General

— If we are mindful, peace and happiness is just one breath away from us 😊 Dear, In the December over two thousand years ago, Jesus was born and spread the news to love God and love the people around us. These are the two most important commandments in the Bible. Last month in Plum Village Hong Kong, we also celebrated the Christmas festival and delved deep in the meaning of Christmas, birth of Christ, and Buddhism. Past Events Sunday Day of Mindfulness – Christmas Celebration (Dec 24th) December 24 DOM is a special DOM. It was be the last Sunday Day of Mindfulness in 2023. Not only did we practice mindfulness together, we also celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Once again we were reminded from Thay teaching about the non-duality of life and death. Christ is neither born nor died, and the same as Buddha. They are transformed into other matters. This is the same as the cloud up in the sky. It is formed from the water in the river, vapour in the air, and will transform into rain falling down to the earth, nourishing all things touched by it. If we practice the teachings of Christ and Buddha, then they live within us and are manifested through us. It is also refreshing to feel the breeze during our walking meditation that morning on the Ngong Ping hiking trail. Have to appreciate the tastiness of the vegan meals up in the Temple 😋 More photos at this Fb post. We also have a longer blog post here. Wake Up Retreat 2023 (Dec 28th – Jan 1st) The theme for this retreat is Mindfulness Survival Kit 101. We had a chance to learn and go deep into these guidelines of the Five Mindfulness Trainings. In this issue, we are privileged to have a long-time Wake Up practitioner, Jamie, to share her experience in the retreat: The 2023 Wake […]

Last month, we were reminded about True Happiness during Thấy Pháp Nguyện’s talk. In December, we will continue with our regular Friday Night Practices and Sunday Day of Mindfulness. Additionally, we provide an update on the Wake Up Retreat: Mindfulness Survival Kit 101, coming at the end of the month. Past Events Sunday Day of Mindfulness (Nov 12th) We had a special guest, Thấy Pháp Nguyện, who was Thây’s attendant stationed in Thailand, visited us in Nov. He gave a Dharma Talk and the topic was “True Happiness”. The followings were some of the highlights: Bring joy to others, smiling to everyone. In morning, afternoon and evening, may all beings you preserved to protect themselves. If I accidentally stepped on you, may you be liberated. What is the foundation of peace? Our teacher Thây said that Peace is Understanding and Love. (For more, refer to the original Fb post). Upcoming Events Friday Night Practices (2023 Dec) In our Friday night practice session, in addition to singing meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and Dharma sharing, we continue reading “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in December. Here is the schedule: Dec 1st (Fri), 19:30 – 21:15 UTC+8, Online(Zoom) – English Dec 15th (Fri), 19:00 – 21:00 UTC+8, Central – Cantonese For those interested, please visit our website on the Friday Night Practice to register. Sunday Day of Mindfulness & Christmas Celebration on Dec 24 Sunday Day of Mindfulness is led by AIAB monastics to integrate mindfulness into daily life. Every Sunday, through a series of mindfulness practice activities, we can enjoy the happiness of being present in the moment. In addition, practicing together as a sangha is an enjoyable experience and strengthens our practice. With more details here. Participants can register on the website. If the registration is close, you can also send an email to aiab@pvfhk.org. Christmas and New Year are times when family members […]

Body-mind Wellbeing Retreat and 14 MT happened in October. We will have our usual practice schedule, and new events such as Education University of Hong Kong 2023 Day of Mindfulness in Nov, Wake Up Retreat: Mindfulness Survival Kit 101 in Dec, and Old Path White Clouds 2024 Pilgrimage in India in Apr 2024. Past Events Body-mind Wellbeing Retreat We just finished the Body-Mind Well-being Retreat “Transfoemarion and Healing” from October 19 – 23. More than 80 friends joined. Other than Hong Kong, we had friends from Malaysia, PRC, USA, etc. The weather on the first day was fine. The next day rained. Temperature dropped a lot to 15-16c. Cool and wet, but it didn’t affect us. Everyone enjoyed the activities in the retreat. From the Morning sitting session, guided sitting meditation, listening to the sutra, working meditation, Dharma talk, lunch, Total Relaxation, dharma sharing and evening activities. The executives of AIAB gave us Dharma talks in three days and Q&A session. The contents are rich and practical. Everyone sat there and listened attentively. Fb post link. Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings (14 MT) are a modern distillation of the traditional Bodhisattva precepts of Mahayana Buddhism, created by Thich Nhat Hanh in Saigon in 1966. These Fourteen Trainings outline a way of practicing harmoniously in community followed by residents at all of the international monastic practice centers in the Plum Village tradition. In the weekend of Oct 28 – 29, we are fortunate to have had a 14 MT Transmission Ceremony held in Lotus Pond Temple and ten aspirants vow on taking on The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. Upcoming Events Friday Night Practices (2023 Nov / Dec) In our Friday night practice session, in addition to singing meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and Dharma sharing, we continued reading “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in November and December. Here is the schedule: […]

AIAB celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival together with friends once again, after three years due to the epidemic. This month we review the Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration happened in September, introduce our usual practice schedule, and the Body-mind Wellbeing Retreat. Past Events Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration – 2023.09.30 Traditionally, Mid-Autumn Festival is to be with our family and friends. Due to the pandemic, we could only stay home and watch the moon in the last two years. We are back this year. AIAB had a Mid-Autumn Festival at Lotus Pond Temple on September 30, 2023 evening, monastics and friends celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival. More details. Upcoming Events Friday Night Mindfulness Practice (2023 Oct / Nov) In our Friday night practice session, in addition to singing meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and Dharma sharing, we continued reading “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. October Theme: In the Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching – 2. On Nov, we will have a new theme. Here is the schedule: Oct 6th, 19:30 – 21:15 UTC+8, Online(Zoom) – English Oct 20th：cancelled Nov 3th, 19:30 – 21:15 UTC+8, Online(Zoom) – English Nov 17th, 19:00 – 21:00 UTC+8, Central – Cantonese For those interested, please visit our website on the Friday Night Practice. Sunday Day of Mindfulness Sunday Day of Mindfulness is led by AIAB monastics to integrate mindfulness into daily life. Through a series of mindfulness practice activities, we can enjoy the happiness of being present in the moment. In addition, practicing together as a sangha is an enjoyable experience and strengthens our practice. More details here. Participants can register on the website. If the registration is close, you can send an email to aiab@pvfhk.org. Wake Up Monday Night Practice (2023 Oct) We are thrilled to invite you to the upcoming MNP (Monday Night Practice) events at the Flower Market. These sessions are open to participants at all levels and provide a wonderful opportunity for […]

This month we will review the Rose Festival and Paravana Ceremony (closing ceremony of 3 months Rain Retreat) happened in August, introduce our usual practice schedule, and the Body-mind Wellbeing Retreat. We are learning to practice with mindfulness and to make smiling a practice to feel at ease. Past Events Rose Festival Plum Village Hong Kong held the Rose Festival on Aug 20, 2023, inspired by Thấy Thich Nhất Hạnh’s experience in Japan. Around 150 friends attended, celebrating the parental love. Activities included book readings, songs, and love letters. Each participant received a pair of roses. For more details, refer to this Fb post. Paravana Ceremony (closing ceremony of the 3-month Rain Retreat) Paravana Ceremony marked the end of the three-month Rain Retreat for Plum Village monastics. The monastics would then have 10 days off, with Lotus Pond Temple and Bamboo Forest Monastery do not have any schedule nor activities. Regular activities resume on Sep 7, 2023. For more details, refer to this Fb post. Upcoming Events Friday Night Mindfulness Practice (2023 Sep / Oct) In our Friday night practice session, in addition to singing meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and Dharma sharing, we continued reading “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. Bi-monthly Theme: In the Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching – 2 Here is the schedule: Sep 1st, 19:30 UTC+8, Online – English – Reading: Eightfold Path: Right Mindfulness (EN) Sep 15th, 19:00 UTC+8, Central – Cantonese – Reading: Three Dharma Seals (CN) Oct 6th, 19:30 UTC+8, Online – English – Reading: The Four Immeasurables (EN) Oct 20th, 19:00 UTC+8, Central – Cantonese – Reading: The Six Paramitas (CN) For those interested, please register here for the online sessions. To register for the offline sessions, please visit our website on the Monday of that week. Wake Up Monday Night Practice (2023 Sep / Oct) We are thrilled to invite you to the upcoming MNP (Monday Night […]

This month we will recap on the Family Retreat and the Educators' Retreat, and continue with our regular Friday Night Practices and Sunday Day of Mindfulness at Lotus Pond Temple. We are learning to make mindfulness our way of life, enjoying the beauty around us, and deepening our practice day by day.