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sangha NEWSthe Bodhisattva of Great Compassion to ask for her help, andfor the whole night, I thought about my international belovedcommunity – brothers and sisters and friends that I have cometo know in my 18 years as a monk. I thought that if each ofour friends, families, or local Sanghas everywhere in the worldwould give a contribution of 500 Euros, then with 6,000 suchcontributions, we would meet our urgent need of raising 3 millionEuros by the end of this year. I am writing this letter to ourfriends all over the world so that you know about our situation.I have a deep trust in our beloved community. I know that if Icommunicate our difficulties to you, we will receive your help.The EIAB is a vision not only for the European community butalso for the international community. We sincerely ask for yourpractice of generosity to help to make the EIAB a reality forthe cultivation of love and understanding for all of us, and ourchildren.— Thay Phap AnOn behalf of the brothers and sisters of the EIABHelp Prajna MonasteryJust as a flower garden may experience heavy winds and severerainstorms as it grows, the Sangha body can encounter verydifficult conditions as it blooms in awakening. In recent months,young monks and nuns at Prajna (Bat Nha) Monastery in VietNam have faced adverse conditions – including police interrogations,violent attacks, and threats of eviction. Yet they havecontinued to blossom.photos by David NelsonCauses and ConditionsPrajna Monastery, in Viet Nam’s central highlands, houses morethan 350 monks and nuns who have chosen to practice accordingto the Plum Village tradition under the guidance of ThichNhat Hanh. They are all between the ages of sixteen and thirtyfive.Since Thay’s first return to Viet Nam in 2005 his teachingshave inspired dozens of young Vietnamese to ordain as monksand nuns. The Venerable Abbot Thich Duc Nghi offered thePrajna monastery as a home for the new monks and nuns.Over the next few years, the number of aspirants and laypractitioners quickly multiplied, and Prajna needed to expand.Supporters from many countries donated funds to renovatebuildings, build new structures, and buy adjacent land for thegrowing community.During Thay’s next visits to his homeland in 2007 and 2008, hemet with government officials, including the president of VietNam. Thay proposed that the nation open its doors to visitors,strengthen ties with other countries, and reduce its dependencyon China. He presented a ten-point proposal to the president.All of his suggestions were adopted by the government exceptthe last one, “to dissolve the religious police and the religiousaffairs bureau.” In a letter explaining recent events, Sister ChanKhong writes, “It seems that difficulties at Prajna can be tracedback to this point.” She explains that Thich Duc Nghi was underpressure from the immigration office to expel Plum Villagemonks and nuns from Prajna, even those who had a valid visa.In 2008 Thich Duc Nghi asked the police to evict the 379monastics living at Prajna. By the end of that year, a report fromthe Vietnamese Buddhist Church directed the monks and nunsto leave by April 2009.In a letter to his students, Thay writes that “this was not aboutan internal struggle over a temple, but it was the result of adelusion: that the presence of Prajna maybe a threat to national security, because themonastics at Prajna… want to do politics.”He likens this perception to a paintingdrawn in the air – purely a projection.“Now everyone around the world is ableto see that the monks and the nuns andthe aspirants at Prajna only do one thing.That is: to practice and to guide others topractice.”Wrong perceptions of the monastics haveled to violence. A letter from the monasticsof Prajna testifies: “Groups of men wereordered to throw the belongings of youngmonks out in the hallway. Gates to themonastery have been locked so that layfriends could not enter. Some monks andnuns have been chased with life-threateningobjects.” Police came to the monasteryfrequently, searching and questioning themonks and nuns, and asking them to sign44 Autumn 2009