{"id":158000,"date":"2014-10-03T19:48:20","date_gmt":"2014-10-03T17:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plumvillage.org\/about\/thich-nhat-hanh\/letters\/sangha-building-our-noblest-career\/"},"modified":"2021-03-05T18:25:16","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T17:25:16","slug":"sangha-building-our-noblest-career","status":"publish","type":"letter","link":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/about\/thich-nhat-hanh\/letters\/sangha-building-our-noblest-career","title":{"rendered":"Sangha Building: our noblest career"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 3, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A letter sent to the Editors of Plum Village’s Vietnamese website and their response which was directly guided by Thay<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em>. <\/strong><\/em> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dear\nRespected Editors,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nam a monastic Dharma Teacher currently teaching at a Buddhist\nInstitute in Vietnam. I just finished reading the article, Wake\nup! Wake up, young monks and nuns! <\/em>and\nfound myself deeply moved. The article speaks so frankly about the\nsituation young monks and nuns in Buddhist Institutes today find\nthemselves in. It is true that the courses at Buddhist Institutes are\nprimarily about accumulating intellectual knowledge to pass on to\nfuture generations, and are disconnected from the realities of the\ndaily life of a young monastic. Buddhist Institutes are not\ncommunities of practice. The classes don\u2019t have the atmosphere of\nbrotherhood and sisterhood, there are no mindfulness practices and\nno-one to lead them, and there is no opportunity to discuss our\nshared dreams for the future. The teachers and students are required\nsolely to teach and to study. There\u2019s no real relationship between\nthe Dharma Teachers and their monastic students, and they don\u2019t\nshare the same aspiration. That\u2019s why so many of the young\nmonastics in Vietnam today are vulnerable to being corrupted. Many\nseek material and emotional comforts, and few are interested in or\neager to think about their original aspiration for becoming a\nmonastic in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe article, Wake up! Wake up, young\nmonks and nuns!<\/em> Th\u1ea7y wrote about\nways of practice that can build Sangha, create a community of\nbrotherhood and sisterhood, and cultivate joy while living together.\nDo these practices really work? Are there people teaching them? The\npractice of generating joy, happiness and peace in daily monastic;\nthe practice of calming our mind and handling painful feelings; the\npractice of using loving speech and deep listening to re-establish\ncommunication and reconcile with one another. Are there people who\nactually do these practices?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which\nsutras do these practices come from? Where can we learn about them,\nif we truly want to return to our ideal of building a Sangha and a\nfirm foundation for the realisation of our monastic ideal? \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please, dear Editors, offer us some advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Response\nfrom the Editors of Langmai.org <\/strong><\/em>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venerable\nBhikshu,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nEditors are very happy to have received your letter, as it gives us\nan opportunity to share many things that may help young monks and\nnuns today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sangha\nBuilding<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\npractice in question is the practice of Sangha Building – the work\nand career of the Buddha. Right after the Buddha attained\nEnlightenment he knew very clearly that if he did not build a Sangha,\nhe would not be able to realize the work of a Buddha. That is why he\nput so much energy and time into building his Sangha. Within the\nfirst year following his Enlightenment, the Buddha built a Sangha of\n1,250 monastics residing in a forest of palm trees located on the\noutskirts of the city of Rajagraha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nthe Buddha was 80 years old, King Prasanajit praised the Buddha for\nhis work of building the Sangha. He said, “World\nHonored One, each time I see your Sangha, I have even greater faith\nin the Buddha.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nwe do not have a Sangha, or if our Sangha has neither brotherhood and\nsisterhood, nor a common aspiration, then we will not be able to\nremain a monastic our whole life. That is why building our Sangha and\ncultivating brotherhood and sisterhood is\nthe most fundamental, core practice<\/em>.