The Order of Interbeing ( vi, Tiếp Hiện, anglicised Tiep Hien, french: Ordre de l'Interêtre) is an international

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

community of monks, nuns and laypeople in the

Plum Village Tradition The Plum Village Tradition is a school of Buddhism named after the Plum Village Monastery in France, the first monastic practice center founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh. It is an approach to Engaged Buddhism mainly from a Mahayana perspective ...

founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist monk

Thích Nhất Hạnh Thích Nhất Hạnh ( ; ; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, historically recogni ...

. Initially, Nhất Hạnh established the Order of Interbeing from a selection of six board members of the School for Youth and Social Services, three men and three women. The first members were ordained in February 1966 and vowed to study and practice the Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism. In 1981, Nguyen Anh Huong, a microbiologist and lay meditation teacher, became the seventh member of the Order. As of 2020, the Order of Interbeing had more than one thousand core members. Tiếp Hiện ( 接現) is a Sino-Vietnamese term. The term did predate the Order of Interbeing's use in other contexts in Vietnamese, but was and remains uncommon. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." The translation "Interbeing" (french: Interêtre) is a word coined by Nhất Hạnh to represent the Buddhist principles of anatta,

pratītyasamutpāda ''Pratītyasamutpāda'' (Sanskrit: प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद, Pāli: ''paṭiccasamuppāda''), commonly translated as dependent origination, or dependent arising, is a key doctrine in Buddhism shared by all schools of ...

, and the

Madhyamaka Mādhyamaka ("middle way" or "centrism"; ; Tibetan: དབུ་མ་པ ; ''dbu ma pa''), otherwise known as Śūnyavāda ("the emptiness doctrine") and Niḥsvabhāvavāda ("the no ''svabhāva'' doctrine"), refers to a tradition of Buddhist ...

understanding of

śūnyatā ''Śūnyatā'' ( sa, शून्यता, śūnyatā; pi, suññatā; ), translated most often as ''emptiness'', ''vacuity'', and sometimes ''voidness'', is an Indian philosophical concept. Within Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and other p ...

. The order contains members of the "Fourfold

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

" (

male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

and female monastics and male and female laypersons) and is guided by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.

Timeline

1926 *October 11 - Birth of Thich Nhat Hanh (birth name: Nguyễn Xuân Bảo) in Thừa Thiên,

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

) 1938 *Birth of

Chân Không Chân Không (born 1938) is an expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist Bhikkhunī ( nun) and peace activist who has worked closely with Thích Nhất Hạnh in starting the Plum Village Tradition and helping conduct spiritual retreats internationally. ...

(born Cao Ngoc Phuong in Bến Tre, Vietnam) 1942 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh entered Từ Hiếu Temple as a

śrāmaṇera A sāmaṇera (Pali); sa, श्रामणेर (), is a novice male monastic in a Buddhist context. A female novice is a ''śrāmaṇerī'' or ''śrāmaṇerikā'' (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''sāmaṇerī''). Etymology The ''sāmaṇera'' is a ...

194_ *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh graduates from Báo Quốc Pagoda Buddhist Academy 1949 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is ordained a Buddhist monk 1950 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh co-founded

An Quang Temple An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, Vietnam 195_ *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Founded the

Phuong Boi Phuong, or High Katu, is a Katuic language (Mon-Khmer The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, ...

(Fragrant Palm Leaves) Meditation Center in the highlands of Vietnam 1956 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh named Editor-in-Chief of “Vietnamese Buddhism” the periodical of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Association 1958 *Chân Không enrolled at the University of Saigon, studying biology 1960 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh goes to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to study comparative religion at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

1961 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Teaches at Columbia University and Princeton University 1963 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh returns to Vietnam *Sister Chân Không goes to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to complete her degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

1964 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Vạn Hạnh Zen Temple, La Boi Book Publisher and the School for Youth and Social Service (SYSS) *Chân Không returns to Vietnam to work with the SYSS *The Order of Interbeing is established 1965 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh writes �
In Search of the Enemy of Man
�� a letter to

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

urging him to publicly oppose the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

1966 *February 5 – the first members - the "Six Cedars" - are ordained into the Order of Interbeing. Among the six are

and

Nhat Chi Mai Nhất Chi Mai (February 20, 1934 – May 16, 1967), born Phan Thị Mai and legally named Thích nữ Diệu Huỳnh, was a Buddhist nun who killed herself in an act of self-immolation in Saigon on May 16, 1967 in protest at the Vietnam War. Ear ...

. The latter would immolate herself in protest against the war a year later. *May 1 - TNH is given the Lamp Transmission at Từ Hiếu Temple from Master Chân Thật, making him a Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher) *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh returns to the US to lead a symposium at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

*Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh speaks to many groups and leaders, including

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the Lis ...

and Martin Luther King, Jr. urging peace in Vietnam *Sister Chân Không is named operations director of the SYSS *Control of Van Hanh University is taken over by the Vice Chancellor who severs ties with the SYSS, calling Sister Chân Không a communist *The SYSS continues to work despite the harassment and murder of many of its members 1967 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is nominated for the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

by Martin Luther King Jr. *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is exiled from Vietnam by the Vietnamese government *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gains

right of asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...

in France *May –

, one of the "Six Cedars", immolates herself for peace 1969 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Leads the Buddhist Peace Delegation *Sister Chân Không joins TNH in France to assist with the Buddhist Peace Delegation; she is considered an enemy of the Vietnamese government and exiled as well *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Establishes the

Unified Buddhist Church The Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, Inc. (formerly the Unified Buddhist Church, Inc.) and its sister organization, the French Congregation Bouddhique Zen Village des Pruniers are the governance bodies of the monasteries, press and fund ...

in France *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh lectures at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris 1973 *

Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords, () officially titled the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam (''Hiệp định về chấm dứt chiến tranh, lập lại hòa bình ở Việt Nam''), was a peace treaty signed on January 27, 1 ...

are signed. Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is not allowed re-entry into Vietnam by the newly formed

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

government. 1975 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Chân Không form the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Center in France 1976-77 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Chân Không lead efforts to rescue

Vietnamese boat people Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...

