Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, October 13th, from 7-8:30PM ET online; Wednesday morning, October 15th, from 7-8AM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, October 17th, 12-1PM ET online.

On Monday night, Marie will facilitate our gathering. She shares:

One of the many gifts of facilitating sangha is the opportunity to choose a topic that we can explore together. This week, amidst the tumult of all that is going on in this world and in this country, I am drawn to two questions that affect my equilibrium—and perhaps yours:

How does your practice support you?  And, how do you support your practice?

Over the years, my practice has ebbed and flowed in a myriad of ways, landing right here where it is today.  And I know it will be different tonight, and again, tomorrow. Sometimes, I find the word “should” creeping into my inner dialogue about practicing, and I might judge myself based on some metrics around my practice (e.g., Did I sit? For how long? How was it?)  At other times, I relax into the “art of resting,” as Rinpoche Anam Thubten describes in this excerpt from his article on Shambhala.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, October 6, from 7-8:30PM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, October 8, from 7-8AM ET online; and Friday, October 10, from 12-1PM ET in person/online (hybrid).

On Monday, our evening meditation will be facilitated by Annie. Annie shares:

Many of us may have listened to, or heard about, the Plum Village podcast, The Way Out Is In. The title comes from the practice of going inside ourselves in order to find the “way out” of our suffering. We all experience suffering in our lives, and knowing how to transform our suffering is one of the foundational practices of the Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh (Thầy).

The Buddhist sutras describe this practice in several places, most clearly in the Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Here, the Buddha shows us that freedom comes not from running away but from turning inward — looking deeply into our bodies, our feelings, our minds, and the objects of mind (everything we sense, including the teachings). This is what Thầy means by “the way out is in.” Similarly, the Heart Sutra describes the path to nirvana as looking inside to see how everything that we think is permanent is really impermanent.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, September 29th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online/in person (hybrid); Wednesday morning, October 1, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Thursday morning, October 2, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, October 3, 12-1PM EDT online.

This Monday, Annie will facilitate, and our Sangha will host a special guest, David Viafora. 

David was ordained as a monk by Thich Nhat Hanh in the Plum Village tradition, and is currently a lay member of the Order of Interbeing. 

He recently published a book on Sangha building, "Thriving Together: Nine Principles for Cocreating True Community." According to the book's foreword by Sister True Dedication, “David Viafora’s quest to explore the essential elements of healthy communities of mindfulness has taken him on a multi-year journey across continents, visiting and living with dozens of communities in the Plum Village tradition…This book, the fruit of his exploration, draws on the collective wisdom of over 100 community builders who have shared their lives and insights with courage and vulnerability.”

David will invite members to share about their own community experiences and questions, facilitating an interactive dialogue so that our time together will be helpful and relatable to people's interests and needs. He will also share stories and lessons on Sangha building  in which individual or collective challenges and difficulties can lead to community strength, joy, and compassionate connections. 

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, September 22, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, September 24, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, September 26, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).

On Monday, Magda will gently guide us in exploring the Fourth Mindfulness Training. She will share how the practice of Right Speech and Deep Listening, nurtured in her encounters with spiritual friends over the summer, became a source of healing and transformation.

How Right Speech and Deep Listening with Maha-Sangha Friends Healed Me

“The next Buddha will not take the form of a person. The next Buddha will take the shape of a community, a community that practices understanding and loving kindness, a community that practices a way of conscious living. This may be the most important thing for Earth’s survival.”
— From a Dharma Talk by Thích Nhất Hạnh

Walking on Earth with Dharma Sisters

From the beginning of this new administration, I was consumed by distress. Images of suffering—especially of children—haunted me from the moment I woke up until the moment I fell asleep. With few inner filters, I had left myself completely vulnerable to the hatred of the administration and to the pain of its victims. My practice sustained me somewhat, but it was not enough. I had not shared my feelings much with those who could truly listen, and so I carried all that sadness inside, as though I were alone in the world.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, September 15th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, September 17th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, September 19th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday, Magda will guide us in coming together with gratitude to honor and celebrate the waters of the Earth. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s Love Letter to the Earth,  she will share her Love Letters to the Waters of the Earth, written in appreciation of the many moments she spent in connection with water during her summer journeys. As the season comes to a close, she wishes to offer her deep gratitude for the waters that nourish and sustain all life. Participants are warmly invited to share their own experiences with the Waters of the Earth this summer and to join in drinking tea or any other beverage of your choice. Together, we will also enjoy a guided meditation on water, inspired by Rachel Carson’s ocean trilogy. You are welcome to bring a small sample of water with you—your tea can serve this purpose as well.

