By Brother Phap Sieu photo by Robert Harrison The most common question we are asked as young monastics is, “Why did you become a monk?” I find that I often answer differently. The responses are all true but vary depending on my experiences that day, or who is asking. This…
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Practice Right Now
Photo by Brandy Sacks Each moment of daily life is an opportunity to arrive in the present moment. Gathas are short verses that we can recite during daily activities to help us return to the present moment and dwell in mindfulness. As exercises in both meditation and poetry, gathas are…
Writing Breakthrough
By Richard Gilman From the age of six, I knew that I would design computers. My whole life has been about science, math, and statistics. I only wrote to put a few words between the formulas, postulates, and theorems, so they would flow better. Arts and literature were not for me. But, something happened…
Are Buddhist Monasteries in the West Relevant in the 21st Century?
Sister Chân Trì Nghiêm explains how Plum Village practice centers provide much-needed refuge and hope in today’s troubled times.
Poem: A Prayer for Peace
In beauty, sitting on a lotus flower,is Lord Buddha, quiet and solid.Your humble disciple,calm and pure of heart,forms a lotus flower with his hands,faces you with deep respect,and offers this heartfelt prayer: Homage to all Buddhas in the ten directions.Because of your love for all people,have compassion on us.Help us…
Peace, Understanding, and Compassion
An Urban Retreat for People of Color Copyright 2010 New York People of Color Day of Mindfulness; photo by Tasha Chuang “The value of a person is not his race or caste, but the value of his thinking, speaking, and acting. We are noble not because of our race, but…
Welcome Dharma Teachers
On October 1-4, 2021, twenty-five monastics and fourteen lay friends received Lamp Transmission to become Dharma teachers at Deer Park Monastery. As part of their ordination, each new Dharma teacher receives a transmission gatha from the senior Dharma teachers and the lineage of ancestral teachers. We asked the new lay Dharma teachers for their reflections on their gathas.
Getting Better, not Bitter
The Dharma in Tanzania By Karen Brody Thay’s teachings have been words deeply etched in my heart for years, but this summer was the first time I encountered their true meaning. My husband’s work for an international non-profit took us to Arusha, Tanzania. What luck, we thought, that we had…
Smoking Buddha
Transforming an Addiction to Smoking By Carolyn Cleveland Schena At two o’clock in the morning I am wide awake and I really want to smoke a cigarette. I should be exhausted and sleeping soundly after being awake since five a.m. the day before, but I am not tired. I am…
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.…