Plum Village Tradition
The way The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen The Plum Village Tradition is a school of Buddhism named after the Plum Village Monastery in France, the first monastic practice center founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh, Chân Không, and other members of the Order of Interbeing.
[8] Exiled from Vietnam for refusing to take a side in the war, Nhất Hạnh and Không worked to help boat people in the Gulf of Siam then established the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Centre at Fontvannes near Troyes.
[22][23][24] The traditional includes a "post-merit model" approach for sustaining the organization that focuses on monastics working without financial gain, in an effort to improve the world, thus not relying solely on dana from lay people.
[1] Scholar and member of the Order of Interbeing Adrienne Minh-Châu Lê notes it is an oversimplification to paint Thích Nhất Hạnh and the tradition as just about breathing, smiling, and living in the present moment.
[31] Practices for attaining this liberation include mindfulness, concentration, and insight, which work together to recognize suffering, prevent wrong actions, and transform negative seeds.
[43] Nhat Hanh emphasized that mindfulness practice is essential for transforming unwholesome seeds and nurturing wholesome ones, thereby overcoming obstacles to enlightenment.
[36] The tradition has made efforts to express teachings in a way that meets the needs of various cultures and addresses contemporary issues that cause harm.
[69] Plum Village's teaching on the Three Doors of Liberation (emptiness, signlessness, aimlessness) provides a path to rise above duality, the source of all suffering, by aligning our lives with these truths.
[70] Nhất Hạnh developed the English term "interbeing" by combining the prefix "inter-" with the verb "to be" to denote the interconnection of all phenomena.
[72] This was inspired by the Chinese word 相即 in Master Fa Zang's "Golden Lion Chapter",[73] a Huayan summary of the Avatamsaka Sutra.
[79][80] In this view a person is composed of many elements beyond just themselves, such as their parents, ancestors from humans, plants, and animals, as well as water, sunlight, food, education, and life experiences.
[86][87] Rooted in Buddhist psychology, Plum Village states mindfulness is an energy and awareness one can create by bringing attention back to the body and connecting with the present moment, both inside and around each person and looking deeply into the nature of things.
[90][91] Plum Village emphasizes that right mindfulness does not pursue ego, status, and pride but is linked to the eight-fold path, awareness, love, community, and addressing suffering.
"When I was a novice in Vietnam, we young monks witnessed the suffering caused by the war and were very eager to practice Buddhism in such a way that we could bring it into society.
[109] The mindfulness trainings address: In some other traditions these precepts are expressed as undertakings to refrain from harm - not to kill, not to steal, not to lie, not to manifest inappropriate sexual behavior, and not to consume intoxicants.
[115] The fourteen mindfulness trainings apply to members of the Order of Interbeing and including openness, non-attachment to views, freedom of thought, awareness of suffering, compassionate healthy living, taking care of anger, dwelling happily in the present moment, true community and communication, thoughtful and loving speech, protecting and nourishing the sangha, right livelihood, reverence for life, generosity, and true love.
[116] The sangha is built around a common set of practices to be performed with mindfulness applied to sensory experiences (like listening to the sound of a bell) or activities, such as walking or eating in community.
[117] Extended practices also apply to relationships and community including the sangha body (learning to recognize what each individual needs to feel part of a community), sangha building (awareness of organic growth processes of communities), dharma sharing (express experiences as they were felt and cognized), service meditation (volunteering to menial maintenance tasks), the kitchen (food preparation as a meditative practice), eating together (focusing on the several aspects of consuming food together with other people), tea meditation (being aware of all aspects of socializing including inner and interpersonal elements while drinking tea), noble silence (suspend or reduce verbal communication to focus on inner processes), and beginning anew (reconciliation process after a conflict).
[121] Practices include listening to them with compassion and using mindfulness to improve stored consciousness, Rather than viewing healing as an individual pursuit, Plum Village emphasizes its collective.
[141] In 1970, alongside Alfred Hassler from the Fellowship of Reconciliation and other prominent intellectuals and scientists, Nhat Hanh and Chan Khong played a key role in organizing Europe’s first environmental conference in Menton, France.
Plum Village’s environmental teachings draw heavily from the Diamond Sutra, a text noted for dispelling illusions and, per Nhất Hanh, supporting deep ecology.
[142] With the insight of interbeing, we come to understand that we are neither isolated nor powerless but every action we take has significance In this sutra, practitioners are encouraged to abandon four central ideas including the fixed notion of “self,” the idea of a separate “human being,” the division between living and nonliving entities, and the concept of a defined “life span”, in order to perceive our true nature and the genuine character of reality.
[142] Although there is an individual “you,” it is formed from components that extend beyond what we typically label as “self.” Instead of viewing your body as a fixed entity that defines you, observe it as a continuous flow—a stream that carries the influence of your human, animal, plant, and mineral ancestors.
[142] Nhất Hanh addressing the second point stating we tend to pursue safety, prosperity, and happiness exclusively for humans, often at the cost of other life forms.
[142] Nhất Hanh continues stating many people mistakenly divide the world into sentient or “animate” beings and non-sentient or “inanimate” matter.
[142] Nhất Hanh concludes addressing the fourth central idea stating we typically think our existence is confined between birth and death.
Our ancestors, teachers, and the inherent Buddha nature within us all contribute to a continuum that transcends individual lifetimes, reminding us that the effort to care for the planet extends far beyond our own existence.
[161] An important component of this tradition is the Order of Interbeing, which is a social network of monastics and lay people who have undertaken the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.
[167][168] Nhat Hanh and Plum Village teachings were influential in author and activist bell hook's work including the book all about love.
[169][170] Christiana Figueres who led the Paris Agreement concerning climate change cites Nhat Hanh as influencing her work, environmental outlook, and as a support during the talks.
