Be Still and Know | Sr. Le Nghiem

In this Dharma talk given on December 7, 2025, during the Winter Rains Retreat at Deer Park Monastery, sister Le Nghiem reflects on Thầy’s calligraphy “Be Still and Know” and the Plum Village practice of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Drawing on early encounters with Buddhist practice in Vietnam, she shares that insight is the true vocation of a practitioner and explores how stillness, deep listening, and presence help us understand our body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. The talk also highlights the simple beauty of monastic life: following the Sangha schedule, enjoying sitting, walking, eating, and working meditation, and relying on community support to sustain practice. Woven into the teaching is a moving remembrance of a beloved younger sister in the Dharma, whose peaceful passing becomes a profound teaching on impermanence, no birth and no death, and the power of collective practice.