Eyes of Compassion

“When I met Thich Nhat Hanh at the Fellowship of Reconciliation headquarters in Nyack, New York, he was thirty-nine and I was twenty-four.… This book attempts to share some of the lessons I learned from Thich Nhat Hanh. I found it an obligation to tell these stories as a gift to others. Many would agree with me that he is one of the great teachers of the past hundred years. His voice will still be influencing people for many years to come.”

Today, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is acknowledged as one of the world’s most influential and revered spiritual teachers. When Jim Forest met him in the mid-1960s, he was a little-known Vietnamese Zen monk, touring the United States on behalf of the cause of peace in his homeland.

Jim Forest, a Catholic peacemaker, was asked to accompany him on his travels and speaking engagements. From that beginning emerged a friendship over many decades, in which Jim learned through conversations and daily life about Thich Nhat Hanh’s spiritual teachings on “mindfulness,” “interbeing,” and the inner peace that is necessary for promoting world peace.

At the age of 95, “Thay” passed away in his homeland after almost seventy years of practicing and teaching peace. Jim Forest’s intimate portrait, Eyes of Compassion, which includes more than 70 photos and other illustrations, is a unique introduction to the life and teachings of a modern spiritual master.