Summer 2010 A Publication of Plum Village Issue 54 $8/€8/£6 Bat Nha: A Koan By Thich Nhat Hanh Mindful Education Richard Brady Susan Kaiser Greenland Christopher Willard The Joys of Regional Mindfulness Practice By Jack Lawlor ISSUE NO. 54 - Summer 2010 Dharma Talk 4 Bat Nha: A Koan By Thich Nhat Hanh 29 Silence Is Goldish Blue By Christian McEwen 31 Awareness in the Body: Tai Chi and Mindfulness By Robert Wall Koan Reflections 33 Teaching the 10 Compassion Is the Energy Whole Child that Protects By Susan Kaiser Greenland By Brother Chan Phap Lai 35 Homeschooling as 12 Walking the Talk: Peaceful Mindfulness Practice Relations at the Parliament of By Lisa Pettitt the World’s Religions By Clare Sartori 36 The Wisdom of Ordinary Children By Mike Bell 14 Celebrating Hanoi’s Anniversary: Twelve Proposals 39 Gone but Not Gone By Thich Nhat Hanh By Micaela Goldschmidt 15 No Enemy, No Duality: 40 Mindful Education Resources Thay’s Celebrating Hanoi’s Anniversary Living Sangha By Susan O’Leary 41 Santepheap Sangha Mindful Education By David Biviano 16 My Path as a Mindful Educator 42 The Joys of Nurturing Regional By Richard Brady Sangha Practice By Jack Lawlor 19 Teaching the Student Within By Sara Unsworth 44 Las Flores Sangha By Lorraine Keller 21 Equanimity in the Classroom By Shelley Murphy 22 A Teacher’s Lesson in Deep Listening By Young Whan Choi Reviews 45 Who Am I in this Picture? 23 Tending the Whole Gar- With Brett Cook and Wendy Ewald den: Teaching Yourself, Teaching Children 46 Child’s Mind: How By Christopher Willard Mindfulness Can Help Our Children Be More Focused, 25 Mind in a Jar Calm and Relaxed By Sister Jewel (Chau Nghiem) By Christopher Willard 26 Mindfulness on Campus 46 Together We Are One By Simone Blaise-Glaunsinger By Thich Nhat Hanh 28 Inner Change Is Social Change: ADHD and Mindfulness Activism Sangha News By Armen Kassabian 47 Mindfulness Bell Survey By James Schaan and Natascha Bruckner Dear Thay, dear Sangha, When I was young I wanted to be a teacher. I held summer classes for the neighborhood kids, complete with handouts, recess, and homework (and A Journal of the Art of Mindful Living they tolerated it!). Later I set aside that in the Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh dream, believing I lacked the authority Published by Plum Village and knowledge to teach. But having Issue 54 Summer 2010 taught meditation for the past year, I’ve learned that compassion and mindfulness are the most powerful teach- Advisor and Editor Sister Annabel ing tools—much more powerful than knowledge. Managing Editor Natascha Bruckner This summer I’ll be teaching creative writing to children. To Design LuminArts prepare for the job I observed a young teacher at the writing school. Proofreader Leslie Rawls He gave his undivided attention and encouragement to each six-year- Subscriptions & Advertising David Percival old budding writer. I realized that to teach, we don’t need to know Webmaster Brandy Sacks everything about our subject. We only need to love the topic and give Advisory Board Thay Phap Kham the class our full, caring attention. In mutual exchange, we discover Thay Phap Dung and learn with our students. Similarly, if we love eating our meals Barbara Casey with mindfulness, love being fully present with each footstep, we’ll Janelle Combelic naturally share this beloved practice and exchange discoveries with Jack Lawlor friends who practice too. David Percival Leslie Rawls With its theme of Mindful Education, this issue offers a wonderful Peggy Rowe-Ward collection of stories, photos, activities, and resources on teaching and Volunteers Sister Jewel learning. This issue isn’t just for classroom professors and students. (Chau Nghiem) It’s for all of us. As students of Thay, of the Buddha, we are studying Connie Anderson the way of awareness and always teaching by example. These stories Alan Armstrong show us how we might bring mindful practices not just to schools, but Miriam Goldberg also to our families, friends, and co-workers—the people we teach Zachiah Murray every day with our actions, our words, our presence. Karen Hilsberg One of my Sangha mentors, Glen Schneider, shared an insight he Barbara Namenwirth (Karuna) learned from Thay: “What should a student expect from a teacher? Kenley Neufeld The student should expect that the teacher is a free person, free from Greg Sever craving, fear, and despair. What should a teacher expect from a stu- Mireille Silcoff dent? You should expect from your students their transformation, their Judith Toy healing, their freedom.” Such simple, profound expectations can alter the course of an education, a relationship, a life. Writing Submissions: Please send us the fruits of your practice. We welcome feature articles (1,500 to 2,500 Instead of a Dharma talk from Thay, in this issue we include his words), essays, and stories, as well as poetry. We espe- essay, Bat Nha: A Koan. Thay shines a penetrating light