When in the meditation hall men and women sit on different sides, we could call this “sitting separately,” but if you look deeply, you will see that there is no segregation. In other words, one group is not being excluded from the principal group. Clearly there is no discrimination. Both…
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Visit to Vietnam
By Linda Spangler I had wanted to go to Vietnam for a long time. I grew up with the Vietnam War on TV and watched the fighting and the nightly list of American dead. Escaping the draft was a frequent topic of conversation in my high school. I could not understand how anyone could…
To Be Ready
Though many of us accompanied Thay and the monastic Sangha to Vietnam, it was not possible to understand all that was happening, right before our eyes. In this section, we get to hear Thay’s own words, fresh from returning, on what were the most notable events during the trip, and…
The Seedling Project
By Members of the European Wake Up Sangha photo courtesy of Felipe Viveros Thay believed that Buddhism had much to contribute to real social change. He said he would find ways to support me in a movement for social change according to the Buddhist spirit. He would help bring together…
Hovering with Your Children
One of my favorite activities is hanging out and watching my children, just watching, not necessarily doing anything for or with them. Often, I sit at the antique wooden table in our kitchen and look out our picture window at their activity. This window frames the life work of my children engaging in play. By sitting and…
Language of the Heart
By Paul Tingen Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoingthere is a field.I'II meet you there.When the soul lies in that grass,the world is too full to talk about.Ideas, language, even the phrase "each other"doesn't make any sense. —Rumi Imagine for a moment that you're on a peace mission in another…
Summer Camp of the Pure Land
By David Lawrence Getting to Plum Village was not easy. I had a strong desire to go, but the prospect of leaving my many activities created doubts that I would actually be able to make the trip. Yet the anticipation of being with the greater Sangha and deepening my practice…
Ancestral Roots
By AJ Johnston Children of the Whitney on altar, Antioch Baptist Church, Whitney Plantation. Photo by Edissa Nicolás-Huntsman “With understanding and compassion, you will be able to heal the wounds in your heart, and the wounds in the world. Embrace your suffering, and let it reveal to you the way…
To Enjoy the Craic
Receiving Spiritual Practice in Ireland By Paul Lavender As I stepped off the plane and into Dublin on a wet and windy April Tuesday to hear Thay’s public talk, “Cooling the Flames,” I was somewhat curious how a teetotal pacifist Buddhist monk would be received in a hard-drinking, strongly Christian…
In the Shape of Your Palm
By Duncan Liddle The Fifth Remembrance: My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand. In my bathroom, there is a rubber plant. It's a very beautiful plant, and it means a lot to me because I grew it…