By Rita Howell
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and internationally known peace activist, is in Panola County this week visiting and speaking at the Magnolia Grove Monastery in the Red Hill Community. The Zen master is a native of Vietnam but now lives in France. In recognition of his peace activism, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1967 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Magnolia Grove Monastery is one of three in the U.S. that encourage the practice of mindfulness based on Thich Nhat Hahn’s teaching.

Local guests are invited to the monastery on Sunday, starting at 8:30 a.m. to hear the 85-year-old Zen master, participate in a meditation walk and eat lunch, a spokesman said.

About 1,000 out-of-town visitors are expected for this week’s retreat.