Chân Không (born 1938)
is an
expatriate
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country.
The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...
Vietnamese
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
Bhikkhunī
A bhikkhunī (, ) is a fully ordained Buddhist nun. Bhikkhunīs live by the Vinaya, a set of either 311 Theravada, 348 Dharmaguptaka, or 364 Mulasarvastivada school rules. Until recently, the lineages of female monastics only remained in Mahay ...
(
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
) and
peace
Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...
activist
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
who has worked closely with
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Thích Nhất Hạnh ( ; , Huế dialect: ; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet, and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, ...
in starting the
Plum Village Tradition and helping conduct spiritual
retreats internationally.
Early life
Chân Không was born Cao Ngọc Phương
in 1938 in
Bến Tre, French Indochina in the center of the
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...
. As the eighth of nine children in a middle-class family, her father taught her and her siblings the value of work and humility. She quotes her father as saying: "...never bargain with a poor farmer because for you a few dong may not be much, but for him it is enough to support his children."
Education
In 1958 she enrolled in the University of
Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
to study
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
. She was also involved in political action, becoming the student leader at the University, spending much of her time helping the poor and sick in the slums of the city.
She first met Thích Nhất Hạnh in 1959 and considered him her spiritual teacher. In 1963 she left for
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to finish her degree in biology which was awarded in 1964.
She returned to Vietnam later that year and joined Thích Nhất Hạnh in founding the Van Hanh University.
Youth and Social Service
Chân Không was central in the foundation and many of the activities of the Youth and Social Service (SYSS) which organized medical, educational and agricultural facilities in rural Vietnam during the war.
At one stage the SYSS involved over 10,000 young peace workers who rebuilt many villages ravaged by the fighting. When Thích Nhất Hạnh returned to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Chân Không ran the day-to-day operations.
Order of Interbeing
On February 5, 1966 Chân Không was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
as one of the first six members of the
Order of Interbeing, sometimes called the "Six Cedars". Following her ordination, she was given the name Sister Chân Không, True Emptiness.
In explaining the meaning of the name, she says: "In Buddhism, the word 'emptiness' is a translation of the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
sunyata. It means 'empty of a separate self.' It is not a negative or despairing term. It is a celebration of interconnectedness, of interbeing. It means nothing can exist by itself alone, that everything is inextricably interconnected with everything else. I know that I must always work to remember that I am empty of a separate self and full of the many wonders of this universe, including the generosity of my grandparents and parents, the many friends and teachers who have helped and supported me along the path, and you dear readers, without whom this book could not exist. We inter-are, and therefore we are empty of an identity that is separate from our interconnectedness."
The Order of Interbeing was to be composed of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The first six ordainees were free to choose whether they preferred to live and practice as formal monastics or as laypersons. The first three women chose to live celibate lives like nuns, although they didn't shave their heads, while the three men chose to marry and practice as lay Buddhists. Among the three women was
Nhat Chi Mai, known for her active participation in the group "Youth Serving Society" who taught within various orphanages and
immolated herself in 1967 for peace.
From 1969 to 1972 Chân Không worked with Thích Nhất Hạnh in Paris organizing the Buddhist Peace Delegation which campaigned for peace in Vietnam. She then worked with Thích Nhất Hạnh to establish the first the Sweet Potato community near Paris, then
Plum Village Monastery in 1982. Chân Không accompanied and assisted Thích Nhất Hạnh when he traveled. In addition, she has organized relief work for those in need in Vietnam, by coordinating relief food parcels for poor children and medicine for the sick, and has helped organize activities at Plum Village.
Sister Chân Không ordained as a nun by Thích Nhất Hạnh in 1988 on
ulture Peak in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
During the three-month return to Vietnam (January to early April, 2005), Thích Nhất Hạnh spoke to thousands of people throughout the country - bureaucrats, politicians, intellectuals, street vendors, taxi drivers, artists. In addition to Thich Thích Nhất Hạnh's
Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
talks, Sister Chân Không also taught and conducted additional
mindfulness
Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through exercises, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one's own mind and bodily sensations in the present moment. The term ''mindfulness'' derives from the Pali ...
practices. She led the crowds in singing Plum Village songs,
chant
A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of no ...
ing, and leading "total
relaxation" sessions. Other times, it was her simple application of Vietnamese heritage to modern ways of life that appealed to the people they met. During
Tết
Tết (, ), short for (; ), is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar and usually falls on January or February in the Gregorian calendar.
is not to be co ...
(Vietnamese New Year) celebrations in February, she performed an "oracle reading" for hundreds of Buddhist followers.
Declaration of Religious Leaders Against Modern Slavery
In 2014, for the first time in history major Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian leaders, as well as Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist leaders (including Chân Không, representing
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Thích Nhất Hạnh ( ; , Huế dialect: ; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet, and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, ...
), met to sign a shared commitment against modern-day slavery; the declaration they signed calls for the elimination of slavery and human trafficking by the year 2020.
Autobiography
Chân Không wrote her autobiography, ''Learning True Love: How I Learned & Practiced Social Change in Vietnam'' in 1993.
Bibliography
* ''Learning True Love: How I Learned & Practiced Social Change in Vietnam'', 1993, Parallax Press, Berkeley, CA, .
* ''Be Free Where You Are'', Thích Nhất Hạnh, foreword by Chân Không, Parallax Press, 2005, .
* ''Drops of Emptiness'', Thích Nhất Hạnh and Chân Không,
Sounds True Direct, 1998,
ASIN
Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononyomusly as Asin, is an Indian former actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu language, Telugu films. Asin is a recipient of List of awards and nominations ...
B00000379W.
* ''The Present Moment: A Retreat on the Practice of Mindfulness'', Thích Nhất Hạnh and Chân Không, Sounds True, 1994, .
* ''Touching the Earth: The Five Prostrations and Deep Relaxation'', Thích Nhất Hạnh and Chân Không, Sounds True, 1997,
* ''Beginning Anew: Four Steps to Renewing Communication'', Chân Không, introduction by Thích Nhất Hạnh, Parallax Press, 2014,
See also
*
Buddhism in America
*
Buddhism in France
*
Buddhism in Vietnam
*''
ONE: The Movie''
*
Women in Buddhism
References
External links
One: The Movie (2005)Sister Chân Không taking part as well as Thích Nhất Hạnh and others
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan Khong
Thiền Buddhists
Plum Village Tradition
1938 births
Living people
Buddhist pacifists
Vietnamese Buddhist nuns
Nonviolence advocates
Vietnamese pacifists
Zen Buddhist spiritual teachers
People from Bến Tre province
20th-century Buddhist nuns
21st-century Buddhist nuns
21st-century Vietnamese women
21st-century Vietnamese people
Women in the Vietnam War