Once, when my life was going very badly, and I was so angry every moment that it was like a white-hot inferno raging inside of me, Thích Nhất Hạnh soothed me. Actually, he probably saved me. At the very least he made it possible for me to live the life I have now, (relatively) peaceful. In a cooler, calmer place.

His Taming the Tiger Within lay beside my bed, on my night table, for weeks, as I read and reread each chapter. I’d read the monk from Việt Nam’s other books. I’d even done walking meditation for awhile. But the Nobel Prize nominee’s words on anger were powerful, a kind of healing cool against the incandescence of anger.

But even as I read his books, his poetry, practiced as he recommended, I wasn’t particularly curious about the man behind the monk. Or perhaps, more accurately, the man who is also the monk. So I’m looking forward to Oprah’s Sunday interview w/Thích Nhất Hạnh, to hear him speak of his life, his practice, the impact this quiet monk has had on so many hundreds of thousands of people.

Join me Sunday as I tune in. Here’s an excerpt, just to pique your interest. 🙂