Rev. Danny Fisher

Over at Shambhala Sun Space, Barry Boyce reports that “unless the Vietnamese government relaxes its position, 400 residents at a monastery following the teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh, who are now living without electricity, water or phone service, will be forcibly evicted.” 

Thích Nhất Hạnh himself asks that you visit helpbatnha.org for “information on writing senators and members of Congress, plus other ways to support the Vietnamese monks and nuns.”

Here’s the story of all the trouble very quickly: The monastery itself is not affiliated with Nhất Hạnh’s movement, but rather the official Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Following Nhất Hạnh’s return to his homeland in 2005, the abbot at Bat Nha invited Order of Interbeing members to study and teach at the temple. The Order spent upwards of $1 million on new land and buildings at the monastery so that they might have appropriate space to do their work and not interfere with the other trainings taking place at Bat Nha. Then, presumably upset with some of Nhất Hạnh’s outspokeness on several hot-button political issues, local authorities cut off water, electricity, and telephones to the group. Then things turned violent. International concerns about religious freedom have long confronted the Vietnamese leaders, who responded to criticism about the situation at Bat Nha Monastery, saying they only want to “manage” Nhất Hạnh’s community, not “control” it.

[Image via helpbatnha.org.]