on the coercion cially welcome submissions from young people. and violence that happened at Prajna Temple in Vietnam. Our teacher Art & Photo Submissions: We welcome photos, art- work, and cartoons from your local Sangha, family, and guides us to cultivate insight by looking compassionately into the hearts community. Please send digital images as TIFF or JPEG of others, and invites us into a fearless practice of interbeing. files 1 MB or larger. We can return originals sent by mail. Send submissions via email to editor@mindfulnessbell. May you be peaceful and at ease, enjoying your breathing as you org, or by mail to the Mindfulness Bell, 745 Cagua S.E., read this issue of the Mindfulness Bell. May these stories enrich your Albuquerque NM 87108, U.S.A. practice and awaken your bodhicitta, your mind of love. Advertising Inquiries, and Subscriptions: [email protected], [email protected], or David Percival, 745 Cagua S.E., Albuquerque NM 87108, U.S.A. The Mindfulness Bell is published three times a year by the Community of Mindful Living, Deer Park Monastery, 2499 Melru Lane, Escondido CA 92026, U.S.A. Benevolent Respect of the Heart Website: Read selected articles, subscribe, and view the worldwide Sangha directory online at www.mindful- nessbell.org. 2 Summer 2010 sharing our VIEWS Letters 2010 Retreats & Events Dear Editor, Plum Village Thich Nhat Hanh’s I know the suffering of bipolar illness plumvillage.org United Kingdom and suicide, so reading Janice Rubin’s Summer Retreat Teaching Tour story (Winter/Spring 2010) touched deep July 7 – August 4 mindfulnessretreats.org.uk chords in me. Having lost my father to Southeast Asia Teaching Tour Public Talk: Global Ethics for suicide when he was 46, and I was 15, the September 24 – November 15 Our Future pull to “follow my father into death” was Hammersmith Apollo, London so strong that in my 46th year, I had to be Please see itinerary and invitation below. August 11 hospitalized. My younger brother took his European Retreat: Living Mindfully, own life at age 46 in 1986. My daughter Institute of Living Peacefully was diagnosed bipolar after the birth of Applied Buddhism East Midlands Conference Centre, her first child—so I am familiar with the eiab-maincampus.org Nottingham University extraordinary suffering of the mother. August 13 – 18 Public Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh: Thich Nhat Hanh arrived at San The Art of Happiness Francisco Zen Center in 1983 and his Rheinparkhallen, Koln, Germany Blue Cliff teachings saved my life. I took them to June 2 Monastery bluecliffmonastery.org heart. I attended two retreats in Plum A Fruitful Relationship Retreat Village and others in California. Due to Retreats with monastics in the with Thich Nhat Hanh tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh practicing his teachings, I have become a EIAB, Waldbrol, Germany strong and healthy 72-year-old, delighted June 3 – 8 Retreat: Happiness is the Way that my daughter is finding healing in August 4 – 8 Public Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh: therapy. Thay’s teachings that enabled Sowing Peace, Harvesting Retreat: Be the Change deep healing for me are numerous; among Happiness YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado them are walking meditation, understand- EIAB, Waldbrol, Germany August 20 – 25 ing how transformation of the storehouse June 13 consciousness occurs, letting go of mental Creative Arts Retreat Living Happily Together Retreat September 25 – 28 formations, and awareness of the Four with Thich Nhat Hanh Nutriments. When Thay read “Please Call EIAB, Waldbrol, Germany People of Color Retreat Me by My True Names” at Green Gulch June 15 – 19 October 22 – 26 Farm, and named the suffering and conse- Summer Retreat quences of rape, decades of deep suffering With monastics in the tradition Deer Park were released in me, as I cried and cried, of Thich Nhat Hanh Monastery hearing this suffering acknowledged by a EIAB, Waldbrol, Germany deerparkmonastery.org man. I owe much of my present life, happy, July 23 – August 6 Retreats with monastics in the healthy and strong, as well as that of my Retreat: Reverence is the Nature of tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh daughter, to Thay’s teachings. my Love: Building a Happy, Enduring Teen Camp – Rebel Buddha! Partnership June 16 – 20 — Katharine Cook, With monastics in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh Flower Essence of the Heart Family Retreat – Opening the EIAB, Waldbrol, Germany Family Up September 24 – October 1 June 30 – July 4 Mindfulness Retreat in Vietnamese July 15 – 18 Retreat: The World We Become Southeast Asia 2010 Teaching Tour July 21 – 25 Lay Sangha Is Invited to Indonesia and Thailand Thich Nhat Hanh and a Sept. 6 – Sept. 13: The lay Sangha is invited to join Thay Singapore Plum Village Delegation and the monastic Sangha for the Have you moved? from France, Germany, Sept.