Order of Interbeing
Encyclopedia
The Order of Interbeing, or Tiếp Hiện in Vietnamese
, was founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist
monk
Thich Nhat Hanh
. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." "Interbeing" is a word coined by Thich Nhat Hanh to represent the Buddhist principles of impermanence
and the nonself
characteristic which reveal the inter-connected-ness of all things. The order contains members of the "Four-fold Sangha" (monks, nuns, lay men, and lay women) and is guided by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings http://www.orderofinterbeing.org/wiki/index.php?title=Fourteen_Mindfulness_Trainings.
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Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, was founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
Thich Nhat Hanh
Nhat Hanh
Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name...
. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." "Interbeing" is a word coined by Thich Nhat Hanh to represent the Buddhist principles of impermanence
Impermanence
Impermanence is one of the essential doctrines or three marks of existence in Buddhism...
and the nonself
Anatta
In Buddhism, anattā or anātman refers to the notion of "not-self." In the early texts, the Buddha commonly uses the word in the context of teaching that all things perceived by the senses are not really "I" or "mine," and for this reason one should not cling to them.In the same vein, the Pali...
characteristic which reveal the inter-connected-ness of all things. The order contains members of the "Four-fold Sangha" (monks, nuns, lay men, and lay women) and is guided by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings http://www.orderofinterbeing.org/wiki/index.php?title=Fourteen_Mindfulness_Trainings.
Timeline
1926- October 11 - Birth of Thich Nhat Hanh (TNH) (birth name: Nguyễn Xuân Bảo in Thừa Thiên, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
)
1938
- Birth of Sister Chan KhongChan KhongChân Không; born in 1938, is an expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist nun, peace activist, and has worked closely with Thich Nhat Hanh in the creation of Plum Village and helping conduct spiritual retreats internationally...
(born Cao Ngoc Phuong in Ben Tre, Vietnam)
1942
- TNH entered the Tu Hieu Temple MonasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
as a novice monk
194_
- TNH graduates from Bao Quoc Buddhist Academy
1949
- TNH is ordained a BuddhistBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
1950
- TNH co-founded An Quang Temple in Saigon, Vietnam
195_
- TNH Founded the Phuong Boi (Fragrant Palm Leaves) Meditation Center in the highlands of Vietnam
1956
- TNH named Editor-in-Chief of “Vietnamese Buddhism” the periodical of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Association
1958
- Sister Chan Khong enrolled at the University of Saigon, studying biology
1960
- TNH goes to the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to study comparative religion at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
1961
- TNH Teaches at Columbia University and Princeton University
1963
- TNH returns to Vietnam
- Sister Chan Khong goes to ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to complete her degree in biologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
1964
- TNH establishes the Van Hanh University, La Boi Press, and the School for Youth and Social Service (SYSS)
- Sister Chan Khong returns to Vietnam to work with the SYSS
- The Order of Interbeing is established
1965
- TNH writes “Searching for the Enemy of Man” a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
urging him to publicly oppose the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
1966
- February 5 – the first 6 members (the Six Cedars) are ordained into the newly formed Order of Interbeing. Among the six are Sister Chan Khong and Nhat Chi MaiNhất Chi MaiNhất Chi Mai born Phan Thị Mai and legally named Thích nữ Diệu Huỳnh, is best known as a female Buddhist who burned herself in an act of self-immolation in Saigon on May 16, 1967 in protest of the Vietnam War....
. The latter would immolate herself in protest against the war a year later. - May 1 - TNH is given the Lamp Transmission at Từ Hiếu Temple from Master Chân Thật, making him a Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher)
- TNH returns to the US to lead a symposium at Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
- TNH speaks to many groups and leaders, including Robert MacNamara and Martin Luther King, Jr. urging peace in Vietnam
- Sister Chan Khong is named operations director of the SYSS
- Control of Van Hanh University is taken over by the Vice Chancellor who severs ties with the SYSS, calling Sister Chan Khong a communist
- The SYSS continues to work despite the harassment and murder of many of its members
1967
- TNH is nominated for the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
by Martin Luther King, Jr. - TNH is exiled from Vietnam by the Vietnamese government
- TNH gains asylumRight of asylumRight of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in France - May – Nhat Chi MaiNhất Chi MaiNhất Chi Mai born Phan Thị Mai and legally named Thích nữ Diệu Huỳnh, is best known as a female Buddhist who burned herself in an act of self-immolation in Saigon on May 16, 1967 in protest of the Vietnam War....
, one of the first six Order of Interbeing members, immolatesSelf-immolationSelf-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
herself for peace
1969
- TNH Leads the Buddhist Peace Delegation
- Sister Chan Khong joins TNH in France to assist with the Buddhist Peace Delegation; she is considered an enemy of the Vietnamese government and exiled as well
- TNH Establishes the Unified Buddhist ChurchUnified Buddhist ChurchThe Unified Buddhist Church was founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in France in 1969, during the Vietnam War...
in France - TNH lectures at the SorbonneSorbonneThe Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris
1973
- Paris Peace AccordsParis Peace AccordsThe Paris Peace Accords of 1973 intended to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam War, ended direct U.S. military involvement, and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam...
are signed. TNH is not allowed re-entry into Vietnam by the newly formed communistCommunismCommunism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
government.
1975
- TNH and Sister Chan Khong form the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Center in France
1976-77
- TNH and Sister Chan Khong lead efforts to rescue Vietnamese boat peopleBoat peopleBoat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
1982
- Plum VillagePlum VillagePlum Village is a Buddhist meditation center in the Dordogne, in southern France. It was founded by Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, and his colleague Bhikkhuni Chân Không, in 1982.-History:...
