On war in Israel and Palestine Dear beloved Plum Village community and friends, My heart breaks to see the news of war in Palestine and Israel, the ancestral lands of so many dear to me. Since
receiving my true name at age 33 Dearest Melanie, On the eve of 33, take heart in your true name given in the stillness of morning by a woman who practices freedom, who carries her stories lightly
Letter to Thay requesting lay ordination to the Order of Interbeing January - February 2023 Dear respected Thay, Dear respected Sister Chan Khong, Dear respected ancestors and teachers, A few days ago, I celebrated the lunar new year at a tea
beloved community in 2023 January 4, 2023 Dearest Melanie, On New Year’s Eve, I began drafting this love letter in the hills near Deer Park Monastery. Birds were cawing and somber clouds would
on lines and distance Identity is not a theory or concept, she said. Let go of the mind. What is true in your body?
I imagine a sangha... Dear ones, I write from the vast ocean of my heart, thoughts arising and falling like waves. * I am growing older, my body more fragile. In a few years, I
Poetry as Buddhist practice Draft 2 of Lion's Roar article I once got into a fight with my beloved lay dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition. She insisted that the insight
Poetry as Buddhist practice Draft article for Lion's Roar For months in residence at a Soto Zen temple, I woke before dawn to meditate, observing the sunrise in shadows migrating on white
August poems Tea leaves Breathing in, I sip my jasmine tea Connecting me to the lands of ancient ancestors Tea plantations in china, earth fragrant with fallen blossoms Grand ancestor, did you
A gathering of trees Draft imagining of an engaged Plum Village sangha blending "Beloved Community Circles", Wake Up, and BIPOC sangha aspirations
Building MLK's beloved community The draft of my talk for the Engaged Buddhism panel at "The Future of American Buddhism" conference June 2-5
A letter to the white man at the hot springs To the overly friendly white man who spoke to me on five separate occasions in five hours at a clothing-optional hot springs resort on the morning of my birthday, You
Full moon, blood moon birthday Happy birthday, dear Melanie. In the waning hours of your birthday, soak in the healing red glow of the full blood moon.
Golden sunflower yellow Celebrating this sunflower yellow skin passed down from my early kin name is Melanie Anne Gin given by my mother and assimilation ancestors dreaming of gum saam this gold mountain
An ocean of belonging Step into this ocean of belonging. Around you there are beings who accept and love themselves. They float, welcoming the rising tide, accepting the ebb and flow of water with
There is no wasted time This morning I found myself in a familiar loop, worrying about whether the grey weather would limit my enjoyment of the regional botanic gardens, whether I’d be cold and miserable.
Creating cultures of liberation Reflections from second web3 dialogue How does enlightenment arise in the body? For a moment, I return to the meditation cushion past midnight, the singing of the frogs accompanying me.
