Support BIPOC Practitioners travel to Vietnam

Dear Beloved Community,

Thank you for your beautiful practice. The Lotus in a Sea of Fire BIPOC OI Aspirant Sangha has created this fundraising page to support our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Practitioners and Aspirants. They hope to travel to Vietnam in January 2024, to commemorate the second year anniversary of the passing of our beloved teacher, Thay. Some of us have the great aspiration to travel to Vietnam and visit the root temple of our dear teacher but don't have the finances. Please consider supporting our practitioners (meet them in the text below) so that we can have a diverse international sangha traveling to Vietnam. Thank you for your deep practice and for your support for our beloved community.

A deep bow,

Lotus in a Sea of Fire BIPOC OI Aspirant Care Taking Council

Juliet Hwang, Polly Chu, and Joe Reilly

Denyce White

Yá’át’ééh | Máykh | Hello

I would like to introduce myself by introducing my matrilineage in dinékeji (the diné/navajo language), my blood, land, and spiritual ancestors.

Nizhónígo ałhééhosiilzįįd, Shí éí Denyce White yinishyé, Nát'oh dine'é Táchii'nii nishłi dóó Nóóda'i dine'é báshishchíín dóó Kinłichii'nii dashicheii dóó Dibéłzhíní dashanáli, Tó Dínéeshzheeʼ dee ei naashá.

I am happy to meet you. My name is Denyce White. My four clans are: Tobacco People of The Red Running Into The Water Clan born for the Whiteriver Band of the Northern Ute. My maternal grandfather’s clan is Red House Clan and my paternal grandfather is The Black Sheep Clan. I am from Kayenta, AZ and I am currently based in Durango, CO near the north sacred mountain of the diné—I am Indigenous to the Southwest Four Corners Region (UT, CO, NM, AZ) of the United States. I would be so humbled and honored to make the pilgrimage to the roots to commemorate beloved Thây, Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh. I am grateful the for the teachings of the Diné Traditions and the Plum Village Traditions, both traditions have held/hold me deeply and guided/guides me in my spiritual journey of walking the corn pollen path.

Axhéhee’la | Tog'oiak' | With gratitude

Antoinette Gonzalez

Dear Friends,

My Dharma name is True Continuation of Suchness. I engage in social justice and racial equity matters, including leaning into what engaged Buddhism means for myself and the communities I practice with. My entry into practice was a 2004 POC Retreat offered by Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh and the monastic community at Deer Park Monastery. I practice with several BIPOC Sanghas, including Lotus in a Sea of Fire and a general sangha, Open Door Sangha. I am a co-founder of ARISE Sangha. I am deeply humbled to share this opportunity with fellow practitioners in commemorating and honoring Thay and also learning more about the ancestral roots of our beloved teacher and practice communities.

With much gratitude, Antoinette

Carletta Bullock

Hi. The name my mama gave me is Carletta Bullock, Dharma name Constant Illumination of the Heart. I’m currently a grateful member of the Lotus in the Sea of Fire Sangha. Like so many, I owe my improved emotional life to Thay. I found him on YouTube videos years ago at a time when I was suffering. Those teachings clarified and deepened much I had already learned superficially. His message encouraged me to find a sangha to “flow like the river” instead of continuing as a solitary drop. I’d be so honored to make the pilgrimage to Thay’s root temple and homeland to express my joy, respect and commitment to the path our teacher has so generously shared. A small river of devotees will have a chance to do just that and I’d like to be one of the drops.

Joe Reilly

Hello dear friends, My name is Joe Reilly, Dharma name True Ocean of Grace. I am a singer, songwriter, social worker, and Dharma teacher who lives in Waawiyatanong/Detroit, in Anishinaabe Aki, land of the People of the Three Fires. I am of Cherokee, Choctaw, Italian, and Irish descent and I identify as Native American. I have been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 2004, and co-lead the Building Beloved Community Sangha in Detroit and the Lotus in the Sea of Fire Sangha for BIPOC practitioners on the OI path. As a longtime student of Thay, being able to travel to his root temple and participate with Sangha in commemorating his passing would be very meaningful to me and would help strengthen my ability to support Sangha building in my communities. I do not have the personal finances needed to make the trip without your help. Anything you can give to support this trip is very appreciated and I promise to take you with me in each step and breath. With gratitude, Joe

Phuong Nguyen

I have been dreaming of going home to Vietnam for over 15 years now and aim to take my 9 year old daughter to visit for the first time. I buried my mother there in 2005 and have been meaning to do a heritage tour with my daughter to visit the gravesite and my family (I would attend 1 segment of the tour and then journey on my own with my daughter who would join me later in Hanoi or appropriate juncture). This tour presented itself in a serendipitous way and it coincided with my inner calling to start planning a visit this year. It became apparent how costly it would be to pay for my daughter and I to visit as I am a single mother. Hence, I have been putting off the trip until Juliet informed me of this opportunity.

I have been in the practice for 2 years now and am an OI aspirant under the mentorship of Sister Peace and Juliet Hwang. My Dharma name is Deepening Rising Tide of the Source and I work in housing and land justice while recently completing a health and wellness coach certification. It would be a blessing to be part of this homecoming and walk the land of the "source" while commemorating Thay and deepening my practice in order to elevate my offerings to the community. My spiritual journey has facilitated a reconnection with my ancestry and heritage as I have lost my mother at a young age and was raised in different foster homes in Canada. It is very meaningful to me to have found the Plum Village community, which has acted as a beautiful conduit for my spiritual and cultural awakening.

In deep gratitude,

Phuong