2024/2025
Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice
June 19, 2025
The Lotus Sutra : Tales of Practice
Trust and Faith
Just as the Buddha manifests in various forms in the historical dimension, but his true body, the dharmakaya, abides in the ultimate, we too exist in the historical dimension, but at the same time we have a dharma body in the ultimate dimension.
(Opening the Heart of the Cosmos)
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Dear friends on the Path,
This month we enjoy the teachings given by our teacher on the two dimensions. We have an opportunity to contemplate how our gateway into an experience of the ultimate dimension is this everyday world and everyday life we live. We hope you will join us on Thursday, June 19, at 7 p.m. ET, as we gather to continue our exploration of the Lotus Sutra.
Our Core Sutra Study Sangha meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Our practice sessions are open to anyone who would like to participate; there is no requirement to have attended prior sessions. Here are the materials you can use if you would like to prepare for and attend this month’s meeting:
1. Link to the Pre-Readings:
June Prereaders coming
2. Zoom link for 7 p.m. (Eastern Time):
https://zoom.us/j/780647439?pwd=bCt3N2EyOSs1NXVObVhaVXphMXl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 780 647 439 - Password: 031129
3. Schedule:
Please sign on by 6:50 p.m. (ET) so that you are settled when practice begins.
* Welcome and facilitation :
Sue Rempel, Desert Rain, Santa Fe, NM
* Guided Meditation
* Introduction of Topic and Speakers
* Dharma Reflection 1 :
Deborah Brooks, Laughing Rivers, Pittsburgh, PA
* Dharma Reflection 2 :
Susan Poulos, Deep River Sangha and the Winston-Salem Community of Mindful Living, North Carolina
* Dharma Sharing
4. Remaining Sangha Core Sutra Study Program 2024-2025
This is the last of our 2024/25 program. Watch for more information about out upcoming 2025/26 program, starting in September.
5. Links to recordings of previous talks in this year's program
September 26, 2024
October 17, 2024
November 21, 2024
December 12, 2024
January 16, 2025
Never discouraged : The Magic City
February 20, 2025
March 13, 2025
April 17, 2025
Bodhisattvas and the Sphere of Action
May 15, 2025
No Here, No There: The Two Dimensions
We look forward to seeing you soon, dear Buddhas to be!
Yours in the practice,
The Sangha Core Sutra Study Program (SCSSP) Organizing Team
Our SCSSP Mission
We are an online Sangha that meets monthly to explore the essential Buddhist teachings at the heart of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. All are welcome for an evening of practice that includes meditation, Dharma reflections by Order of Interbeing members, and small group sharing. We aspire to create a supportive space for deepening our understanding of these core teachings and learning ways to apply them in everyday life.
At Home in the World: A half-day of practice exploring socially-engaged mindfulness
“The essence of nonviolence is love. Out of love and the willingness to act selflessly, strategies, tactics, and techniques for a nonviolent struggle arise naturally. Nonviolence is not a dogma; it is a process. Other struggles may be fueled by greed, hatred, fear, or ignorance, but a nonviolent one cannot use such blind sources for energy, for they will destroy those involved and also the struggle itself. Nonviolent action, born of the awareness of suffering and nurtured by love, is the most effective way to confront adversity.”
--Thich Nhat Hanh, from Love in Action
Political divisions within the United States have been growing over the past decades and are now particularly acute. Many mindfulness practitioners in the Triad have asked ourselves and others how to practice and engage these times while staying true to the Plum Village principles of nonviolence, nonpartisanship, and equanimity.
Join us on Saturday, June 28, for a half-day of mindfulness to explore this topic. During the morning together, we will meditate, read writings by Thich Nhat Hanh and others on so-called Engaged or Applied Buddhism, reflect on our own internal compass during these times, and discuss the actions or nonactions we would like to see from our Sanghas. We will close with a brown bag lunch together. Please register using this link.
Date and Time: June 28 from 8:45 am to 1 pm
Place: New Garden Friends Meeting, 801 New Garden Road, Greensboro
Registration: Sliding scale to cover expenses: $10-$30. Please register here so we know how many to expect.
What to bring: A brown bag lunch and comfortable clothing
Tentative Schedule:
8:45 am Arrival
9:00 Introductions
9:10 Sitting meditation
9:30 Thich Nhat Hanh’s guidance around social engagement in mindfulness
9:50 Free writing and small group sharing
10:30 Break
10:45 Walking meditation
11:15 Group sharing
12:15 Brown bag lunch
Registration Now Open for the October 19-December 27 Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet Course (it fills quickly)
In 2025 there will be just one cohort of ZASP. Plum Village has just opened registrations for this cohort, and we’d love your help spreading the word to friends and colleagues about this wonderful opportunity to bring a spiritual dimension to their concern for the planet. I have taken this course twice and both times it was deeply transformational. I enjoyed being able to access the content on my own schedule and also participate in the global Dharma sharing and other community events. If you are feeling troubled by climate disruption, and many other issues we face, please give yourself the gift of this course.
