Two-thirds into our trip, we’ve faced many difficulties—from interpersonal tensions in our New Hamlet to grieving the loss of Thầy Giac Thanh—but through collective effort and the support of the Green Mountain, Maple Forest, Deer Park, and all three Plum Village hamlets, we’ve transformed conflict into deepened practice. In America, over one hundred monastics and laypeople gathered for Thầy Giac Thanh’s cremation, and Thầy sent a letter urging continued practice so his presence lives on. Upon Thầy Giac Thanh’s recommendation, Sư em Pháp Dung has been appointed acting abbot of Deer Park; the fourfold Sangha is called to support him and allow Thầy Nguyên Hải a three-month relief before his full return.

When individual interventions fail, the Sangha follows a four-step process to restore harmony:

1. Individual outreach to guide a brother or sister back to right practice
2. Sangha council meeting to offer advice and warning
3. Prescription of a traditional purification practice when warnings go unheeded
4. Collective acceptance of the council’s decision, with later sharing of overlooked details if needed

This method has been applied to several sisters—Thành Nghiêm, Độ Nghiêm, Thuần Nghiêm, Bích Nghiêm—and shown to heal and renew. Thầy emphasizes early communication of “small things” so they don’t become “big things,” reminding us that caring for our “second body” (the Sangha community) requires constant mindfulness, reverence, and the power of the great vow (bodhicitta). By taking refuge in the Buddha (“my mindfulness”), the Dharma (“my mindful breathing”), and the Sangha (“my five skandhas”), we cultivate the strong desire needed to transform suffering into compassion and ensure the Sangha remains a living embodiment of the Three Gems.