Larry Ward's introduction to Buddhist practice began in Calcutta, India in 1977. When he met Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1991, the practice became truly central to his life. He is ordained as a Dharma Teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition, and has accompanied Thich Nhat Hanh on peace-building missions internationally and throughout the United States. Dr. Ward holds a PhD in Religious Studies, with an emphasis on Buddhism and research on meditation and neuroplasticity. He serves as director of The Lotus Institute, and has been featured in Lion's Roar, Tricycle, and Krista Tippet’s podcast, On Being.

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the catalyst that sparked the young Larry Ward's journey into a life of planetary peacemaking. Larry joined the staff of the Ecumenical Institute of Cultural Affairs in 1969, and received his Christian Ordination in 1972. He has lived and worked in more than 20 countries, specializing in organizational change and local community renewal. He currently serves as an advisor to the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Peter F. Drucker School of Management in Claremont, California.