Welcome to episode 45 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.
This time, the presenters – Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and journalist Jo Confino – are joined by lay practitioner Nick Kenrick to talk about Plum Village as a healing center, the many reasons people go there, and the personal transformations and deep healing life journeys taking place there. For the past 18 months, Nick has been living with the Plum Village community of monastics and lay practitioners, and kindly agreed to share his own transformative deep healing journey.
Nick Kenrick worked as a diplomat for the British government for nine years before retraining to work as a psychotherapist for the next decade. He has visited Plum Village every year since Thay and his monastics came to the UK in 2010, and helped to found Wake Up London — a local sangha for younger practitioners in the city – following Thay’s visit. He joined the Order of Interbeing in 2018 and has been living in Plum Village since June 2021.
Nick’s deep sharing touches upon the conditions that brought him to Plum Village, and upon exhaustion and breakdown, changing careers, and recovery and aspects of healing, including the practices he found refuge in. He further delves into individual and collective suffering; perceptions and the roots of conflict; befriending despair; psychotherapy and spiritual practice; healthy boundaries; following ‘the schedule’; sharing circles; taking refuge in the sangha; and much more.
In addition, Brother Phap Huu shares about Plum Village as a practice center for meditation and mindfulness; the energy of collective mindfulness; meditation and its healing dimension; mindfulness of the body; and the importance of the schedule in the life of the community.
And Jo recollects aspects of his own healing journey, and of learning through practice about some hard facts of life.You also get to witness the Plum Village tradition of watering the positive seeds and showing appreciation.
Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/
And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/
With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/
List of resources
Sister Chan Khonghttps://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong/
Wake Up Londonhttps://wakeuplondon.org/
Order of Interbeinghttps://orderofinterbeing.org/‘Home Practices for the Rains Retreat’https://plumvillage.org/articles/home-practices-for-the-rains-retreat/
‘Extended Practises’ (Dharma sharing)https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/extended-practises/
The Organic Happy Farmshttps://plumvillage.org/community/happy-farm/
Brother Phap Linhhttps://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/brother-phap-linh/
Sister True Dedicationhttps://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/sister-hien-nghiem/
Calligraphyhttps://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh/calligraphy/
‘The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings’https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/the-14-mindfulness-trainings/
Bodhicittahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta
Quotes
“Plum Village is a place where monks, nuns, and lay practitioners come to cultivate the seeds of mindfulness and the seeds of awareness, so that they can take care of their personal lives physically and emotionally. And through meditation, it offers a space and time to reflect.”
“Plum Village has evolved into a community where practitioners live together, practice together, and produce an energy of collective mindfulness. And this collective mindfulness can become a source of energy to help individuals return to themselves, to look deeply within their current situ
