During walking meditation at Lower Hamlet, mindfulness is the lifeline that connects the individual with the sangha, with ancestors, and with the Buddha. Each step not only nourishes the energy of peace and happiness within ourselves, but also radiates to everyone—those who are ill, those who are absent, our ancestors, and our spiritual lineage. Being fully present “here and now” is the measure of our inner freedom, helping body and mind not to be carried away by the past or the future. When we practice walking meditation, sitting meditation, eating, or working, just by maintaining mindful breathing, we are already “putting our practice into action” and harvesting insight.

Regarding the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition, Giao Chau underwent more than a thousand years under the domination of the Han and Tang dynasties, yet still produced many great monks. Venerable Tỳ Ni Đa Lưu Chi (571–602) translated the Sutra of the Elephant-Headed Monastery and the Mahāvaipulya Dhāraṇī Sūtra, embodying the spirit of “total retention”—preserving the Buddha’s teachings in their entirety. Dharma teachers such as Vận Kỳ, Khuy Sung, Đại Thừa Đăng… studied in India and Java, bringing back scripts, meanings, and dhāraṇī mantras. Thanks to this, Vietnamese temples became centers of culture, education, healing, and the transmission of the Dharma amidst times of suffering.