Receiving the Mindfulness Trainings By Judith Toy photo by Leonie Baldwin In the 1980s, Thich Nhat Hanh formalized a way for people to deepen their commitment to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha within a worldwide community of engaged Buddhists. First, people may commit to following the Five Mindfulness…
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I Am Not Different From You
A Portrait of Sister Chan Khong By Eveline Beumkes photo by Robert Harrison Her original name is Phuong; her monastic name is Chan Khong (True Emptiness). Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Chan Khong started Plum Village together in 1982. That Plum Village has become what it is today and that…
Freedom Is the Purpose of Our Practice
By Thich Nhat Hanh August 22, 2001 Deer Park Monastery photo by Paul Davis The purpose of practice is not to become a Dharma teacher; a Dharma teacher is nothing at all. It is not to become a Sangha leader; to be a Sangha leader does not mean anything at…
Reflections on Nuns’ Conference
A retreat seminar, "The Future of a Bhiksuni Order in the West," held June 25-30, 1995, was the first time we as nuns in Plum Village had organized anything like that, and it was truly an experiment. The attendance was quite low—30 visiting guests and about 50 residents of Plum Village. Among our visiting guests…
Peace Treaty
In Order That We May Live Long and Happily Together, In Order That We May Continually Develop and Deepen Our Love and Understanding, We the Undersigned, Vow to Observe and Practice the following: I, the one who is angry, agree to: 1. Refrain from saying or doing anything that might cause…
Dropping My Worries
By Leah Matsui The plans for my trip to America were jampacked: a seven-day mindfulness retreat with Amie Kotler and Therese Fitzgerald, three days with my beloved aunt in Florida, and a meeting with my mother—the first in 24 years. I anticipated Florida as a high point—Aunt Helene and me drinking iced tea under the palm…
Dear Grandma
By John Salerno-White John Salerno-White August 7, 2007 I’ve just returned from a trip-of-a-lifetime to Africa and am in the midst of preparing for another trip-of-a-lifetime to Plum Village. With four days to prepare, I’m very involved with checking my packing list, brushing up on my French, and making certain…
A Planetary Awakening
photo by Robert Felker By Lou Leonard and Kristin Barker During his life, the Buddha foretold that the next Buddha would be Maitreya, the Buddha of Love. Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh has predicted that “Maitreya Buddha may be a community and not just an individual.”1 This powerful thought at once reminds…
Being Peace in Prison
By Schizusan, Matthew, Jim, and Nhut A young man in prison sent a letter to the Mindfulness Bell. He was struggling with being peace in his noisy, violent, and chaotic environment. He requested an article that might help him and others like him. The letter was passed on to True…
North American Gathering
By Michael Trigilio On October 10, 1998, North American Order of Interbeing members gathered for a three-day retreat at Green Mountain Dharma Center in Vermont. Seasoned practitioners and "rookies" like me traveled from all over the continent to share the joy of being together. One of the first things Sister Annabel told us upon…