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Life Story
Brother Chân Pháp Hữu was ordained as a novice monk on February 7th 2002 in the “Sugar Palm Tree” family. He received full bhikkhu ordination on December 18th 2006, and the Lamp Transmission as a Dharma Teacher in 2009. He became vice abbot in 2008 and is the abbot of Upper Hamlet since January 2011.
Br. Pháp Hũu first encountered Thầy and the community as a 9-year-old when he traveled from Canada to Plum Village France in 1996 with his father and sister. He was immediately drawn by the joyous brotherhood and the peaceful comportment of the monks. At the age of 12 he knew then that he wished to become a monk. After much persistence, his family allowed him to realize this wish at the age of 13.
True to his name, and despite the age difference, Br. Pháp Hũu became a dear friend to Thầy. He is often by Thầy’s side as an attendant, sharing moments filled with love, laughter, tears, and inspiration.
As an abbot, Br. Pháp Hũu takes his time to connect with and understand his monastic and lay brothers. He is much appreciated as a skillful facilitator at Sangha gatherings. His favorite practices are walking meditation and organizing retreats in Plum Village. He is interested in team building, coaching, and mentoring. When playing, Br. Pháp Hũu loves basketball and music.
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Dharma Talks
Let That Negative Habit Become Your Mindfulness Bell
This Dharma Talk was recorded on 11 July 2024 in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village France, as part of our 2024 Summer Opening Retreat. It is the first talk of the first of three weeks recorded during this retreat. Full Retreat Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaX_vxbhs8fgW_-sCxD8pnPM7Ux5FoUqQ Take Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village…
Br Pháp Hữu
Active Nonviolence, Ethics & Mindfulness
This Dharma Talk was recorded on June 4, 2024 in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France. It is the 3rd talk of the series of talks given in the 2024 June Retreat held in Plum Village, France, with the theme: “”Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times: Applied Ethics.” Brother Phap Huu…
Br Pháp Hữu
This Peaceful Step Becomes Our Prayer
This Dharma Talk was recorded on June 2, 2024 in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France. It is the 1st talk of the series of talks given in the 2024 June Retreat held in Plum Village, France, with the theme: “”Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times: Applied Ethics.” It is the…
Br Pháp Hữu
🎄 Inner Peace This Holiday Season: Come Home, Smile to Yourself & Be There for Others
This Dharma Talk is the ninth talk of the Rains’ Retreat 2023 Sunday Talk series and part of the week-long Christmas retreat with the title “Coming Home to Peace”. 0:27: 🕯️ Brother Phap Huu shares about the practice of mindfulness as a way to find inner peace and healing,…
Br Pháp Hữu
The Journey Begins
As we are well aware, the pressure of achieving profound and urgent change is leading to increased anxiety and polarization in societies as well as within the climate movement. It is paradoxical, but critical, that at a time of great stress, we intentionally create the space to listen deeply…
Br Pháp Hữu, Sr Hiến Nghiêm
Direction, Aspiration, and Obstacles on the Path | A Monastic Q&A Session
This session was recorded during our first week of the Plum Village Summer Opening retreat in July 2023. Thumbnail photo credit ©Jerome Cabeen — jeromecabeenphotography.com
Br Pháp Hữu, Br Pháp Linh, Br Troi Bao Tang
Opening our Heart Wider
This Monastic Q&A was offered on 21st June 2023. as part of our Earth Holder Retreat “Love is Freedom”; it was recorded in New Hamlet, Plum Village France. The Dharma Teachers in the panel are srs. Dinh Nghiem, Hien Nghiem and brs. Phap Huu and Phap Linh.
Sr Định Nghiêm, Sr Hiến Nghiêm, Br Pháp Linh, Br Pháp Hữu
How to Take Care of Mother Earth
This Dharma Talk was recorded in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France on 17th June 2023, during the “Love is Freedom” earth retreat.
Br Pháp Hữu
Let Your Breath Guide You Back
This Dharma Talk was recorded on the 6th of June 2023, in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village France, as part of the retreat “Finding our True Home”.
