Venerable Thanh Hiep and Thay Thanh at Spring Lazy Day Retreat 2026
Spring has arrived, and with it not only came flowers, but also our Temple’s Spring Lazy Day Retreat. It was April 4th, the weather was beautiful, the people who gathered were enthusiastic and interactive, and our special guest monk was entertaining and inspiring. All this came together to make up a truly great retreat.
The day was a blend of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, picnic, and song. Our guest monk, the Venerable Thanh Hiep, brought with him some songs from Plum Village in France where he was ordained as a monk in the Zen tradition under the late Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. Not only did he teach us the songs, but he spoke deeply about the meanings of even the seemingly most simple of the words. His insights explored far beyond the words on the pages, and he continued that exploration by asking us our impressions and insights as well. Then, on the lighter and jovial side, he even taught us hand gestures to some of the songs. It was all both joyful and profound.
Ven. Hiep also taught us a form of walking meditation that can be practiced indoors, in a small space. With this method, we start by walking slowly and mindfully forward for just a few paces, we pause, we slowly turn around mindful of each step, we pause again, then start our walk back to the starting point. We can repeat this for as long as we wish, watching our movements and being mindful of our breath. In this walking meditation, he further instructed us that as we step and move our bodies forward, our mind should always precede our physical movements. No movement should be made without the awareness that the movement is about to happen. It was a wonderful exercise in staying focused on the present moment.
So we offer much gratitude and appreciation to Venerable Thanh Hiep, and to our own Venerable Chuc Thanh who oversaw the day, helped to keep the ball rolling and also helped with English translations from time to time. We also thank everyone who came and helped make this day what it was. It was a joy from start to finish. If you did not get to come, we hope you can join us for our next seasonal Summer Lazy Day Retreat.
In the meanwhile, may you all be well, be happy and be peaceful.
– By Ruth Peele
Walking meditation – Spring Lazy Day Retreat 2026