Being Peace

Being Peace is the short introductory book by the Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, published by Parallax Press in 1987 and assembled from talks he gave to American peace activists in 1985. The book lays out the core insight of his Order of Interbeing: that the work of stopping war begins with the practitioner's own breath, perception, and treatment of the people in front of them, and that mindfulness without engagement is incomplete just as engagement without mindfulness is exhausting. It is the book in which the phrase "engaged Buddhism" first reaches a wide English-language audience.

The argument is simple and runs through all seven chapters: peace is not a destination but a way of being, and each practitioner carries responsibility for the world's condition through the quality of their attention moment to moment. Nhat Hanh draws on the three refuges of Buddhism (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), on the concept of interbeing, and on concrete practices of mindful breathing and smiling. The plain prose, addressed directly to people exhausted by political struggle, made the book a bridge between the meditation hall and social action.

First lines

Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, and the eyes of a baby. If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace. It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being peace that we can make peace.

Contents

Reception

Being Peace has remained continuously in print since 1987, has sold reportedly more than 250,000 copies through Parallax Press alone, and is one of the founding documents of Anglophone engaged Buddhism alongside the writings of Bernie Glassman and Joanna Macy. The book is routinely set as a primer in Western Buddhist study groups and was a direct influence on the corporate-mindfulness curricula that emerged at Google and Aetna in the 2010s — a lineage that some scholars (Ronald Purser, Glenn Wallis) have argued strips the social-justice core that Thich Nhat Hanh insisted on. The book's plain prose has also drawn criticism for under-specifying how the personal-to-political linkage actually works in practice; later volumes (Peace Is Every Step, 1991; Creating True Peace, 2003) develop the missing operational detail.

Frequently asked

What is Being Peace about?

It is Thich Nhat Hanh's argument that inner peace and outer peace are not separate projects. Assembled from talks given to American peace activists in 1985, the book introduces the concept of interbeing, the three refuges, and the practice of mindful breathing as the foundation for any engagement with the world's suffering. Its central claim is that a practitioner cannot be an effective agent for peace while ignoring their own inner state.

What does Thich Nhat Hanh mean by engaged Buddhism?

Nhat Hanh uses the phrase to describe a Buddhism that does not withdraw from society but treats social and political action as inseparable from contemplative practice. In this book, engaged Buddhism means that stopping a war starts with the practitioner's own breath and perception — not as a detour from activism but as its foundation. The Order of Interbeing, which he founded in 1966, is the organisational expression of this principle.

Is Being Peace suitable for someone new to Buddhism?

Yes. At 115 pages, it is Nhat Hanh's most accessible introduction to his teaching. It does not require prior knowledge of Buddhist doctrine and addresses itself explicitly to people concerned about the state of the world rather than to meditators seeking personal liberation. Readers who find it useful often move on to Peace Is Every Step (1991) or The Miracle of Mindfulness (1975) for more practical instruction.