We Still Have Each Other
A L E T T E R F RO M T H Í C H N H ẤT H ẠN H
old, but he wishes to be present with you in those
projects, the projects that he thinks the Buddha
and our ancestral teachers have entrusted to us.
You are smart and talented enough, you just need
to love each other and hold each other’s hands—
then there’s nothing you can’t do.
During the past few weeks, despite the many
tasks, Thầy still found the time and energy to shine
light on and guide those of his students who need
shining light and guidance. Now everything is fine,
and everyone has practiced Beginning Anew.5
Everyone has left the past behind and embraced
the present. Thầy is very glad.
Tomorrow, meaning after the summer session, many members of the Sangha will have to set
out to lead retreats—there will be quite a few birds
taking flight. However, in the present we are living
and working together. Thầy wrote this letter mainly
to remind his students of this fact. Thầy holds all of
you in his arms, with all his love and trust.
Your teacher,
Nhất Hạnh
1 Plum Village in France is composed of three separate
monasteries, called “hamlets.” The hamlets are selfcontained communities where the monastics and lay
practitioners live mindfully together as a spiritual family.
New Hamlet and Lower Hamlet are the two communities
of Plum Village nuns (or “sisters”). Upper Hamlet is where
the Plum Village monks or “brothers” live and practice.
2 Báo Quốc Institute of Buddhist Studies in Huế is where
Thầy studied from 1947 to 1949.
3 The ninety-day Rains Retreat is an annual retreat
whose origins date back to the time of the Buddha. It
is a time for monks and nuns to deepen their studies,
practice, and focus on building the monastic sangha.
In Plum Village, lay practitioners can join the retreat
alongside the monastics.
4 During the Great Precepts Transmission Ceremony, the
precepts to become a bhikṣu (fully ordained monk) and
bhikṣuṇī (fully ordained nun) are transmitted to eligible
novice monastics.
5 Beginning Anew is a key Plum Village practice for
maintaining and healing relationships. For more on this
practice, see Beginning Anew: Four Steps to Restoring
Communication (Parallax Press, 2014).
This is an excerpt from In Love and Trust: Letters from a
Zen Master by Thích Nhất Hạnh, published by Parallax
Press.
See Thầy’s bio on page 45
Available at parallax.org
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The practice centers and monasteries listed
here all practice in the Plum Village tradition of
Thích Nhất Hạnh. The centers are generally open
throughout the year, for short or long stays, to
help us learn the art of mindful living. In addition
to in-person and online retreats, the practice centers offer regular Days of Mindfulness and other
events. Please visit their websites for information
and resources.
Blue Cliff Monastery, New York, US
bluecliffmonastery.org
Deer Park Monastery, California, US
deerparkmonastery.org
Magnolia Grove Monastery, Mississippi, US
magnoliagrovemonastery.org
Plum Village, France
plumvillage.org
Healing Spring Monastery, France
healingspringmonastery.org
Maison de l’Inspir, France
maisondelinspir.over-blog.com
European Institute of Applied Buddhism,
Germany
eiab.eu
Stream Entering Monastery, Australia
nhapluu.org
Mountain Spring Monastery, Australia
mountainspringmonastery.org
Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism,
Hong Kong
pvfhk.org
Plum Village Thailand
thaiplumvillage.org
We can deepen our practice with the many resources in the Plum Village tradition available
online: the Sangha directory, community initiatives, guided meditations, Dharma talks, books,
articles, news, songs, and much more.
mindfulnessbell.org
Parallax Press
parallax.org
The Plum Village App
plumvillage.app
The Way Out Is In Podcast
plumvillage.org/podcasts/the-way-out-is-in
The Raft
thichnhathanhfoundation.org/the-raft
Thích Nhất Hạnh Dharma Talks
tnhaudio.org
ARISE Sangha
arisesangha.org
Happy Farm
thehappyfarm.org
Earth Holder Community
earthholder.training
Wake Up
wkup.org
Wake Up Schools
wakeupschools.org
Thích Nhất Hạnh Foundation
thichnhathanhfoundation.org
Plum Village
Practice Centers & Resources
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IN THE PLUM VILLAGE TRADITION OF THÍCH NHẤT HẠNH
The Monastic Path
Issue 95 - 2025
MindfulnessBell.org: Find new and
expanded
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updated
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years of articles, a worldwide Sangha
directory, practice resources, and more.
Submissions: We welcome articles,
poetry, photos, and artwork on the
fruits of your practice. Submissions
should include specific examples of
how mindfulness practice in the Plum
Village tradition in your daily life is
helping you to transform suffering,
create peace, and improve relationships
and well-being. Complete guidelines
are available at mindfulnessbell.org/
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Magazine subscriptions: For print and
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have questions regarding their complimentary subscription, contact
info@thichnhathanhfoundation.org.
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Jane Ellen Combelic, Elaine Fisher, Tom Hall,
Miranda Perrone, Leslie Rawls, Jess Skyleson,
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ISSN 2769-6499 print
ISSN 2769-6502 PDF
ISBN 9781888375015 print
ISBN 9781952692963 PDF
Advisor and Editor
Managing Editor
Poetry Editor
Design and Typesetting
Copy Editors/Proofreaders
Website Design
Parallax Press Editorial Committee
Cover Photo
Interior Cover Photo
Spread Photos
IN THE PLUM VILLAGE TRADITION OF THÍCH NHẤT HẠNH
The Monastic Path
Issue 95 - 2025
MindfulnessBell.org: Find new and
expanded
digital
content
updated
weekly, an archive with over thirty-five
years of articles, a worldwide Sangha
directory, practice resources, and more.
Submissions: We welcome articles,
poetry, photos, and artwork on the
fruits of your practice. Submissions
should include specific examples of
how mindfulness practice in the Plum
Village tradition in your daily life is
helping you to transform suffering,
create peace, and improve relationships
and well-being. Complete guidelines
are available at mindfulnessbell.org/
submission-guidelines.
Magazine subscriptions: For print and
digital subscriptions, visit our website:
mindfulnessbell.org. For more informa
tion, contact mb@parallax.org. Donors
to the Thích Nhất Hạnh Foundation who
have questions regarding their compli
mentary subscription, contact
info@thichnhathanhfoundation.org.
the Community of Mindful Living, an
imprint of Parallax Press, the publishing
division of
PARALLAX PRESS
2236 SIXTH ST B
BERKELEY, CA 94710, US
Brother Pháp Lưu
Heather Weightman
Leslie Davis
Katie Eberle, Sunbird
Kara Bernard, Jess Brown, Natascha Bruckner,
Jane Ellen Combelic, Elaine Fisher, Tom Hall,
Miranda Perrone, Leslie Rawls, Jess Skyleson,
Amanda Szymanski
Maarten Hunink
Jo Confino, Judith Kendra
David Nelson
Katie Eberle
Monastic Sangha
Send us your feedback