Order of Interbeing


The Order of Interbeing is an international Buddhist community of monks, nuns and laypeople in the Plum Village Tradition founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh.
Initially, Nhất Hạnh established the Order of Interbeing from a selection of six board members of the School for Youth and Social Services, three men and three women. The first members were ordained in February 1966 and vowed to study and practice the Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism. In 1981, Nguyễn Anh Hùng, a microbiologist and lay meditation teacher, became the seventh member of the Order. As of 2020, the Order of Interbeing had more than one thousand core members.
Tiếp Hiện is a Sino-Vietnamese term. The term did predate the Order of Interbeing's use in other contexts in Vietnamese, but was and remains uncommon. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." The translation "Interbeing" is a word coined by Nhất Hạnh to represent the Buddhist principles of anatta, pratītyasamutpāda, and the Madhyamaka understanding of śūnyatā. The order contains members of the "Fourfold Sangha" and is guided by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.
WWW Official Site

Timeline

1926
1938
1942
194_
1949
1950
195_
1956
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh named Editor-in-Chief of “Vietnamese Buddhism” the periodical of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Association
1958
1960
1961
1963
1964
1965
1966
  • February 5 – the first members - the "Six Cedars" - are ordained into the Order of Interbeing. Among the six are Chân Không and Nhat Chi Mai. The latter would immolate herself in protest against the war a year later.
  • May 1 - TNH is given the Lamp Transmission at Từ Hiếu Temple from Master Chân Thật, making him a Dharmacharya
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh returns to the US to lead a symposium at Cornell University
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh speaks to many groups and leaders, including Robert McNamara and Martin Luther King, Jr. urging peace in Vietnam
  • Sister Chân Không is named operations director of the SYSS
  • Control of Van Hanh University is taken over by the Vice Chancellor who severs ties with the SYSS, calling Sister Chân Không a communist
  • The SYSS continues to work despite the harassment and murder of many of its members
1967
1969
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Leads the Buddhist Peace Delegation
  • Sister Chân Không joins TNH in France to assist with the Buddhist Peace Delegation; she is considered an enemy of the Vietnamese government and exiled as well
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Establishes the Unified Buddhist Church in France
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh lectures at the Sorbonne in Paris
1973
1975
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Chân Không form the Sweet Potatoes Meditation Center in France
1976-77
1982
1987
  • Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh ordains the first North American members of the Order of Interbeing at Camp les Sommets Camp
1988
1990
1992
  • The first conference of the International Order of Interbeing is held. This conference established the Order of Interbeing Charter, elected an Executive Council, and established that Assembly meetings would be held regularly to revise and amend the Charter. It also established a Council of Elders and a Council of Youth to draw from the experience of its members for leadership and guidance.
1997
  • Maple Forest Monastery was formed in Vermont
1998
2000
2001
2003
  • September - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gives a talk at .
2005
  • January 12 to April 11 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh returns to Vietnam to visit Buddhist temples, teach, and is allowed to publish a limited number of his books in Vietnamese; 100 monastic and 90 lay members of the OI accompany him
  • Two temples are re-established in Vietnam with TNH as their spiritual head: the Tu Hieu Temple and the Prajña Temple
  • August - Magnolia Grove Monastery is accepted by Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh as an Order of Interbeing center in Mississippi
  • October 9, Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh and Order of Interbeing members lead the “Peace is Every Step” walk at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California.
2006
  • May 22 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh's book Old Path White Clouds is optioned for the film Buddha to be produced by MCorpGlobal. TNH makes an appearance at the Canne's film festival to promote the project
  • September 11 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh makes an appearance in Los Angeles to promote the Buddha film project. The Dalai Lama endorsed the project at the luncheon which was attended by a number of Hollywood actors.
  • October 7 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh addresses UNESCO, calling for specific steps to reverse the cycle of violence, war, and global warming. He calls for a commitment of observing a weekly No Car Day to be promoted globally.
  • October 11 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh enjoys his 80th birthday
2007
  • February 20 to May 9 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Returns to Vietnam to conduct "Grand Requiem For Praying" ceremonies to help heal the wounds of the Vietnam war.
  • May 20 to May 31 - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh visits Thailand, giving Dharma talks and a 5-day retreat.
  • May - Blue Cliff Monastery established; Maple Forest Monastery and Green Mountain Dharma Center close and move to the new location as an extension of Plum Village Monastery
2008
  • August - is established Waldbröl, Germany, by members of the Plum Village Tradition and the Order of Interbeing.
2010
  • June - is established in Hong Kong.
  • November - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gives in Hong Kong.
2013
  • May - visits Hong Kong and gives a four-day retreat, culminating in a talk at the Hong Kong Colosseum.
  • September - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh gives in California.
2014
  • March - awards Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his contribution to world peace and humanity.
2015
  • October - Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is awarded, a Catholic peace award.
2022
  • January 22 - Repose of Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of 95 in his residence in Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam.