the tree of life sangha

Mealtime verses

Pureland Buddhist Verses

Infinite benefits bless the breakfast food.
All beings profit greatly therefrom
Since the results are limitless and wonderful
The pleasure is ours for eternity

*****

This food is the gift of the whole universe
The earth, the sky, all sentient beings
In this food is much joy, much suffering, much hard work
We accept this food so that we may follow the path of practice
And help all beings everywhere

*****

The first bite is to cut off delusion
The second bite is to grow in faith
The third bite is to help all beings
We pray that all may be enlightened.
We pray for peace in this world
And the cessation of all misfortune

*****

The Buddha invites us to eat in mindfulness
Of the food, the earth, the world around us
We pray that our minds may not become dull
Nor our attention scattered
And that we may realize the deep significance of life

 

Community of Interbeing Verses

Holding the Empty Bowl

Looking at this bowl, I see how fortunate I am to have enough to eat to continue the practice.

*****

Serving Food

In this food, I see clearly the entire universe supporting my existence.

 

Before Eating

Beings all over the Earth are struggling to live.

I aspire to practice deeply so all may have enough to eat.

 

Beginning to Eat

With the first taste, I offer joy.

With the second, I help relieve the suffering of others.

With the third, I see others’ joy as my own.

With the fourth, I learn the way of letting go.

 

29 Looking at Your Plate or Bowl after Eating The meal is finished, and I am satisfied. The four gratitudes are deeply in my mind.

the five remembrances

Sr Thuận Nghiêm talked about the Upajjhatthana Sutta (Subjects for Contemplation) otherwise known as the Five Remembrances during the Spring Retreat. :: link

1. I am of the nature to grow old, I cannot escape old age.
Plum trees need to be trimmed so that their sap energy does not get dispersed into growing lots of branches and leaves, but instead can be directed to produce more fruits. We are the same, with the practices of mindfulness, we can grow old beautifully, bearing many fruits of happiness and peace. Who are our role models for growing old gracefully? Thầy, Sr Chân Không, Sr Chân Đức can be our source of inspiration for how to age with wisdom and beauty.
2. I am of the nature to get sick, I cannot escape sickness.
The Buddha taught that sickness comes from the way we consume and what we consume through edible food, sense impressions, volition, and collective consciousness. How is your consumption in daily life affecting your body and mind? Depression and loneliness are very prevalent in our society now. Fostering a community connection can alleviate these maladies because it brings the warmth of being in a family. Eating a vegetarian diet, organic food, meditation, exercise, relaxation and friendship are other important factors in the healing process.
3. I am of the nature to die, I cannot escape death.
We can remember the fact that each day that passes we have one day less to live, so we can do and say things to appreciate and cherish our loved one’s presence. When our parents have passed away, instead of regretting and lamenting their loss we can contemplate on what aspirations they had and we can continue to realize it for them. This is one way we continue them. How can we overcome feelings of resentment towards a loved one before they die? Try to look at the positive things they have done, and see the bigger picture, or the conditions that have made them the way they are.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
Life can be full of unexpected events, earth quake, tsunami, people we live with can die the next day. Do we take time to recognize the preciousness of our relationships?
5. I inherit the results of my actions of body, speech, and mind. My actions are my continuation. The echo in the mountains is our life. What we give out through the three actions of body, speech and mind comes back to us, even very little things in our thinking. If we have received positive things from a good environment, like a sangha, then we are more inspired to give back positively by sharing our peace and joy to others.

no escape retreat

Here's a moving article from Sr Tam Muoi, recently shared by Plum Village. It is such a beautiful and honest account of taking care of her elderly parents during the pandemic - the difficulties, the joys and the many aspects of our practice that have supported her.

 

https://plumvillage.org/articles/no-escape-retreat/

Teachings on Mindfulness and Gratefulness

 

 

A Cloud Never Dies

 

 

morning guided meditations

Morning Meditations

Suitable for newcomers and experienced practitioners, these guided practice sessions occur every weekday with Plum Village UK.

Start Your Day in Stillness

Mondays & Wednesdays, 06.15 – 07.00

Simple Plum Village meditation practices for a calm, relaxed start to the day offered by UK lay Dharma Teacher, Teri West.

Beginning the Day with Love

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 07.30 – 08.15

(Update: Currently every Monday to Friday)

Gentle love meditations to start the day with freshness and warmth. Offered by UK lay Dharma Teacher, Vari McLuskie.

In both sessions we nourish love for ourselves and others. On Thursdays we nourish love for ourselves in more depth.

Also, on Thursday, 22nd April, Vari will facilitate an Earth Love Meditation Session. We will practice Love Meditation and enjoy listening to some of the Love Letters to the Earth.

Guided Meditation, short slow walking meditation, a reading from Thay

Fridays, 06.15 – 07.00

Guided meditations from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “The Blooming of a Lotus,” helping us to meet ourselves where we are and to develop our understanding and compassion. Whatever your tradition you are welcome to join. Guided by Plum Village monastic, Sister Tam Muoi.

How to attend

Plum Village UK uses Zoom webinars, so you can enjoy the benefits of guided community practice in your own home.

