Category: Uncategorized

Many sangha siblings from Northern California were fortunate to travel to the Order of Interbeing retreat at Plum Village in June, 2026.

This was the first OI retreat in decades. The first week was for anyone curious about the OI path, weeks 2 and 3 were for current aspirants and ordained OI members, and the fourth week was a smaller, invite-only gathering to talk about forming councils.

I (Dylan) attended weeks two and three, and sent a series of email updates and photos to friends on the Plumline mailing list.

If you want to read my reports, see this Google doc.

I’ve also shared a few photos in this Google photo album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AJ2yNGfTbLbxyQuH8

On October 4, 27 Order of Interbeing members, aspirants, and friends gathered under a big tree in Snow Park near Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA, USA. 

We loved being outdoors together, sitting under a big tree and enjoying fresh air, sharing lunch and snacks.

There is a lot of gratitude and energy around intergenerational sangha building in the Bay Area. Dharma Teachers are happy to see the younger generation OI and aspirants organizing (seeing the fruits of their many years of sangha building), and the younger generation appreciates the call/opportunity to step up and be the continuation

Many expressed wanting more gatherings like this in the future.

This was the first Bay Area OI “fire building” community gathering, leading up to the June 2026 OI retreat at Plum Village, France, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the OI and the 100th birthday of Thích Nhất Hạnh.

For more information on the retreat and on fire-building get-togethers, see Nurturing the Fire on the Plum Village website.

Also, check out Sangha Fire-Building Sessions Around the World on the Deer Park website.

Many Plum Village practitioners came out to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco last week to listen to a talk and performance by Born I, a meditation teacher and hiphop artist who also has a new book, Lyrical Dharma, from Parallax Press.

It was an inspiring and uplifting evening!

Here’s a group photo with Born I.

Well, this is to say my annual demonstration of Dong Stick Qi Gong* will take place Thursdays this month, 10:30–11:30pm.  Each session is essentially the same.

Continue reading “Dong Stick Qi Gong from Gary Gach”

Dear Ones, (please share with your Sanghas)

I am excited to invite you to join me for Biking Meditation on Saturday Feb 11 at 2PM. Meet at the Scott Street Labyrinth (off the Wiggle), 52-98 Scott Street, San Francisco, 94117

Continue reading “Biking Meditation Saturday Feb. 11”

Dear larger bay area sangha,

Sending you loving energy in this time of hurt with recent violence in our collective consciousness. On behalf of couples sangha, we invite partnered practitioners to come practice with us to build a beloved, intergenerational, mixed heritage, LGBQTIA+ friendly sangha here in Northern Cal. 

We meet virtually Sundays from 7-8:30 pm and in person at a practitioner’s home the last Sunday of the month. Inviting you to come check us out if this peaks your curiosity and if you’re looking to practice with your partners.  Please email me to be added to our listserv and to receive weekly zoom links/updates!

Eric and I will be hosting this Sunday 1/29. A note for younger practitioners: Eric and I have been the youngest couple (age wise) in the sangha for several years and are ready to give up that title. 😉 

Please share with your sanghas!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88652873463?pwd=RWxwT0czbWZkK2tTT0dkNmxhZzNQdz09

Meeting ID: 886 5287 3463
Passcode: together
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,88652873463# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,88652873463# US (Houston)

Looking forward to meeting you,

Kim & couples sangha 

I have just posted the latest version of the NorCal sangha directory. Please share this with your sanghas — and with any friends looking for a sangha in the Plum Village tradition!

There are many updates in this version. And for the first time we have an “online only” section on the second page, for Bay Area-based sanghas that practice primarily online (currently: Sugarplum and Morning Birds).

Several people have been asking recently which sanghas in the Bay Area are offering in-person meetings. Here are a few that meet in person at least occasionally:

• Heart Sangha (Santa Cruz)
• Majestic Oak Sangha (Redwood City)
• Buckeye Sangha (Berkeley)
• Hella Just (Berkeley)
• Wake Up SF (San Francisco)

There may be others; these are just the ones I’ve heard about in the Bay Area. Details and contact info are in the PDF, of course.

