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Order of Interbeing

The Order of Interbeing (, anglicised Tiep Hien, ) is an international Buddhist community of monks, nuns and laypeople in the Plum Village Tradition founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh.

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, Nguyễn Anh Hùng, 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.

() 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" () is a word coined by Nhất Hạnh to represent the Buddhist principles of anatta, pratītyasamutpāda, and the Madhyamaka understanding of śūnyatā. The order contains members of the "Fourfold Sangha" (male 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)

1938

1942

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1949

  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is ordained a Buddhist monk

1950

195_

  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Founded the Phuong Boi (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

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, France to complete her degree in biology

1964

1965

1966

  • February 5 – the first members - the "Six Cedars" - are ordained into the Order of Interbeing. Among the six are Chân Không and Nhat Chi Mai. 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
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh speaks to many groups and leaders, including Robert McNamara 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 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 in France
  • May – Nhat Chi Mai, 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 in France
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh lectures at the Sorbonne in Paris

1973

  • Paris Peace Accords are signed. Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is not allowed re-entry into Vietnam by the newly formed communist government.

1975

  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Chân Không form the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Center in France

1976-77

1982

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

1990

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 guidance.https://web.archive.org/web/20070928045449/http://www.interbeing.org.uk/about/oi/

1997

  • Maple Forest Monastery was formed in Vermont

1998

  • Unified Buddhist Church 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

2001

  • September 21 – Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh begins a fast for peace and to remember those who have died in the September 11 attacks
  • September 25 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gives a speech at the Riverside Church in New York City urging the American people and government to think before reacting to the events of September 11 and to look for a peaceful resolution.

2003

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 is accepted by Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh as an Order of Interbeing center in Mississippi
  • October 9, Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Order of Interbeing members lead the “Peace is Every Step” walk at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California.

2006

2007

2008

2010

2013

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

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"