Br Pháp Hữu
With Each and Every Brushstroke: When Art & Meditation Come Together
In this beautiful video, our teacher Thay (Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh) and our abbot Br. Phap Huu share with us how to combine mindfulness and calligraphy to create beautiful art that can inspire and nourish life
Thich Nhat Hanh, Br Pháp Hữu
Recognising and Embracing our Emotions in the Present Moment
By becoming mindful of our emotions we can respond appropriately instead of reacting to a challenging situation. This is the art of mindfulness that we can cultivate in our daily life, to be the change we want to see in the world.
Br Pháp Hữu
On Acceptance: New Year’s Eve Talk
As the new year begins to unfold, we have the opportunity to look back: What have we cultivated in ourselves in 2022? Was there a habit energy that manifested strongly, carrying us away? And how about our relationships? Were we able to cultivate deep friendship? Do we hold pain…
Br Pháp Hữu
True Spiritual Friendship
from 2022 11 03, Rains Retreat, Lay Day, Talk 7. How can we embrace our ancestors that we have never met? This and the below questions were addressed by Brother Phap Huu and Sister True Dedication in this “a-la-carte Dharma Talk”. * How can we understand our deep suffering…
Br Pháp Hữu, Sr Hiến Nghiêm
Active Response to Suffering
Is Plum Village “engaged” enough today? Is our daily practice of mindfulness an appropriate answer to the problems our world is facing? If we look deeply at current issues such as war, injustice, or the climate crisis, we can understand their connection with our ways of thinking, speaking and…
Sr Hiến Nghiêm, Br Pháp Linh, Br Pháp Hữu
Creating a Culture of Healing, Stopping, & Having Enough | Br. Phap Huu
In this Dharma Talk at the start of the second week of our Summer Retreat, Brother Phap Huu begins by asking us a simple question: Have we really arrived in Plum Village? Or are we still running in the past, future, or even getting lost in the present? The…
Br Pháp Hữu
Q&A: News, Enlightenment, & Pain | Brs Phap Huu, Bao Tang, Srs Thuan Nghiem, Hien Nghiem
0:00 Introduction by brother Phap Huu 2:50 How to deal with News? How to protect ourselves when we read the News and how to balance the negative energy created by the News? 12:55 How can the peace movement respond in a non-violent way to the invasion of Ukraine? 21:42…
Br Troi Bao Tang, Br Pháp Hữu, Sr Thuận Nghiêm, Sr Hiến Nghiêm
Our Destination is the Present Moment (Wake Up Retreat #1) | Br Phap Huu
In this orientation from the Wake Up Humanity retreat, Brother Phap Huu, long-term attendant of zen master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay), takes us on a journey as he relates stories of our teacher’s life and practice, and the genesis of the Plum Village Dharma Doors. We accompany Thay in…
Br Pháp Hữu
Celebrating 40 Years of the Plum Village tradition | A Music and Meditation Evening
on the 14th of June 2022, we had a wonderful music and poetry concert to celebrate 40 years of the Plum Village tradition. The concert was part of a two-week long mindfulness practice retreat, with the theme “Now We Have a Path, We Have Nothing to Fear”, held in…
Br Pháp Hữu, Br Pháp Linh, Sr Trai Nghiem, Sr Hiến Nghiêm, Br Phap Bieu
“Arrived, Home”: The First Plum Village Dharma Seal (40 Years Retreat #2)
Br. Phap Huu offers his experiences and insights on practicing “I have arrived, I am home”, the First Seal of Plum Village practice. He shares poignant moments by Thay’s side for us to have a taste of Thay’s great wisdom and love. Arriving in our body and mind in…
Br Pháp Hữu
Are You a Buddha? | Vesak 2022
In this Dharma Talk offered on Vesak day, Brother Phap Huu delves into the fascinating story of the historical Buddha Siddhartha to help us connect with the spiritual seeker inside of us. Are we in touch with our awakened nature as we live our daily life? What legacy do…
Br Pháp Hữu
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