Celebrating the Re-release of “Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire”
Em Peake, MDiv BIE ‘24, shares a recap of the recent event celebrating the re-release of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. The event included a reading from the book, meditation, Dharma reflections and more.
Written by Em Peake, MDiv BIE ‘24
Blue Cliff monastics came to campus last week for a very special event co-hosted by them, the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, Parallax Press, and the Thich Nhat Hanh Program for Engaged Buddhism here at Union in honor of the re-release of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. The evening began with a walking meditation from the 109th street apartment where Thay lived during his studies at Columbia in 1962, up to Union’s campus where we gathered in James Chapel. The event was celebratory, featuring singing led by the monastics, an introduction by Dean Pak, an address by Kosen Snyder based on the new forward that he wrote for the new edition, selected readings from the editors at Parallax Press, and lastly, a couple of deeply moving dharma reflections from Brother Dharma Emptiness and Sister Flower. The monastics shared their own life experiences living through wartime Vietnam and spoke of the important legacy of Thay’s peace work. Brother Dharma Emptiness connected Thay’s teachings in this book to the present day expression of imperialist violence in the war between Russian and Ukraine. Sister Flower shared her gratitude and praise for Thay, who, out of the suffering he witnessed in the Vietnam War, gave birth to the practice of engaged Buddhism. It was a very special evening that made me feel so lucky to be a BIE student at Union. If you missed it, a recording of the event can be found at this link.
