Nu Hong Sangha is a non-profit organization where friends come together to study and practice the teachings of the Buddha. In learning and practicing Engaged Buddhism in our lives, we hope to cultivate peace, joy and happiness in ourselves and for our society.

We base our practice on these four cornerstones:

• The Five Mindfulness Trainings – The five mindfulness trainings provide the foundation in which we live our lives and support us in our practice.
• Meditation – We practice sitting, walking, eating, and working meditation as the basic elements to build mindfulness and concentration.
• Compassion and understanding – Practicing to live our lives with compassion and understanding, we are to build successful relationships, transform our sufferings and walk on toward a path of emancipation.
• Interbeing – We vow to help each other in our pratice, to cultivate and nourish our compassion, to live in mindfulness, and to follow the ideals of joy and happiness, in order to lead a life filled with peace, beauty, and joy, even in the midst of hardships and sufferings.

Nu Hong Sangha is organized as two groups that work together as one to offer support to the practice:

The purpose of our practice is for Engaged Buddhism to take place in our lives and for mindfulness to be present in our thinking, speech and actions. We practice meditation in everything we do (sitting meditation, walking meditation, eating meditation, and working meditation). We practice traditional Vietnamese meditation techniques as taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

- We meet twice a month on scheduled dates in Deer Park Monastery San Diego for Day of Mindfulness and Precept Recitations of the Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing.

- We listen to Dharma talks from Thay Thich Nhat Hanh or the monks & nuns of Plum Village, Deer Park Monastery and Green Dharma Center, and participate in Dharma discussion afterward. We share our experiences in the practice to help us deepen our understanding of the Dharma and to bring mindfulness into each moment of our lives.

- We practice transforming our anger, fear, habit energies, and ignorance in order to bring peace, joy and hope into our lives. By practicing for ourselves, we are nourishing all those around us: our parents, siblings, spouses, children, friends and colleagues. Through our practice, we are strengthening the relationship between the older generation with the younger generation and we are bridging the gap of intolerance with love and understanding. We support one another through times of difficulties and celebrate the peace and joy that the practice offers us.

- We extend our bridge of love and understanding across and within all cultural and religious divisions, in order to create harmony for all living beings to live peacefully, happily among each other.

- Within our capacity and ability, we help organize and participate in charity work with various religious and humanitarian organizations. We organize Mindfulness Retreats, Mindfulness Days and public lectures to be hosted by Thay Thich Nhat Hanh and the monks and nuns of Plum Village, Deer Park Monastery, and Green Dharma Center.

- We promote Engaged Buddhism through books, videotapes, CD’s and audiotapes for the general public to benefit in the teachings of the Buddha and guidance from Thay Thich Nhat Hanh. The funds that are raised through this effort are contributed to various programs organized by Plum Village to help those in need.

Together, we practice to cultivate peace in ourselves, our society and for future generations!

A lotus for you, a Buddha to be!

* Click here to read "About Us" in Vietnamese.