Category: Personal Story
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Sitting down is an act of revolution
The act of sitting down is an act of revolution — Thich Nhat Hanh Sitting down is revolutionary because it means you are stopping and choosing to rest in this place, in this moment. It’s revolutionary, because modern life is so busy. At work I’m busy getting things done, then I turn to projects at…
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Joanne Friday
On January 20, 2021, Joanne Friday, our beloved dharma teacher, partner, friend, and mentor, transitioned from the Historic dimension into the Ultimate dimension. Joanne was a Dharma teacher in the Tiep Hien Order, the Order of Interbeing, founded by Buddhist monk and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2003 she received authority to teach from…
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A Letter of Support
In light of hearing from so many who are struggling amid these times of political changes, I felt called to offer this letter, of which I hope will offer some support and benefit. Dear friends along the path, I know you suffer, and I am here for you. I see that your anger and fear…
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Philip Seymour Hoffman and Me
Happiness, the End of Suffering, and Recovery Forty-six. That’s not so old — young in fact. He and I are both 46, with young children, and in a long term relationship. We both got sober very young and then maintained that sobriety for many years. Mr. Hoffman made it 23-years, and I’m about to reach my 25th…
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A New OI Aspirant
As I walked with the Sangha through the Oak Grove at Deer Park last summer I heard myself say, “I am a good wife.” I was startled and happy to hear that spontaneous belief. For years, when I became irritated, impatient, or outright angry with my husband, I would say to myself, “What a lousy…
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Replanting A “Forest of Interbeing”: Spiritual Community As Food
Several months ago, four young friends living in three different countries embarked on a journey together to replant a deforested rainforest in the south of Mexico. The “Forest of Interbeing” project includes the purchasing of 9 hectres of land, roughly 900 acres, in Los Tuxtlas region, in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Formerly home to…
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The End of Suffering
Happiness, the End of Suffering, and Recovery Forty-six. That’s not so old – young in fact. He and I are both 46, with young children, and in a long term relationship. We both got sober very young and then maintained that sobriety for many years. Mr. Hoffman made it 23-years, and I’m about to reach…
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Shifting Weight
Leave the tender moment alone. -Billy Joel. The way to use life is to do nothing through acting. The way to use life is to do everything through being. -Lao Tzu I had noticed her as I walked by the room on the way to see my patient. Jeans, sneakers and flannel shirt curled up…
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When Next I Spill My Tea
The morning in June, 2002, that I was going to be ordained in the Order of Interbeing, I was doing walking meditation after breakfast. I was staying at Upper Hamlet of Plum Village, in France, where the ceremony was going to be held. Because people who were staying in the other hamlets had to travel,…