We, Howen Sangha, are a group of families acting as a Sangha, sharing lessons and experiences regarding happiness as taught by Thay, the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh — “Without suffering, there is no happiness; and without happiness, there is no suffering. It is like the lotus and the mud: without mud, you cannot grow a lotus. The lotus exists for a time, only to eventually become mud again. Thus, when looking at the lotus, you see the mud, and when looking at the mud, you see the future lotus. Suffering is the same.”