Meet the Monastics

Jan 10 2025 12 ep. 49 mins 4

Meet the Monastics Podcast artwork

Conversations with monks and nuns about their journey to monastic life and what inspires them today, hosted by Brother Minh An, a Buddhist monk in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

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Sister Chua Xua: Enjoy Your Free Life

Jan 10 2025 48 mins

Sister Chua Xua was a social worker and left a long-term relationship to become ordained as a nun at Bát Nhã, a Plum Village monastery that closed due to harassment from the Vietnamese government. "I also have a dream. I have a wish that I can support the young Western people to take the monastic life. The life that when you open your eyes, you see the moon and the star over your

Brother Phap Hoi: Lucky for Me

Dec 17 2024 41 mins

Brother Phap Hoi is a Vietnamese refugee and the most senior Brother at Deer Park Monastery. "Because the Sangha embrace all of the people, even you are high level or low level of good background or not. You all have the chance in the Sangha if you go in the right direction of practice." 3:16 Meeting Thay 8:20 Arriving at Plum Village 11:30 Visa Trouble, First Stint at Deer Park 17

Sister Phu Nghiem: We Are a Buddhist Family

Dec 10 2024 39 mins

Sister Phu Nghiem is one of three nuns in her immediate blood family and is passionate about bringing mindfulness to children. "So I focus a lot more on my steps. On how I choose the food when I come to a meal. I learn to enjoy the meal and enjoy my siblings. And that has supported me a whole lot now that I'm here at Deer Park. I'm learning how to do that. And I notice my relations

Brother Phap Luu: American Awakening

Dec 03 2024 81 mins

Brother Phap Luu, the eldest non-Vietnamese American monk in the Plum Village tradition, graduated from Dartmouth College and started meditating after going through a depression. "What is more satisfying in life than helping people to transform their suffering? I mean, who cares about money and all this other stuff? The biggest happiness I get is if I can help myself, first of all

Sister Le Nghiem: Put Your Heart into the Practice

Nov 26 2024 39 mins

Sister Le Nghiem came to the practice after the death of her brother, and typically does solo retreat at the monastery for a few weeks a year. "So the practice gives me the greatest happiness. And this practice gives me being with others. Being with friends on retreat. Being with my siblings. Spending time each other. So when I practice it gives me happiness. And when my practice i

Sister Trung Chinh: The Whole Universe Embraces Us

Nov 19 2024 47 mins

Sister Sr. Trung Chinh left Vietnam as a refugee and has been a nun for over fifty years. "The aspiration of a monk or a nun is that we have to arrive to the most peaceful place, the happiest place in ourselves. And there's only the daily practice. The daily practice only helps us to arrive to that place, that aspiration. It's the daily practice of each person. If each one of us do

Brother Minh Nhan: See For Yourself

Nov 12 2024 44 mins

Brother Minh Nhan, one of the only monastics in the Plum Village tradition of Mexican descent, is a monk of many interests: music, mushrooms, math, and more. "To join a community that maybe looks different, maybe don't see others like myself in it, let's say. Yeah, I mean, that's one way to look at it, but look at it as also, you're the one entering that. And you needn't be the la

Sister Boi Nghiem: The Hard Work Has Been Done

Nov 05 2024 87 mins

Sister Boi Nghiem studied nursing before being ordained, and works regularly as a nun with the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and teen communities. "I think I have a very healthy relationship with myself. Very healthy mental dialogue with myself. There were times I comforted myself. There were times I'm very firm with myself, tell myself to stop thinking that way. And they help. This is why I ke

Brother Phap Dung: Now You Get to Choose

Oct 29 2024 56 mins

Brother Phap Dung is a Vietnamese refugee who worked as an architect in Los Angeles before finding the practice, healing his relationship with his father, and changing the course of his life. "Now you get to choose, and it's deliberate. That is a monk. I choose to be in this intimate way with the community, with this path. I choose not to be in a romantic relationship. I choose to

Sister Kinh Nghiem: Run Away Now

Oct 22 2024 57 mins

Sister Kinh Nghiem, one of the funniest and most stylish nuns in the world, was ordained when she was only 14. "Get rid of all of your ideas of what monastic practice is. You know, you come here, I mean, the practice is wonderful. And it's for you to come and see for yourself. But if you start getting ideas of what you expect monastic life to be like, you'll have a hard time. Becau