You can always find the latest version of this document online at:

https://norcalsangha.org/directory/

Dear Community of Mindful Living in Northern California, 
We hope you all are in good health. 

In order to continue expressing our Gratitude to Thay Nhat Hanh, Thay Tu Luc of the Compassion Meditation Center (Pho Tu Pagoda) would like to invite you to come to the Compassion Meditation Center to practice mindfulness with the hope to bring benefits to all beings. 

Location:
Pho Tu Pagoda (Compassion Meditation Center) 
17327 Meekland Ave
Hayward CA 94541 

Dates and Times:

– February 19, 2022, 10:00 am – 11:30 am; ceremony in Vietnamese. 
**This event will include a Tâm Tang (Heart Mourning) pin to give to whoever wants to wear it to remember and honor Thay Nhat Hanh. 

– March 5, 2022, 10:00 am -11:30 am; event in English. 
** (please see above comment) 
Please bring poems and songs in remembrance of Thay Nhat Hanh to share. You can also bring some small objects to temporary place at the Shrine during this morning to remember Thay Nhat Hanh.

– March 13, 2022, 2:00pm – 4:00 pm, 
**(please see above comment)
Celebration of Life Ceremony in bilingual (English and Vietnamese). 
Tentatively this event will be done in the open space behind the pagoda main building. The program could be sitting with leisure within Thay Nhat Hanh; Chanting Avalokiteshvara and Offering from the Buddhist Youth of America and all attendees. 
If you have any big decoration or exhibit to present at this Match 13 Ceremony, please give them to Thay Tu Luc by March 10. More details will be announced later. Please save the dates and attend. 

– Also FYI our dear practitioner Khoe Bach in Sacramento is making a book of memoirs to remember Thay Nhat Hanh at the 100th day after Thay’s passing; if you have some writings that you want to contribute, please send them to Thay Tu Luc at the address listed above. 

– If any sangha wants some Tâm Tang (Heart Mourning) pins for their sangha members to wear in honoring Thay Nhat Hanh, please email to Thay Tu Luc at thichtuluc@yahoo.com with your return address and the desired quantity of pins.

Thank you in advance for your love and practice. 
Hope to see you at these events. 

Dear community, please see below for an invitation from Thich Tu Luc at the Compassion Meditation Center in Hayward.

---

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha
Dear Respected Hi-Venerables
Dear dharma friends and all sanghas
Dear Buddhist Youth leaders and members

In order to show our deep gratitude to Su Ong Nhat Hanh who had great love and grand merit in many years to teach meditation and translate the grand sutras, the Compassion Meditation Center, working with the Vietnamese and American Sanghas in our area, would like to offer ceremonies to remember Su Ong at the Compassion Meditation Center, 17327 Meekland Avenue, Hayward, CA 94541:

Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 10:00 am for English-speaking community.

Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 11:00 am, (right after the weekly online Google Meet program at 9:30 am of “Xa Mặt Nhưng Chẳng Cách Lòng” – “Our hearts are together even though we are apart”)

Respectfully following the teaching in the Will of Su Ong, we would like to ask sanghas to follow the three vows below:

• Diligently practice mindful living in daily life to manifest peaceful and awakening life.
• Earnestly nourish brotherhood and sisterhood in monasteries and sanghas to show your gratitude in following the Plum Village practice and tradition.
• Last but not least, sincerely contribute financially to TNH foundation (with memo: Monasteries to support the three monasteries that Su Ong established in the United States; or memo: Memorial Donation to support the activities of Su Ong’s memorial services)

In addition, we will have a bilingual (Vietnamese and English) ceremony on Thursday night, January 27, 2022 at 7:00 pm “Lighting the Candle Prayer Night”

All ceremonies will be livestreamed via FaceBook of the Compassion Meditation Center (Pho Tu).

When you come to the Compassion Meditation Center, please happily be mindful to protect each other‘s health by following the guidelines of the Health Department on vaccination, wearing masks and keeping distancing.

Please see the attached PDF for the full invitation from Thay Tu Luc.