Simply sign up using the link below.

Come along

 

:: link

The Sound of the Rising Tide

The Sound of the Rising Tide

(by Phap Linn)

We children of the Earth
Scattered far and wide
We heard the call, the distant call,
the mighty call, of the of the rising tide

And our hearts aflame with remembering a memory beyond recall
We came to build
A community of love
To learn, to train, to serve
To embrace all our pain
And though we stumble and fall
we vow never to abandon
Our community, our path
And you, our teacher
We walk for you,
for our forbears and descendants
and on the long road
each step becomes legend

Long did we seek, long did we wander

On lonely paths, and broken roads until we found you
Our teacher of old

And not in vain, our fallen tears
Now rain of new hope together again

We’ll go on,
Our trust restored, our faith renewed
Our anger calmed, our joy reborn,
Many hearts one aspiration
Side by side
in times of joy, and through despair
in times of light and through the darkness

We release all our afflictions
heal and transform

Oh, children of the earth brothers and sisters
now let us go forth together to live the holy life

with the earth our mother as witness
to the strength of our vow
And we’ll bring back the refreshing spring

To the mountains and to rivers,
Rising thunder, cresting waves,
We go on
And we will cross the valley,
Of birth and death

To find you,
And look once more in your eyes

In the ancient forest, the old path white clouds overhead,
We stand together
smiling to the mystery

All sorrows at an end
All fear forsworn,

Compassion springs anew

Great love is in our hearts

In the vast sky, both sun and moon, are lighting our way

And our hearts aflame with remembering
A memory beyond recall
the sound of the rising tide (4x)

Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War by Sister Chan Khong

Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War by Sister Chan Khong

 

"In January of 2005, after nearly 40 years in exile, Sister Chân Không was able to return on a 3-month visit to Vietnam. In this fully revised edition of Learning True Love she movingly describes the return to her homeland, the reunions with many old friends and fellow activists, and shares her impression of the “new Vietnam,” where Buddhists still struggle for religious freedom and the re-establishment of their own organizations.

 

Learning True Love is a moving personal memoir, an introduction to the mindfulness teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh and his community in exile, an overview to the development of the European and American peace and human rights movement, and an introduction to the engaged and practical style of Vietnamese Buddhism. It documents the process that brought an end to the US Vietnam war, and gives a lively summary of Vietnamese history from 1945 to the current political, social and spiritual climate in Vietnam. Learning True Love also portraits some of the many remarkable people that shared Sister Chân Không ‘s path.

 

Foremost however it is the remarkable and impressive story of a very courageous woman, whose journey from an accredited biologist at the University of Paris to a Buddhist nun, gives her unique insight into life’s central questions and the ability to address them in an unflinching and straightforward manner."

 

:: link

I Am Not Different From You: A portrait of Sister Chan Khong

 

 

I Am Not Different From You:

A portrait of Sister Chan Khong

By Eveline Beumkes

 

"Sister Chan Khong, meaning "True Emptiness." Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Chan Khong started Plum Village together in 1982. That Plum Village has become what it is today and that people all over the world have been inspired by Thay's teachings is to a great extent a result of Sister Phuong's enduring support and untiring initiative. Feeling grateful for having come in contact with Thay's teachings is feeling grateful to Sister Chan Khong in the very same breath.

 

I first met Thay and Sister Chan Khong (Phoung) in 1984 during a meditation weekend in Amsterdam. In the evening there was a special program with Vietnamese music. At one point the music stopped abruptly and Sister CK began to sing. I was deeply touched by her voice. Never had I heard someone sing like that. She sang my heart open and I cried and cried, not understanding what was happening to me.

 

During the first summer I spent in Plum Village, Sister Phuong wasn't yet a nun; she was simply called "Phuong." She had lovely long black hair that, in her way, she would casually put up in a bun by sticking a pen through it. She warmly welcomed the few Westerners that visited Plum Village in those days and she did what she could to make us feel at home. At that time she was the only person able to translate from Vietnamese into English or French. When Thay gave a Dharma talk or when there was an event in Vietnamese, she would sit next to us and translate for hours on end without ever appearing to get tired. Sister Phuong's way of translating was so expressive that even after having translated for hours, her voice sounded as colorful as it did when she began.

 

Three years later when I moved to Plum Village I was often the only one during the winter season that needed translation during Thay's talks and at the dining table at the end of the meals. There were about ten of us by then, and after dinner, as we were enjoying countless cups of tea, there was usually a lot of conversation, all in Vietnamese. During those moments I felt so left out, but when Sister Phuong was around she would always come sit next to me and, while participating wholeheartedly in the conversation, she would translate for me at the same time. I savored those moments in her presence. A couple of years ago I noticed she had taken on a new habit; while translating she would keep her hands in a certain position, a mudra. When I asked her about it, she explained she did it in order to remind herself to stay mindful while she was talking.

a confirmation of an affiliation

We have been practicing in a similar way to Community of Interbeing groups for nine months now. Some of us have attended other groups' meetings.

Today our Sangha affiliated with the COI UK, in confirmation of the change in our practice.