\nBecoming a distinguished scholar, well-learned in the sutras is not a\ncore practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\norder to cultivate and strengthen our Sangha, we first need to\ncultivate and strengthen our own practice. Once we know how to\ngenerate joy and happiness; once we know how to handle our suffering;\nand once we know how to listen deeply and speak lovingly in order to\nre-establish communication with our brothers and sisters, then we\nwill have great success in Sangha-building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nwonderful example of this is Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam, where over\n400 monastics, many of whom were still very young, studied and\npracticed together. No-one can call them scholars, nor say that their\npractice of sitting meditation and walking meditation was deep. Nor\ncan we say that their Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight were\nsolid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nwe can say that they had brotherhood and sisterhood. That is why they\ncould live with each other, communicate with one another, and have\nenough strength and faith to face difficulties hand in hand. Despite\nenduring such oppression and mistreatment in attempts to force them\nto disband and disrobe, they sustained their monastic aspiration at\nBat Nha. Even though the oppression continued for more than a year\nand a half, they maintained the spirit of compassion and\nnon-violence, and the hope of continuing to practice together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\nmany young people came to Bat Nha from all over Vietnam, not because\nthey loved Dharma talks or were passionate about the ways of\npractice, but because, for the first time in their lives, they\ndiscovered brotherhood and sisterhood there, and were determined to\nstay. Before coming, they had never experienced that kind of\nbrotherhood and sisterhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\ndiscovered that brotherhood and sisterhood is authentic living, is\nnothing other than life itself. That is why the work of building\nbrotherhood and sisterhood is the most important task of a monastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nwe have brotherhood and sisterhood, we will be able to remain a\nmonastic our whole life. Without it, we will become bored and will\nseek refuge in material and emotional comforts, and we will lose the\nbeautiful ideal that we had in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Plum Village has not yet published a book with the title \u201cSangha Building”, over the past 40 years we have learned a great deal and collected a lot of experience about Sangha-building. Each one of us needs to learn and study the art of Sangha-building, just as we need to study the Sutras, the Vinaya, and how to organize the practice and studies for our monastic community and lay practitioners. Please see the book Joyfully Together \u2013 The Art of Building a Harmonious Community,<\/span> for more information on how to develop concrete methods for living together in joy and harmony. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe Plum Village International Practice Centers worldwide, we\ncultivate the art of Sangha-building and teach it to others, both\nmonastic and lay. Our centers include Plum Village in France, The\nEuropean Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in Germany,\nInternational Thai Plum Village in Thailand, The Asian Institute of\nApplied Buddhism (AIAB) in Hong Kong, and our US centers (Deer Park\nMonastery, Blue Cliff Monastery and Magnolia Grove Monastery), as\nwell as other practice centers led by our lay practitioners who are\nmembers of the Order of Interbeing and Dharma Teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathing,\nGenerating Joy and Happiness<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe art of Sangha Building, first of all we need to know how to\ngenerate joy and happiness in our daily life, how to calm our pain\nand suffering, and how to re-establish communication with our\nbrothers and sisters. In the time of the Buddha these practices were\ndescribed in the original sutras, which the monks and nuns memorized\nby heart. Sutras such as The Sutra on\nthe Four Establishments of Mindfulness <\/em>(Satipa\u1e6d\u1e6dh\u0101na\nSutta), The Sutra on the Full\nAwareness of Breathing <\/em>(\u0100n\u0101p\u0101nasati\nSutta), The Sutra on the Five Ways of\nPutting An End to Anger <\/em>(\u0100gh\u0101ta\nVinaya Sutta), The Sutra on Measuring\nand Reflecting <\/em>(Anum\u0101na Sutta) etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nThe Sutra on the Full Awareness of\nBreathing<\/em>, there are exercises that\nhelp us to bring our mind back to our body, to calm our body and to\nrelax our whole body. Every single person who lives in Plum Village\nor comes to visit, including lay practitioners, learns the basic\npractices of bringing our mind back to our body; recognizing the\npresence of stress, tension and pain in our body; and using our\nbreathing to calm the stress, tension and pain in our body. We learn\nhow to be aware of our body, and to relax our body, while practicing\nwalking meditation, sitting meditation, standing meditation and\nworking meditation. These are the third and fourth exercises in The<\/em>\nSutra on the Full Awareness of\nBreathing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis by bringing our mind back to our body that we can recognize and\nget in touch with all the miracles of life and conditions of\nhappiness that we have right now, enabling us to generate joy and\nhappiness at any moment. These are the fifth and the sixth exercises\nin The Sutra on the Full Awareness of\nBreathing<\/em>. This is the Art\nof Dwelling in the Present Moment<\/em>,\nnot searching for happiness in the future but finding happiness right\nhere in the present moment. The teaching of Dwelling\nin the Present Moment<\/em> is a very\nbasic teaching of the Buddha, and yet many Buddhists know little\nabout it. They only know how about seeking a distant happiness in the\nfuture, in a Heaven or Pure Land, while in this very moment Mother\nEarth is truly the most beautiful place in the cosmos!