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Sister Chan Khong
Plum Village Meditation Center
Tel: (+33) 556-61-66-88
nh-office@plumvillage.org 

Renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh Addresses UNESCO
-- Proposes Concrete Steps to Reverse Downward Spiral
of Violence, War, and Global Warming

(PARIS, FRANCE, 7 October 2006) – Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Master and peace activist nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967, will be addressing UNESCO at its world headquarters today as part of a conference celebrating the 2550th anniversary of the birth of the Buddha.  “The Buddha offered techniques for overcoming violence that remain most effective today, and our need for a way out of aggression and war has never been more urgent than it is now,” says Nhat Hanh. 

The United Nations has declared the years 2001 to 2010 the Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Non-Violence and of Peace for the Children of the World.  As part of that effort, UNESCO issued the “Manifesto 2000,” consisting of six points to promote a culture of non-violence.  Approximately 100 million people around the world have signed on to Manifesto 2000 and committed themselves to living non-violently; but, according to Nhat Hanh, very little positive change has occurred in the years since then. 

“If we just sign a declaration and forget about it, obviously nothing is going to change.  We all have a great desire to be able to live in security and in peace.  What most of us don’t have yet is concrete ways of making our commitment to peace a reality in our daily lives.  We haven’t organized ourselves to do it.  We can hardly blame our leaders for the violence in our neighborhood or the wars that continue to destroy so many lives.  It is time for every one of us to wake up, and take action in our own life.”

Thousands of people come to the Plum Village meditation centers in southwestern France and in the United States for retreats each year, to learn and practice methods of overcoming violence.  “In Plum Village,” says Nhat Hanh, “practicing peace, cultivating brotherhood and sisterhood, is what we do all day, every day.”  Nhat Hanh is urging UNESCO, as an educational, social and cultural organization, and its member states to act to make these simple but highly effective methods available to people everywhere.

“I am asking UNESCO to establish an Institute for the Practice of Peace – not another peace studies program, but a training program for real life.  We have the practice manuals ready now.  Plum Village already has trained hundreds of teachers from many countries who are qualified to train others, in a completely non-sectarian way, to create peaceful families and a genuinely peaceful world.  They have successfully taught police officers, prison officials and members of the U.S. Congress; Israelis and Palestinians; Christian priests, nuns, ministers and laypeople; agnostics and atheists.  We are prepared to make these experts available, at no salary, to UNESCO and its member nations.” 

In addition, Nhat Hanh is calling on UNESCO to organize an extended summit gathering for Muslim, Jewish and Christian religious leaders.  Says Nhat Hanh, “The religious element clearly is involved in the war in the Middle East.  Osama bin Laden has said that the ‘holy war’ is directed against the Christians and the Jews who, he says, have the desire to destroy Islam as a religion and a way of life.  The problem of war in the Middle East cannot be solved by military intervention, or even by peace negotiations as they traditionally are done.  I am asking UNESCO to invite leaders of these three faith communities to Paris -- but not for a ‘conference’ or ‘negotiations.’  If you are full of suspicion and hostility, and especially if you have not yet acknowledged these things in yourself and the obstacles they represent to peace, then negotiations will not have any real effect.

“Resolving this conflict requires a new approach, and it deserves a real investment from people who could spark the change.  I propose that leaders of these three religions come and actually live together for several months to find a solution for the Middle East.  We have seen Palestinians and Israelis start their retreats unable to look at each other, and end them walking hand in hand, enjoying meals together.  We will be happy to provide facilitators who can offer methods of calming emotions and looking deeply.  This will help our friends at the summit release wrong perceptions, connect with each other as real brothers and sisters, and make a breakthrough on the seemingly intractable problems of the Middle East.”

Nhat Hanh’s third proposal is a response to the threats faced by all of Earth’s citizens due to global warming.  Plum Village practice centers recently have committed themselves to observe a weekly “no car day” when they will not use motor vehicles, and to take other actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  They are encouraging everyone in their network to make a similar commitment and to let them know about it.  In just the first few days, 1200 people have signed a petition of support and pledged to do their part.  According to Nhat Hanh, “Everyone wants to have their own private car; but with the damage to the ozone caused by fuel emissions, our lakes and forests are drying up and the deserts are growing.  Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. and the heat wave in Europe claimed many thousands of lives, and cost billions of dollars in damage.  We have to live in such a way that a future will be possible for our children and our grandchildren, and our own life has to be our message. 

“We do not have to sink into despair about global warming.  We can act.  I ask UNESCO and its member nations to mobilize for global No Car Days for the whole planet.  This must be not only a call to action, but action itself – from UNESCO’s director to its ambassadors and permanent delegates, and out from there.  Let us do this now, together, to wake people up before it’s too late.”