Order of Interbeing (OI)

Origin Story

Established by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in Saigon in 1966, the Order of Interbeing was founded in the Linji tradition of Buddhist meditative practice and emphasizes the Four Spirits: non-attachment from views, direct experimentation on the nature of interdependent origination through meditation, appropriateness, and skilful means.

The first six members of the order, ordained together on February 5, 1966, were colleagues and students of Thich Nhat Hanh who worked with him relieving the suffering of war through projects organized by the School of Youth for Social Service. In joining the Order of Interbeing, they dedicated themselves to the continuous practice of mindfulness, ethical behavior, and compassionate action in society.

Because of the dislocations caused by the war and Thich Nhat Hanh’s exile from Vietnam, no additional ordination into the Order occurred for fifteen years. Then, beginning in 1981, Thich Nhat Hanh invited into the Order some of the many lay and monastic students who studied and practiced with him in the West. By 2006 the Order had grown to include approximately 1000 lay practitioners and 250 monastic practitioners outside of Vietnam.

In 2006, during his first visit to Vietnam after 39 years of exile, Thich Nhat Hanh again offered an Order of Interbeing ordination to committed practitioners in Vietnam. Within a year of Thich Nhat Hanh’s visit, in conjunction with establishment of monastic centers in Vietnam practicing under his supervision, the Order in Vietnam grew to include hundreds of new monastic and lay members.

The Order of Interbeing (Tiep Hien) was formed by Thich Nhat Hanh in the mid-1960s, at a time when the Vietnam War was escalating and the teachings of the Buddha were desperately needed to combat the hatred, violence, and divisiveness enveloping his country. On the full moon day of February 1966, Zen Master Nhat Hanh ordained six members into the Order, three men and three women ranging in age from twenty-two to thirty-two. All of them were Board members of the School of Youth for Social Service, which he had helped found the year before.

From its inception, the Order of Interbeing was comprised of all four membership categories of the original Buddhist community (Sangha)- monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Of the first six ordinees, the three women chose to live celibate lives like nuns, although they did not shave their heads or take all the formal vows of Buddhist nuns, and the three men chose to marry and practice as lay Buddhists.

The ordination was a wonderful celebration. Each ordinee was presented with a lamp with a handmade shade on which Thich Nhat Hanh had calligraphed Chinese characters like “Lamp of Wisdom,” “Lamp of the Full Moon,” and “Lamp of the World.” During the ceremony, the six ordinees vowed to study, practice, and observe the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing, a wonderful blend of traditional Buddhist morality and contemporary social concerns.

Forged in the crucible of war and devastation, these guidelines helped the first six brothers and sisters develop serenity and learn to look more deeply into things, even during the tragedy of war. Though they continued to stay busy helping war victims, organizing demonstrations, printing books and leaflets, running social service projects, and organizing an underground for draft resisters, they renewed themselves with a Day of Mindfulness each weekend. “I so looked forward to these days,” recalls Sister Chȃn Khȏng. “I dwelled mindfully on each act, beginning as I placed down my overnight bag in my room, boiled water to prepare a bath, and then put on my meditation clothes. First I did walking meditation alone in the woods and picked some wildflowers and bamboo branches for flower arrangements. Then after a few hours of dwelling mindfully in each act and releasing most of my worries, I began to feel renewed.” After practicing sitting and walking meditation, the six members gathered together to recite the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings and chant the Heart of the Prajñaparamita Sutra.

For ten years, no new members were permitted to join the Order’s core community. In fact, this “period of experimentation” was extended until 1981, when Ahn Huong Nguyen, a microbiologist and lay meditation teacher, became the seventh member of the Order. 

Today, there are more than four hundred members of the core community and many thousands of others worldwide who recite the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings regularly. The Order’s journal, The Mindfulness Bell, lists hundreds of Sanghas around the globe, groups of people in local communities who come together to study, practice and discuss the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.

Getting Started

The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings offer clear guidance for living simply, compassionately, and joyfully in our modern world. They are a concrete embodiment of the teachings of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva ideal. Anyone who wishes to can live his or her life in accord with these fourteen trainings.

To formally join the Order of Interbeing means to publicly commit oneself to studying, practicing, and observing the trainings and, also, to participating actively in a community which practices mindfulness in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

The best place to begin is with a local Sangha (find a Sangha) where you may be able to connect with other Order of Interbeing members. Order members can serve as guides to you, explaining in more detail how the process works and how to get started. They may also serve as mentors to you later, in the formal aspiration process.

OI Requirements

The minimum requirements for joining the Order of Interbeing, as established by the Charter of the Order, are that the aspirant:

• Be 18 years or age or older
• Has received the Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Three Jewels at least one year ago
• Practices with a local Sangha in this tradition
• Is committed to observing at least sixty days of mindfulness a year
• Has been mentored by members of the Order of Interbeing for at least a year, with the support of one or more monastic or lay dharma teachers who either have been directly mentoring the aspirant or who have been working with the OI mentors and,
• Is ready to begin the work of an Order Member: Sangha building and support, explaining the Dharma from personal experience, and nourishing the bodhichitta (the mind of love) in others while maintaining a regular meditation practice in harmony and peace with one’s family.

To promote consistency in mentoring and ensure that mentors and aspirants are supported, the North American Plum Village Dharma Teachers Council asks that everyone in North America who is pursuing formal acceptance as an Order of Interbeing aspirant use this application. Please do not start with this application: It is meant to be a tool that you use, together with our local Sangha and supporting Dharma Teacher, as they begin formal mentoring with you. But please speak with your Sangha and/or Dharma Teachers first. In deciding whether conditions are ripe for formal acceptance and mentoring to begin, your mentoring Dharma Teacher may use this form and consult with your Sangha and any other OI mentors as appropriate.

In regions other than North America, procedures for mentorship and aspiration may differ from what’s included above. Please consult with your local Order members to determine the process.

In a region in which the Order of Interbeing has been established for many years, Dharma Teachers and Order Members may be available to train and support aspirants and a community of Order Members that meets regularly for recitation ceremonies, study, and days of mindfulness. In other regions an aspirant may have to travel a considerable distance to practice with an Order Member or Dharma Teacher and the training of aspirants may function differently.

If a local Sangha does not exist and you are still uncertain where to begin, you may write to the OI using their Contact Form. 

Learn more about OI on their website here: https://orderofinterbeing.org/about/our-charter/