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With\nevery step, every breath, every smile, and every action we can\ngenerate joy and happiness for ourselves and for others. This is the\nart of mindfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindfulness\nhelps us recognize how fortunate we are to have so many conditions of\nhappiness. When we see our good fortune, then joy and happiness are\narise naturally. We need to nourish ourselves with joy and happiness\nif we want to be able to realise our aspiration. When we know how to\nnourish ourselves, we\u2019ll be able to help our brothers and sisters\nnourish themselves, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nseventh and eighth breathing exercises help us recognize unpleasant\nand painful feelings and emotions that are present in us. If we know\nhow to breathe, we will be able to generate the energy of mindfulness\nand recognize, embrace and calm our painful feelings within a few\nminutes. These are essential basic practices recorded in Buddhist\nsutras. If we only study the sutras in theory, we\u2019ll never be able\nto master the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nwe are at ease, and when we know how to handle our suffering, and how\nto generate joy and happiness in our daily life, then it will be very\neasy for us to help our brothers and sisters to do the same. We can\nuse the practice of deep, compassionate listening to help the others\nshare about their pain and suffering. One hour of this kind of\nlistening can already help the other person suffer much less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loving\nSpeech and Compassionate Listening<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nwe know how to use loving speech, we can help the other person open\ntheir heart and see that we did not have the intention of making them\nsuffer. If in the past the other person hurt us, it is because they\ncould not see our pain and our suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nneed to know how to use loving speech. For example, we can say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor\nsome time now, I know that you have had many difficulties and\nsuffered and I have not been able to help you. My way of reacting has\ncreated even more suffering for you and that is my fault. I have not\nbeen able to see your suffering and pain, your difficulties, and your\ndespair – because I only could only see my own pain and suffering.\nThat is why I continued to criticize and blame you and we could no\nlonger communicate. Now I can see more clearly. I see your\ndifficulties, suffering and despair. Please help me. Please tell me\nmore about your suffering and pain, so I can understand and not react\nas I have previously and not make you suffer like I have done in the\npast. If you do not help me, then who will? Please give me a chance\nto be your true brother, your true sister.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nwe are able to speak in this way, then the other person will open\ntheir heart and will share with us about their difficulties and\nsuffering. It could be that while speaking, they may use words of\ncriticism and blame and it may be that they have many wrong\nperceptions about us. But the practice of deep compassionate\nlistening requires that we do not interrupt the other person, even if\nwhat they are saying is not in accord with the truth. If we\ninterrupt, we will turn the session of deep listening into a debate\nand all will be lost. We have to follow our breathing while listening\nand remind ourselves that we are practising deep listening for one\npurpose only: to help the other person open their heart, and share\ntheir pain and suffering so they can suffer less. If there have been\nsome misunderstandings between us then, a few days later, when we can\nfind the right moment, we provide them with more information so they\ncan correct their perceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re-establishing\ncommunication and reconciling with our brothers and sisters is a very\nimportant practice. If we cannot do that, then how can we possibly\nbuild Sangha?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nnumber of wonderful Sangha building practices have been taken from\nthe Vinaya. For example, the practice of preventing an attachment, or\nrecognizing and handling an attachment, taking care of our anger,\nBeginning Anew, Shining Light and \u201cLaying Straw on the Mud\u201d to\nresolve a dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handling\nan Attachment<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nmust practice loving equally when living together in the Sangha. The\nquality of equanimity is one of the Four Immeasurable Minds.\nEquanimity means we do not discriminate. Our love should embrace\neveryone, without excluding anyone. Loving only one person is against\nthe principle of equanimity. It is human nature to love only those\nwho are pleasant and kind. However, in Buddhism the practice is to\nlove everyone equally, without discrimination. Each one of us,\nwhether we are the Abbot or Abbess, or the head monk or nun, or even\nstill an aspirant, needs to learn the art of loving without\ndiscrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An\nattachment can happen between a monk and a nun, but it can also\nhappen between two monks or two nuns. When there is an attachment,\nthe persons concerned normally do not want to admit that they are\nattached. When there are up to four bhiksus<\/em>\nor bhiksunis<\/em>\nwho bring the matter to the Sangha, then it becomes an official\nmatter that needs to be shared with the Sangha to be resolved. The\nSangha will meet and will prescribe certain practices so that the two\npeople can gradually live normally again. If after a period of time\nthere is no success, then one of them