“Without recognizing your own presence,
how can you recognize the presence of others?”
Thich Nhat Hanh - The Path of Emancipation
Working in the human service fields can be challenging yet fulfilling. While taking care of others for their physical, emotional and spiritual sufferings, nourishing one’s own mind and heart is important for the helping professionals.
In his 2010 Hong Kong teaching tour, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) and the monastics from Plum Village hosted a Day of Mindfulness for over 200 friends from the healthcare and human service fields. Thay’s teaching was well received and inspired the local healthcare community the importance of spiritual practices. Since year 2012, seasonal Day of Mindfulness were held in collaboration with Centre on Behavioral Health, HKU to sustain the practices in a non-seclarian and scientific manner and promote a better understanding of mind-body care.
In this Day of Mindfulness, apart from listening to the dharma talks on how the teachings of the Buddha can be applied to modern days human service work, participants will learn the practice of mindful breathing, walking mediation, eating in silence, total relaxation, deep listening and loving speech. These practices will help us to slow down, to take a break in our busy life and nourish the physical and emotional wellbeing. Through the practices in this mutually supportive and caring environment, the community will cultivate the peaceful mind and joyful heart to support our work in the human service professions.
Updated January 2017
Plum Village Mindfulness Academy, The Plum Village Hong Kong Foundation, offers a one-year Mindfulness Teachers’ Training Program. The contents of the training program are from the mindfulness teachings and practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. After completion of the training program, participants will be able to apply mindfulness into daily life, to cultivate peace and happiness and to transform pain and suffering, and to follow guidelines for healthy and compassionate living, for themselves and for societies. They will be able to apply the mindfulness teachings and practices into their professions and be able to facilitate mindfulness activities for those in need. Participants will be given “Certificate of Attendance” after completion of the program.
The program is offered once every two years. The first training program is from August 2014 to July 2015 and was started with the 5-day retreat August 13-17, 2014 and will end on August 1, 2015. A commencement ceremony for the Class of 2015 was held in the 1st Asia-Pacific Mindfulness Teachers Conference Retreat August 12-16, 2015.
The second MTeachers Training Program will be offered during the period of August 2017 - July 2018. The 2nd Asia-Pacifi Mindfulness Teachers Conference Retreat will be held in August 2018.