By Jack Lawlor Every day, the Buddha and his Sangha made a morning alms round to beg for food . Each doorstep was approached, and each householder was greeted with a request for food. The householder may have been a king, queen, wealthy merchant, warrior, farmer, laborer, or outcast. As part of each visit, the Buddha…
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Dharma Talk: No Birth, No Death, Only Transformation
Questions and Answers with Thich Nhat Hanh photo by Robert Felker Upper Hamlet, Plum Village July 24, 2012 Thay: Today is the 24th of July, 2012, and we are in the Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during our third week of the Summer Opening. We are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary…
Teaching the Student Within
By Sara Unsworth “If you want to think like a hummingbird, be the hummingbird.” - Sister Dang Nghiem Arriving at Deer Park Monastery for the Meditation and Education Retreat last November, I kept having one recurring thought: I want to learn how to connect to students. As a new, young…
Transforming Fear
My Companion Along the Path By Jindra Cekan Joyful sisters during Vietnamese Retreat, Plum Village, 2019; photo courtesy of monastic Sangha I come from a charming, multilingual, and disruptively dysfunctional family. There was much to be afraid of. What would happen to my mother if she hurt herself while falling…
Mindful Consumption
In this Dharma talk from 2007, Thay offers many teachings on interbeing, including seeing ourselves as a five-year-old child, meditation on a grain of corn, contemplating the actions of our right and left hands, and the Sutra of the Son’s Flesh.
Waste Not: On Filling the Compost Bin
By Edissa Nicolás-Huntsman For most of us, buying groceries can be a very stimulating experience. Going to the store to pick up bread can lead to a purchase beyond our means, in more ways than one. Once inside, there are colorful foods and bright packages to contend with. Displays entice…
From Irritation to Appreciation
By Jaime Robeck River; photo by Jaime Robeck It is a lovely spring evening. The meditation hall is silent as each practitioner makes the last adjustments to their cushion or chair. In this quiet moment, the birds make their debut. Their sweet voices enter the building and rise to fill…
Dharma Talk: Everyone Can and Will Become a Buddha
Excerpt from Lotus Sutra book, by Thich Nhat Hanh, recently published by Parallax Press. In Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sutra we are introduced to a beautiful bodhisattva called Sadaparibhuta, “Never Disparaging.” The name of this bodhisattva can also be translated as “Never Despising.” This bodhisattva never disparages living beings,…
A Sacred Wound
By Barbara Casey One Valentine's Day I was able to deeply touch the pain of not feeling included. It was a warm, blue sky February day and I was extraordinarily happy to be with my beloved. I think it was because I was feeling so happy and safe that when a small interaction touched in me…
Dharma Talk: The Horse Is Technology
photo by Fe Langdon November 10, 2013 Plum Village Good morning, dear Sangha. Today is the 10th of November, 2013, and we are in the Still Water Meditation Hall of the Upper Hamlet in Plum Village. The Winter Retreat will start in five days and will last ninety days. The…