This week, we will meet Monday evening, September 8, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, September 10, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, September 12, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).

On Monday, Annie and Rachel H. will co-facilitate.

Lately, it’s been difficult to believe and accept all that is happening here in Washington, DC, in the country, and in the world. On a recent vacation, it was wonderful to get lost in a fantasy book, happy to escape to another world for a few days. So many of us are overwhelmed by the news and the images of masked men disappearing our neighbors, troops armed with machine guns stationed around the city, and so much more. When things feel challenging, we can begin to feel alienated from our lives and even our homes.

In 1966, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) was literally exiled from his home country of Vietnam, and as a result he suffered knowing he would not be able to see his homeland or his family for many years, if ever again. 

“During the first year of my exile, it was difficult. … When I woke up in the night, I did not know where I was. … And I dreamt of going home to my root temple in central Vietnam… Halfway to the top of the hill I woke up and realized that I was in exile…I tried to live in the here and now and touch the wonders of life every day.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, September 1st, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, September 3rd, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, September 5th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday, Ellen facilitates, and we’ll gather online to discuss the Third Mindfulness Training that focuses on true love. (Full training below.) This is an important, challenging training–and one that likely speaks to all of us in different ways. For me, this training speaks to the importance of recognizing my own needs and how to meet them, bringing respect and honesty to my relationships, and being willing to take steps to protect others from harm when I can.

This training also makes me ask myself if I am willing to honestly speak up to protect others and also to speak up about my own needs. At the same time, the training reminds me of the importance of focusing on and attending to the needs of my partner and my family.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, August 25, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, August 27, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, August 29, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).

On Monday, Magda will guide us in exploring the theme of freedom as it appears in The Art of Power, Appendix B: Work and Pleasure—The Example of Patagonia. She will also share how she experienced freedom while retracing Thích Nhất Hạnh’s steps during her pilgrimage through Vietnam, undertaken in commemoration of Thầy’s Ashes Ceremony.

In an appendix to The Art of Power, Thầy reflects on the company Patagonia and the spirit that guides its work. Its leaders and employees walk an unconventional path, refusing the suffocating norms that weigh down so many businesses. Their purpose flows from a deeper source, not from attachment or greed. They bring the light of mindfulness into their daily work, knowing that work itself—and all the restless busyness it can invite—is not the whole of life. Their workplace becomes a space for living an examined life, one that nourishes a quiet freedom.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, August 18th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, August 20th, from 7-8AM EDT Online; and Friday, August 8th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday night, Magda will lead us in a reflection on Thich Nhat Hanh’s model of humility, as presented in Appendix A, and share examples she witnessed during her visit to Vietnam for his Ash Ceremony in January of last year.

Magda shares:  

In the first appendix to The Art of Power, Thầy surprises us by suggesting practices to cultivate true power—practices that are simple and humble. They are not about domination or ambition, but about presence, compassion, and deep listening. 

This reminds me of what I learned about Thầy during the Ash Ceremony at Tu Hiếu, when I visited with the monastics. I could feel the depth of his commitment to helping all beings—not through grand gestures, but through the quiet power of humility and compassion. As we stood before the altar, Sister Định Nghiêm pointed to a column inscribed with the first Bodhisattva Vow: “Living beings are countless; I vow to help them all.” Then, with a spark of realization, she said, “Thầy was such a rebel.” Her voice was filled with admiration—for a teacher who never conformed, who drew deeply from Vietnamese tradition while daring to innovate, always guided by compassion and humility.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, August 11, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, August 13, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, August 15, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).

Camille will facilitate this Monday. Camille shares:

We will continue our summer reading of the book The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). This week, if you are able, we invite you to read Chapter Nine: Sparking a Collective Awakening (pages 159-175).

