Reflections on Tết and the Beginning of the Action Wake Up House

This is a new day
We vow to go through it in mindfulness
So the sun of insight can rise 
And shine in every direction

- Plum Village Morning Chant

As we walk down the mountain, we pass through cool pools of night where the warm morning light has yet to shine. At the bottom, I pause and turn to drink in the sun like a desert lizard. It's the middle of our second week as Action Wake Up House. We've just meditated and recited the Five Mindfulness Trainings together in the Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall at Deer Park Monastery, as the backpacking retreat comes to a close. Now, we are heading back to the suburban abode the sangha has provided for us in which to study and practice, where we are just starting to feel at home.

On February 25, 2026, we started our practice of living together with the Morning Chant and this same light, filling our hearts and the meditation hall of our new home. Our altar is a piece of dark grey slate, resting on elegantly carved legs with a white orchid, incense, candles, bells, and a picture of Thay. On this day, I heard the words of the chant differently, like a solemn vow tying us together. It moved me deeply to feel the companionship of these young people who have also taken the vow to live in mindfulness so light can shine and awaken the hearts of those who live in darkness.

That was the first time we sat in meditation together on our own, no monks or nuns to guide us, just the Dharma Body radiating all around us, and it was transcendent. 

As we sat, we felt the embrace of the many warm wishes and generous blessings of the wider sangha who had made this moment of peace and solidity possible. Our teacher, smiling from the altar, reflected the careful efforts of the loving monks, nuns, and lay people who had contributed to this beautiful manifestation of the teachings.

Three days earlier, around twenty members of the wider Deer Park Sangha had visited our home to celebrate the fifth day of Tết. At that time, we were without much of the essential furniture to make the house feel warm, but one magical offering from the sangha shone brightly amidst it all -- a big blue couch! Resting in togetherness around snacks and tea, monastics and layfolk talked joyfully of healing, family, and play. Happy voices echoed through the emptiness, making its fullness visible. 

As the night waned on, we reflected on the aspiration of AWU to shine the light of insight in every direction. Several fellows shared their heartfelt wishes to dwell mindfully together in the home and co-create the conditions for insight to awaken within themselves. Referencing the School of Youth for Social Service started by Thay and Su Co in Vietnam, I shared the four pillars of service the AWU program offers -- healthcare, education, agriculture, and monastic life -- and my deep reverence for our teachers.

Though we did not have a refrigerator, table, or chairs that day, our home did have one special piece of furniture, a bookshelf filled with the wisdom of the Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. The wobbly wooden shelves were small and stained, seeming to betray the preciousness of the jewels held within, were made new again in service at the heart of our home. 

As we sat there in our living room in the freshness of the lunar new year, I felt the powerful forces at play which had woven us all together. We sang songs of arrival and happiness, celebrating the joy of being alive in the present moment. And then, there were deep bows and memorable words filled with encouragement, love, and hope as we said goodnight.

After the last guests had departed, and the kitchen was cleaned, I found my way upstairs to the bathroom, lit by a single candle. Like a powerful bell, the energy of the night was still vibrating through my being. The calm embrace of the darkness began to wash over me when suddenly, I noticed the window was glowing brightly. Hesitating at first, I was drawn toward it. Slowly, I leaned forward and there, hanging behind naked branches was the graceful sliver of a brand new crescent moon. Awestruck, I paused, captivated by the smile in the sky reminding me that in the blackness of night, the light always shines bright, bringing peace and renewal.