[Fcm-News] (no subject)

[Florida Community of Mindfulness]

(I wanted to share this information  with you.  Thay means teacher and
refers to Thich Nhat Hanh.   In the Dharma, Fred)


Please join Thay, 14 days in May 2008 for a special Retreat-Conference in
Vietnam

The Brothers and Sisters of Plum Village would like to invite you to join
Thay in Hanoi, Vietnam, for a special Retreat and Conference on Engaged
Buddhism to take place May 4th to 17th, 2008, to replace our biennial June
Retreat in 2008.

The time in Vietnam will begin with Thay leading a six-day retreat in
English on Engaged Buddhism for the 21st century. This retreat will take
place in a spacious hotel in Hanoi.

After the retreat (and a day of rest), Thay and his students will
participate in an International Vesak (Buddha’s Birthday) Conference
organized by UNESCO, from May 13-17. The theme of the conference is
Buddhist Contribution to Building a Just, Democratic and Civil Society and
Thay has been asked to give one of the three keynote addresses.
Additionally, the Vietnamese organizers have asked Thay to invite his
students to participate in the conference as presenters and attend as
guests.

The conference will focus on the following seven themes:

1.      War, Conflict and Healing: A Buddhist Perspective
2.      Buddhist Contribution to Social Justice
3.      Engaged Buddhism and Development
4.      Care for Our Environment: Buddhist Response to Climate Change
5.      Family Problems and the Buddhist Response
6.      Symposium on Buddhist Education: Continuity and Progress
7.      Symposium on Buddhism in the Digital Age

Students of Thay who may like to offer a presentation (7-10 minutes
maximum) on one or more of these themes are invited to submit proposals,
by December 31 if possible.  Proposals should include:

title and abstract of no more than one single-spaced page a one-page CV or
a 250-word biography
(optional) a paper, of no more than 7000 words

The cost of the retreat and conference is $675 or 520 euros, which
includes the cost of the hotel, intercity transportation and most meals.
Official arrival date is May 4th and departure date is May 17th.

Following the conference on May 17th, for a modest additional cost, Sister
Chan Khong will lead an optional one-day trip to visit the Vietnam’s
Avalokiteshvara caves set in a marvelous landscape a half-day from Hanoi,
returning to Hanoi late the same night. After rest day on May 18th, Sister
Chan Khong will lead another optional trip by air to Hue on May 19th,
where you wil have the chance to visit Tu Hieu Temple, the root temple
where Thay practiced as a novice. On May 20th and 21st, we will travel by
bus to visit preschool programs sponsored by the fourfold Plum Village
Sangha in the Thua Thien and Quang Tri regions.

If you would like to participate in these special events, or would like
more information, please contact our registrar Sr. Tue Nghiem at
tnhvntrip at earthlink.net. Presentation proposals should be submitted by
email to Sr. Pine at vesak2008 at yahoo.com; please include “Vesak 2008” in
the subject line.

We will be in touch with you again.

Thank you and we wait to hear from you.

Sr. Chan Khong
for the Brothers and Sisters of Plum Village

Tentative Itinerary for the lay delegation joining Thay and the Plum
Village monastics for the Vietnam trip 2008 (subject to change)

DateActivity
Sunday, May 4, 2008 Official arrival day – Hanoi, Vietnam Monday to
Sunday, May 5-May 11, 2008English-speaking retreat for Western lay
practitioners - Hanoi Monday, May 12, 2008Lazy day - resting day
(breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner on your own) Tuesday, May 13,
2008VESAK – Arrival, registration, and welcoming delegation from different
countries (breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner on your own after
registration at National Convention Center) Wednesday, May 14, 2008VESAK
at NCC – Morning: Opening Ceremony 11:30 Lunch
1:50 pm   Most Venerable Bhikku Bodhi’s keynote address
3:20 pm   Chanting by Plum Village International Sangha
3:40 pm   Most Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh’s keynote address
6:00 pm   Dinner
Thursday, May 15, 2008 VESAK – Workshops - in English (morning and
afternoon) 11:30 Lunch Dinner at hotel Friday, May 16, 2008VESAK –
Workshops continuation 11:30  Lunch 2:00 pm  Professor Amartya Sen, Nobel
Laureate’s address 3:30 pm  Issuance of Hanoi Declaration
               Closing ceremony
Dinner at hotel
Saturday, May 17, 2008Official departure day VESAK – Optional package
tours (by VESAK organizers) Optional Tour: Avalokiteshvara Caves with Sr.
Chan Khong (not included in price package) Sunday, May 18, 2008Rest day –
on your own Monday, May 19, 2008Optional tour - depart for Hue to visit Tu
Hieu Root Temple and charity programs in the Thua Thien and Quang Tri
Provinces with Sr. Chan Khong (not included in price package) – return to
Hanoi on May 22nd