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Tí and the River of Mindfulness
Tí – whose real name is Hải Triều Âm, the eldest son of Lê Nguyên Thiều – saw the vast sky for the first time on a winter afternoon in Plum Village. For a moment, he was afraid, and then a smile blossomed on his face. Tí’s journey was recorded by Thầy in two of the few novels from Plum Village:
- Tí, the Young Palm Leaf
- Tí, the Bamboo with a Million Joints
First published on February 22, 1984, this series reveals the ups and downs, joys and sufferings during the first two years of Plum Village’s founding.
The solid foundation of Plum Village is the sangha – the “river” of mindfulness that flows day and night, not just a solitary “drop of water.” Beginning as a small cell of refugees, Thầy continuously formed connections with Western pastors, professors, and students, inviting them to practice:
- sitting meditation, walking meditation, tea meditation
- mindful breathing, deep relaxation
- singing songs like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, “By the Riverside”
Maintaining the precepts (not speaking ill of others, harmonious and non-contentious speech) and practicing the Six Harmonies (harmony in views, sharing benefits equally, etc.) have helped Plum Village, over the past three decades, to overcome cultural adversity, financial difficulties, and even the harshness of false meditation scandals. The sangha has always deeply rooted itself in Vietnamese tradition while opening its heart to embrace the local wisdom, which is the secret not only to survival but also to spreading the seeds of mindfulness across the five continents.
