This week, Sister Hai An will be our guest dharma teacher. She will focus on gratitude as the foundation for generosity. She will explore the phrase "A Cosmology of Reverence" and how the way we view the world determines what we find there. When we cultivate gratitude for food and air and water, as well as the more direct ways that we "receive", our whole life can change. And once we know that we are always receiving something, our generosity become a true paramita, a quality that can carry us all the way to the other shore.
Sister Hai An received novice ordination from Venerable Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012 and full ordination in 2016. She trained at Plum Village Monastery in France and Blue Cliff Monastery in New York State before leaving in 2018 to continue life as a "nun in the world." She continues to practice the precious teachings of Plum Village and integrates them with her practice and study in the Theravada tradition, mystical Christianity, and the framework of social justice.
It is her honor and passion to support people in practical and creative ways to develop mindfulness, compassion, and joy in daily life. In another life, she received a BFA in Theater Design, taught yoga, and worked as a program director for a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Writing music, poetry, and essays brings her great joy, as does her involvement in the ARISE Sangha, dedicated to bringing racial justice to the forefront of the Plum Village community. You can read some of (Sister Hai An’s) writings here.