By Olivia Gotham
Introduction
The Boston Old Path Sangha identifies itself as a lay Buddhist community inspired by the teaching of Vietnamese Zen monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, as well as by other teachers both within and outside the Buddhist tradition. The Sangha meets in a variety of locations throughout Boston, and is connected to the Mindfulness Practice Community of Greater Boston (MPCGB) which links communities practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh in the greater Boston area. The Boston Old Path Sangha mainly practices meditation for the benefit of the individual and the world, drawing on Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism teachings.
Thich Nhat Hanh
The Boston Old Path Sangha identifies its practice as inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, as well as other teachers in the Buddhist tradition and outside of it. Thich Nhat Hanh himself is a Vietnamese monk whose teachings belong to the Zen tradition, although his innovations and interpretations have in many ways taken on their own character unique from other Buddhist traditions. He has founded six monasteries and dozens of practice facilities in the United States and Europe, and over one thousand local practice communities, such as the Boston Old Path Sangha, exist in the western world.
Thich Nhat Hanh was born in 1926 in Vietnam and became a monk at the age of sixteen. Surrounded by suffering during the Vietnam War, he founded the Engaged Buddhism movement, which tasks Buddhist monastics with addressing existing social problems. In 1960, he founded the School of Youth and Social Services in Vietnam, a grassroots relief organization made up of thousands of volunteers who act based on Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassionate action. In 1966, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the Order of Interbeing, called Tiep Hien in Vietnamese, in Saigon. In the same year, he became the dharma teacher of the Lieu Quan Dharma Line in the forty-second generation of the Lam Te Dhyana school of Zen Buddhism, but was also exiled from Vietnam, a condition that would last for the next thirty-nine years. He was given asylum in France, and it was there that in 1982 he established Plum Village community, which refers to itself as the largest and most active Buddhist monastery in the West. Community members and visitors to Plum Village learn “a simplified essence of ancient Buddhist practices” (“Thich Nhat Hanh”) focusing on meditation and mindful living, and apply them to challenges and difficulties of the present day in the manner of Engaged Buddhism. Many Plum Village visitors commit to following Thich Nhat Hanh’s Five Mindfulness Trainings, a modernized code of universal global ethics to be followed in daily life. Thich Nhat Hanh suffered a severe stroke in 2014, but has since returned to Plum Village, though with serious health issues.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s key teaching is that through mindfulness, one can learn to live happily in the present moment, which is the only way to develop peace in oneself and in the world. Thich Nhat Hanh is a prolific author who has written many books on the subject of his teachings. His short article “On the Practice of Mindfulness” summarizes the essence of his mindfulness teaching, defining the term as “the energy that helps us recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives” (Thich Nhat Hanh). He writes that mindfulness is the opposite of forgetfulness, a state in which the mind is caught up in fear, anger and regret and is not living life deeply in the present moment. When one is mindful and “truly there,” then one may recognize the conditions of happiness and happiness “just comes naturally” (Thich Nhat Hanh). Concentration is a source of happiness, because when one is fully concentrated one has the opportunity to achieve insight and come to understand the nature of someone or something, including the self. According to Thich Nhat Hanh, insight will liberate one from fear, anger, and despair and bring true joy, true peace, and true happiness. Mindfulness, concentration, and insight are achieved through sitting and walking meditation, and Thich Nhat Hanh prescribes that practitioners start with meditating on breathing. One should note each breath in and out, then follow each breath all the way through, then become aware of the body as one breathes, and finally release the tension in the body. In his article, he focuses on the pragmatic and personal benefits of this practice, writing that the resulting inner silence is healing and nourishing.
Community Practices
The Boston Old Path Sangha’s practice is heavily focused on meditation. On its Facebook page, the Boston Old Path Sangha labels itself as a religious organization, but its practice mainly focuses on meditation’s pragmatic benefits to the individual and society, rather than any overtly religious or traditionally Buddhist benefits. A typical weekly meeting of the Sangha is structured as the following:
First, practitioners engage in twenty minutes of sitting meditation. Participants sit on a cushion or chair for this exercise, and unlike other Buddhist traditions, are free to adjust their position quietly if they begin to experience any physical discomfort. During sitting meditation, practitioners return to their breathing, and observe the mind’s thoughts and images “with an accepting and loving eye,” (“Sitting Meditation”). When a thought arises during meditation, the practitioner is instructed to “let it come, let it stay, then let it go” (“Sitting Meditation”). The Sangha believes in the healing power of this practice.
The practitioners then engage in ten minutes of walking mediation. After rising and bowing to one another, they walk in a circle with the goal of being present in every step. With each breath in and each breath out, the practitioners take one step, and my repeat a mantra with each step, such as “I have arrived, I am home” (“Walking Meditation”). One of the goals of walking mediation is to imprint love and gratitude upon the earth.
After the walking meditation ends, practitioners engage in another twenty-minute session of sitting meditation, and are offered tea and snacks upon completion.
Next, the community participates in a Dharma reading and discussion. The reading is usually drawn from the work of Thich Nhat Hanh or perhaps another Buddhist teacher, and is chosen by the day’s sitting meditation leader. The participants pass the text around in a circle, and each individual is given the opportunity to read a section. In the Dharma discussion that follows, participants are meant to reflect on their experiences in light of the reading, or may also share another aspect of their practice; this discussion is beneficial to all present members of the community, who can learn from the insights and experiences of others. Community members consider the Dharma discussion “a special time” (“Dharma Discussion”) to share their personal experiences, joys, and difficulties in practicing mindfulness. Discussion participants follow two major guidelines: sharing must be based on individual experiences of the practice rather than on abstract ideas and theories, and the details that are shared with the Sangha during discussion must remain confidential. The meeting concludes with announcements and a brief final sitting.
Once a month on Saturday from October to May, the Boston Old Path Sangha hosts a Day of Mindfulness led by Dharma teachers, who usually belong to the community but may associate primarily with an outside but related mindfulness community. The topics vary, but typically focus either on how individuals can apply mindfulness practice to the circumstances and challenges of their lives, or how mindfulness practice can apply to greater worldly issues in the spirit of Engaged Buddhism. Past topics include “Freedom from Fear and Separation,” “The Art of Listening,” and “Climate Change as a Door to Awakening” (“Days of Mindfulness”).
Constituency
The Boston Old Path Sangha is a community of lay practitioners, most of whom possess European-American heritage based on the website’s identification of Dharma teachers and its Facebook page photos of Sangha members. That said, the community has at times included people of color among its constituents. For instance, a 2006 Boston Globe article follows the practice of Alicia Carroll, a middle-aged African-American female who says she joined Boston Old Path Sangha despite being the only person of color at her first meeting because of the welcoming reception she received and what she sees as the group’s commitment to diversity (Jones). According to the Globe, Boston Old Path Sangha regularly hosts diversity programs in order to “shed light on attitudes of privilege and racism” (Jones).
The Sangha’s programming as featured on its website seems to support this interpretation. For instance, its November 2017 Day of Mindfulness topic was “Exploring White Awareness,” which advertises itself as a chance for members of the Sangha who identify as white to “explore [their] habit energies” through deep reflection and listening (“Days of Mindfulness”). “Recovering from the effects of racism is key to our individual and collective freedom” (“Days of Mindfulness”) says the event summary, calling to mind the spirit of Engaged Buddhism in which mindfulness and Buddhist morality are applied to contemporary social challenges.
Membership in the Boston Old Path Sangha is open to everyone, “without exception” (“Membership”), and anyone is welcome to join all Sangha activities regardless of whether or not they are members. The Sangha suggests a dana of $25 per year for annual membership, although labels this as optional.
Central Issues of Buddhism
Although the Boston Old Path Sangha is loosely inspired by Zen Buddhism, it also encompasses some teachings of other Buddhist traditions as well as non-traditional interpretations and teachings outside the Buddhist tradition altogether. In the realm of Buddhism, the Sangha recognizes “the buddha nature in each person” (“Walking Meditation”), which serves as an impetus for meditation and a guideline for interacting with other community members. Several Dharma teachers and Day of Mindfulness leaders are members of the Order of Interbeing founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, which purports that its aim is to “actualise Buddhism by studying, experimenting with, and applying Buddhism in modern life with a special emphasis on the bodhisattva ideal” (“Structure and Organization”). The Order’s promotion of compassion is reminiscent of Buddhism’s loving-kindness, but it interprets compassion more generally as contributing to the peace and happiness of humankind. The Order identifies its two most important guidelines for obtaining true understanding as non-attachment and independent origination, which are both central components of Buddhism. However, practitioners should cultivate non-attachment “from views” (“Organization and Structure”) rather than from the world at large, which would endanger the concept of Engaged Buddhism. In a similar modification, independent origination does not explicitly promote the emptiness of existence accepted by the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, but rather the Order encourages members to perform “direct experimentation” (“Organization and Structure”) on the concept through meditation. Both guidelines are supposed to lead to open-mindedness and compassion in an individual’s perceptions of reality and relationships. Finally, the Order believes in the use of skillful means, a Mahayana Buddhist term, as a guide for actions in society based on creativity and the ability to reconcile, both of which are necessary for the service of living beings.
Despite connections and modifications to Buddhism, the Boston Old Path Sangha does not emphasize or address one of the most central issues of the religion: enlightenment. While mediation is the community’s main form of practice, the Sangha advertises its goal as a pragmatic one of self-care, healing, calmness, peace, communal harmony, and being “present” (“Sitting Meditation”). There are no indications that Sangha members practice in order to attain enlightenment in their lifetimes.
Sources
“Days of Mindfulness.” Boston Old Path Sangha. Boston Old Path Sangha. http://bostonoldpath.org/practice-with-us/days-of-mindfulness/
“Dharma Discussion.” Boston Old Path Sangha. Boston Old Path Sangha. http://bostonoldpath.org/mindful-living/dharma-discussion/
Jones, Vanessa E. “The Way of Oneness.” The Boston Globe, 19 April 2006. http://archive.boston.com/yourlife/articles/2006/04/19/the_way_of_oneness/
“Membership.” Boston Old Path Sangha. Boston Old Path Sangha. http://bostonoldpath.org/about/membership/
“Mindfulness Practice Community of Greater Boston/Brookline.” Meetup. Meetup, 2017. https://www.meetup.com/Mindfulness-with-Boston-Old-Path-Sangha/about/
Old Path Sangha. “Day of Mindfulness at Morning Sun.” Facebook. 26 September, 2010. https://www.facebook.com/BostonOldPath/
“Sitting Meditation.” Boston Old Path Sangha. Boston Old Path Sangha. http://bostonoldpath.org/mindful-living/sitting-meditation/
“Structure and Organization.” Order of Interbeing. Order of Interbeing. https://orderofinterbeing.org/about/our-charter/
Thich Nhat Hanh, “On the Practice of Mindfulness.” Lion’s Roar. Lion’s Roar, 21 August 2017. https://www.lionsroar.com/mindful-living-thich-nhat-hanh-on-the-practice-of-mindfulness-march-2010/
“Thich Nhat Hanh.” Plum Village. Plum Village, 2017. https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/
“Walking Meditation.” Boston Old Path Sangha. Boston Old Path Sangha. http://bostonoldpath.org/mindful-living/walking-meditation/