In the year 1010, one thousand years ago, the first king of the Ly dynasty founded Thang Long, the city now known as Hanoi. The Ly dynasty has been described as “the most compassionate, peaceful and harmonious in the history of Vietnam” by the eminent historian Hoang Xuan Han. This, he wrote, was “thanks to the influence of Buddhism”.
The first king of the Ly dynasty was Ly Thai To. From a very young age he had been trained as a Buddhist monastic aspirant at Luc To temple by Zen Master Van Hanh. When he ascended to the throne he organized political and cultural life in the spirit of openness, fearlessness and non-dualism as taught by Zen Master Van Hanh. The practice of Buddhism gave the nation a solid foundation of peace and happiness which lasted for centuries. Ly Nhah Tong, the fourth king in the Ly Dynasty, spoke of Master Van Hanh with great respect. “Master Van Hanh's actions embraced the whole of the past, present and future”, he said. “His words presaged events with extraordinary accuracy. In his hometown Co Phap, he needed only to plant his staff in the ground and sit in stillness, and the city of Thang Long could enjoy stability and peace for ever.”
Thursday, 05 November 2009 13:16 | Written by Administrator |
“If we want to end the war in the world, we need to end the war in our own hearts.”
Dear friends, Let us continue to send our energy of practice, our peace and calm to the Bat Nha Brothers and Sisters who are still under surveillance and without a clear resolution to their situation. Sangha Brother Velcrow Ripper has made this little film as a prayer to our BN Monastics. Let us also send our energy to the Abbot of Phuoc Hue Temple and his Sangha who has compassionately taken our young brothers and sisters in for refuge; to the many lay friends and supporters of Bao Loc who are fearlessly bringing food and coming to help with cooking and bringing the sick to the hospital at the risk of persecution; and to our elder Brothers Phap Hoi, Phap Sy, and Phap Tu, who can not return to their Bat Nha Community of younger monks and nuns; and to all beings who are still covered in the cloud of misunderstanding and suspicion.
“Love is born from understanding – understanding the suffering of the other person, his or her suffering and deep aspiration; and that understanding brings about true love. And in order to understand, we must have the time to look deeply and to listen deeply.” courtesy of: http://helpbatnha.org
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 13:11 | Written by Administrator |
Dear friends,
We would like to inform you that the date for Winter Retreat 2009-2010, which was on November the 15th, had been move to November 22nd due to the work on the extension of the meditation hall. We are hoping to finish the meditation hall before the 22nd so that we can have our opening ceremony on the newly extended hall. We apologize for any inconveniency which had been caused concerning your plans of travel and registration to attend the retreat. Our registration office will inform you of the change....
Monday, 02 November 2009 20:12 | Written by Administrator |
Last night the brothers and sisters from Upper and Lower Hamlets got together to celebrate halloween – so what if we were one day late! It was a lot of fun! In the presence of Ghandi, an Egyptian mummy, a Japanese princess and other notable costumed characters, their was much laughing and being silly together to be had. Jack-o-lanterns decorated the room, brothers and sisters took turns introducing themselves in costume, singing and dancing, (as well as trying to scare each other – only occassionally successfully!)
Monday, 02 November 2009 03:30 | Written by Administrator |
On Sunday morning, 25.10.2009, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) and the delegation returned to Plum Village after the US Tour which happens every two years. The fourfold Sangha of all three hamlets went to greet Thay at the Bordeaux airport. Everyone was filled with joy and happiness to see Thay and the delegation again.
Thursday, 22 October 2009 07:18 | Written by Administrator |
"Lord, when I see your Sangha, when I look at your Sangha I have a lot of confidence in the Lord," - King Prasenajit
Dear friends,
we would like to offer to you an “international Sangha directories” so that you can be informed, keep in touch and knows which Sangha or Monasteries belonging to Plum Village are within your region. But as you are aware, we do not have complete information of the Sangha throughout the world. If you have a Sangha or knows a Sangha in your region, please help us by “adding” in a Sangha. Please register to add a Sangha.
If a country is not displayed on the list, please contact our webmaster to add a new country. Once the country is displayed on the list, you can add a new Sangha. During the process of adding a Sangha, there is a field called “latitude & longitude”. Please use google maps and search for your location and right click on the map of your location and choose “what’s here”? You will find in the search bar the coordinates, the number on the left represent the latitude, while the number on the right represent the longitude. Please fill out as much as you can, description about your Sangha, images (please resize to 300 pixels), etc…
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 23:16 | Written by Administrator |
Dear friends,
Over 350 young Bat Nha monks and nuns are currently at Chùa Phước Huệ temple in Bảo Lộc, Vietnam. This is where they have been given temporary sanctuary after their violent eviction from Bat Nha on Sunday 27th. The situation is very difficult. The temple is normally only for 5 monks; there are now 400 of them in that space, in dire sanitary conditions. The police have surrounded the temple and threatening more violence. The aim of the police is to break up the monastic sangha, at all costs. But the monks and nuns assert their right to stay together, as a sangha. Without a sangha we are alone and vulnerable, like a tiger that has left the mountain.
