New Zen practice group forming

FARMINGTON – Come explore the practice of Zen with Full Moon Sangha, a new practice group that meets weekly.

The sangha -- a Buddhist term for a community -- practices in the tradition of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master, author, poet, and peace activist who has been a major force in developing a form of engaged Buddhism in the west.

The sangha meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Mondays at the Work First, Inc. building, located behind the Touch of Class Thrift Store on U.S. Route 2 just west of the Hannaford supermarket. Enter through the building's far left door from the parking lot.

Services include periods of sitting meditation, walking meditation, chanting of sutras, readings from books by Thich Nhat Hanh and Buddhist masters from a variety of traditions, and Dharma sharing -- discussion of Buddhist practice.

Chairs are available or bring meditation cushions. Newcomers are welcome. For more information, or for a short tutorial on Zen etiquette and practice prior to the service, email fullmoonsangha@gmail.com

Zen is a school of Buddhism that emphasizes direct experience of reality through mindfulness in every aspect of life. It traces its roots to the Buddha, Shakyamuni Gautama, 2,600 years ago. Zen is said to have entered China with the monk Bodhidharma in the fifth century and from there spread throughout China, to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, and now to the west.

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the world's best known teachers of Zen. He entered a monastery as a teenager in his native Vietnam. During the Vietnam War he mobilized a neutral corps of young people to establish clinics and schools and help rebuild villages destroyed in the fighting. In 1967, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After the war ended he spent more than 30 years in exile.

Thich Nhat Hanh is the author of over 100 books, with more than 40 of them in English, including Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, Zen Keys, and No Death, No Fear.

He lives at the Plum Village Monastery and retreat center in the south of France and holds retreats and teaching sessions worldwide. Monasteries in the Plum Village tradition in the U.S. including Blue Cliff in New York, Deer Park in California, and Magnolia Grove in Mississippi. There are hundreds of practice centers and sanghas in the Plum Village tradition worldwide.