Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings, which earned him a global following, gave simple instructions on mindfulness and emphasized how it could be practiced anytime, even when doing routine chores.
Indian farmers hold a protest on the outskirts of Amritsar in the northern state of Punjab.
Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images
It might appear to many that atheism is a modern idea. However, in parts of Asia, particularly in India, atheism has been part of beliefs for thousands of years.
Thurman taught King Jr. that spiritual cultivation was necessary to take on the intense work of social activism.
AP File Photo
Paul Harvey, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Thurman was 30 years older than King: the same age, in fact, as King’s father. Among his most significant contributions was bringing the ideas of nonviolence to the civil rights movement.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , chats with African-Americans during a door-to-door campaign in 1964.
AP Photo/JAB
For Gandhi, whose birth anniversary is Monday, Oct. 2, nonviolent resistance meant placing one’s own body in harm’s way to expose social injustices, which made it a powerful political tool.