Thich Nhat Hanh, born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo (11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022), was a renowned Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet, and teacher. He founded the Plum Village Tradition and is historically recognized as a major inspiration for engaged Buddhism.

Known as the "father of mindfulness", Thich Nhat Hanh significantly influenced Western practices of Buddhism. He co-founded the School of Youth for Social Services and the Order of Interbeing in the mid-1960s. Exiled from South Vietnam in 1966 due to his opposition to the war, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967.

Throughout his life, he established many monasteries and practice centers globally, residing for many years at the Plum Village Monastery in southwest France, which he founded in 1982. Thich Nhat Hanh was a proponent of deep listening as a nonviolent conflict resolution method and emphasized the interconnectedness of peace-promoting environments.

After a 39-year exile, he returned to Vietnam in 2005 and in 2018, he moved back to his "root temple", Từ Hiếu Temple, near Huế, where he lived until his passing in 2022 at the age of 95.