By Stephen Hyde One of the most helpful teachings I have learned from Thich Nhat Hanh is that sometimes the best expression of our practice is a formless one. This encouragement to be formless made all the difference in my ability to sustain a practice within my home and family at a time when more overt…
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One Drop of Color
Many times I have testified of my suffering and written at length on race...
From Environmental Activist to Spiritual Activist
By Brother Troi Nguyen Luc I was born a “Buddhist” like most people in Thailand, but was not interested in and did not understand the essence of Buddhism until later in life. As a young boy in Thailand and as a teenager in Australia, I had a volatile relationship with…
Why Build Sangha?
Thich Nhat Hanh shares the fruits of monastic civilization with lay practitioners so that we, too, can experience community as a resource for awakening. Meditation can seem easier when we’re in a group, and we learn from each other, so we build Sangha to enjoy and support our practice. The…
The Ultimate Dimension
A Practice with Dying and Death By Haven Tobias photo by Grace Sanchez Some friends and I joined in a practice to write about death and dying.* When we shared what we had written, we learned that the following drama was everybody’s worst-case scenario. I am in a nursing home…
Transformation and Healing at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis
By Jack Lawlor Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh, 1966; photo in National Civil Rights Museum Members of the Care-Taking Council of the Dharma Teachers Sangha for the US and Canada recently devoted a day of their annual retreat and gathering to a visit to the National Civil…
Gathas for the Practice of Mindful Living
Interview with Brother Chan Phap Luu Brother Chan Phap Luu, one of the editors of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Stepping into Freedom (Second Edition), shares about the changes reflected in the book. The Mindfulness Bell: How has the training for novices changed since the first edition of Stepping into Freedom…
In Reverence to Thích Nhất Hạnh: A Tribute for These Troubling Times
Order of Interbeing member rehena Harilall explores the enduring relevance of Thầy’s wisdom as we face complex issues such as war, climate change, and systemic injustice.
Journey as a Writer
Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. Photo by Mercia Moseley When I first went to Blue Cliff Monastery in New York, I was in both a personal and professional crisis. Indeed, the two felt inextricable. I was a writer and had finished a memoir about becoming a mother. But in the process…
Joyful Purpose of the Heart
By Annie Mahon When I took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha many years ago, I was given the dharma name “Joyful Purpose of the Heart.” At the time I didn’t think much about it. Frankly, the name didn’t mean much to me. Joyful Purpose? I had…








