Honoring the Roots, Tending the Branches: Evolving and Adapting A Living Buddhist Tradition (Plum Village) in America

Thích Nhất Hạnh’s vision of Engaged Buddhism has touched practitioners across cultures, generations, and spiritual backgrounds. This course is for those who feel called to understand more deeply how that vision is continuing to unfold in the American context.

This course may be especially meaningful for:

• Plum Village practitioners who want to understand the historical and cultural roots of their practice more deeply.
• Members and aspirants of the Order of Interbeing seeking context for how the tradition is evolving in North America.
• Lay Dharma teachers, facilitators, and sangha leaders navigating questions of adaptation, inclusivity, and integrity.
• Young adults and next-generation practitioners curious about what it means to inherit and steward a living lineage.
• Spiritual seekers, scholars, and interfaith leaders interested in how Buddhism adapts across cultures.

Whether you are brand new to Plum Village or have practiced for decades, this course offers a grounded, accessible entry point into an important and timely conversation.

Over eight sessions, we will explore the living journey of the Plum Village tradition as it has taken root in North America—guided by the teachings and lifelong dedication of Thầy.

We will look at:

1. The Historical Flow of the Dharma

• How Buddhism evolved from India → China → Vietnam → France → North America
• The adaptive nature of Buddhist practice across cultures throughout its 25 centuries of evolution
• Insights from Thầy’s teachings on The Living Tradition of Buddhist Meditation

2. Vietnamese Roots & Engaged Buddhism

• The renewal of Buddhism during the Vietnam War
• The birth of Vietnamese Engaged Buddhism
• The centrality of community, ethics, and compassionate action

3. American Cultural Currents

• Individualism and the emphasis on personal development and individual practice
• Secular mindfulness and its benefits and limitations
• Misappropriation of spiritual traditions from Indigenous Wisdom, Yoga, Buddhism, etc.
• Social justice movements and engaged practice
• The influence of capitalism and the spiritual marketplace
• Ethics and mindfulness trainings, community and breakdown of the social net of support

4. The Core Teachings that Anchors and Evolves the Buddhist Tradition

• Non-self, Impermanence, Nirvana, Emptiness, Signlessness, Aimlessness
• Interbeing- nondualist approach
• Sangha- community as refuge
• Applied Buddhism- mindfulness in daily life
• The Five Precepts- Ethical living in modern society
• Reverence for Life- Inclusivity and belonging

Together, we will:

• Reflect on what it means to steward a living lineage.
• Examine our own assumptions about tradition, authenticity, and adaptation.
• Listen deeply to Brother Pháp Dung’s lived experience as a Vietnamese refugee, American-raised practitioner, and monastic of over 25 years.
• Dialogue across generations and geographies about the future of Engaged Buddhism.
• Consider how the unfolding of the Thích Nhất Hạnh School of Interbeing represents the next chapter of this evolution.

Above all, this is an invitation to participate consciously in the ongoing life of the Dharma in America, tending the roots while nurturing new branches for generations to come.

What does it mean for a tradition to be alive? When does it become stagnant? 
 

What is essential and can not be diluted in the origin Buddhist tradition?
 

How to discern authentic adaptation from dilution, essence from cultural expression?
 

Can Buddhism flourish without monastic tradition? Secularization - what remains, what is lost?
 

What does an American Buddhist tradition look like?

The course will be organized online via Circle, where all materials, communication, and recordings will be hosted. 

While the structure is online, we are very happy to welcome local practitioners from Escondido and the greater San Diego area to join us in person each Saturday evening from 7:30-9 pm PDT at Deer Park Monastery for the live recording of the weekly Dharma talk. 

For those participating online only, the live talks will be recorded and available via our Online Learning Platform (Circle) within 48 hours.