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The Gratitude to Teacher and Diligence, Part II
• At Plum Village, we do not organize elections for the abbot position, but instead rely on the broad opinions of those with experience, especially the current abbot, to appoint a new abbot every seven years; the seven years of experience of Sister Định Nghiêm and the ten years of Sister Chân Đức are considered precious treasures to be transmitted to the next generation.
• The Ấn Quang model allows lay friends to take refuge and become disciples of the entire ordination council, while at the same time, the disciple can have a personal guiding teacher, similar to Ananda and Shariputra in the time of the Buddha.
The contents of practice, study, and daily living are emphasized:
- Physical exercise: running with verses according to the steps (four steps, three steps, two steps), ten mindful movements, staff exercises, Yijin Jing (muscle/tendon transformation classic).
- Study of languages and specialties: Vietnamese, English, French, Chinese, basic and advanced Dharma courses (Nhị khoa hợp giải, Thirty Verses, Mahayana Compendium…).
- Family and spiritual siblings: solid practice helps the family be in harmony, phone calls and letters to nourish parents; practicing upekkha (non-exclusion), reverence, to maintain moderation in relationships with spiritual siblings.
- The role of the abbot: does not decide alone but supports the two councils (the great ordination council and the executive council), visits, discovers and nurtures the talents of each member, ensures practice according to the common regulations.