In Chapter 9 Thay shares that we need to cultivate our spiritual powers in ourselves first, in order to help others, particularly those who may find their power is more concerned with money and fame than service to others. In short, by taking care of our suffering, we can help with the suffering of others. From my personal experience, I often feel powerless and that I can’t do much to change a difficult situation. I sometimes feel like I am only watering negative seeds and not the good seeds. However, when I practice deeply and request help from others, I find the support and faith I need to move through a situation. Thay talks about moving through and not around difficult situations, and encourages us that “the way out is in.” I believe that collective awakening means working together through difficult times, first in ourselves and then in and with the greater community. Perhaps then we may move skillfully together in encouraging our political leaders to water their positive seeds.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, August 4th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, August 6th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Thursday, August 7th, from 7-8AM EDT in person/online (hybrid) and Friday, August 8th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday night, Marie will facilitate, and we will continue to reflect on Thay’s book The Art of Power. If you have time, please read and reflect on Chapter 7 (Taking Care of Nonbusiness, pages 137-157).

Marie shares:  

I have a strong habit energy of prioritizing work over other aspects of life that are important to me.This chapter was a bell of mindfulness. Early on, Thay shares a story from the time of the Buddha: 

One day, a farmer who had lost his cows came running up to the Buddha and asked if he had seen them. The farmer was very upset and said, “I think I am going to die. How can I survive without my cows?” The Buddha told him, compassionately, that he had not seen them and suggested he look for them in another direction. After the farmer had left, the Buddha turned to his monks, smiled to them and said, “Dear friends, do you know that you are lucky people? You don’t have any cows to lose.”

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, July 28, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, July 30, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, August 1, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).

Camille will facilitate this Monday. Camille shares:

We welcome you to our Monday night in-person sangha, where we will share our once-a-month tradition of reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings to help us cultivate and deepen our mindfulness practice. We will focus on the Second Mindfulness Training, True Happiness.

As I contemplate and practice with the Second  Mindfulness Training, I am reminded that my happiness is not separate from the happiness of others and that by practicing generosity, I can help relieve suffering and ill-being. 

Recently I have not been practicing generosity toward myself. I feel sadness and despair with all that is happening in our world and also  sad and confused about my personal life. I have a habit of focusing more on my faults and the parts of myself that I don’t like than on my more wholesome qualities. One way I do this is to focus on habits that have been passed down from my parents and ancestors, such as blaming myself for the unhappiness of others. In this way, I avoid giving myself love, understanding, and compassion.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, July 21st, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, July 23rd, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, July 25th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday night, Annie and Marie will co-facilitate, and we will continue to reflect on Thay’s book The Art of Power. This week we will focus on Chapters 6 (Boundless Love) and 7 (Being Present at Home and Work), pages 99-136.

They share: When we met to discuss these chapters, we were both struck by the power of this quote by the Buddha: “We have all that we are looking for within.”  

In Chapter 5, Thay elaborates:

This is what the Buddha said at the moment of enlightenment: “How strange – all living beings have the fully awakened nature, but none of them knows it. And because of that they drift and sink from lifetime to lifetime in the great ocean of samsara, in suffering.

When we recognize that in us there is the essence of goodness, beauty and truth, we will stop going in search of something. We will stop wandering around feeling that we lack something… The great awakening occurs when we recognize that what we are looking for is within us.”

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, July 14, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, July 16, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, July 18, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).

On Monday evening, Annie will facilitate and we will continue our reflections on Thay’s teaching in his book, The Art of Power. This week we will focus on Chapters 4 (Getting What We Really Want)  and 5 (The Secret of Happiness), pages 65-97.

In Chapter 4, Thay writes:

Right or wrong action can be determined by using the single criterion of suffering or nonsuffering. Whatever causes suffering in the present or the future, for ourselves and people around us, is the wrong thing to do. What brings well-being in the present and the future is the right thing. The criterion is clear…

That is why, to be happy, to be a real bodhisattva, we need to take some time each day to sit down, look into ourselves and identify the kind of energy that’s motivating us and where it is pushing us. Are we being pushed into the direction of suffering and despair? If so, we must release this intention and find a more wholesome source of energy. Our volition should be bodhicitta, the mind of love, the intention to love and serve.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, July 7th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, July 9th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, July 11th, 12-1PM EDT online.

