Hanoi, Vietnam – May 6 -7, 2008 At the beginning of the seven-day English-language retreat in Hanoi, Thich Nhat Hanh gave a rare glimpse into his early career. This excerpt from two Dharma talks reveals Thay as a teacher, social activist, and prolific writer – and revolutionary advocate of Engaged…
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The Small Red Heart
By Lisa Boken Many times after driving from one place to another, I realize that I don't remember most of the trip. I often eat a plate of food so unconsciously that I wonder where the food has gone when I awaken to an empty plate. Here's a "day-in-the-life" example: I have plenty…
Taking Refuge in Goodness
By Michelle Cattanach “Let Your Light Shine” by Rita Loyd A good friend recently asked me how I was doing, and I had to think about it. I was about to say “Fine,” but then I paused. I wasn’t fine. I had been struggling to make sense of the rising…
Hospice Work: Responding Authentically
In working as a hospice volunteer for the past four years, I have found mindfulness to be the key to visiting with dying people and their families. I follow my breathing to bring myself completely into the present moment so that can respond to the situation at hand with authenticity…
A Long Enduring Mind
By Svein Myreng When we take up the practice of mindfulness, it feels wonderful. We enjoy a new calm and serenity, see trees and the sky more vividly, and find pleasure in a community that values friendliness and equanimity. This is the "honeymoon" of mindfulness practice, to be enjoyed fully. But it doesn't last in…
Another Crazy Cyclist for Clean Air
By Gary Richardson Looking inward, I see that my grasping for speed and convenience fuels a part of the oil industry, which does its best to meet my needs as efficiently — and profitably — as possible. I try to control my appetite for convenient transport. For a dozen years…
Fierce-Faced Bodhisattva: A Policewoman’s Story
Interview with Cheri Maples by Barbara Casey during the Hand of the Buddha Retreat, June 2002 Cheri, how did you decide to be a peace officer? Cheri: There were three things I wanted to be as a little girl: a lawyer, a police officer and a professional baseball player. I…
Joining with Grace
By Laureen Osborne photo by Bonnie Bluhm For seven years, I helped take care of my two elderly parents while trying at the same time to run my own business. My mother suffered with a rare form of dementia from which she eventually died in 2000. Eighteen months later, my…
Anger
By Celia Landman Rose Festival during the summer retreat, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, 2018; photo courtesy of monastic Sangha I came by my temper in the traditional way, handed down as a family heirloom. As a child, I didn’t understand that rage was a cry of despair and helplessness. Anger…
Dharma Rain
Practice as Inspiration for Artists By Denys Candy Stonehill College, Massachusetts, August 2000 It is some ungodly hour of the morning, the room is already warm — it can’t be time to get up already? In the nether world between sleep and waking, I intone, “Twenty-four brand new hours!” “Are…






