A well-ordered Monastery

A community of practice is different from a mere village. Wherever we come, monastic brothers and sisters immediately have everything settled for an activity schedule to be applied. From simple activities at the beginning, Thai Plum Village now has a tremendous big bell invited every early morning and evening; the activity bell, the harmonious sound of the bell and the fish drum, together with the chanting voice, create the ambience for a well-ordered monastery.

 

An Institute of Applied Buddhism

In our first years, we listened to recorded Dharma talks by Thầy and had personal self-study time; gradually, Dharma Classes, skills, and language classes were organized more systematically. Later on, the Seven-Year Education Program was set up and taken care of by the Education Team, providing a more sophisticated curriculum. The Monastery has functioned like a mindfulness training center. Models of classes, course descriptions, contents, methodology, assessment, and certification are not similar to that of any other institute. We are trained with our way of living as teachers and we live with that which we are trained. Simultaneously conducted in three languages, Vietnamese, English, and Thai, activities in the Monastery have been improved to offer a setting for practice for practitioners from around the world.

 

A spiritual family of Fourfold Sangha

In the monastery, it is easy for us to sense the atmosphere of a family. The way in which we: address one another, make decisions together, work with each other, welcome newly ordained brothers and sisters, take care of sick people, etc., have altogether helped us embody the ideal of: “accepting and loving each other like blood brothers and sisters” that Thầy usually reminded us of. The strong connection between the members of this family is our training as well as our ideal. Many have contributed to the living energy of this pure land and they are not only monastics but all who have joined us in practice like parents of the monastics, volunteers, Thai members of the Order of Interbeing, as well as sanghas in the three areas of Việt Nam.