Buddy Buddies, Second Body Practice, & Book Club

Buddha Buddies

WMC offers a Buddha Buddies program as a way for newcomers (or relative newcomers) to feel more connected to our sangha and practice. It allows newer folks the opportunity to be paired with an experienced longtime member as a point of contact for their practice.

Each Buddha Buddy pairing allows you to check in once a week and talk about your practice, ask questions, sit together, get support with mindfulness, and learn more about or community and our traditions as a member of the Thich Nhat Hahn sangha family.

Each Buddha Buddy pairing lasts for a two month period, but the connections and friendships you make often continue well past the initial practice period.

Second Body Practice

Second Body is a practice that originated in the monasteries; it a wonderful way for us to strengthen our mindfulness practice and build deeper relationships with one another at WMC.

Each person who participates is paired with a partner from the sangha. Your own body is your First Body, and your partner is your Second Body. The two of you designate a time each week in which you make contact with each other to practice deep listening together. You and your partner determine the type of involvement you would like; it might be by phone or in person, talks, walks. But whatever form it takes, you take turns listening to and supporting each other in your mindfulness practice as second bodies.

Over time, mindful speech and deep listening create a relational field that fosters deeper exploration and allows for sharing that may not be possible in the larger circle of the sangha. Having a second body means you know that someone else in the practice is there for you if you need it.

Thich Nhat Hanh describes the second body practice like this: “The practice of the second body is one way we take care of each other in the Sangha. Each member of the Sangha needs a second body. When you go to sitting meditation, you invite your second body. If your second body is sick, you have to know that your second body is sick, and look for a doctor or someone to help... You don't have to be better than your second body, you need to help your second body."

It is very important that you are willing and committed to maintain regular contact with your partner throughout this three-month period. If you are likely to be hard to reach or simply unable to make this commitment, it’s best to seek other ways to strengthen your practice and refrain from signing up at this time. It is also important that you refrain from initiating any form of dating relationship with your second body partner during this period.

Book Club

The WMC Book Club meets online on the second Tuesday of each month to study and discuss the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) in the context of the many books he has written. Unlike traditional book clubs, the WMC Book Club reads together out loud, as a group, passages from these books and discusses them. Using this format it usually takes months, if not a year, to complete a selected book. This makes for a more inviting atmosphere, where individuals can just “drop in” and discuss the dharma with sangha brothers and sisters as presented by Thay’s writings. Everyone is welcome.

If you are interested in any of these three programs, contact us here.