Order of Interbeing

The Order of Interbeing (Tiếp Hiện, anglicised Tiep Hien, Ordre de l'Interêtre) 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, Nguyen Anh Huong, 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 (接現) 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" (Interêtre) 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" (male and female monastics and male and female laypersons) and is guided by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. 1926 October 11 - Birth of Thich Nhat Hanh (birth name: Nguyễn Xuân Bảo) in Thừa Thiên, Vietnam) 1938 Birth of Chân Không (born Cao Ngoc Phuong in Bến Tre, Vietnam) 1942 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh entered Từ Hiếu Temple as a śrāmaṇera 194_ Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh graduates from Báo Quốc Pagoda Buddhist Academy 1949 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh is ordained a Buddhist monk 1950 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh co-founded An Quang Temple in Saigon, Vietnam 195_ Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Founded the Phuong Boi (Fragrant Palm Leaves) Meditation Center in the highlands of Vietnam 1956 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh named Editor-in-Chief of “Vietnamese Buddhism” the periodical of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Association 1958 Chân Không enrolled at the University of Saigon, studying biology 1960 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh goes to the United States to study comparative religion at Columbia University and Princeton University 1961 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh Teaches at Columbia University and Princeton University 1963 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh returns to Vietnam Sister Chân Không goes to Paris, France to complete her degree in biology 1964 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Vạn Hạnh Zen Temple, La Boi Book Publisher and the School for Youth and Social Service (SYSS) Chân Không returns to Vietnam to work with the SYSS The Order of Interbeing is established 1965 Thầy Thich Nhat Hanh writes “In Search of the Enemy of Man” a letter to Martin Luther King Jr.