Our mission
Parallax Press is a nonprofit publisher founded by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. We publish books and media on the art of mindful living and Engaged Buddhism. We are committed to offering teachings that help transform suffering and injustice. Our aspiration is to contribute to collective insight and awakening, bringing about a more joyful, healthy, and compassionate society.
Our work
Parallax Press was established in 1986 with the publication of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s book Being Peace in sunny Berkeley, California, and we have been based in the San Francisco Bay Area ever since. Our bestselling books have sold more than 100,000 copies and are available in 35 languages in countries around the world.
We aim to publish well-crafted books that nourish happiness and show the connection between the inner and outer work for peace and an ethical, sustainable, and beautiful way of life. We are committed to following a sustainable and humane way of doing business in alignment with our values. We offer free books for people who are suffering incarceration through our Prison Practitioner Book Program. We also structure in daily meditation and mindfulness practices as part of the working day.
Parallax Press is the publishing house of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, Inc. (formerly known as the Unified Buddhist Church), a registered 501(c)3 organization. If you would like to make a donation to support our mission, please do so by donating directly to the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.
Our founder and community
Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness, global ethics and peace. Time magazine called him “the monk who taught the world mindfulness.” Thích Nhất Hạnh founded the Unified Buddhist Church (Église Bouddhique Unifiée) in 1969 during the war in Vietnam, which was renamed the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Establishing its first practice community in France in 1975 during Thích Nhất Hạnh’s exile from Vietnam, the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism is now the largest Buddhist monastic tradition outside Asia, with mindfulness practice centers around the world where visitors can enjoy the art of mindful living.