1982 *

Plum Village Monastery The Plum Village Monastery ( vi, Làng Mai; french: Village des pruniers) is a Buddhist monastery of the Plum Village Tradition in the Dordogne, southern France near the city of Bordeaux. It was founded by two Vietnamese monastics, Thích Nhấ ...

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named af ...

, France is established by Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Chân Không 1987 *Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh ordains the first North American members of the Order of Interbeing at Camp les Sommets Camp (Eastern Townships, Quebec, Canada) 1988 *Chân Không is ordained by Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh as a nun on Vulture’s Peak in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

1990 * Annabel Laity (True Virtue) ordained as a Dharmacharya and serves as Director of Practice at Plum Village 1992 *The first conference of the International Order of Interbeing is held. This conference established the Order of Interbeing Charter, elected an Executive Council, and established that Assembly meetings would be held regularly to revise and amend the Charter. It also established a Council of Elders and a Council of Youth to draw from the experience of its members for leadership and guidanc

1997 *Maple Forest Monastery was formed in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

1998 *

is formed in the United States *Annabel Laity named to head the UBC, Inc *Green Mountain Dharma Center formed *Annabel Laity named Abbess of the Maple Forest Monastery and Green Mountain Dharma Center 2000 *June - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh assists in writing the Manifesto 2000 which consists of six pledges to promote a culture of peace and non-violence in the world. It has been signed by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

*

Deer Park Monastery Deer Park Monastery ( Vietnamese: Tu Viện Lộc Uyển) is a Buddhist monastery in Escondido, California. It was founded in July 2000 by Thích Nhất Hạnh along with monastic and lay practitioners from the Plum Village Tradition. The mo ...

is formed in California near Escondido 2001 *September 21 – Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh begins a fast for peace and to remember those who have died in the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

*September 25 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gives a speech at the

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornin ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

urging the American people and government to think before reacting to the events of September 11 and to look for a peaceful resolution. 2003 *September - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gives a talk a
the Library of Congress
2005 *January 12 to April 11 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh returns to Vietnam to visit Buddhist temples, teach, and is allowed to publish a limited number of his books in Vietnamese; 100 monastic and 90 lay members of the OI accompany him *Two temples are re-established in Vietnam with TNH as their spiritual head: the Tu Hieu Temple and the Prajña Temple *August -

Magnolia Grove Monastery Magnolia Grove Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in the Plum Village Tradition in Batesville, Mississippi. The grounds are located near Memphis, Tennessee. In October 2005 Thích Nhất Hạnh officially accepted the monastery. They are close ...

is accepted by Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh as an Order of Interbeing center in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

*October 9, Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Order of Interbeing members lead the “Peace is Every Step” walk at

MacArthur Park MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. 2006 *May 22 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh's book ''Old Path White Clouds'' is optioned for the film ''

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

'' to be produced by MCorpGlobal. TNH makes an appearance at the Canne's film festival to promote the projec

*September 11 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh makes an appearance in Los Angeles to promote the ''Buddha'' film project. The Dalai Lama endorsed the project at the luncheon which was attended by a number of Hollywood actor

*October 7 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh addresses

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, calling for specific steps to reverse the cycle of violence, war, and global warming. He calls for a commitment of observing a weekly No Car Day to be promoted globall

*October 11 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh enjoys his 80th birthday 2007 *February 20 to May 9 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Returns to Vietnam to conduct "Grand Requiem For Praying" ceremonies to help heal the wounds of the Vietnam wa

*May 20 to May 31 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh visits Thailand, giving Dharma talks and a 5-day retrea

*May -

Blue Cliff Monastery __NOTOC__ Blue Cliff Monastery is an Thiền Buddhist monastery located in Pine Bush, New York. It was founded in May 2007 by monastic and lay practitioners from the Plum Village Tradition. The monastery is under the direction of Thích Nhất ...

established; Maple Forest Monastery and Green Mountain Dharma Center close and move to the new location as an extension of Plum Village Monaster

2008 *August
European Institute of Applied Buddhism
is established Waldbröl, Germany, by members of the

and the Order of Interbeing. 2010 *June
Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism
is established in Hong Kong. *November - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh give
a 3-day retreat
in Hong Kong. 2013 *May
Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh
visits Hong Kong and gives a four-day retreat, culminating in a talk at the Hong Kong Colosseum. *September - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh give
a talk at Google HQ
in California. 2014 *March
The University of Hong Kong
awards Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his contribution to world peace and humanity. 2015 *October - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is awarde
the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award
a Catholic peace award. 2022 *January 22 - Repose of Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of 95 in his residence in Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam.

References

External links

Order of Interbeing
website
I Am Home
- Community of Mindful Living; home of the "Mindfulness Bell" magazine with news, articles, and talks by Thich Nhat Hanh and other Order of Interbeing members.
Plum Village UK
"The UK organisation which supports the practice of mindfulness taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh" {{Buddhism topics Buddhist orders Plum Village Tradition