Zen Buddhist monk, poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh is a prolific writer. His view that “spirituality is a practice that brings relief, communication, and transformation” makes him a respected teacher in the secular West. Hugging, a routine gesture in American culture, takes a whole new dimension under his gaze. Reading his words on the topic is to discover the possibility of a profound meditation practice in an act that is as simple as it is powerful. We’ll never hug the same way.