The Novice

In this timeless parable about the first Buddhist nun, renowned teacher Thich Nhat Hanh explores the four key aspects of love: benevolence, compassion, joy, and freedom. Born to an aristocratic family in rural Vietnam, Kinh Tam was drawn to the teachings of Buddha and yearned to lead a monastic life. But Buddhism was a new religion and convents for women did not yet exist. So, disguising herself as a man, she became a monk.

Kinh Tam's identity remained hidden until a local girl, not knowing her secret, accused the novice monk of impregnating her and forced Kinh Tam to make a choice that would alter the rest of her life. The Novice combines masterly storytelling with an important lesson about the beauty of true compassion.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, scholar and peace activist. During the war in Vietnam, he worked for reconciliation between North and South Vietnam. His efforts moved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. Thich Nhat Hanh is the author of many books, including Peace is Every Step and Anger. He lives in France. Visit the author at www.plumvillage.org

"Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

--Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying