Green Mountain Dharma Center
Encyclopedia
Green Mountain Dharma Center (GMDC) was founded in April 1998 and is located in Hartland-Four-Corners, VT. As of 2006, 6 nuns and 3 monks are in residence there. Recently, the GMDC has been developing in a new direction by becoming a Fourfold (monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen) Retreat and Practice Center for the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh
. They are closely in touch with Plum Village
and share the same practice.
During a stay at the GMDC, retreatants are encouraged to practice and observe the monastic way of life. Retreatants are invited to help in communal activities such as preparing meals, general cleaning, washing dishes, etc. as a way of continuing mindfulness practice while performing everyday tasks. The center is currently closed, having moved, along with the Maple Forest Monastery
, to the Blue Cliff Monastery
in New York
.
The Abbess
of the center is Annabel Laity, Sister True Virtue a senior Dharma Teacher of the Order of Interbeing
. She has been a disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh since 1986, became a Dharma Teacher in 1990 and was Director of Practice at Plum Village. Since 1997, she was the Director of the Maple Forest Monastery and was installed as Abbess at the Green Mountain Dharma Center in 1998. She has travelled widely, leading meditation retreats and giving talks in many different countries of the world. She has translated many of Thich Nhat Hanh's books into English
.
The Dharma Center believes that because the Buddhist teachings emphasize practicing with the Sangha, the retreatants should participate fully in all scheduled activities. All guests are asked to refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol. Meals are vegetarian.
Throughout its history, the Green Mountain Dharma Center struggled to meet Vermont Act 250 requirements and eventually closed.
Nhat Hanh
Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name...
. They are closely in touch with Plum Village
Plum Village
Plum Village is a Buddhist meditation center in the Dordogne, in southern France. It was founded by Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, and his colleague Bhikkhuni Chân Không, in 1982.-History:...
and share the same practice.
During a stay at the GMDC, retreatants are encouraged to practice and observe the monastic way of life. Retreatants are invited to help in communal activities such as preparing meals, general cleaning, washing dishes, etc. as a way of continuing mindfulness practice while performing everyday tasks. The center is currently closed, having moved, along with the Maple Forest Monastery
Maple Forest Monastery
Maple Forest Monastery is part of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing and a men's monastery. Established in 1997, after the donation of a property in Woodstock, Vermont. The governing body for the monastery is the Unified Buddhist Church. They are closely in touch with Plum Village for resources...
, to the Blue Cliff Monastery
Blue Cliff Monastery
Blue Cliff Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located in Pine Bush, New York. It was founded in May 2007 by monastic and lay practitioners from Plum Village in France....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The Abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of the center is Annabel Laity, Sister True Virtue a senior Dharma Teacher of the Order of Interbeing
Order of Interbeing
The Order of Interbeing, or Tiếp Hiện in Vietnamese, was founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." "Interbeing" is a word coined by Thich Nhat Hanh to represent...
. She has been a disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh since 1986, became a Dharma Teacher in 1990 and was Director of Practice at Plum Village. Since 1997, she was the Director of the Maple Forest Monastery and was installed as Abbess at the Green Mountain Dharma Center in 1998. She has travelled widely, leading meditation retreats and giving talks in many different countries of the world. She has translated many of Thich Nhat Hanh's books into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
During a retreat
A sample daily schedule:- 5:00 a.m. - Wake-up
- 6:00 a.m. - Sitting meditationMeditationMeditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
and chantChantChant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
ing - 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. - Mindful Work or Monastic classes
- 11:15 a.m. - Walking meditationKinhinIn Zen Buddhism, kinhin , or , is the walking meditation that is practiced between long periods of the sitting meditation known as zazen.Practitioners walk clockwise around a room while holding their hands in shashu , with one hand closed in a fist, while the other hand grasps or covers the fist...
- 12:30 p.m. - Lunch
- Rest and personal time after lunch
- 3:30 p.m. - Sitting meditation and chanting
- 5:15 p.m. - Exercise and sports time
- 6:00 p.m. - Dinner
- 7:30 p.m. - Personal study or misc. classes
- 9:30 p.m. - Noble silence
The Dharma Center believes that because the Buddhist teachings emphasize practicing with the Sangha, the retreatants should participate fully in all scheduled activities. All guests are asked to refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol. Meals are vegetarian.
Throughout its history, the Green Mountain Dharma Center struggled to meet Vermont Act 250 requirements and eventually closed.