Sister Chan Khong is the first fully-ordained monastic disciple of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and the director of his humanitarian projects since the 1960’s.
Thich Nhat Hanh with Sister Chân Không, 1994
“In Buddhism, the word ’emptiness’ is a translation of the Sanskrit sunyata. It means ’empty of a separate self.’ It is not a negative or despairing term. 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.”
― Sister Chan Khong, Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War
