A rare combination of mystic, scholar, poet, and activist, Thich Nhat Hanh has lived in exile from his native Vietnam since 1966. Though he is best known for his ever popular Buddhist teachings, Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals 1962-1966 shows not only an exquisite portrait of the Zen master as a young man, but the emergence of a great poet and literary voice of Vietnam. From his years as a student and teaching assistant at Princeton and Columbia to his efforts to negotiate peace and a better life for the Vietnamese, Fragrant Palm Leaves offers an elegant and profound window into the formation of the heart and mind of one of the world's most beloved spiritual teachers.