Being Peace

The Plum Village Monastery was established by Vietnamese monastic Thích Nhất Hạnh in 1982.

In 2022 a friend introduced me to The Way Out Is In podcast from Plum Village. This podcast series aims to help us foster a more compassionate engagement with the world. It is co-hosted by Brother Phap Huu, Thích Nhất Hạnh's personal attendant for 17 years and the abbot of Plum Village's Upper Hamlet. Episode 2, titled “Lessons in Impermanence: How to Handle Life when Everything Changes” brought peace during a very rough time in my life, and has since guided me whenever I find myself having to navigating change: embracing non-attachment, living in the present, and practicing gratitude.

Inspired by this episode I chose to read Being Peace by Thích Nhất Hạnh, experiencing his calming wisdom, and learning more about “Engaged Buddhism”: a perspective now aiding hospices, prisons, and forests around the world. Until then, I hadn't considered mindfulness seriously, often turning to literature, psychology, or philosophy in times of confusion and turmoil, as each holds the promise of answers to humanity's pressing questions.

Yet, spirituality, as I discovered through this book, offers insight too. Over two years, fighting my reluctance, I've managed to introduce pockets of mindfulness in my daily life. Breathing meditations, walking and cycling at my local park, and sleep affirmations, have helped me feel more freedom and happiness.

A retreat at Plum Village has become a must-do in my mind by 2062, representing a chance to immerse myself in simple and peaceful living.

Hmm. It's funny to only give three stars to a book by someone who I think deserves 5+ stars for his actual work in the world...but I think I like Pema Chodron better, at least for easily accessible writings about embodying Buddhist ideals out in the messy real world. It's not that this wasn't easy to read–it was–but felt a little toooooo easy at points. Like, if you've never read anything about engaged Buddhism, here's a good starting point. I still found it a thoughtful and warm review/introduction, and it did make me excited to read more of what he has to say in the future.