Dear Thay, dear <strong>Sangha</strong>,A Journal of the Art of Mindful Livingin the Tradition of Thich Nhat HanhPublished by Plum VillageAdvisor <strong>and</strong> EditorIssue 56 Winter/Spring 2011Managing EditorDesignProofreaderSubscriptions & AdvertisingWebmasterAdvisory BoardVolunteersSister AnnabelNatascha BrucknerLuminArtsLeslie RawlsDavid PercivalBr<strong>and</strong>y SacksThay Phap KhamThay Phap DungBarbara CaseyJanelle CombelicJack LawlorDavid PercivalLeslie RawlsPeggy Rowe WardSister An Nghiem(Sr. Peace)Sister Chau Nghiem(Sr. Jewel)Margaret Alex<strong>and</strong>erConnie AndersonAlan ArmstrongDorothy BrucknerSteve ChildKaren HilsbergBreAnne MeyerKenley NeufeldGreg SeverJudith ToyWriting Submissions: Please send us the fruits ofyour practice. We welcome feature articles (1,500 to 2,500words), essays, <strong>and</strong> stories, as well as poetry. We especiallywelcome submissions from young people.Art & Photo Submissions: We welcome photos, artwork,<strong>and</strong> cartoons from your local <strong>Sangha</strong>, family, <strong>and</strong>community. Please send digital images as TIFF or JPEGfiles 1 MB or larger. We can return originals sent by mail.Send submissions via email to editor@mindfulnessbell.org, or by mail to the <strong>Mindfulness</strong> Bell, c/o NataschaBruckner, 769 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062.Advertising <strong>and</strong> Subscriptions: ads@mindfulnessbell.org,subs@mindfulnessbell.org, or David Percival,745 Cagua S.E., Albuquerque, NM 87108, U.S.A.Website: Read selected articles, subscribe, <strong>and</strong> view theworldwide <strong>Sangha</strong> directory at www.mindfulnessbell.org.<strong>The</strong> <strong>Mindfulness</strong> Bell is published three times a year bythe Community of Mindful Living, Deer Park Monastery,2499 Melru Lane, Escondido, CA 92026, U.S.A.Many times in my life, I’ve wondered:what is love? How can I love better?Lately, some of my dear friends havebeen faced with intense suffering. Onefriend is dying of cancer <strong>and</strong> his wifewas just diagnosed with it, too. Another is having surgery on her spine.Another is feeling waves of anxiety. Daily, I search my heart to findways to love them more skillfully. <strong>The</strong> stories in this issue are lanternsilluminating my path. I hope they will help light your way, too.Ursula LeGuin once wrote, “<strong>Love</strong> does not just sit there, like astone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” Inthis issue, writers tell us about practical tools that renew <strong>and</strong> enliventheir love—hugging meditation, shared sitting practice, BeginningAnew, metta, <strong>and</strong> the root of it all, mindfulness. With mindful awareness,we continually wake up to sources of joy, rediscover our own smile,<strong>and</strong> come home to the love we are.This issue takes us to Indonesia <strong>and</strong> Thail<strong>and</strong>, two of five petalson the “beautiful flower of the Southeast Asia Tour,” as Thay expresses.We witness the alms round at Borobudur <strong>and</strong> drink Dharma rain inYojakarta. We journey to “Plum Village Thail<strong>and</strong>” in Pak Chong, wherethe <strong>Sangha</strong> plans to build two monasteries <strong>and</strong> an Institute of AppliedBuddhism. We learn about the first retreat at Nhap Luu Monastery insouthern Australia. <strong>The</strong> fledgling Thai <strong>and</strong> Australian practice centersneed our support; please see pages 45 <strong>and</strong> 46 to make a financialgift.Crowning this issue is a rich Dharma talk from our teacher.Gently, he guides us to work with our perception of reality. He walksus through the three doors of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, <strong>and</strong>aimlessness—which “help us to touch the nature of impermanence, ofnon-longing, of nirvana, <strong>and</strong> of throwing away.”Holding this magazine, you hold the fruits of many practitioners’attention <strong>and</strong> love. This publication is brought to life by their contributions,but also by your support. Please visit www.mindfulnessbell.orgto renew your subscription, give a gift subscription, or donate. Youroffering will help sustain our beautiful Dharma flower <strong>and</strong> lift us closerto our goal of creating an online magazine.May the insight, beauty, <strong>and</strong> joy in these pages bring underst<strong>and</strong>ing<strong>and</strong> peace. May they light our way home.With love <strong>and</strong> gratitude,Benevolent Respect of the Heart2 Winter/Spring 2011