin Luther King, “In Search Of The Enemy Of Man” which got MLK to take his stance against the Vietnam War.
“You cannot be silent since you have already been in action and you are in action because, in you, God is in action too…”
http://www.aavw.org/special_features/letters_thich_abstract02.html
Thank you very much Rinpoche for the letter and these photos. And thanks M for this letter. Who would have known about MLK and Thich Nhat Hanh? Very moving. The stories of great masters always inspire, and make our mundane problems seem insignificant.
I was really happy to come across this letter. Such great souls meet and rejoice in eachother’s work and what eachother stands for. They are such compassionate people that make me think beyond my small world, problems, fears and barriers….