Berit Talan

I just listened to a Dharma talk by Marisela Gomez, a Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition. She reminded us that our purpose here is to be love. Not be loved and not to love. But to be love. Embody love. That this is particularly important .. 1/4 #ThichNhatHanh #Mindfulness #Buddhism #Zen

warm up sequence of movements the instruction was "Lift your heart to the heavens" while stretching arms and chest to the ceiling. And my heart cried "NO! No no no no. Don't lift, I need to be right here. Protected." Before that I hadn't even known that my trauma was activated. I tended to it. 3/4

I just listened to a Dharma talk by Marisela Gomez, a Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition. She reminded us that our purpose here is to be love. Not be loved and not to love. But to be love. Embody love. That this is particularly important .. 1/4 #ThichNhatHanh #Mindfulness #Buddhism #Zen

There is a lot going on in the world. We determine what it is that we can do to take action and do it. And we also need to take care of ourselves. Sometimes we may feel shaky, unstable, and afraid. It feels difficult to... www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHZ0... #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness 1/2

Christiana Figueres is a student of Thich Naht Hanh and member of the Plum Village sangha. I had the good fortune of attending a retreat with her in June of last year. It is a blessing to listen to her speak. I can't make this session below today, but absolutely would if I could. #climate 1/2

Breath Awareness When we follow our breath, there are different parts of our bodies, where we can experience the breath. The rising and falling of our abdomen, the air cool at our nostrils as with breathe in and warm as we breathe out, the throat. #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness 1/3

Paying attention at different parts has a different impact on our nervous system. Focusing on our abdomen calms us, while focusing on the nostrils is more invigorating. 2/3

"It only takes one breath." When I heard Thay say this in a podcast 18 years ago it filled me with such hope. My mind was in chaos. Meditation was impossible. But I thought I can do 1 breath. It didn't matter if it was ragged or short or painful - as it 1/2 #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness

The Island of Self: One of the foundational practices is to take to refuge in our breath. Thay instructs us 
„Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.“ (1/6) #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness #Buddhism #meditation

This helps me if I’m feeling particularly agitated and it’s difficult to follow the breath otherwise. It can also feel really pleasant to rest in the little moments of stillness in between in and out breath. Conscious breathing is our anchor. 5/6

The Island of Self: One of the foundational practices is to take to refuge in our breath. Thay instructs us 
„Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.“ (1/6) #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness #Buddhism #meditation

This step helps us build concentration. When our limbic system is hijacked, if we can stop the cascading of thoughts, the storyline, it takes 90 seconds for the cortisol etc to leave our systems and for us to feel calm again. So if we are upset for more than a minute and a half, it’s because 3/6

The Island of Self: One of the foundational practices is to take to refuge in our breath. Thay instructs us 
„Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.“ (1/6) #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness #Buddhism #meditation

How do we manage in these challenging times? Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us of the Buddha's teaching of taking refuge in the island of self. "When the Buddha was in his 80th year and knew that he would soon pass from this life, he felt a lot of compassion .. 1/6 #PlumVillage #Buddhism #Zen #Mindfulness

I open Bluesky on the Plum Village feed instead of my Following feed, so that I can decide & be ready to take on the news. It is important to be aware of the suffering. We also need to get in touch with the peaceful, refreshing elements to be able to do so. tiny.cc/PVfeed 6/6 BlueskySangha

How do we manage in these challenging times? Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us of the Buddha's teaching of taking refuge in the island of self. "When the Buddha was in his 80th year and knew that he would soon pass from this life, he felt a lot of compassion .. 1/6 #PlumVillage #Buddhism #Zen #Mindfulness

I open Bluesky on the Plum Village feed instead of my Following feed, so that I can decide & be ready to take on the news. It is important to be aware of the suffering. We also need to get in touch with the peaceful, refreshing elements to be able to do so. tiny.cc/PVfeed 6/6 BlueskySangha

How do we manage in these challenging times? Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us of the Buddha's teaching of taking refuge in the island of self. "When the Buddha was in his 80th year and knew that he would soon pass from this life, he felt a lot of compassion .. 1/6 #PlumVillage #Buddhism #Zen #Mindfulness

one day he came back to his hermitage from a walk but a storm had surprised him and not having secured the hermitage when he left, the wind had blown through, his papers were everywhere. He closed the doors and windows, lit a lamp, picked up the papers and lit a fire. tiny.cc/windowsworld 4/6

How do we manage in these challenging times? Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us of the Buddha's teaching of taking refuge in the island of self. "When the Buddha was in his 80th year and knew that he would soon pass from this life, he felt a lot of compassion .. 1/6 #PlumVillage #Buddhism #Zen #Mindfulness

for his disciples and friends because he saw that many of them had not found their true home ... The Buddha taught them that they all had a place of refuge to return to and that they should take refuge only there. ...There, one can find peace and protection; one can find our ancestors and our 2/6

Plum Village needs our help. Last night the Purple Cloud building in Lower Hamlet burned down. Purple Cloud was the hearth and home of Lower Hamlet since PV’s founding in 1982. Please donate to help the community rebuild! Thay’s room was there—... (1/3) plumvillage.org?form=PVLHFir...

as well as many Dharma books. Everything else was lost. Please help the community build accommodations for the monastics and rebuild and restore Thay's room. (3/3)

Plum Village needs our help. Last night the Purple Cloud building in Lower Hamlet burned down. Purple Cloud was the hearth and home of Lower Hamlet since PV’s founding in 1982. Please donate to help the community rebuild! Thay’s room was there—... (1/3) plumvillage.org?form=PVLHFir...

Thich Nhat Hanh about meeting MLK: "On June 1, 1966, I met the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in person for the first time in Chicago. From the first moment, I knew I was in the presence of a holy person. Not just his good work but his very being was a source of great inspiration for me... (1/2)

Tea meditation is such a lovely practice. It feels easy to be present: the smell of the tea, the warm cup against my hand, the liquid running down my throat. And it's a deep practice. There is a cloud in my tea. (1/2) #Buddhism #Mindfulness #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #meditation

"These words and music have been composed to serve as Dharma instruments helping us come back to the deepest place in ourselves, the place where we are most awake and alive. Chanting is often the most direct and immediate way to reconnect... #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness #Buddhism (1/3)

... us with these places." TNH I can't explain it but I feel it is true. When I feel heartbroken and tender, I turn to chanting or listening to chants. The Universal Door Chapter shows us how invoking the strength of Avalokita, helps us overcome suffering. tiny.cc/universaldoor (2/3)

I take refuge in songs, poetry, and somatic exercises. This poem was written by Thay during the Vietnam war after the bombing of Ben Tre and the comment made by an American military man, “We had to destroy the town in order to save it.” #ThichNhatHanh #PlumVillage #Mindfulness #Buddhism #poetry 1/3

I have been dealing with insomnia and anxious thoughts the last few days without knowing why. Today my body gave me the insight that it is unprocessed anger. I so want this world to be better! I turned to this poem and Sister Chong Khong's song www.youtube.com/watch?v=nskb... 2/3