2024 Plum Village Chinese New Year Parallels These are the verses for practicing. We can print and post in our home or office, as a reminder of the practice. Plum Village practicing centers in the world will post these calligraphy, stick on the color paper and hang them in the dining hall, meditation hall and living area, as to celebrate the New Year. Download the parallels here. ~~~ Sister Chan Duc (also known as Sr. True Virtue / Sr. Annabel) shares how she will practice with this year’s parallel verses. Spacious Mind – Inclusive Heart At this new year we have a chance to look at how much room there is in our heart and how much space there is in our mind. We can practice to enlarge the capacity of our heart and mind every day. We may notice that there is someone we have not yet allowed into our heart and we begin to look deeply to see how we can allow that person a place in our heart. We need a spacious mind in order to deepen our understanding and with more understanding we grow the capacity of heart to include all. Sometimes we tell ourselves: “I must forgive,” but forgiveness is not possible without understanding. I learn to forgive myself. I acknowledge the mistakes I have made and the harm I have done in order to look deeply into my ignorance and my situation when committing the act. When I recognize the pressure I was under or my needs at the time, I feel compassion for myself and I forgive myself, vowing not to make the same mistake again. By learning to forgive myself, I learn to forgive others who have made mistakes and caused harm. I see the situation they are in and I feel their suffering that arises from their ignorance. Only then can I feel compassion, forgive them and allow them into my … Continue reading 2024 Plum Village Chinese New Year Parallels