Socially Engaged Buddhism: Hope and Action Amidst Challenging Times

This guest panel is taking place as part of the course BPM214: Socially Engaged Buddhism

Join our class for a panel discussion and Q&A with senior monastics from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village centre in France. The session will explore how Engaged Buddhist practices can be applied in the context of our daily lives to cultivate resilience, hope, and compassionate action amidst challenging times.

Register for this online event here

Speakers

Brother Phap Huu (Abbot Upper Hamlet, Plum Village)

Brother Chân Pháp Hữu was ordained as a novice monk on February 7th 2002 in the “Sugar Palm Tree” family. He received full bhikkhu ordination on December 18th 2006, and the Lamp Transmission as a Dharma Teacher in 2009. He became vice abbot in 2008 and is the abbot of Upper Hamlet since January 2011.

Br. Pháp Hũu first encountered Thầy and the community as a 9-year-old when he traveled from Canada to Plum Village France in 1996 with his father and sister. He was immediately drawn by the joyous brotherhood and the peaceful comportment of the monks. At the age of 12 he knew then that he wished to become a monk. After much persistence, his family allowed him to realize this wish at the age of 13.

True to his name, and despite the age difference, Br. Pháp Hũu became a dear friend to Thầy. He is often by Thầy’s side as an attendant, sharing moments filled with love, laughter, tears, and inspiration.

As an abbot, Br. Pháp Hũu takes his time to connect with and understand his monastic and lay brothers. He is much appreciated as a skillful facilitator at Sangha gatherings. His favorite practices are walking meditation and organizing retreats in Plum Village. He is interested in team building, coaching, and mentoring. When playing, Br. Pháp Hũu loves basketball and music.

Listen to Brother Phap Huu’s Podcast “The Way Out Is In”

Brother Phap Linh (senior monastic Dharma Teacher, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village)

Brother Phap Linh was ordained as a monk in Plum village in February 2008. Before becoming a monk, he studied at Cambridge then worked as a composer, a chef and a math tutor in London. As a layperson, he frequently attended retreats in Plum Village. Meeting Thich Nhat Hanh for the first time in 1999, he began to see that mindfulness practice could present a real way out of the current situation of suffering for humanity. Becoming a monk eventually presented itself as the most powerful way to actively and positively engage with the suffering as we collectively face, including climate change, economic instability, and war. Helping to provide a place of refuge for people to come and learn about mindfulness and living in the community are now his principal sources of joy.

Watch Brother Phap Linh’s COP26 Countdown Talk