If you wish to send a message of support directly to the monks and nuns, it may be very encouraging for them to read in this difficult and challenging moment. They need to know that we are all here for them.
Send messages to: we.are.all.here.for.you[at]gmail.com
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 22:22 | Written by Plum Village Fourfold Sangha |
Dear friends, Chers amis (en francais plus bas )
SUNDAY OCTOBER 4th: LET'S SIT TOGETHER FOR PEACE
Faces for peace
We invite all of you to have sitting this sunday, wherever you are to support our brothers and sisters in Vietnam by our stability and peace. During this meditation, could you please have some pictures taken ? We will then make a slideshow with the pictures and post it on our websites.
In order to facilitate this task, we are asking you to follow those rules :
1. Shooting Group pictures so that we see clearly everyone..
2. Gather the pictures Please send each pictures to: helpbatnha.photos[at]gmail.com
Please resize the pictures to 1500 by 1000 px in color.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 21:55 | Written by Plum Village Fourfold Sangha |
TO BE FORWARDED TO ALL SANGHAS - A ETRE ENVOYE A TOUTES LES SANGHAS
Dear friends, Chers amis (en francais plus bas )
As you may know, our sisters and brothers of Ban Nha Monastery in Vietnam have fallen on hard times. Last Saturday, a mob attacked the monastic compound and brutally expelled our monks and nuns living there.
In a spirit of support and solidarity, we are organizing several actions world-wide in order to help the situation.
Our goal is not to condemn the instigators of violence. Experience teaches us that judging and demonizing are counter-productive. All human beings experience suffering and seek a way to attain well-being: some through power, others through spiritual pursuits. Without judging or imposing our point of view, we can legitimately affirm our need to live in peace and harmony and seek deeper understanding.
Monday, 28 September 2009 20:12 | Written by Administrator |
Yesterday morning, a 150-strong mob descended on Prajna Monastery, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. The crowd violently evicted over 130 monks, followers of Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Plain-clothes police were known to be amongst the mob; uniformed police blocked all roads of access. Government officials refused to intervene, claiming that nothing was happening at the monastery site.
The crowd, armed with sticks and hammers, smashed doors and windows. The monks, some less than 18 years old, began sitting meditation and chanting in peaceful resistance. They were assaulted, removed by force and dragged out of their residence into the torrential rain. They were violently bundled into trucks and taxis, driven off and later dumped by the roadside. Some were marched up to 15 kilometers away from the monastery, being subjected to kicks and blows if they fell. The two most senior monks were beaten and arrested without charge. At this time, it is unknown where one, Brother Phap Hoi, is being held. After they had successfully attacked the monks, the mob set upon the two nuns’ quarters. Doors were smashed down and all 230 nuns and aspirants driven into one building. There they were held overnight, awaiting threatened violence the next day. Left with no alternative, the nuns and aspirants, the majority of whom are young girls and women under 25 years old, abandoned their home for an uncertain future.
Sunday, 27 September 2009 15:03 | Written by Administrator |
Need help urgently. About 100 policemen are at Bat Nha Monastery right now. Three of our older brothers have been taken away, brother Phap Hoi, Phap Tu, and Phap Sy, and nowhere to been seen. The other monastic brothers and sisters have been forced outside in the rain and probably will be shipped away soon. It is a sad moment, one that we knew might come. Please get the word out to our friends throughout the world. Let us send our energy of peace and support to our Bat Nha brothers and sisters. If any of you who can take initiative to help directly and concretely, we definitely need it now. Please spread the news, especially to anyone who might be in Vietnam right now.
In Plum Village we have come together as a fourfold sangha to send the energy of peace and understanding to all those involved in the events at Bat Nha Monastery.
This is a sad moment, one that we knew might come. Thich Nhat Hanh's teaching is to have peace in every step and we are practicing that teaching now, joining our brothers and sisters of Bat Nha Monastery.
Friends can help:
by sending the energy of peace to all those involved, and especially to our young monastics.
by contacting your government officials, asking them to express their concern to the President of Vietnam
Saturday, 13 February 2010 00:00 | 
Written by THICH NHAT HANH | 
