At twenty-one years old I came into the monastery, leaving behind a life marked by anxiety and depression. I had dropped out of college because I was drowning. Waves of pain, sorrow, and hopelessness kept pulling me under, and I couldn’t find my way out. The weight of climate change, ethical concerns about career choices, economic uncertainty, conflict and violence, widespread environmental destruction, and the plethora of suffering in the world was constantly overwhelming me, and I didn’t know how to deal with it all.
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A Book Preview
Transformation at the Base: Fifty Verses on the Nature of Consciousness Thich Nhat Hanh Parallax Press, 2001 Introduction The twelfth-century Vietnamese Zen master Thuong Chieu, "Always Shining," said, "When we understand how our mind works, the practice becomes easy." This is a book on Buddhist psychology, offered to help us…
Letters to the Editors
Dear Editors, I am a subscriber to The Mindfulness Bell and I have thus far read three of Thich Nhat Hanh' s books (l am at present on a second reading of The Sun My Heart).l have been practicing meditation for about a year and a half, having been introduced to meditation through a…
One Recipe at a Time
By Eve Heidtmann Portland Sangha potluck shared by (L-R) Joe Cantrell, Claudia Johnson, John Wadsworth, Laura Walsh (in front of John), Garry Weil, Sally Corliss, Theresa Weil, Margaret Kirschner, Eve Heidtmann, Denis Heidtmann “What’s for supper?” It’s a question that comes up with a sense of hopeful anticipation just about…
Veterans Visit Plum Village
By Carole Melkonian On November 21, four American veterans of the Vietnam War—Jim Janko, Ted Sexhauer, Jerry Crawford, and Dan Thompson—and Earll and Maxine Hong Kingston arrived at Plum Village. This symbolic return to a Vietnamese Buddhist village in the Dordogne region of France, was the conclusion of a three-year Mindfulness and Writing Workshop for veterans led by Maxine.…
Dharma Talk: Unified Buddhist Church – Community of Mindful Living Merger
Transcription of a Dharma Talk Given by Thich Nhat Hanh on March 2, 1999 at Plum Village Monastery, Dieulivol, France Dear Friends, it is now the beginning of March 1999, and we are in Floating Clouds Meditation Hall, New Hamlet, Plum Village. We have just completed the Transmission of the Lamp ceremony for twelve monastics.…
How Can Our Babies Help Heal the World?
By Robyn Sheldon Romy made just the tiniest one-second greeting when she was born, a sweet cooing sound, and then she snuggled onto her mother’s tummy, into that soft bowl that minutes before had been a tautly stretched pregnant belly. She snuffled on her hand and gazed around the room…
Maple Forest Blooms
The young banana plant has two small leaves. They are the first to arrive, and nourish the plant's early stages. Then, they wither and fall, giving way to larger leaves which allow the tree to develop and bear fruit. The budding practice in Maple Forest Monastery is like those first small leaves. If we succeed…
Ending the War with Weight
Mindfully Transforming Body Image By Peter Kuhn One morning, feeling serene and well-grounded after meditating, I took a mindful shower. Awash with gratitude I stepped out with a smile and looked in the mirror. All I saw was my big belly and love handles. Contented joy vaporized into distress. I…
Earth Holding Community: Inter-Activism
How our Hearts, Hands, and Global Spheres of Care Coalesce and Manifest Through Earth-Holding Actions: inspiring news from Brazil, Latin America; Chesapeake Bay, US; and Ontario, Canada–from mindful trash cleanups to legislative actions to gardening in our homes. May these offerings inspire and nourish your Earth holding aspirations and practice!