Buddhist Resources for Challenging Times

Welcome Friends🙏.

My hope is that BCD members will be moved to send in brief descriptions of their lineages and samplings of resources (articles, books, videos) that you find especially helpful in these very challenging times.

What you share will be contributing to a new and unique American Buddhist community.

To begin our journey together, it is my pleasure to offer a sampling below from my root practice – The Plum Village Tradition of Engaged Buddhism begun by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

If you would like to offer resource(s) that you find especially meaningful, please use the Submission Form at the bottom of this page.

Because of site limitations, regretfully not all submissions can be published.

With gratitude,

Karen Hirsch

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh was a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist who coined the term “engaged Buddhism” and was renowned for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace.

A gentle, humble monk, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an apostle of peace and nonviolence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Exiled for almost four decades from his native Vietnam during the Vietnam War, he pioneered bringing Buddhism and mindfulness to the West, and established Plum Village, an engaged Buddhist community, in France. (Please see Plum Village App for detailed history.)

“You have to take care of your suffering fear, rage, confusion and other emotions – to embrace it tenderly, the way a loving mother would embrace her crying baby.”

1. (Music Video): “The Great Bell Chant” 7:13

2. The Heart Sutra – New English translation by Thich Nhat Hanh (9-11-2014) 11:45

3. “Handling Strong Emotions”, by Thich Nhat Hanh (est. 7 pages)

4. Plum Village Zen Meditation App 5.0 (7K) (Available free in the Google Play and Apple App stores). A wealth of easy-to-use guided meditations, relaxations, and talks.

5. (Video) A Regulated Nervous System: An Orientation” by Jo-Ann Rosen 24:00

6. (Book) Jo-Ann Rosen “Unshakeable-Trauma-Informed Mindfulness for Collective Awakening”, Parallax Press, Berkeley, CA 2023,

7. (Network of Local Groups) Beloved Community Circles for Mindful Action. Beloved Community Circles is a close-knit, decentralized network of people in many countries working towards climate and racial justice in our communities, grounded in nonviolence, emotional healing, spiritual practice, and mindful action.

8. (Book) John Bell “Unbroken Wholeness — Six Pathways to the Beloved Community: Integrating Social Justice, Emotional Healing, and Spiritual Practice”, Parallax Press, 2024.

9. (Video) “House of Interbeing” 4:00. In the early 2000s, Thich Nhat Hanh proposed that Palestinians and Israelis attending a mindfulness retreat build a community in which they could learn to live together as brothers and sisters in the same land. The resulting House of Interbeing includes ordained Dharma teachers, member of the Order of Interbeing, and lay practitioners who help Palestinian and Israeli activists explore Thich Nhat Hanh’s proposal.

11. (Video) Guided Body Scan” Sister True Dedication (Hien Nghiem) (from Plum Village app) 5:00

12. (Singing) Betsy Rose betsyrosemusic.org. – includes links to Betsy’s wonderful, healing YouTube music/singing videos and live events. You can join Betsy’s mailing list to hear about future events, in person and online.