“When you look at the sun during your walking meditation, the mindfulness of the body helps you to see that the sun is in you; without the sun there is no life at all and suddenly you get in touch with the sun in a different way.”

Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk

Thích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, poet, and teacher. He was widely known as the "father of mindfulness" and for founding the Plum Village Tradition, which is recognized as the main inspiration for engaged Buddhism. He became a major influence on how Buddhism was practiced in the West. His work and teaching were closely tied to mindfulness and engaged Buddhism, and his reputation rested on both his writing and his role as a Buddhist teacher.