Moments of Joy: The Poetry of Sister Jina, Chan Dieu Nghiem [Hardcover]

The first full-length collection of poems from contemplative Buddhist nun Sister Jina van Hengel, each short verse radiates the energy of a single moment of awareness.

Like a master gardener, over the years the revered Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has cultivated a host of brilliant monastics in the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Living simply and practicing deeply for many years in the French countryside, Sister Jina van Hengel is one of Plum Village's most beloved senior Dharma teachers, known for her embodiment of the teachings, her warmth of character, and her Zen poetry.

For readers of natural contemplatives in the vein of Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, and, of course, Thich Nhat Hanh, these poems teach us to savor everyday life with awareness and gratitude. Sister Jina’s life and way of living is like a poem.  
—Sister Chan Khong, author of Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War 

“The best mind medicine.” 
—Adriaan van Diis

These light, refreshing, and often humorous gems of poetry will gladden your heart on a rainy day and enhance the sunshine. Composed by a Buddhist nun who has diligently practiced mindfulness and concentration for many years, they are like drops of morning dew that wash away all confusion and lead to the flowering of insight.
—Sister Annabel Laity, author of True Virtue: The Autobiography of a Western Buddhist Nun


A beautiful body of work that somehow feels as though it was written a century ago, and a century from now, at the very same time. These are simple observations that too often go unnoticed, the raw, perfect beauty of little moments. We all struggle to stay in the prlcd