Camille will facilitate on Monday evening, and we will continue our summer reading of the book The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). This week, if you are able, we invite you to read Chapter 2: Handling Power Skillfully (pages 31-40), and Chapter 3: The Art of Mindfulness (pages 41-63). 

In Chapter 2 of the book, Thay talks about using power skillfully so that we don’t create more suffering. As we begin to cultivate the five spiritual powers as identified in Chapter 1, faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight, we can become better leaders and encourage more understanding and happiness. In Chapter 2, in order to become true leaders, Thay offers three virtues to follow: “the virtue of cutting off, the virtue of loving, and the virtue of insight.”

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 30, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, July 2, from 7-8AM EDT online; Thursday, July 3, from 7-8AM EDT in person/online (hybrid); and Friday, July 4, from 12-1PM EDT online.

Annie will facilitate on Monday evening, and we will begin our summer reading of the book The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). This week, if you are able, we invite you to read the Introduction and Chapter One: True Power (pages 1-29). 

In the introduction, Thay asks, “What does power mean to us?” In the United States  (and the world) today, we are thinking and talking about power a lot. How much power does a president have? How much power do the people have? 

This summer, we can read how Thay defines and measures power, and we can reflect together how that lands for us, and how we might use these practices and concepts to develop the kind of power that can help us live a more joyful and compassionate life.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 16, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, June 18, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, June 20, from 12-1PM EDT in person/online (hybrid).

On Monday, our evening meditation will be facilitated by Annie. Annie shares:

We will listen to and watch a poem of Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay), A Prayer for Land, set to music by Sister Hiếu Đức and made into a music video by the Plum Village Band. The poem was written by Thay in 1977 when he was part of a team helping Vietnamese refugees reach Australia and Guam by boat. Many refugees were lost at sea, some pushed back out to sea to die by the Singapore government. 

When Sister Chan Khong and Thay learned about the plight of these “boat people,” they knew they had to help. You can listen and read more about the ways that Thay and Sister Chan Khong helped the “boat people” get to safety here. It wasn’t easy work, and it required strong mindfulness, courage, and the willingness to break the law.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 9th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, June 11th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, June 13th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday night, Ellen will facilitate. Ellen shares:

Sometimes life brings things together in unexpected ways, sometimes good, sometimes tough.  We have a lot of uncertainty in our world, in our country, and our communities now. I’ve been thinking about uncertainty in my life and how we can use mindfulness to calm the difficult feelings that can arise in uncertain times.  At the same time, I’ve been thinking about equanimity, which seems more important than ever now. Attaining equanimity is not easy, and it’s especially hard with so much uncertainty and pain around us now. But what is equanimity really?

Here’s the first definition I found online, and how amazing that  it included the Buddhist view of equanimity:

Equanimity is a state of being calm and balanced, especially in the midst of difficulty. It refers to evenness of mind, especially under stress. In Buddhism, equanimity is one of the Four Immeasurables or four great virtues that the Buddha taught his disciples to cultivate. The word equanimity can also refer to right disposition and balance.

Merriam Webster

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 2, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, June 4, from 7-8AM EDT online; Thursday morning, June 5, from 7-8AM EDT in person/online (hybrid) at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, June 6, from 12-1PM EDT in person/online (hybrid).

On Monday, our evening meditation will be facilitated by Annie. Annie shares:

I heard about the practice of Beginning Anew on nearly every Plum Village retreat I attended. These sessions, usually led by Sister Chan Khong, always included a demonstration of the practice with a couple. 

Sister Chan Khong often reminded us that we may think we know our family member or friend one hundred percent, but we really only know five or ten percent of them. We make so many assumptions about the person sitting beside us without really knowing them in a deep way. We need a way to help us develop a deeper understanding of each other and share our vulnerabilities. This is why we practice Beginning Anew.

I am not an expert on Beginning Anew, but I have practiced with myself, my partner, and with the sangha over the years and have found it to be very helpful.