Thich Nhat Hanh Healing in Vietnam The Wonderful World of Gathas

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healing in VIETNAMHealing in VietnamIIn early 2007 Thich Nhat Hanh led a ninety-day pilgrimage to Vietnam.Fifty monks and nuns from the monasteries in the U.S. and Franceaccompanied him, along with a hundred lay Westerners, in each of fourthree-week segments. On this second historic visit to his homeland, Thaywas also accompanied by Vietnamese monks and nuns numbering inthe hundreds, from the three monasteries in Vietnam that practice in thetradition of Plum Village.As of this writing, Thay has offered two Great Ceremonies of Healing, alsocalled Grand Requiem Masses, for the souls of those who perished duringthe Vietnam War. Never before has Vietnam seen such ceremonies. Inthe first ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, as many as ten thousand peopleparticipated.Here are writings and photos from two lay participants. David Nelson,Compassionate Guidance of the Heart, recently retired after eighteen yearsworking in public health on Indian reservations in the southwestern U.S. Henow practices with the Organic Garden and Ripening Sanghas in southernCalifornia. Madeline Dangerfield-Cha from Cleveland, Ohio, will enterColumbia University next fall; she has four half-brothers and one half-sisterunder the age of seven. Look for more about this historic trip in the nextissue of the Mindfulness Bell, and view additional photos by David Nelsonat www.flickr.com/photos/rezdog/. Hear Dharma talks and interviews fromthe Vietnam trip at www.dpcast.org.Arrival Day in Ho Chi Minh CityAt the Quang Duc Temple, there was a great welcoming ceremonyfor Thay and the sangha. After a long formal procession,Touching the Earth was offered to the temple’s venerables for along life to the patriarch that may continue to benefit many. Themost venerable offered warm greetings and wishes for a successfultrip. Next we took buses to An Quang temple. Thay sharedthat at this temple he became a Dharma teacher, giving hundredsof Dharma talks in that hall. Afterwards our procession slowlypassed by smiling and bowing crowds and made its way to a mostdelicious Vietnamese feast. We dined to the sounds of up-beatpopular music. That night at Phap Van, Thay gave his first talk ofthe trip. We in the lay sangha were fortunate to witness the talkfrom directly behind Thay, and to see the faces in the audience.Thay encouraged us to practice coming back to our breath as taughtby the Buddha in the Anapanasati Sutra on mindful breathing.[Read part of this Dharma talk on page 4.]—David NelsonAll photos in this section by David Nelson and Madeline Dangerfield-Cha10 Summer 2007
healing in VIETNAMThousands on a Few Green AcresThe five-day lay retreat at Prajna Temple near Bao Loc wasa wonderful gift. I hardly expected such intense practice! And somany people! Upwards of seven thousand Vietnamese retreatantscame. You’d think it would be chaos, thousands of people on a fewgreen acres. How on earth could seven thousand people remainmeditative and quiet for five days in 90-degree heat? But thesepeople are truly devoted: three thousand could cram into the meditationhall for Thay’s Dharma talks, the rest sprawling on the stepsand lawn outside. Thay was so inspiring, so down to earth.For Dharma discussion, I was lucky enough to be includedin a bilingual, multi-cultural, youth exchange extravaganza! Alarge group of monks, nuns, Vietnamese, and young Westerners,we discussed our experiences and challenges. The Vietnameseyoung people were slow to share, really hesitant, since “sharing,”they explained, is not a part of their culture. Yet after just a fewminutes on the first day they began to share their suffering sowe could join their journey. We played high energy games andgoofy challenges. Everyone could shout and laugh, Vietnameseor English!—Madeline Dangerfield-ChaTop to bottom: Thay dedicates the monument to mothers at PrajnaMonastery with a rose ceremony; up to 10,000 attended,Tea hut and garden at Prajna Temple,David Nelson and friends(top right) Prajna Temple hideaway.Jungle School AdventureHa! I can’t even begin to describe the joy from yesterday’sadventure! The plan for the day was to visit schools in the centralhighlands around Bao Loc. Plum Village funds the construction,staff, and supplies of over a thousand schools in the whole ofVietnam, a million-dollar charity organization. Yesterday, wevisited nine of them, real schools with real kids and real teachers.Just single room, no-frills buildings. Some have desks, some havechalkboards. No books, no toys. But they’re clean, and they’rebuilt! The kids get one well-rounded, nutritious meal per day.Our first stop was a tribal village where most of the inhabitantsspoke the local dialect. I played tag with more than forty six- andseven-year-olds. I felt like I was playing with my little brothers.You should have seen their smiles!But the real adventure began in the jungle. No more plumbing,no more pavement, no more cars of any kind. A nun turnedto me and said, “You know, this road gets completely unpassablethe Mindfulness Bell 11
Page 1 and 2: Summer 2007 A Publication of Plum V
Page 3 and 4: ISSUE NO. 45 - Summer 2007Dharma Ta
Page 5 and 6: sharing OUR VIEWSThank you so much
Page 7 and 8: dharma TALK“I am taking each step
Page 9 and 10: dharma TALKand walking meditation.
Page 11: dharma TALKbrought up a few exercis
Page 15 and 16: healing in VIETNAMPhotos of the Gre
Page 17 and 18: Preparations for these ceremonies w
Page 19 and 20: peaceful HEARTDharma Rainin the Roc
Page 21 and 22: peaceful HEARTmunity? That way we
Page 23 and 24: peaceful HEARTYMCADharma SongSung t
Page 25 and 26: practical WISDOMrunning water, no e
Page 27 and 28: practical WISDOMThe mind can go in
Page 29 and 30: practical WISDOMJI was confined in
Page 31 and 32: practical WISDOMHugging asPracticeB
Page 33 and 34: In Memoriam:in MEMORIAMThay Giac Th
Page 35 and 36: in MEMORIAMDyingPoems will die.Ten-
Page 37 and 38: in MEMORIAMSunday arrived. It was a
Page 39 and 40: heart to HEARTHeart to HeartHeart t
Page 41 and 42: young REFLECTIONSOver the summer I
Page 43 and 44: young REFLECTIONSphoto by Emily Whi
Page 45 and 46: young REFLECTIONSStudents and facul
Page 47 and 48: ook REVIEWSFirst BuddhistWomenPoems
Page 49 and 50: Build sanghaSpread the dharmaDeepen
Page 52: Sangha on alms round in Bao Locphot

Thich Nhat Hanh Healing in Vietnam The Wonderful World of Gathas

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