There are hundreds of scholarships available, especially for young activists and folks from underserved communities. Please register here: plumvillage.org/zasp
Practice Resources
Beautiful music video from Plum Village to honor Thay’s Continuation Day, October 11
Dharma talks, video, songs for the practice, and chants from Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village community members and friends
Dharma Talks (video) by Thich Nhat Hanh
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh-dharma-talks/
Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks (audio)
http://tnhaudio.org/
Plum Village on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/user745118
Dharma talks & video from Magnolia Grove Monastery
Weekly Online Sangha practice sessions (6-7 pm Eastern): Please register to receive the Zoom link
Dharma talks, video, and songs from Deer Park Monastery
Deer Park Dharmacast
http://deerpark.libsyn.com/
Deer Park Recordings on SoundCloud
http://soundcloud.com/deer-park-monastery
Meet the Monastics from Deer Park Monastery As monastics, the most common question asked of us is, you guessed it, why did you become a monastic? I'm Brother Minh-An, a Buddhist monk in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. And this podcast is for anyone who's ever wanted to ask that question. Each week, we'll bring you my conversations with other fully ordained monks and nuns about their journey to monastic life and what inspires them now. We hope they inspire you to live a happier, kinder, and more meaningful life. And who knows, maybe some of you will even consider monastic life yourself.
You can listen to the weekly episodes wherever you get your podcasts (simply search for Meet the Monastics) or on the Deer Park Monastery YouTube channel. Meet the Monastics: A New Podcast
Video and audio from Blue Cliff Monastery
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaX_vxbhs8fgmshMksFpVsUeMfUpv8FsW
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/blue-cliff-monastery
Dharma talks, video, and songs from the Wake Up Movement
Americas | Wake Up International
https://wkup.org/category/america/
Peace Sounds: Wake Up London & Friends
http://peacesounds.bandcamp.com/
Julian + Chad singing "The Island Within" and "Call Me By My True Names"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDr46vMTmdg
Julian + Chad singing "Rainbow Connection"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=851QUg75NAs
"Brother Thây: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh," a profile and interview with Thich Nhat Hanh by Krista Tippett
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh-interviews/thich-nhat-hanh-on-mindfulness-suffering-and-engaged-buddhism/
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from Rens Smittenaar
https://vimeo.com/6518109
Sister Dang Nghiem (Adornment with Non-discrimination) on inviting the bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6aYE3irqFQ
Thich Nhat Hanh on inviting the bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7fzUBz_PWA
YouTube videos
Sister The Nghiem singing "Discourse on Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdtnOo7XZts
Sister The Nghiem singing "Watering the Seeds of Joy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdoE2EU_UyI&feature=channel&list=UL
The Winston-Salem Community of Mindful Living meets weekly on Thursday evenings for sitting practice at The Hub, a community of service groups housed in a former church at 502 N. Broad Street in downtown Winston-Salem.
There is ample parking and a quiet space for us to sit. All are welcome, and there is no cost. Chairs are provided, but bring your own cushion if you want to sit on the floor. We will meet at 6:30 pm until 7:45 pm each Thursday. At this time, we will not be offering online access to the meeting but will focus on in-person attendance. Of course, the Tuesday/Thursday morning online practice continues as is:
Tuesday and Thursday Mornings, 7:00-7:40 a.m. Online Meditation:
Tuesdays: Guided meditation, reading, sharing. Thursdays: Morning Chant, silent sitting meditation, reading, sharing. All are welcome — no experience necessary. For more information, send a message through our Contact tab.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82703691204?pwd=YmNEVFNQWXNxQTlPQk44cnliRzRTZz09
Meeting ID: 82703691204
Password: 010101
We are currently reading from the book, At Home in the World, by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Sangha Core Sutra Study
Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice
Thu, June 20, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
The Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice is an online Sangha that started more than 15 years ago to deepen our understanding and practice of the core sutras. We meet monthly for 10 months each year to explore the essential Buddhist teachings at the heart of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. All are welcome for an evening of practice that includes meditation, Dharma reflections by Order of Interbeing members, and small group sharing. We aspire to create a supportive space for deepening our understanding of these core teachings and learning ways to apply them in everyday life.This year we are studying the Diamond Sutra, which Thay tells us is one of the most beloved scriptures in the Zen tradition and the earliest text to explore deep ecology.
In this profound teaching the Buddha invites us to let go of four deeply held notions in order to understand our own true nature and the true nature of reality so we may transcend our ignorance and wrong views. We will also be looking at related teachings from Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. We are inspired to be exploring these deep teachings with you this year!
Remaining date:
June 20, 2024: How to Practice the Buddha's Teachings
Zoom link for 7pm (Eastern Time):
https://zoom.us/j/780647439?pwd=bCt3N2EyOSs1NXVObVhaVXphMXl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 780 647 439 - Password: 031129
Half day of Mindfulness
We are happy to announce that registration is now open for our upcoming Half Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, 4/13, at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary from 1-4:30.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL. WATCH FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR NEXT DAY OF MINDFULNESS.
Due to causes and conditions, the original full Day of Mindfulness scheduled for Sunday, 4/14 will not happen.
Here is a link to register for this beautiful opportunity to practice sitting, walking, deep relaxation, and a Dharma Discussion led by Dharma Teacher Scott Schang in community.
When: Saturday, April 13, 1-4:00 p.m. (Check in 12:45 p.m.)
Where: Timberlake Earth Sanctuary
Cost: Sliding scale of $10 - $40 based on your ability to pay. Please bring a bag lunch.
Space is limited so we will cap registration at 33. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Once you register, you will receive confirmation with more information.
Schedule:
1/2 Day of Mindfulness 1:00 - 4:30 (Registrants are welcome to come at 12:00 to enjoy a brown-bag lunch)
1:00 – Welcome, short orientation, introductions
1:30 – Outdoor walking meditation
2:15 – Deep relaxation (bring a yoga mat / blanket) followed by short Mindful Movements
3:00 – Break
3:10 – Dharma Discussion led by Scott Schang
4:10 – Closing
4:30 - Depart
