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Van Hanh Monastery - Transmission and Continuation 1
From 1985 to 2005, five training courses for monastics were organized, with the number of participants increasing from 60 to 366 monks and nuns. At the same time, the Institute of Vietnamese Buddhist Studies (founded in 1987 under the guidance of Venerable Thich Minh Chau) played the role of translating and publishing the Vietnamese Tripitaka and researching the Three Baskets of Buddhist scriptures along with the history of Buddhism. At the Meditation Center, Dharma talks, the observance of the Eight Precepts, and Dharma classes for lay friends were held regularly. In the solemn moments at the Dharma hall, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, together with the delegation of monastics and international lay friends from the Plum Village Sangha representing 30 countries, were respectfully introduced, opening a day of joyful practice, imbued with the spirit of compassion and mindfulness.
The practice of chanting was organized in multiple languages:
- Vietnamese monks and nuns chanted in Vietnamese and learned to chant in English, French, and Italian
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Western monks and nuns chanted the Heart Sutra, Taking Refuge, Four Recollections, and the Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra in Vietnamese
Then, the Auspicious Abiding Aspiration was chanted in English, followed by the recitation of Namo Avalokiteśvarāya in Sanskrit. The distinction between chanting with the mouth and chanting with the heart was emphasized: chanting with the heart—using the sound of the bell, the drum, and visualizing the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara—gives rise to the energy of compassion and deep listening. The practice of deep listening was cultivated during five- to seven-day retreats (Oldenburg: 700 people in six days), helping many German practitioners reconcile tensions with family members after just one hour of practice. In the field of medicine, ten minutes of Deep Relaxation helped patients heal more quickly.
Meditation on the father-child relationship was illustrated through:
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the concept of the threefold emptiness, including
- the one who transmits
- the object transmitted
- the receiver
- the image of the corn seed and the corn plant
- the image of the elder banana leaf transmitting energy to nourish the younger banana leaf
- the exercise of writing a letter to thank one’s parents in order to contemplate the wondrous virtues of one’s ancestors and to transform hatred, leading to harmony and the joy of well-being.