Poetry and prose from Zen teacher dogo
mindfulness
A Meditative Smile in a Dark Place: Learning the Dharma in a Bolivian Prison
Liliana Arias Romero’s BDE article on teaching meditation inside a Bolivian women’s prison
Maintaining a peaceful mind in a troubled world
Sajib Barua looks at how the Buddha advised on the global crises of today, from economic crises to military conflict
Present, Everywhere and Always: Plum Village Takes Thich Nhat Hanh’s Message to Hong Kong’s Buses
On the move: an intiative by Plum Village in Hong Kong to commemorate Thich Nhat Hanh’s legacy
Meditation & Awakening are Precious, Natural Resources for Facing Climate Crisis
BDG contributor Sarah C. Beasley discusses meditation and awakening to the climate crisis
Nurturing Narratives
Not long after the death of my grandfather (爷爷/爺爺), my family resumed its familiar tradition. When both my grandparents were alive, my parents, my sister and me would be regularly treated to dinner at their home, where we’d enjoy the familial and communal experience of eating together and watching television. The stark difference now was […]
The Parable of the Vessel
In his memoir, Vessel (Pínáng / 筏喩), Cai Chongda (蔡崇達) describes the tough-love advice given to him by his great-grandmother (太姥爷 / 太婆): “Your body’s a vessel. If you wait on it to do something, there’s no hope for you. If you put your body to work, you can start to live.” Those words made […]
Garden Haikus
Haiku #1 Plant the seeds in dirtWait calmly for them to growWhat if they do not Haiku #2 Plant fruit trees for foodTheir roots cut through the soilTheir fruit tastes like dirt Haiku #3 Water the gardenThe plants are hot and thirsty I am thirsty too
A Letter to Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)
“We will meet at the source of each moment, and we will meet again in different forms of life.” Dear Thay, In deep gratitude for meeting Thay and the Plum Village Sangha. Thay, it has been some time since you passed away. Still, your memory remains more alive than ever. I still remember the morning […]
Why is Nature Peaceful?
On a bright, moon-lit night, while walking back to my kuti in a forest in Thailand, I spotted a huge scorpion that had come out of hiding from under a rock. Out of curiosity, I pointed my flashlight directly at it for a moment, then continued to walk the path back to my resting place […]