Caregiving and the Art of Presence - by Tue Nghiem (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Ordaining as a Buddhist nun right after university, the author set out to cultivate peace and study and practice mindfulness under the tutelage of war refugee and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. When the health of her beloved mother, Ma, begins to decline, she is confronted with the challenge of applying Zen teachings on compassion and equanimity to real life. Through caring for Ma, a widow who had taken her five small children on a rickety boat onto the open seas to seek refuge from the war in Vietnam--and gone on to raise them in America alone--Sister Tue Nghiem discovers insights on healing from the long-term effects of war on the human family, as well as on her own mind and body.

Drawing on her lifetime of mindfulness practice and the ancestral wisdom of Zen, she explores how a caregiver can remain grounded, compassionate, and free while navigating the emotional weight of a parent's declining health. Through the author's journey with her mother--alongside her brother and niece, also monastics--she reveals how developing the art of presence and mindfulness can be the keys to provide connection, clarity, and peace, even in the most difficult moments of caregiving.

About the Author

Born in Vietnam, Sister Tue Nghiem grew up in California and studied psychology at university, with a strong interest in the mind and the aspiration to alleviate the mental pain she saw around her. The same interest and aspiration then brought her to Plum Village France, where her elder brother (Brother Pháp Đang, "Brother Dharma Lamp") had already ordained as a monk under Thich Nhat Hanh. After her sojourn at Plum Village, she returned to California. The contrast between the malaise of fast-paced city living and the simple, fulfilling life at Plum Village helped set her life direction.

Sister Tuệ Nghiêm balances her time in teaching roles in the monastery with growing organic vegetables on the New Hamlet "Happy Farm". She firmly believes in taking care of the body to sustain the practice, thus sharing her experience in holistic medicine, yoga, Qi Gong, and nutrition with the community.