Ha Vinh Tho
on a Culture of Happiness
How can you tell that you’ve met your “teacher”?
Tho Ha Vinh knew exactly when it happened.
Although he was brought up in many countries, he could always feel a deep connection to the country of his paternal ancestors, Vietnam. This type of magnetic string always takes you to your people, to “your teacher”.
It took him to his Zen Master, the one and only Thich Nhat Hanh:
“The first time I heard Thay give a Dharma Talk, I was deeply moved. I found myself crying while listening to the teachings. Not because I was sad, but because it touched my heart so deeply. In his presence, I had a direct experience of living compassion united with wisdom. I knew I had met my teacher.”
His compassion led Ha Vinh to train humanitarian professionals working in war zones and emergency response in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, and Darfur.
Now, he is the Founder of Eurasia Learning Institute For Happiness and Wellbeing, a humanitarian NGO developing educational programs for children and youth living with disabilities, and a visiting fellow in many universities or institutions, such as Schumacher College, Mind & Life Institute, or Presencing Institute.
Ha Vinh preaches about the much-needed “paradigm shift”: “Economy should be serving the needs not only of the humans, but the entire living system, or ecosystem and the planet earth herself."
He is a Buddhist teacher at Plum Village. Previously serving as the program director of the Gross National Happiness Center (GNH) of the country of Bhutan, he became a frequent speaker on the topic of Gross National Happiness: happiness, well-being, and moving beyond GDP.
In his book, A Culture of Happiness, he explains how the principles of interdependence as the foundation of all human life on earth can produce the conditions for a truly satisfying life.
After all, happiness means being present in each other’s presence, and being grateful for all the shared moments:
“Looking back at the many years we had the chance to be in Thay’s presence and to receive his teachings, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude. He never asked anything from us, never expected anything, and left us completely free. But he was always there for us. He himself was a living embodiment of his teachings.”
Make sure you honour your teachers, human and non-human ones!
Thank you, Ha Vinh Tho, for being a Wise Teacher!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Ha Vinh Tho
Company / Institution: Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing
Title: Founder / Chairman
Website: https://www.elihw.org
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/havinhtho/
Country of origin: France / Vietnam
Country you currently live in: Switzerland / Vietnam
Your personal definition of Regeneration: Living in Harmony with self, others and our beautiful and fragile Planet.
Main business challenge you face: More projects than we can handle.
Main driver that keeps you going: Compassion.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Compassion and insight driven action.
The trait you most value in others: Compassion and Joy.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Meditation, hiking in the mountain, enjoying my family - my wife (we have been married for 52 years), my kids, grandkids and my great-granddaughter.
The #inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Thich Nhat Hanh
Rudolf Steiner.
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the regeneration journey: It’s all about people, shared vision, and community building. Financial and material resources are just a means, not an end.
Most used and abused clichés about sustainability that bother you: The illusion that there are technological solutions to the ecological crisis. The only viable solution begins with a change of consciousness.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Change begins within, you have the agency to change your mind, therefore, to change the world.
Books that had a major impact on you:
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Humankind by Rutger Bregman
Theory U by Otto Scharmer
Must-reads for any Regenerative professional:
The World we Have by Thich Nhat Hanh
A Culture of Happiness by Ha Vinh Tho
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again:
Broken silence by Wolfgang Panzer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring by Kim Ki-Duc
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts etc. you visit frequently:
https://www.globalcompassioncoalition.org
https://charterforcompassion.org
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: J.S. Bach, especially Cello sonatas and Goldberg variations, Bob Dylan early songs, Ani Choying Drolma.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Darfur, Bhutan, Tibet, Afghanistan.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Satish Kumar
Thich Nhat Hanh
Vandana Shiva
Pierre Rabhi
Joanna Macy
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on:
Mindfulness based ecology, the work that reconnects.
Best places for business networking (online or offline): LinkedIn.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why:
Global Compassion Coalition
Mind and Life Institute
Presencing Institute
Charter for Compassion.
These are all groups that bring together inner transformation and social change.
Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses, trainings, or certifications that really teach us how to have an impact:
“CAS le Bonheur dans les organisations” Geneva in French: All the courses in Schumacher College UK.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The crisis we are experiencing is the pain of childbirth of a new world that wants to be born.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: We must individually and collectively wake up to a new consciousness. If we fail to do it, we will face dramatic consequences.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Compassion, Mindfulness, Social and Emotional Skills.
The #inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition of the newsletter is:
Cindy Vuu, CEO of BITIS
Quote that inspires you:
“There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh)
Your quote that will inspire us:
