What’s in a pear tree? On a foggy, dark night in the Upper Hamlet, a brother discovers the nature of mind with the help of a beloved old pear tree.
Tag: bat nha
Love Letter to Vietnam
On behalf of the international fourfold sangha of Plum Village, and our friends on the path in Vietnam, we would like to ask for your help. As we start the New Year 2014, please offer to write to the leaders of Vietnam, asking them to allow Vietnam to have at least one small Plum Village Practice Centre, in…
Plum Village Practice in Vietnam – some background
Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh’s return from exile Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh returned to Vietnam in 2005, after nearly 40 years of exile for having called for an end to the Vietnam War. His return attracted tens of thousands of people to his talks and retreats. His accessible teachings on mindfulness and renewed style of…
Bat Nha Continues
I write in the middle of a monastic retreat with some 400 monastics – a lot of whom have made their way overland from Vietnam including some high Venerables. The picture below is from the “offering the rose ceremony” which took place this morning directly following our ‘formal lunch style’ breakfast together. The ceremony allowed…
Bat Nha: a Koan
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s compassionate response to the persecution of his students in Vietnam “The koan “Bat Nha” is everyone’s koan; it is the koan of every individual and every community. The koan can be practiced by a Bat Nha monastic, by a monk or nun studying at a Buddhist Institute in Vietnam, a…
Tagged with: ajatasattu, bat nha, crisis, dream, gong an, koan, letter, persecuted, revolution, riddle
Bat Nha: Rekindling the Sacred Fire
Thay’s letter to the Bat Nha Monastics, continued. Blue Cliff Monastery October 21, 2009 Yesterday, in the Great Harmony Meditation Hall of Blue Cliff Monastery, there was an ordination ceremony for two young people, one who had already graduated from Dental School and the other, from Business School. They are sisters Chan Lan Nghiem (True…
Tagged with: ancestors, bat nha, blue cliff, cheri maples, continue, fire, modesty, police, revolution, sacred, virtue