Buddhist Center in the DordogneDordogneDordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
region of France is established by TNH and Sister Chan Khong
1988
- Sister Chan Khong is ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh as a nun on Vulture’s Peak in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
1990
- Sister Annabel Laity (True Virtue) ordained as a Dharmacharya and serves as Director of Practice at Plum Village
1992
- The first conference of the International Order of Interbeing is held. This conference established the Order of Interbeing Charter, elected an Executive Council, and established that Assembly meetings would be held regularly to revise and amend the Charter. It also established a Council of Elders and a Council of Youth to draw from the experience of its members for leadership and guidance.http://www.interbeing.org.uk/about/oi/
1997
- Maple Forest MonasteryMaple Forest MonasteryMaple Forest Monastery is part of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing and a men's monastery. Established in 1997, after the donation of a property in Woodstock, Vermont. The governing body for the monastery is the Unified Buddhist Church. They are closely in touch with Plum Village for resources...
was formed in VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
1998
- Unified Buddhist Church (UBC), Inc is formed in the United States
- Sister Annabel named to head the UBC, Inc
- Green Mountain Dharma CenterGreen Mountain Dharma CenterGreen Mountain Dharma Center was founded in April 1998 and is located in Hartland-Four-Corners, VT. As of 2006, 6 nuns and 3 monks are in residence there. Recently, the GMDC has been developing in a new direction by becoming a Fourfold Retreat and Practice Center for the teachings of Thich Nhat...
formed - Sister Annabel named Abbess of the Maple Forest Monastery and Green Mountain Dharma CenterGreen Mountain Dharma CenterGreen Mountain Dharma Center was founded in April 1998 and is located in Hartland-Four-Corners, VT. As of 2006, 6 nuns and 3 monks are in residence there. Recently, the GMDC has been developing in a new direction by becoming a Fourfold Retreat and Practice Center for the teachings of Thich Nhat...
2000
- June - TNH assists in writing the Manifesto 2000 which consists of six pledges to promote a culture of peace and non-violence in the world. It has been signed by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureateshttp://www3.unesco.org/manifesto2000/default.asphttp://www3.unesco.org/manifesto2000/default.asp
- Deer Park MonasteryDeer Park MonasteryDeer Park Monastery is a Buddhist sanctuary in Escondido, California. It was founded in July 2000 by monastic and lay practitioners from Plum Village in France....
is formed in California near Escondido
2001
- September 21 – TNH begins a fast for peace and to remember those who have died in the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
- September 25 - TNH gives a speech at the Riverside ChurchRiverside ChurchThe Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
urging the American people and government to think before reacting to the events of September 11th and to look for a peaceful resolution.
2005
- January 12 to April 11 - TNH returns to Vietnam to visit Buddhist temples, teach, and is allowed to publish a limited number of his books in Vietnamese; 100 monastic and 90 lay members of the OI accompany him
- Two temples are re-established in Vietnam with TNH as their spiritual head: the Tu Hieu Temple and the Prajna Temple
- August - Magnolia Village Practice CenterMagnolia Village Practice CenterMagnolia Village Mindfulness Practice Center is a retreat and practice center located in Batesville, Mississippi. The grounds are located near Memphis, Tennessee. The center is part of the Order of Interbeing and practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, who visited Magnolia Village in...
is accepted by TNH as an Order of Interbeing center in MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi... - October 9, TNH and Order of Interbeing members lead the “Peace is Every Step” walk at MacArthur ParkMacArthur ParkMacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...
in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
2006
- May 22 - TNHs book Old Path White Clouds is optioned for the film Buddha to be produced by MCorpGlobal. TNH makes an appearance at the Canne's film festival to promote the projecthttp://www.deerparkmonastery.org/news/articlefrompress/cannes_old_path_white_cloud.html
- September 11 - TNH makes an appearance in Los Angeles to promote the Buddha film project. His Holiness the Dalai Lama endorsed the project at the luncheon which was attended by a number of Hollywood actors.http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,3161,0,0,1,0
- October 7 - TNH addresses UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, calling for specific steps to reverse the cycle of violence, war, and global warming. He calls for a commitment of observing a weekly No Car Dayhttp://www.car-free-days.org/ to be promoted globally.http://www.deerparkmonastery.org/no_car_day/UNESCOnewsrelease.html - October 11 - TNH enjoys his 80th birthday
2007
- February 20 to May 9 - TNH Returns to Vietnam to conduct "Grand Requiem For Praying" ceremonies to help heal the wounds of the Vietnam war.http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1595721,00.html
- May 20 to May 31 - TNH visits Thailand, giving Dharma talks and a 5 day retreat.http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,4003,0,0,1,0
- May - Blue Cliff MonasteryBlue Cliff MonasteryBlue Cliff Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located in Pine Bush, New York. It was founded in May 2007 by monastic and lay practitioners from Plum Village in France....
established; Maple Forest Monastery and Green Mountain Dharma Center close and move to the new location as an extension of Plum Village Monasteryhttp://www.bluecliffmonastery.org/about/aboutbcm.htm
External links
- Order of Interbeing website
- I Am Home - Community of Mindful Living; home of the "Mindfulness Bell" magazine with news, articles, and talks by Thich Nhat Hanh and other Order of Interbeing members.
- Community of Interbeing UK "The UK organisation which supports the practice of mindfulness taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh"