Sharing the Dharma

By Lorri Houston

Let us take those grenades out of our hearts, our motherland, humankind. Let us stand. Let us stand, side by side.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Robert could only look at the floor as he talked about harming an old and frail homeless man. He spoke softly, almost in a whisper, as he recalled hitting the man in the face until he bled, kicking him, and then throwing the frightened man to the ground while laughing and mocking him.

This, as you can imagine, was a hard story to hear. But our monastic brothers and sisters were there to help incarcerated youth find freedom through the power of meditation. NBC TV New York filmed the Day of Mindfulness trainings and teachings. The teens told the reporter how much they appreciated the lessons and hoped to apply them to their lives when they left detention. In its news story, NBC reported:

One 15-year-old boy described his bad decisions, which he says were driven by greed. He says if…[he had known] some of these tools before, he might not have ended up here in the first place. “You gotta be mindful of your movements,” he said. “Think before you act.”

Anyone who has experienced Thay’s loving teachings knows that his practice is changing individual lives and our world. Thay’s worldwide Sangha is engaged in many Dharma education and outreach programs to transform suffering, and this has led to life-affirming changes for thousands of people around the planet— including many people who committed violent acts and have now given up violence forever.

The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation* is honored to support the efforts of Thay’s Sangha to bring the Dharma to additional thousands of people each year. Of the general support gifts received by the foundation, ten percent is allocated for the following Dharma sharing programs:

Nourishing Individual Sanghas

Thay has taught us that without Sangha, there is no Buddha and there is no Dharma. Participation in a Sangha is essential to our practice. To help nourish and develop Sanghas, the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation offers a “Sangha in a Box” resource kit with an instructional guide, a DVD, a CD of chanting, books, and a bell. North American Sanghas also may submit applications for grants to bring Dharma teachers to their communities to lead public Days of Mindfulness. Currently, donors enable the foundation to designate$10,000 a year to the Sangha Building Project Fund.

Offering the Dharma Online

Many people who have heard Thay speak have started on their own paths of practicing compassion and understanding. Many are taking their new awareness to their families, workplaces, and schools—transforming communities by planting seeds of mindfulness. The monasteries and practice centers offer many free online Dharma teachings and courses so that people can watch or listen live, or enjoy past retreats and Dharma talks from the comfort of their own homes. Donations to the foundation fund online services and fees for these offerings. With continuing support, the Sangha can work toward an aspiration to create a complete digital audio and video library of all of Thay’s talks to preserve and share with future generations.

Planting Seeds with Youth

Wake Up tours bring the practice of mindfulness to young adults and are tailored to meet their physical, emotional, and financial needs. A tour team consists of monastics and lay practitioners who travel to school campuses and colleges to host Days of Mindfulness, “flash mob” public meditation gatherings, and public talks. Wake Up events are free and easily accessible, thanks to donated practice spaces, free housing offered by friends, and the use of low-cost travel modes. A sixteen-day Wake Up tour, which typically coordinates fifteen to twenty events, only costs about $9,000.

Bringing Mindfulness to Schools

Mindfulness is increasingly recognized as an important tool for teachers, students, school administrators, and parents. Plum Village’s “Wake Up Schools” initiative is currently focused on three main areas to develop mindfulness in schools, including:1) Teacher and Administrator Training; 2) Developing Classroom Content; and 3) Community Building. This year, foundation gifts are helping sponsor the Educators’ Retreat at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, to help retreatants learn mindfulness practices to use in schools.

Dana (generosity) for Dharma-sharing programs is greatly appreciated and will support the many ways our community makes Thay’s teachings and practice accessible to all. To donate, or for more information and links to our community’s Dharma-sharing programs, please visit the Resource section of our website at ThichNhatHanhFoundation.org.

Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation 2499 Melru Lane, Escondido, CA 92026 Ph: 760-291-1003 ext. 104 Email: Info@ThichNhatHanhFoundation.org

* The Thich Nhat Hanh Continuation and Legacy Fund, started in 2011, has been renamed the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.

Lorri Houston, Sweetest Words of the Heart, practices with the Really Beneficial Sangha in Escondido. She is an Order of Interbeing aspirant and provides joyful service as the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation’s full-time community liaison. Before joining the foundation staff, Lorri founded and developed the first rescue shelters in the U.S. for farm animals.

Joyfully Together in Viet Nam

Building on the success of our first “Mindful and Mobile Retreat in Viet Nam” in March 2013, a small group of friends will have two opportunities in the coming months to have a uniquely beautiful experience. “Going like a river,” we will travel as a Sangha throughout the land of our spiritual ancestors of the Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) lineage.

Whether we are sitting or standing, walking or riding, floating on Ha Long Bay or climbing sacred Yen Tu Mountain, eating vegetarian meals or biking in the countryside around Hoi An, our breath will be our anchor throughout each day. Both trips will include a Day of Mindfulness in the Root Temple in Hue and frequent periods of sitting meditation and Dharma sharing.

Travel with Dharma Teacher Chan An Dinh (Trish Thompson). For information, visit www.lovingworkfoundation.org.