A Song for the Winter Garden

[Editor’s note: John Snyder is another one of my dharma brothers in the Order of Interbeing (OI) of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He posted this on our OI Yahoo group and gave me permission to publish it here. This poem teaches us how impermanence rules the winter and all of life. Enjoy!] A Song […]

Cultivating a Heart of Compassion

These words of wisdom from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh are about cultivating a heart of compassion. This is done by the practice of metta (loving kindness) meditation. We have seen many articles the speak to metta meditation. The approach in this Tricycle.com article by Thay (as Thich Nhat Hanh is known to his followers) […]

More Teachings of the Buddha

Here are some more teachings of the Buddha from one of my favorites, Sharon Salzberg. These teachings are similar to ones that we have learned from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, dharma teacher, Glen Schneider, and the  Order of Interbeing. Sharon invites us to contemplate the forces of greed, grasping, hatred, and delusion in our […]

The Ancient Practice Of Awakening Your Heart with Mindful Breathing

I was surprised to receive an email from Omvana, a product of Mindvalley about the ancient practice of awakening your heart with mindful breathing. The video is from the public talk in Vancouver, Canada in August 14, 2011, after the retreat at the University of British Columbia called Awakening the Heart. I attended the retreat, […]

Second In Command In Plum Village

Sister Chan Khong has been the second in command in Plum Village since its founding in 1982 and been Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh‘s collaborator and best friend for more than 50 years. Now that Thay, as Thich Nhat Hanh is know by his followers, is in the hospital, we are all looking to Sister […]

An Experiment in Happiness

Sharon Salzberg is here again with words of wisdom about an experiment in happiness. She is talking about doing a retreat with the attitude of a scientist – just as an experiment. I think, in terms of a retreat, one of the best attitudes to have altogether is to see it as an experiment. You’re […]

Ancient Wisdom for Our Times

These words of ancient wisdom for our times were offered centuries ago by Lao Tzu. He is the famous author of the Tao Te Ching, the Book of Changes. My copy of the Tao Te Ching dates back to 1969 or 1970. If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are […]

Thoughts on Engaged Buddhism

Here are a few quotes from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh containing his thoughts on engaged Buddhism. It was Thay, as he is affectionately called by his followers, who coined the term, “engaged Buddhism” in 1954. Now, it is more important than ever before for us to take action to do what we can to […]

The Search for Happiness

Matthieu Ricard has often been called “the happiest man in the world.” I tend to agree with this statement based on my limited encounters with the man through Tricycle, Buddhadharma, Shambhala Sun, and other articles; Ted Talks, Google Talks and other videos; audio recording and books. Whenever I see his name arise in an email […]

The Sound of the Bell in Plum Village

This video presents the sound of the bell in Plum Village, the home of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. The images of the trees in the forest of Whittle Dene in Northumberland complement the sound of the bell. In Plum Village, the bell is invited many times during the day. It is invited to awaken […]