“Do not despair. There is always something you can do. There is still a chance.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and The Art of Saving the Planet

Guided Meditation

Remembering that Mother Earth
is Alive in Each of Us

The Earth is not separate from us. As Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) teaches, we inter-are.

As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Sister Dang Nghiem of Deer Park Monastery offers a powerful guided meditation (courtesy of filmmaker Wouter Verhoeven and Evermind Media) to help remind us of that deep connection with our planet and to offer a path of healing.

"Breathing in, I recognize that Mother Earth is sick. That climate disruption is a manifestation of a grave illness and imbalance in her elements."

"Breathing out, I contemplate on how her sickness is reflected in the sickness and suffering in humans and other species, as antibiotic resistant infections, pandemics, devastating floods, wildfires, species extinctions, etcetera. Mother Earth is sick. Therefore we are sick."

Healing ourselves, Sister Dang Nghiem says, will also heal the Earth.

Plea for Peace

In Words and Actions,
Community Seeks End to Ukraine War

Recognizing the inherent right of all beings to live in peace, our international Plum Village monastic community has taken a number of steps in response to the war and growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

We have issued an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in the country. And this week, two of our Plum Village nuns—Sisters Giac Nghiem and Luc Nghiem—joined a peace delegation of religious leaders visiting refugee camps in the city of Chernivtsi, Ukraine, to show friendship, offer comfort, and share guidance for maintaining spiritual well-being under distressing circumstances.

During a special presentation at a theater in Chernivtsi on Tuesday, Sister Giac Nghiem read a poem she wrote for the people of Ukraine, while Sister Luc Nghiem and a folk singer sang I Have Arrived, I Am Home in Ukrainian. 

Earth Holders Community

Using Mindfulness Practices and Engagement
to Address Climate and Racial Justice

The Earth Holder Community (EHC) brings the teachings and practices of Thay to bear on some of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: Earth justice and racial justice, which are intimately linked. Its aim is to “bring mindfulness, compassion, healing, and non-violence to protecting ourselves, each other, all beings, and the Earth.”

The EHC provides encouragement, materials, and support to practitioners individually engaged in working on behalf of Mother Earth. It also sponsors a collective group called the EH Regional Community-Builders Sangha, with members from North America, Europe, and Peru who connect with Thay’s practices, one another, and climate justice organizations to bring about positive change. In just this past year, Regional Community Builders have:

• Published a handbook for youth climate activists for 350.org California

• Worked with the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, and Plum Village BIPOC monastics to raise awareness about the links between Thay and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Created regional Earth Holder Communities in Florida, the Upper Midwest, and the mid-Atlantic states in the U.S.

• Participated in climate justice civil disobedience actions

• Organized a book club that brought together 150 people to study and practice with Thay’s latest book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

There are many ways to get involved. Earth Holders holds online Sangha gatherings twice a month and recently launched a Beloved Community Circles initiative, an emerging network of small local groups organized and supported to more intentionally share Plum Village practices with a suffering world through mindful action. 

Getting Close to Nature

Deer Park Hike to Joshua Tree
Inspires Friendship and Art

One way to demonstrate your love for your mother is to spend time with her. So that’s what a group led by Brother Phap Luu of Deer Park Monastery did recently for Mother Earth.

A weeklong backpacking retreat took participants to Joshua Tree National Park, where they enjoyed nature, went on mindful walks, shared meals, and took part in sitting meditation, Dharma talks, Dharma sharing, and deep relaxation.

The trip so inspired one participant, Nityalila “Nitya” Saulo (above), an artist and founder of Tofu Creatives, that she drew a doodle (below) chronicling their journey and some of her experiences along the way.

“It was such an awakening and regenerating journey to join Thay Phap Luu, the brothers, and all the participants,” Nitya said. “I would join another backpacking retreat again in a heartbeat.”

Planetary Page Turner

'Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet'
Connects with Readers Across the Globe

Since its release last October, Thay's Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet has gained an international following, spending time on the National Indie Bestseller List and ranked highly on Amazon—where it recently stood #23 among books on Zen (and, interestingly, #15 among books on weather and #18 among books on rivers).

Most inspiring, though, has been how this guide for applying some of Thay's deepest teachings to address climate catastrophe has been embraced by readers all over the world (including the Aloha Reading Group in Kuwait, above).

In the book, coauthored by Sister True Dedication, Thay writes:

"When you wake up and see that the Earth is not just the environment, the Earth is us, you touch the nature of interbeing. And at that moment you can have real communication with the Earth. That is the highest form of prayer. In that kind of relationship, you will have the love, strength, and awakening you need to change your life."

Earth Month Selections

Bouquet of Titles Available
about Mother Earth this Spring

Several books by Thay, Plum Village monastics, and practitioners weave together the practice of mindfulness and the caretaking of nature and the planet, including Thay's Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet from HarperOne, and three titles published by Parallax Press: Thay's popular Love Letter to the Earth, the 30th anniversary edition of Joanna Macy's World As Lover, World As Self, and a new title from Japan offering children and parents tips and activities to live in greater harmony with Earth.

Our Earth, Our Home by Azusa Fukuoka, Kai Sawyer, and Wakana Kawamura (available May 3) is a beautifully illustrated and energetic guide offering a rich variety of DIY crafts around design thinking, mindfulness, gardening, eating, permaculture, and more. 

Readers are guided by a character called Ranger Kai, who offers five rules and reminders for the journey: 

1. Be yourself

2. You have everything you need

3. You can create whatever you want

4. We are all connected

5. Have fun with life!

Mindfulness Bell Update

You Are Warmly Invited To Join Us

Retreats & Days of Mindfulness with
Monastic Community Members

Thank You

We would like to share with you our heartfelt gratitude for your continued practice and for your support for our beloved monastics. As we say in the Plum Village tradition, “You are, therefore I am.” We wish you and your loved ones safety, health, and ease.

See highlights from the week of memorial ceremonies for Thich Nhat Hanh.

The Raft is a special bi-weekly series, assembled by the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, Plum Village Monastery, Parallax Press, and the Plum Village App team to help keep you grounded and connected.

Learn about the meaning of The Raft.

View previous issues of The Raft.

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The Raft calligraphy by Brother Phap Huu.