Winter Retreat, Wahat al-Salam, Neve Shalom 2019 photo by Amir Levin I was like a busy ant that had been carrying her grains of wheat. During the retreat in Israel two years ago, I saw the heap of grains I had accumulated. The diligent practice of years seeped through and…
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A Monk: To Be or Not to Be?
By Brother Phap Kinh (Dharma Meridian) I stepped onto the monastic path relatively late, although the seeds were present at an early age. At age fifteen, a group of friends and I meditated together. When that group disbanded, I continued (for the next thirty-five years) meditating twice daily. At age…
Touched by Heart Nectar
Stories from a Joyful Retreat By Lorrie Harrison A friend recently sent a description of what he imagined it was like at Plum Village: “I get a flash of it being like individual bees flowing toward an attractant. The sweet words of Thay and the lovely people and surroundings pull…
The Fire’s Fortunes
By Ronna Kabatznick In October 1991, the most destructive residential fire in U.S. history ripped across the Oakland hills. Twenty-four people were killed and 2,991 dwellings burnt to the ground within 12 hours. Eight of the 24 people, including my neighbor, died on the narrow and beautiful road where I once lived. My home was…
The Three Dharma Seals
By Sister Annabel Laity (Chan Duc, True Virtue) photo courtesy of monastic Sangha Sister Annabel Laity offered this Dharma talk at the 21-Day Retreat: VulturePeak Gathering on June 20, 2016, in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. Respected Thay, dear Sangha, Tomorrow some of us will have to go home from the…
What does it mean to become a Great Being?
Brother Phap Hai, Author of The Eight Realizations of Great Beings In celebration of this release, Brother Phap Hai sat down and answered some questions about the core messages in The Eight Realizations of Great Beings, which insight gives him the most pause, and what he hopes readers come away…
Be Mindful in Daily Life
Photo by Renee Burgard Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present, and at one with those around you and with…
True Wonderful Action
By Anissa Housley I’m in Estes Park, Colorado. The cavernous meeting hall is filled with people. It’s early morning; everything is dimly lit. Monks and nuns sit onstage and Thay is leading the ceremony for the transmission of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. I’m standing, I’m prostrating, I’m kneeling, I’m singing.…
Living with the Precepts
Like a coin, the precepts have two sides, and both are essential for our practice. One side guides us toward what is beneficial and protects us. The other side is the emptiness of the precepts. To describe the first aspect, I would like to share this story: When I was…
Mindful Consumption
In this Dharma talk from 2007, Thay offers many teachings on interbeing, including seeing ourselves as a five-year-old child, meditation on a grain of corn, contemplating the actions of our right and left hands, and the Sutra of the Son’s Flesh.