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The Essence of the Plum Village Tradition of Practice
Sitting meditation and eating together while visualizing oneself as being in the womb of Mother Maya—the common mother of all Buddhas—brings peace, happiness, and dissolves all discrimination. When breathing in, one receives the breath of the Sangha and the World-Honored One; when breathing out, one offers one’s breath to them, creating a harmonious energy. In the past, the tea meditation at Plum Village was organized solemnly with a maximum of sixteen people, a complete ceremony that has now been forgotten in many places.
Plum Village has many wondrous Dharma doors based on the original tradition, not newly invented, for example:
- Prostration meditation according to the six earth-touching practices
- Walking meditation (each step truly touching the earth)
- Tea meditation
- Chanting and practicing the precepts
- Methods of shining light, beginning anew, watering flowers, second body
- Special ways of walking, sitting, and breathing
These methods need to be preserved in their pure form, only skillfully adjusted to suit local conditions, avoiding any dilution or loss of the true nature of the Dharma door.
The spirit of brotherhood and non-self is nourished through all activities: no personal bank accounts or salaries, offerings pooled for common needs, sharing conveniences (computers, cars, telephones) as communal property—a truly “communist” community. When you discover that the values are fading, rely on elder brothers and sisters who still maintain the essence, in order to restore and sustain the Plum Village Dharma doors.
