Building ‘beloved community’: Remembering the friendship between Martin Luther King Jr. and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh

Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh shared a vision of ‘beloved community’ that shows how democracy begins not with power, but with how we live together.

By: Jeremy David Engels, Penn State, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 14, 2026

Words: 1,134

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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By Jeremy David Engels, Penn State

Before Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, he asked several of his friends to continue his life’s work building what he called “beloved community.” One of the people he invited was the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet and mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.

My new book, “On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World,” is inspired by King and Hanh’s friendship. These …

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