will have to change practice\ncenter, but this must be done as a last resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking\nCare of Anger<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking\ncare of anger<\/em> is another important\npractice. According to the practice of mindfulness, whenever\nirritation and anger arises in us, we should not do or say anything,\nelse we will only make the situation worse. We have to return to\nourselves and take care of our anger, with our practice of mindful\nbreathing, walking and sitting meditation. Doing so enables us to\ngenerate the energy of mindfulness so we can recognize, embrace and\ncalm our anger. Looking deeply into our anger, we will be able to see\nits roots in our wrong perceptions or in the other person\u2019s\nunskillfulness. It is not necessarily the case that the other person\nintended to make us suffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto this practice, we are not allowed to let our anger continue for\nmore than twenty-four hours. We have to find a way to write to, and\nthen when we are calm enough to speak with the other person. If\nneeded, we can have another brother or sister sit together with us so\nthat both sides can have the opportunity to speak and be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning\nAnew<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every\nweek in the Sangha there is a Beginning\nAnew <\/em>session. The Sangha gathers\ntogether and waters the flowers of one another, appreciating the\nfruits of the practice they have attained. We can also take this\nopportunity to share about what has hurt us in the past week and we\ncan ask the other person to explain why they have spoken or acted in\nsuch a way. Our brother or sister will have an opportunity to\nexplain. This is the practice of Beginning Anew. When the Sangha\nnotices that there is tension and no communication between two\npeople, then it is the Sangha\u2019s responsibility to help them to\npractice until they are able to reconcile with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shining\nLight<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shining\nLight <\/em>is another wonderful practice.\nShining light is practiced before a candidate is able to receive\nordination or the Lamp Transmission, or become a member of the\nresidential Sangha. The person receiving Shining Light has the\nopportunity to listen deeply to the Sangha’s sharing about their\npositive and negative qualities and receives a written letter with\nall the suggestions the Sangha has proposed for their practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nis a practice filled with love, given with much effort and time. The\nSangha sits together as a community of brothers or sisters and shines\nlight for each other with a compassionate heart. Before receiving\nshining light, the candidates can first shine light on themselves.\nAfter hearing the shining light of the Sangha, they can stand up in\norder to formally express their gratitude. This is a beautiful\npractice and is diligently applied at all the centers of Plum\nVillage. At the Pavarana Ceremony – the Closing Ceremony of the\nWinter Retreat – it is the same and on this day, everyone in the\nSangha receives a shining light letter from the Sangha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laying\nStraw on the Mud<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\npractice of Laying Straw on the Mud<\/em>\nis described in the Seven Ways of\nPutting an End to Disputes<\/em> from the\nBhiksu\/Bhikshuni precepts. The highest Venerable in the Sangha each\nyear has the opportunity to grant pardon\nto a monastic who is practicing Beginning Anew, so that he or she has\nthe opportunity to be fully reinstated in the Sangha. According to\nthe precepts, there are certain actions that make a monk or a nun\nunable to continue as a full member of the monastic Sangha. This can\nlast for an entire year. But each year, the highest Venerable in the\nSangha, on the occasion of an important festival like the Ullambana\nCeremony or the Lunar New Year can grant a pardon so that person can\nbe reinstated as a full member of the monastic Sangha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\nelements of addressing an attachment, taking care of our anger,\nBeginning Anew, Shining Light and Laying Straw on the Mud are\npracticed at every Plum Village center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nArt of Sangha building with regard to organization of the sangha: the\nr\u00f4le of the abbot\/abbess or head monk\/nun<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto the Buddhist tradition, it is the Council of Bhiksus and\nBhikshunis which is the body that has the power of decision-making,\non matters related to the Sangha\u2019s happiness and practice. The\nhighest authority in the Sangha does not lie with the Abbot\/Abbess or\nthe Head monk\/nun, but lies with the Bhiksu\/Bhikshuni Council. A\nsession of the Bhiksu\/Bhikshuni Council always begins with a reading\nof the Contemplations Before a Meeting, which remind us that the\ndecisions we make in the meeting are for the greater happiness of the\nSangha. A decision may in some cases cause some discomfort or hurt,\nbut that discomfort may be very necessary to allow a process of\nhealing to happen which brings happiness to the great majority. We\ncan not allow preferential treatment for one person – even though\nthat person is very senior according to years of monastic ordination-\nif that person is creating a\ndeadlock or impasse in the Sangha\naffairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nwe