Thích Nhất Hạnh born as Nguyen Xuan Bao on October 11, 1926 is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. He lives in Plum Village in the Dordogne region in the south of France, traveling internationally to give retreats and talks. He coined the term “Engaged Buddhism” in his book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. A long-term exile, he was given permission to make his first return trip to Vietnam in 2005. Nhất Hạnh has published more than 100 books, including more than 40 in English. He is active in the peace movement, promoting non-violent solutions to conflict and he also refrains from animal product consumption as a means of non-violence towards non-human animals.