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.