have become a bhiksu or bhikshuni, our voice and opinion in the\nCouncil\u2019s decision-making is equal to anyone\u2019s, even if we are\nyoung in the Dharma. We have a vote and the right to contribute our\nopinion to the bhikshu\/bhikshuni council. This is in accord with the\ndemocratic spirit of the Original Sangha of the Buddha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before\nthe Bhiksu\/Bhikshuni Council meets, the elder brothers or elder\nsisters can sit together with the novices, shiksamanas, or lay\npractitioners in order to listen to their aspirations, wishes and\ndifficulties. Then when the Council meets, they can share these\nthings with everyone present so that the decision of the council can\nbring happiness to the majority including the lay practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe Sangha, there is also the Dharma Teacher Council. The Dharma\nTeacher Council is comprised of monastics that have received the lamp\ntransmission, but it does not have greater power than the Bhiksu or\nBhikshuni Council. The Dharma Teacher Council focuses on the matters\nof teaching, organizing retreats, and arranging programs of study and\npractice. But these proposals and programs of the Dharma Teacher\nCouncil have to be presented to the Bhiksu\/Bhikshuni Council to be\napproved before being put into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nAbbot or Abbess works with the Care Taking Council (CTC) to manage\nand implement the decisions made by the Bhiksu\/Bhikshuni Council.\nThey do not have the right to make decisions for the Bhiksu\/Bhikshuni\nCouncil, but are responsible only to implement the decisions of the\nCouncil. When decisions are not clear or when changes arise they must\ngo back to the Bhikshu\/Bhikshuni Council for clarification and\nfurther advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared\nto Executive Councils out in the world that wield too much power, the\nAbbot\/Abbess as well as the CTC have the responsibility only to put\nexecutive decisions into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While\nworking together to organize the studies and practice of the monastic\nSangha or organizing retreats for lay practitioners, the members of\nthe monastic Sangha are aware that this is not a \u201ccareer\u201d for\nwhich we get paid, but it is an opportunity to share our experience,\nwork harmoniously together and build brotherhood and sisterhood.\nAlthough many monastics are talented or skilled in many fields,\neveryone should practice not to drown or lose themselves in the work.\nAt all costs we should avoid being carried away by our work because\nthis stops us from participating fully in the activities of the\nSangha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tPart of monastic sangha building is to have a second body wherever\nwe go. This is called the Second-Body Practice. Whether you are going\nto the Post Office, to the market to buy vegetables or to visit\nanother monastery, you should always have another monastic (nun if\nyou are a nun or monk if you are a monk) to go with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nmost important part of sangha building is to flow with the sangha as\none river, and not to behave as a drop of water outside of the river.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nwe are a drop of water that has left the river we shall evaporate\nvery quickly. We are not looking for a career that is separate from\nthe career of the sangha or a future that is separate from the\nsangha\u2019s future. We seek only a common career and a common future\nwith the rest of the sangha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\na monastic we take refuge completely in the Sangha. When we take\nrefuge in the Sangha, the Sangha takes care of us. When we have an\nillness then the Sangha will take us to have a check-up or to the\nhospital to be treated. If our family is facing emotional, financial\nor material problems then the Sangha will also find a way to help so\nthat we can maintain our peace of mind in order to practice and\ncontinue on our path of aspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nRole of Lay Practitioners<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nrole of lay practitioners is also very important in the work of\nSangha building because the suffering of the world is overwhelming.\nThe presence of monastic practitioners alone is not enough to\npenetrate all the places in society that need help. The arm of the\nmonastic sangha is not enough and has to be extended by the lay\nsangha which which reaches many more places in society. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe beginning the lay practitioner receives the Five Mindfulness\nTrainings during a retreat. The Five Mindfulness Trainings of Plum\nVillage are already similar to the Bodhisattva Precepts. After\npracticing the 5 MTs for a year or two our lay practitioners become\neligible to apply to become aspirants to receive the Fourteen\nMindfulness Trainings of the Order of Inter-being (OI). The Fourteen\nMindfulness Trainings are the equivalent to the traditional\nBodhisattva Vows that the monastics and lay practitioners can\npractice together. The lay members of the Order of Interbeing are\nexpected to organize a sangha in their home town. They are able to\nlead ceremonies, reitations of the Mindfulness Trainings, Dharma\nSharing, Walking meditation and to give Dharma Talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThen we have lay Dharma Teachers in the Order of Interbeing. They\nare like the extended arm of the Monastic Dharma Teachers. We also\nhave groups of volunteers out in the world who organise retreats for\neducators, children, teens, college and university students. Then\nthere are the long-term lay residents in the monastery who live\nalongside the monks and the nuns. This is an opportunity for them to\nlive and practice deeply without the constraints and distractions\nthey encounter out in the world. They engage in wholesome work in\norder to sustain the Sangha and live simply like monastics with\nminimal comfort. Their practice not only supports the community of\nlay practitioners but greatly supports our monastic Sangha as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applied\nBuddhism, Applied Ethics<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nPlum Village the practices mentioned above were previously called\nApplied Buddhism<\/em>.