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One River, One Shared Direction
Sister Chân Trăng Rằm, 17 years old, went through a difficult childhood (living away from her mother since she was 8, losing almost a toe at 12), but thanks to her affinity with the Bát Nhã Sangha, she ordained at the age of 15 and became a “lotus flower,” a symbol of purity and resilience. During a walking meditation at Plum Village Thailand, she learned the lesson of humility and adaptation when she discovered her missing toe but was not afraid to share about it. The first time she welcomed Thầy at the airport, she and her siblings experienced a sacred and loving moment. In the four-day monastic retreat, happiness overflowed as she listened to the Dharma talk, and the ten “lazy days” were a precious time to prepare for future responsibilities. She created her own schedule with activities such as:
- working in teams in the morning
- attending Vietnamese literature class
- learning chanting and ceremonial leading under the guidance of Sister Huấn Nghiêm and Sister Đài Nghiêm
- making the aspiration not to nap at noon and not to eat dinner in order to practice incense offering
- learning to play the bell and wooden fish with Sister Hạnh Liên
- evening Beginning Anew Ceremony from 7 to 9 with the Green Lotus group
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wearing the sanghati and assisting in the Beginning Anew Ceremony
Twice offering incense, keeping watch at the lake, and climbing trees to call the watch were experiences that helped her clearly see the lesson of humility, deep listening, and to continue entering the path of practice with joy and diligence.
A sister nearly 40 years old shared the joy of monastic life—liberation from illusions about family and marriage, finding freedom in the community of the Sangha. Through playing the role of Sujata offering the milk bowl, working, sitting meditation, and drinking tea, she deeply understood the teaching: “Breathing in, I know anger is there; breathing out, I smile to my anger,” and the importance of living slowly, brotherhood and sisterhood, and connecting with simple beauty: blue sky, white clouds, the clear moonlight. She emphasized that the Sangha is like a river; each drop of water retains its own ontological ground but flows together toward a common ideal, highlighting non-self when oneself and the Sangha are one. Living in the Sangha, there is no need to worry about food or clothing, one is cared for when sick, and everyone has the opportunity to develop their own talents and contribute to the happiness of the whole. Every decision is discussed in a space of brotherhood and sisterhood, with joy and peace, and every meeting, every Dharma practice is an opportunity to increase happiness, not just to complete a task.