This talk details the exploration of the Fourfold Sangha during a 21-day retreat at Lower Hamlet’s Dharma Nectar Temple. The Sangha comprises four parts: fully ordained monks, fully ordained nuns, laymen (Upasaka), and laywomen (Upasika). Lay practitioners follow the Five Mindfulness Trainings and participate in Sangha Karma. The Sangha operates collectively, emphasizing practice, harmony, and mutual support. Regular gatherings and mindful activities strengthen the Sangha’s unity. Plum Village practices vegetarianism naturally, without attachments to possessions or money, fostering simplicity and freedom. The Sangha teaches letting go of attachments for security and peace. Cultivating Sangha and Dharma bodies is essential for stability and interconnectedness, transforming both mind and body through mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Understanding suffering through the Four Noble Truths guides the Sangha’s practice. The Sangha eyes provide collective wisdom, guiding individual growth and harmony. Decisions are made collectively, emphasizing democratic traditions and interconnectedness.

This is the fourth talk in a series of fifteen given during The Eyes of the Buddha, twenty-one-day retreat in the year 2000. Thầy offered this talk at the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.