Finding Joy and Togetherness in the Midst of Hardship
Please find below reflections on the Live Podcast Recording with a special guest Ocean Vuong from two members of our UK Sangha: Sarah and Paul.
What a true privilege it was to be present for The Only Way Out Is In episode with guest Ocean Vuong. The event was held in the warm, light-filled space of the Friends Meeting House in Euston. We gathered from near and far, drawn by a shared longing to listen, reflect, and to simply be, Ocean spoke with such articulate clarity, tenderness, and authenticity, sharing his journey and practice as a Buddhist.
This gathering felt like a moment when we were gently reminded of the power of connection within, the necessity of slowing down, and the quiet, urgent call of healing in these times.
With deep gratitude for the space, to Brother Phap Huu, Jo Confino, and Ocean, and for the shared presence of everyone there. ~ Sarah from Peace is the Wey Sangha, Guildford
Paul, from Pebbles Sangha wrote about his experience:
I had been really looking forward to attending the live ‘Way Out Is In’ podcast in London on 12th September and had purchased a ticket as soon as I saw the event advertised. I was intrigued by the title ‘Cultivating Joy & Togetherness in the Midst of Hardship’ and by the fact that there was special invited guest called Ocean Vuong, a poet & writer.
Arriving at Quakers Friends House in Euston, there was a good atmosphere amongst the Friday night queue and a quiet buzz of excitement as the queue moved along. I had heard some curious passers-by inquiring what event everyone was queuing up for and being told that it’s a ‘live podcast’. Another response was ‘it’s Ocean Vuong’, which made me smile. Once inside though I picked up my copy of Br Phap Huu & Jo’s new book ‘Calm in the Storm’ and went to find a seat.
All I knew about Ocean was that he was from the United Staes and knew Br Phap Huu. In my mind I had pictured him reading out some of his poems as a kind of warm-up to the ‘main act’ of Jo & Phap Huu’s podcast. In fact it turned out to be a conversation between the three of them and a fascinating one at that. Before we got going though, Brother Phap Huu asked the audience to join in with a short meditation that he would guide, which turned out to be a perfect way to begin the evening. An audience of one thousand people in silence, listening to one of the most beautiful & powerful guided meditations I have heard. I had such a profound experience of peace, listening to Br Phap Huu and feeling the silence that I didn’t want it to end.
When the conversation began we quickly learnt that Phap Huu and Ocean had a lot in common. They are of very similar age; their families originated from the same small village in the Vietnamese countryside and their respective families emigrated from their homeland after the war and eventuallly settled in North America. Phap Huu’s in Toronto, Canada and Ocean’s in Connecticut, USA. Phap Huu had chosen the life of a monk from an early age, after being introduced to Plum Village by his dad as a teenager at family retreats and Ocean becoming an academic, eventually becoming a Professor of Creative Writing at NYU. As Ocean explained, it could have been very different had his career guidance counsellor not steered him away from the community college he had set his sights on, which meant that Ocean followed an academic path and not a more religious one.
Their conversation ranged widely and I began to realise that I hadn’t heard a ‘Way Out Is In’ podcast quite like this before. As their discussion developed I warmed more and more to Ocean, whose experience in the world meant there was a different dimension and very different ‘feel’. His background as someone who had worked in low-paid jobs as a young, gay man and who had helped his mother in a nail bar growing up and then later becoming a successful academic, published poet & novelist, gave their conversation a very different flavour to any of the previous podcasts I had heard. His extraordinary use of language and ability to communicate complex, relevant, contemporary political & cultural insights were fascinating. My own curiosity & interest, especially in American politics meant that I enjoyed the talk more & more.
I felt that Br Phap Huu spoke very movingly about his own decision as a teenager to become a young monk, explaining it so simply & powerfully as ‘I just fell in love’. He recounted growing up in north American culture with superheroes like Spider-Man and then discovering his Plum Village superheroes, describing them as ‘bald & brown’, which I found wonderfully amusing. Jo skilfully asked the right questions to both Phap Huu and Ocean, exploring important themes like kindness, love, care, masculinity, cynicism, humiliation, vulnerability, suffering, healing and much more. Ocean described his experience as a teacher, wanting to encourage his students to follow their dreams & their passions for artistic expression, especially around poetry.
Apart from the stimulating conversation and the guided meditation at the beginning, the other highlight for me was Br Phap Huu singing the Bell Chant in Vietnamese and later on Ocean singing an old Appalachian chant. Both beautifully sung and deeply moving. Happy memories of a wonderful evening.
You can find the full episode of the podcast here
Video recording of the live podcast is available here:
