In my previous article, we looked closely at the opening sentences of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings and explored their underlying structure. While each training addresses a specific aspect of practice, together they form an integrated framework for transforming awareness into mindful speech, compassionate action, and ethical living.
We also saw how the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings can be broadly understood through the Buddhist framework of mind, speech, and body. This structure reflects the Buddhist understanding that the transformation of the mind is the foundation for ethical action in daily life and the alleviation of suffering.
In addition, we explored the relationship between the Fourteen and the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Although they overlap in many respects, Thích Nhất Hạnh explained that formally receiving the Fourteen is particularly associated with the aspiration to lead and care for a sangha (community). In this way, they not only guide personal transformation but are also a living expression of the bodhisattva ideal within the life of a sangha.
In this article, we will further examine how the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings are embodied within the practice of the Order of Interbeing.
The path to receiving the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings
The procedure of formally receiving the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings is different from that of receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Those who aspire to receive the Five can usually do so at retreats. They complete an application form to express their wish to receive the trainings in a formal transmission ceremony held at the end of a retreat. For more on the formal receiving of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, see my previous article, “Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Five Mindfulness Trainings, Part 3.”
The Order of Interbeing comprises two communities: the core community and the extended community. Those in the core community have formally received the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings in a transmission ceremony and have committed to living in accordance with them. Members of the extended community, on the other hand, have not yet made this formal commitment and are learning to apply the trainings in daily life. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 2005)
For those who aspire to receive the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, thereby entering the core community, the prerequisite is receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings. After that, they write a letter declaring their aspiration and send it to the local core community, or to appropriate Dharma teachers if there is no community nearby. These Dharma teachers are experienced members of the core community who have been entrusted with teaching responsibilities. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 1998)
They then enter into mentorship with at least one member of the core community and practice the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings with the community for at least a year before they can receive the trainings. After formally receiving the trainings, they continue their practice within a sangha. (Hunt-Perry & Fine 2000; Thích Nhất Hạnh 1998, 2005)
Another difference concerns the transmission process itself. When receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings, practitioners may undertake only some of the trainings if they are not yet ready to commit to all five. In contrast, the Fourteen must be received in their entirety; one cannot formally receive only some of them. This highlights the greater level of commitment associated with formally entering the core community of the Order of Interbeing.
As shown above, “Whereas the decision to receive the five mindfulness trainings was an individual one, more and more emphasis was placed on sponsorship by a sangha, a community of practitioners, in the decision to receive the fourteen.” (Hunt-Perry & Fine 2000) Drawing on my PhD interview data, I will explore in future articles whether my interview participants practiced with a sangha and, if so, how this supported their practice.
All of this underscores the importance of practicing with a sangha, a key aspect of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism.
Sangha practice of the Order of Interbeing
Because the path to receiving the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings is inseparable from practicing in community, it is helpful to look more closely at how sangha life is understood within the Order of Interbeing.
In sangha practice, “monks, nuns, and laypeople enjoy equality in the Order of Interbeing” in order to “protect and respect the freedom and responsibility of each member of the community.” (Thích Nhất Hạnh 1998)
During my PhD fieldwork at Plum Village, I observed that monastics and lay practitioners were generally treated equally in various aspects of daily life, including work duties. In future articles, I will discuss how this principle of equality was embodied in everyday life at Plum Village and how it helped protect and respect the freedom and responsibility of everyone in the community.
Commitments of lay members in the core community
There is a brown jacket that laypeople in the core community may wear to show their identity. During my PhD fieldwork at Plum Village, this was one way I identified its members at retreats. There are some rules they need to observe; for example, they are required to practice at least 60 days of retreat, days of mindfulness, each year, whether consecutively or divided into several periods. If they practice every Sunday, for instance, they will have 52 already. The people in the extended community can do that, or more, even if they don’t want to be ordained. In the core community people can choose to observe celibacy or lead a family life. At least once every two weeks, members and friends come together and recite the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 2005)
As with the Five Mindfulness Trainings, members of the core community are expected to recite the fourteen at least once every three months. Otherwise, their ordination is no longer considered valid, and they must receive the trainings again.
Together, these commitments reflect the emphasis the Order of Interbeing places on sustained practice and active participation in the sangha.
Conclusion
Throughout this four-part series, we have explored the origin, structure, and practice of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing. Founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh in 1966 amid the ideological division and immense suffering of the Vietnam War, the Order articulated these trainings as a contemporary expression of the Bodhisattva (Enlightened Being) precepts. The trainings offer a framework for cultivating mindful awareness, compassionate action, and ethical responsibility in response to the challenges of contemporary life.
The path to formally receiving the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings involves sustained practice, mentorship, and deep engagement with a sangha. The Order seeks to embody principles such as equality, shared responsibility, and ongoing practice. This emphasis on community is an important aspect of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Engaged Buddhism. It reflects his conviction that awakening is both an individual and a collective undertaking.
These trainings present a vision of practice that begins with the transformation of the mind and extends outward into speech, action, and community life. They are not abstract ideals but concrete commitments that invite practitioners to cultivate understanding and compassion in every aspect of daily living.
References
Hunt-Perry, Patricia. & Fine, Lyn. 2000. “All Buddhism is engaged: Thích Nhất Hạnh and the Order of Interbeing.” In C. S. Queen (Ed.), Engaged Buddhism in the West (pp. 35–66). Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Thích Nhất Hạnh. 1998. Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism. Berkeley, California: Parallax Press.
Thích Nhất Hạnh. 2005. Being Peace. Berkeley, California: Parallax Press.
Related features from BDG
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, Part 1
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, Part 2
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, Part 3
