New Mindfulness Retreat Sessions withThic h Nhat Hanh A Twenty-One Day Retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and the Sangha ofPlum Village June 1-21, 2000 Recorded live, these new audio sessions with Thich We shall learn to use the Buddha's eyes to see Nhat Hanh bring you the best highlights from his countless Buddha lands injus t one speck of dust— 1999 North American retreats. Five-day tape sets each Buddha surrounded by his or her Sangha, include dharma talks, mindfulness exercises, and giving the teaching on Ultimate Reality. We shall question-and-answer sessions with Thich Nhat Hanh. learn to use the feet of the Buddha to sit and walk in our own Buddha land and encounter the wonders of Touching the Joy ofLif e and Transforming Our Fear - life. We shall learn to look with the Buddha's eyes to Brownsville, Vermont. August 23-28, 1999. understand, to forgive, and to love, and to transform Five-day mindfulness retreat. our fear, anxiety, and despair. Ap. 19 hours/ 12 Cassettes/#TNRV-1 3/ $79.0 0 The retreat will take place in the beautiful setting Seven Miracles ofMindfulnes s - Santa Barbara, of Plum Village. The teaching of the Avatamsaka California. September 6-11, 1999.Five-da y mindfulness retreat. Sutra and the Prajnaparamita Sutra will also be Ap. 18 hours/ 11 Cassettes/ #TNRS-1 3/ $79.0 0 offered during the retreat. The Path ofPeac e - Oakland, California. September 18, 1999. Day ofmindfulnes s event. Information and Registration: Ap.4 hour s/ 3 Cassette s/ #TNRC- 4/ $28.0 0 Plum Village, LePe y 24240 Thenac, France Tel: (33)5.53.58.48.58; Fax: (33)5.53.57.34.43 The Future IsAvailabl e Now - Omega Institute, Email: [email protected] New York.Septembe r 26-October 1,1999 . Five-day mindfulness retreat. Ap. 18 hours/11 Cassettes/*TNRO-13/$79.00 Call orwrit e forcomplet e listingo faudi o sessions andtopics . 100% money-back guarantee onal lSound s True tapes. TO ORDER, CALL SOUNDS TRUE 800-333-9185 / WWW.SOUNDSTRUE.COM Or send a check including $5 S&.H per order to: Sounds True / PO Box801 0/ Dept. MBN9A / Boulder, CO/ 80306 From the Editor CONTENTS fter you finish reading Thich Nhat Hanh's Dharma Issue2 5• Winte r200 0 Atalk, if you read nothing else in this issue, please read New Century Message From Thich Nhat Hanh 2 about the flooding in Vietnam (pages 7-10). People there Vietnam Update 6 desperately need our help, and it takes very little to do a lot. Vietnam is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an Meditation 11 average per capita annual income of approximately $300 Retreat Reports 19 U.S. The November flooding devastated eight provinces in China Trip 21 central Vietnam—the poorest part of this poor country and Social Action 24 the area where Thay's root temple is located. Sister Chan Khong and Sister Minh Tanh tell us of the monks' efforts to Daily Practice 26 bringrelie f topeople , and of Plum Village's donations to Family Practice 28 help. But the need is deep and available resources are New Developments 30 inadequate. As this issue heads to press in early December, Announcements 32 new flooding has begun, washing seeds away from thejust - planted fields and bringing more suffering. Imagine losing Letters 34 everything and then having no way to get food or fresh Sangha Directory 35 water, medical supplies, or even ablanke t for your children. Retreat Schedules 43 Many of us are blessed with material things, and with a governmental infrastructure capable of responding to natural disasters. I7teMindfuCness (Bett This fall, three hurricanes pummeled my home stateo f Journal ofthe International Order oflnterbeing North Carolina, flooding the entire eastern half of the state twice.Becaus e the rain fell on the headwaters of several rivers, the waters continued to rise for over two weeks. Editor: Leslie Carter Rawls Many people here lost everything they owned. But in this Production and Design: Lane Brafford Senior Advisor: SisterAnnabe lLait y nation of plenty, helicopters quickly airlifted food, fresh Proofreader: Mushim Ikeda-Nash water, blankets, and medicine to towns surrounded by Subscription Manager: Barbara Machtinger waters.Withi n a short time,peopl e on rooftops were Cover calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh. rescued, hospital patients were moved to safety, and Photos: Alexis Stein-cover; Courtesy of Plum Village-p. 3,6 , 7, 9, temporary housing was set up. Vietnam's resources, both 11; Mark Stein-pp. 21,22 , 23,25 ;Vin h Nguyen-pp. 18,40 ; Allen public and private, are far less and cannot meet the need Sandler-p. 24; Yen Nguyen-p. 28;Mik e Livingston-p. 35; Frangoise there.Pleas e let us show our gratitude for the benefits of our Pottier-p. 36;Te d Sexauer-p. 