\nThe European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in Germany offers\ncourses on how to apply these practices in daily life such as\nresolving conflicts, overcoming grief, protecting the environment,\nand other topics relevant to the needs of our time. Plum Village\nInternational Practice Centers and Communities of Mindful Living\nworldwide also learn and teach these practices of Applied Buddhism.\nMore recently, in order to help these practices disseminate more\nwidely, we have removed the word Buddhism, and now use the term\nApplied Ethics<\/em>\nso these practices can be more accessible to the world at large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nexample, the Wake Up Schools initiative currently is flourishing with\njoyful enthusiasm. The movement has trained many teachers in the\npractice of mindfulness so that they can bring it into the\nclassrooms, helping the students to re-establish communication\nbetween parents and children, relationships between teachers, and\nrelationships between teachers and students. These teachers are\ndeveloping Sangha in order to cultivate brotherhood and sisterhood in\nthe classroom so that they and their students can suffer less. Their\npractice has the capacity to help the students transform, reconcile\nwith their parents and find a path of aspiration for their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion\nand Invitation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently\nat Plum Village, there are many monastics from different countries\nlike China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia who have come to learn\nthis practice and they find it very beneficial. These monastics have\nexperienced transformation and have the deep wish to share these\npractices with the temples in their countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many\nBuddhist temples and monasteries now are concerned only with offering\nservices, and the monastics do not have time to study, practice or\nbuild the Sangha. Despite receiving substantial donations, they still\nonly have enough time to serve their devotees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venerable\nBhikshu, if you would like to experience this practice, then you may\nlike to come to any one of the Plum Village Practice Centers in the\nworld. You may like to stay for three months in order to observe and\nto listen attentively so that you will see and feel that the practice\nof Sangha-building is the most precious Plum Village practice, even\nthough we have our weaknesses and are not perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nstrength of Plum Village is not the teachings in retreats about the\ndeep and profound sutras \u2013 like The\nFundamental Verses on the Middle Way<\/em>,\n(M\u016blamadhyamakak\u0101rik\u0101);\nThe Treatise on the Wheel of Propositions of 18 Different Schools; or\nVasubandu\u2019s Thirty Verses of Consciousness Only<\/em>\n(vijnaptumatratasiddhi-karika<\/em>)\n\u2013 but the practices of Applied Buddhism. Many who have a master\u2019s\ndegree in Buddhist Studies from prestigious universities do not know\nhow to use their knowledge to help them handle their own pain and\nsuffering. That is why in the Dharma Talks at Plum Village \u2013 even\nif it is a talk on The Fundamental\nVerses on the Middle Way<\/em> or The\nBook of the Shastra that Gathers in Mahayana<\/em>\n\u2013 always includes methods of practice that are very concrete and\neasy to apply in daily life. The very essence of Applied Buddhism is\nto put the teachings into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hope that what we have just shared can help you to have a clearer idea on the practice of Sangha building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We respectfully wish you a wonderful and beautiful opportunity in guiding the younger monastic generation to a new, more spacious and radiant horizon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this teaching just before his stroke, Thay emphasises that no studies, ceremonies, or personal enlightenments are more noble than the practice of sangha-building and nurturing collective awakening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","topics":[3135,3182,3357],"class_list":["post-158000","letter","type-letter","status-publish","hentry","topics-buddhism-ja","topics-community-building-ja","topics-monastic-life-ja"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/letter\/158000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/letter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/letter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/letter\/158000\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.plumvillage.org\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=158000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}