Touring Buddhists teach mindfulness at local temple

By Lethbridge Herald on May 8, 2025.

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Most people associate a “tour” with personal travel, famous bands, or even Broadway musicals and not seven Buddhist monks and nuns touring Canada, promoting mindfulness and self-care. 

As part of the 2025 Monastic Tour of Western Canada, the Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta (BTSA) and Spirit Yoga welcomed the internationally-renowned team of monastics from Plum Village for a “Day of Mindfulness.”

The day-long event, “Mindfulness as a Foundation for Health” at the BTSA  Wednesday offered a rare opportunity for the Lethbridge community to experience mindfulness guided by monastics ordained in the Plum Village tradition.

“We are connected with our environment and society,” says Buddhist Monk Brother Phap Lieu. “We need to be very careful to take care of our mental and physical awareness before and after engaging with society. The way out is in…so it’s important to learn how to come back to ourselves and take care of our physical health and mental awareness.”

Mindfulness, as taught in the Plum Village tradition, is the art of arriving fully in the present moment—calm, clear, and aware. It offers a pathway to reconnect with ourselves and respond to life with balance, clarity, and compassion. Whether facing uncertainty, health challenges, or emotional fatigue, mindfulness strengthens our ability to return to what is true and nourishing.

Buddhism can be viewed as both a religion and a way of life, but many emphasize its practical, secular aspects over its religious elements. While Buddhism does incorporate religious elements like scriptures, rituals, and deities, it also offers a framework for cultivating mindfulness, compassion, and ethical living, which can be practiced without necessarily adhering to religious dogma

The monastic team was made up of monks and nuns originating from Vietnam, the U.S. and Mexico, while the Lethbridge attendees came from all ages, genders and religious traditions. Event organizer Vickie MacArthur comes from the Christian tradition, but has found what she calls “lovely bridges” between Buddhism teachings and Judeau-Christian teachings. . 

“It’s all a way of looking after our whole being–our minds and bodies; and I also think it’s so important that we need a spiritual dimension in our lives,” says MacArthur. That doesn’t mean religious, but we need something that points to something deeper within us, that there’s a deeper purpose of life. And I think that’s what a lot of people are missing these days.”

During the morning program, over 70 registered attendees sang, practiced indoor sitting meditation as well as outside walking meditation, and listened to presentations by the monastics. The afternoon program featured an optional deep-relaxation session; and the event concluded with a two-hour evening session of singing, sitting meditation and a presentation with a Q&A period, which was also open to the public.

In both the U.S. and Canada, mindfulness, self-awareness, and self-care are increasingly recognized as essential tools for navigating the complexities and challenges of modern life. These practices help individuals manage stress, improve mental well-being, and enhance overall quality of life.

“I think at times like this, when people are becoming so divided that there’s so many conflicts around the world, not just in the states but what’s happening in Ukraine and Gaza, it’s really important to ground ourselves; and the Buddhist practice is one of gratitude and compassion,” says BTSA’s Rev. Roland Ikuta. 

In support of this, the BTSA holds several mindfulness and wellness events throughout the year.

Plum Village is a Buddhist monastery in southwest France, founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, and the first monastic community he established in the West. It’s a place where monks and nuns practice mindfulness and engage in mindful communal living, drawing inspiration from Engaged Buddhism, Thiền, Zen, and Pure Land traditions. The monastery and its associated traditions offer a way of life that emphasizes ethical and spiritual decision-making through practices like mindfulness, meditation, and the Five Mindfulness Trainings.