Thich Nhat Hanh giving a dharma talk in Vietnam in 2007. Photo by Velcrow Ripper. Thich Nhat Hanh giving a dharma talk in Vietnam in 2007. Photo by Velcrow Ripper.

A new health update for Thich Nhat Hanh has been issued by the monks and nuns of his Plum Village community. The message indicates that Nhat Hanh, who has been in the Bay Area receiving care after suffering a stroke and coma, has been involved in practice with the sangha there:

[…] the attendants taking care of Thay in San Francisco have also opened a Winter Retreat practice period with [him], including early morning sitting meditation, walking meditation, silent meals, watching videos of Thay’s Dharma Talks and participating in Dharma sharings. Every day, Thay has enjoyed joining the brothers and sisters in all of these practices, and we can see that practicing with the community is an important source of spiritual nourishment for Thay, supporting his recovery in every respect.

The message is careful to note, also:

[…] Thay has made only slight improvements and is still unable to speak. He continues to sing with us, and is making more and more recognizable words whenever we sing the Plum Village songs he remembers so well. We witness Thay putting a lot of effort and energy into trying to form the words, even though it can sometimes be frustrating for him. We are happy to report that we have now found a new speech therapist who will be working with Thay on a daily basis throughout January. In addition, we continue to explore many new and groundbreaking neuroplastic healing techniques, including neurofeedback, and cold laser therapy.

Many more details are included in the full message, which you can read here.

For much more on Thich Nhat Hanh and his special vision of community, see the special January 2016 issue of the Shambhala Sun, available now.