37;Timar k Hamilton-p. 38;Eri c material wealth by sharing what we can with our brothers Arbiter-p. 39;Jac k Lawlor-p. 40; and Mai Nguyen-p. 42. and sisters who are in such desperate need. Art: Sandy Eastoak-p. 1;Svei n Myreng-pp. 14,26 , 27, 34; Hannah Rawls-p. 29;Michel e Benzamin-Masuda-back cover. I do hope that you read and enjoy the rest of The Published by the Community of Mindful Living, P.O. Box 7355, MindfulnessBell, an d that our efforts in bringing it to you Berkeley, CA 94707, USA; Tel: (510)527-3751; Fax: (510)525- enrich and nourish your practice. This issue contains 7129; [email protected], website: www.parallax.org important updates from Thich Nhat Hanh about unfolding events.I t also includes an account of the trip to China last Sut summer, experiences and teachings in the practice of missions meditation, reports from some retreats, and the entire Wewelcome art, photos, essays,poems, and articles about experiences Sangha Directory. inthe practice of mindfulness. As you can see, we are also experimenting with The Spring-Summer200 0Issu eTheme : Transformation throughPractic e Mindfulness Bell design, as we implement Thay's vision of Deadline for submissions: February 1 a magazine that serves the needs and shares the experiences Deadline for reserving advertising: February 15 of the worldwide mindfulness Sangha. We welcome your Summer-Fall 2000 Issue Theme: Practice in Difficult Circumstances Deadline for submissions: April 28 thoughts on the shape we are taking. And please remember Deadline for reserving advertising: May 12 we always welcome submissions about experience in the Submissions &advertising : Leslie Rawls, Editor practice, photographs, art, and issue theme suggestions. P.O. Box 38325,Charlotte , NC 28278 USA Alotu s for you, Phone/Fax: (704) 583-1279; [email protected] Subscription inquiries: Community of Mindful Living P.O. Box 7355,Berkeley , CA 94707, USA Tel: (510) 527-3751;Fax : (510) 525-7129; [email protected]. Leslie Rawls, Editor 1999-2000 Winter/The Mindfulness "Bell Talk New Century Message From Tkick Nkat Hank Tu Hieu Temple and Plum Village December 7, 1999 To All Venerable Monks, Nuns, Lay Men And aimed at transformation and healing. If we are able to Lay Women Of The Sangha In The Tu Hieu recognize these positive developments of wisdom Lineage, Inside And Outside Of Vietnam: and action, they will become abrigh t torch of enlightenment, capable of showing mankind the right Dear Friends, path to follow in the 21st century. Science and he Twentieth Century has been marred by technology can then be reoriented to help build ane w mass violence and enormous bloodshed. With way of life moving in the direction of alivin g insight, Tthe development of technology, humanity as expressed in terms of interconnectedness, now has the power to "conquer" Nature. We have interbeing, and non-self. even begun to intervene in the chemistry of life, If the 20th century was the century of humans adapting it to our own ends. At the same time, despite conquering Nature, the 21st century should be onei n new and faster ways to communicate, we have which we conquer the root causes of the suffering in become very lonely. Many have no spiritual beliefs. human beings—our fears, ego, hatred, greed, etc.I f With no spiritual ground, we live only with the desire the 20th century was characterized by individualism to satisfy our private pleasures. and consumption, the 21st century can be character­ We no longer believe in any ideology or faith, and ized by the insights of interbeing. In the 21st century, many proclaim that God is dead. Without an ideal humans can live together in true harmony with each and a direction for our lives, we have been uprooted other and with nature, as bees live together in their from our spiritual traditions, our ancestors, our bee hive or as cells live together in the same body, all family, and our society. Many of us, particularly in area l spirit of democracy and equality. Freedom young people, are heading towards a life of consump­ will no longer bejus t akin d of liberty for self- tion and self-destruction. destruction, or destruction of the environment, but the Ideological wars, AIDS,cancer , mental illness, kind of freedom that protects us from being over­ and alcohol and drug addiction have become major whelmed and carried away by craving, hatred, and burdens of this century. At the same time,progres s in pain. the fields of electronic and biological technology are The art of mindful living expressed in concrete creating new powers for mankind. In the 21st terms, as found in the Five Mindfulness Trainings, century, if humans cannot master themselves, these can be the way for all of us.