“Build, block, be”: a mindful response to challenging times

Dear friends,

I had a talk with our friends over at Plum Village last week. It was a 4-question interview and it’s now published on the Plum Village site!

In this talk, we cover mindfulness in the face of challenge, my daily rituals, the immense joy I get from community and why, and what mindfulness groups are like on Zoom!

If you have loved ones in your life who you feel could benefit from this talk, please forward this on to them.

Here’s how our conversation began. Then please click below to read the whole interview.

PV: We’re living through a time of many challenges; how do the Plum Village teachings help you to respond?

Annie: I turn back to Thay’s [Thich Nhat Hanh’s] teachings, because he was teaching – especially the early teachings – during the Vietnam War. Those teachings really resonate now, because [of] the divisiveness that was happening then and the divisiveness that’s happening now, at least in the US. I fall back on those teachings all the time.

What I’ve heard him saying is that we should not take sides and we should be always fighting for justice or not allowing injustice to happen. And that’s a koan [a deep question] for me. I’m not sure it is possible, but I think it’s more like a North Star [something to aim for]. How can I hold both of those things – always fight for justice, always resist injustice and at the same time not take sides, not create enemies? Click below to read more…

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