Blue Ocean Sangha is a lay community in the Plum Village tradition, located in Miami, Florida. This community follows the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, founder of the International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, to practice mindful living. The opening page on their website states:
“We are a lay Buddhist community that practices the art of mindful living by following the teachings of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. We provide a resource for study and practice of applied Buddhism, which means that we apply Buddhist teachings to our daily lives in order to learn to be peaceful and not allow life to drift away without meaning. People of all faiths are welcomed and, in fact, encouraged to continue practicing in their root spiritual traditions if they so desire.”
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/
So, who is Thich Nhat Hanh?
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh is renowned for many things, including being a poet, peace activist, and spiritual leader. He is credited with aiding in making Buddhism a part of Western culture. He founded the Engaged Buddhism movement in response to the war in Vietnam, in which he continued the Buddhist lifestyle and practiced meditation while also tending to those suffering from the impact of war.
In the early 1960s, he traveled to the United States to study, which was followed by his teaching Buddhism at Columbia University, he became a great scholar and engaged activist as he founded the School of Youth and Social service, which is an organization focused on nonviolence and compassion. His biggest motivation was the ongoing war. Throughout his travels in the United States, he actively pushed for peace and the cessation of the ongoing war in Vietnam. In response to his actions, Vietnam exiled him for nearly four decades; however he never gave up on his goal to achieve harmony and peace within the world, and end the war.
In 1982, he founded what we now know as “Plum Village”. It is the most active Buddhist monastery in the west. Plum Village welcomes people of various ages and backgrounds who wish to learn the practices of meditation and mindfulness. Thich Nhat Hanh also founded the “Wake Up” movement, and a program to teach mindfulness in schools in America, Europe, and Asia. He recently passed away in January 2022, but he leaves behind a legacy; traces of him remain all throughout the world in Buddhist monasteries and communities, including the Blue Ocean Sangha.
Key Teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh
Mindfulness
Mindfulness allows you to live deeply every moment that is given you to live.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh began teaching mindfulness in the 1970s, and in doing so devised new practices to inspire those in Vietnam, to help deal with the challenges and distress of the ongoing war. He invented mindful teeth brushing, dishwashing, and more. He made meditation easier for beginners so that instead of trying to escape the present, they could easily face such challenges head-on and heal from the experience. Mindful breathing is a great path to help you handle strong emotions, and create happiness.
Peace
As an activist for peace during the Vietnam war, Thich Nhat Hanh reached the conclusion that the cause of war comes from deep inside of us rather than weapons, and to achieve world peace we must cultivate peace in our bodies and our minds, reevaluate perceptions, calm emotions, and make peace with those which surround us.
By the way we live our daily life we contribute to peace or to war. It is mindfulness that can tell me that I am going in the direction of war and it is the energy of mindfulness that can help me to make a turn and to go in the direction of peace.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
EVENTS
Weekly Sangha
Blue Ocean Sangha meets weekly on Sunday evenings. They participate in normal activities not much different than one would in an informal setting (sitting, walking, drinking, talking). The sole difference is the setting. These activities are done in a setting in which everyone is supportive of mindfulness, concentration, and insight goals. In practicing with other trusted individuals regularly, feelings of sisterhood and brotherhood are created, which assist in the development of a collectively awakened community. The usual meeting format is the following:
- Guided Meditation
- Walking Meditation
- Sitting Meditation
- Dharma Reading and Sharing
- Loving-kindness Circle
- Announcements, Closing
Sitting Meditation
During sitting meditation, mindfulness of breathing is practiced, based on the Buddha’s descriptions in the Sutra on Mindfulness of Breathing, and the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. This practice can be healing and allows one to let their thoughts and feelings come, let them stay, and let them go. As stated on the Blue Ocean Sangha website, “We observe the thoughts and images in our mind with accepting and loving eyes.”
Walking Meditation
Between sitting sessions, walking meditation also plays a role in the meetings. As stated by their website, “We walk together as a community, freely, with nowhere to go, simply enjoying our steps. We walk with the awareness of our movements, our breathing, each other, and the Earth. With every step, we can arrive at the present moment.” Walking is a major part of daily life so this practice may potentially influence everyday life.
Mindful Reading and Sharing Practice
In Blue Ocean Sangha weekly meetings, time is spent sharing multiple things including experiences, joys, and difficulties. Deep Listening is practiced without judgment, reactions, and advice offerings. In this practice, true connections are recognized and the discussions contribute to insight and an understanding of the community. All things shared are confidential and do not leave the discussion.
Day Of Mindfulness
In Blue Ocean Sangha there are Days of Mindfulness hosted throughout the year in which a theme from the study of Buddha’s teachings is explored. These meetings are announced through email, website, or Facebook. According to their website, a typical day includes:
- Sitting and Walking Meditation
- A Dharma Talk on the day’s topic (delivered in-person, via an online meeting platform, or a previously recorded talk delivered by Thich Nhat Hanh or another member of the monastic community)
- A pot-luck, vegetarian/vegan lunch
- Deep Relaxation or another practice to relax and care for our bodies
- Dharma Sharing
- Quiet time for contemplation and relaxation
- Community-building through singing and other activities
Mindful Living
Blue Ocean Sangha highlights the importance of mindful living.
Mindfulness is a kind of energy that we generate when we bring our mind back to our body and get in touch with what is going on in the present moment, within us and around us. We become aware of our breathing and come home to our body, fully present for ourselves and whatever we are doing.
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/mindfulness
The Five Mindfulness Trainings
Reverence for happiness, true happiness, true love, Loving Speech and Deep Listening, Nourishment and Healing. These are the five trainings Blue Ocean Sangha highlights as a framework for us all to reflect on.
Reverence for Happiness
Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/weekly-practice
This training revolves around the precept to abstain from killing. You should be determined not to kill and not to support killing in the world at all, cultivating peace.
True Happiness
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/weekly-practice
This training revolves around the precept to abstain from stealing. It highlights not stealing and always sharing with those in need because true happiness is not attainable without compassion. Climate change is also mentioned because we should try to reduce suffering on earth in all ways possible.
True Love
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society.
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/weekly-practice
This training is based on the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct. It is important to practice true love and recognize sexual desire is not love. It is our job to protect others from this as well.
Loving Speech and Deep Listening
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations.
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/weekly-practice
This is based on the precept to abstain from wrong speech. Words create happiness or suffering and speaking truthfully to inspire hope and confidence is very important. We must listen, learn, and understand to get out of difficult situations.
Nourishment and Healing
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming.
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/weekly-practice
This training is based on the precept to abstain from the use of intoxicating substances. It is not as strict.
Donate to the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation
The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation is a division of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, Inc. (formerly known as the Unified Buddhist Church), a U.S. nonprofit, tax-exempt organization founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
sources
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh/
https://www.blueoceansangha.org/
https://buddho.org/buddhism-and-morality-the-five-precepts/
By: Sierra Agee