Friends on the Path

Living Spiritual Communities

Ebook
On sale May 10, 2010 | 310 Pages | 9781935209560

Friends on the Path presents some of Thich Nhat Hanh's most precious offerings on the necessity of practicing with a Sangha (spiritual community) in order to receive support and encouragement along the way. This anthology also includes contributions from Dharma teachers and Sangha leaders from around the world based on many years of experience and gives sage advice from these teachers on how to build and sustain a Sangha.

This volume explores what it means to “go as a Sangha,” as spiritual friends down the path of a contemplative way of life, wonderfully and mindfully together. It is our hope that the teachings and descriptions of the ups and downs of Sangha life included in this book will be of benefit to all of us who practice mindfulness. The work being done by Sanghas from around the world that is being presented here is a modest but essential first step; such a compilation is never as complete and diverse as one hopes. You are wholeheartedly invited to read this book with your Sangha eyes, to write us with your thoughts and suggestions for the next edition, and to join hands with us as friends on the path of mindfulness practice.
Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.

About

Friends on the Path presents some of Thich Nhat Hanh's most precious offerings on the necessity of practicing with a Sangha (spiritual community) in order to receive support and encouragement along the way. This anthology also includes contributions from Dharma teachers and Sangha leaders from around the world based on many years of experience and gives sage advice from these teachers on how to build and sustain a Sangha.

This volume explores what it means to “go as a Sangha,” as spiritual friends down the path of a contemplative way of life, wonderfully and mindfully together. It is our hope that the teachings and descriptions of the ups and downs of Sangha life included in this book will be of benefit to all of us who practice mindfulness. The work being done by Sanghas from around the world that is being presented here is a modest but essential first step; such a compilation is never as complete and diverse as one hopes. You are wholeheartedly invited to read this book with your Sangha eyes, to write us with your thoughts and suggestions for the next edition, and to join hands with us as friends on the path of mindfulness practice.

Author

Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.