US Tour News

Plum Village Publication
Translated from Vietnamese: Br. Phap Khoi

Aug. 9th:  Thay and around 30 monastics left from Plum Village France to fly to JFK airport in New York.  Thay and the Sangha arrived close to 11:00 in the evening and although some were tired from the flight, seeing the brothers and sisters from the other centers at the airport was a natural cup of Sangha coffee.  At last together again it’s another Brown Family Reunion. 

The Sangha rested well at the new center in New York, Blue Cliff Monastery, enjoying being together, walking around the beautiful grounds of pine trees and mountain streams, playing tennis, basketball and some even tried out swimming in the near by stream.

Then off again on the bus early in the morning of Aug. 12th, destination Stone Hill College in Easton Massachusetts about 1hr away from Boston.  Another beautiful location for a retreat with an expected 1,050 retreatents 70 of which are children and 40 teenagers. All gathered in the evening in the sports complex which is beautifully transformed into a meditation hall for the orientation given by S. Chan Khong and Thay Phap Tri. 

The retreat lasts from August 12th to the 17th and is filled with lots of nourishments.  Each morning wake up is 5:30 and three large streams of people make their way in groups of walking meditation to the sports complex for morning sitting meditation.  And then a surprise meditation waits as 1,050 people make their way to breakfast.  On the first day an attempt was made for a free flowing breakfast but there wasn’t much flowing but a lot of opportunity to practice waiting meditation. Some lucky ones got to master their patience in a 45 minute line.  Then all filled the meditation hall again for a Dharma talk by Thay.  In the afternoons all enjoy Dharma Discussion and then various evening activities including 5 Mindfulness Training presentation, total relaxation, beginning anew, and sitting meditation and chanting.  Then one afternoon the sangha gathers together for a Be-in to enjoy each others talents through skits, songs, dance, etc…

In addition in the afternoons there is an opportunity to learn more about some special projects of the sangha such as the Solar Project of Deer Park, Car-Free days, the Hungry Children’s Project, as well as viewing a film of the recent trip of Thay and the Sangha in Vietnam. 

During free times, retreatants enjoy walking meditation, yoga, deep relaxation, jogging, etc… on the beautiful campus of Stone Hill College.