Space—sound—and flavor are thoughtfully curated in the Maha Mangala style—rooted in nature, nurturing life energy, and cultivating a harmonious way of living for the holistic development of the human being, grounded in the wisdom education distilled from the Great Blessings Scripture, the Maha Mangala Sutta.

“Sound is light — light is the clarity of the mind”—each garden is an invitation, awakening mindfulness and compassion, gently guiding you to cherish The Essence of Being in every mindful breath. “Returning” is the Art of Peaceful Living at Maha Mangala.

The seven garden expressions are like the seven lotus footsteps of the Enlightened One, like the seven colors of the rainbow, like the seven sounds of Creation. All are woven into space, sound, and taste… forming the Maha Mangala way of living. It is a gift we cherish—offered to one another, to you, and to the life of this present moment.

 

1. Buddha Garden 🌿 The First Light

The first light of dawn awakens within the consciousness as the doors of the Buddha Hall gently open. The earliest sunbeams sound a quiet call: “A new day begins.” There is a deep sense of peace in realizing, “I already have a path to walk in this life.” Lighting a candle, offering a bud of incense, presenting a bowl of pure water, one bows in reverence to Creation—Heaven and Earth, Ancestors and Origins—with a heart full of gratitude. Life stirs, and gently comes awake.

The Garden of Light is thoughtfully designed in two parts: the inner space is the Buddha Hall, while the outer space unfolds as a small garden. The harmony between these two realms offers an honest reflection of the “outer world” and the “inner world,” mirroring the relationship between the human body and mind. Within the Buddha Hall, we gently lay down our worries, return to stillness, and offer prayers—sowing seeds of peace for ourselves and for others. Beyond, in the garden, we merge with nature, coming to understand that every tree and every flower carries within it a message of life and of continuous transformation.

How blissful it is when light pours in and fills the space—such a profoundly peaceful moment. For in that instant, one knows: “I have found a path to walk in this life.”

 

Avalokite Garden is a space imbued with the fragrance of faith. A faith that trusts that “love is a great power” — a power that helps us listen deeply to ourselves, and to one another.

“Breathing in with true ease… breathing out in gentle freedom… at ease, and unhurried.”

The breath brings you back to the present moment, allowing you to truly understand and empathize with your father, your mother, and your loved ones.

“What is my life like? Am I able to be present with and master my own breath?” When we see the source, feel the flow, and recognize that all life is precious, we understand that uplifting the life of others is, in fact, a way of loving ourselves. Returning to a heart filled with love.

At Maha Mangala, Avalokite Garden embodies a strong aspiration toward the righteous path and a heart aligned with virtue. At the very center of the garden stands the sacred image of White-Robed Avalokiteshvara (Avalokite Garden). To the right is the revered image of Most Venerable Thich Vien Minh, Vice Supreme Patriarch, and to the left, the sacred image of Kyabje Gosok Rinpoche, also Vice Supreme Patriarch. The wooden dome opening toward the garden is thoughtfully designed in an octagonal form, symbolizing the Noble Eightfold Path — the eight righteous paths leading toward awakening and right living.

Avalokite Garden gently reminds us of such simple truths, and over time, a way of living quietly awakens — radiant with light, rooted in goodness, and guided by what is true and wholesome.

 

3. Bamboo Grove Garden🌿 Compassion and Great Magnanimity

The gentle sound of flowing water beside the grove of noble bamboo—humble yet carrying a beautiful message of the virtues of the true gentleman. Bamboo Grove Garden, the bamboo forest of noble character, symbolizes the qualities of the Wise and Compassionate Being: elegance, authenticity, generosity, and magnanimity. Each bamboo stalk stands as a lesson in steadfastness through life’s changes, and every leaf unfolds like a smile of compassion.

“To perceive sound and light together with the noble spirit of a true gentleman — that is the moment of gathering.” This space is truly special, as the tea table is thoughtfully arranged to reflect the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The warmth of the water, the fragrance of tea, gentle smiles, and heartfelt conversations come together here — a place of reunion for kindred souls and wise hearts.

“Gathering together, we savor the Way of tea,
Uplifting heaven and earth within a single bud.
Breath and tea move in a gentle rhythm or two,
And peace quietly blossoms — a tender spring bloom.”

“Reunion, gathering, convergence… countless moments of coming and going shape the beauty of a human life. How joyful it is when footsteps arrive and depart with lightness, as the fragrance of tea and the fragrance of the heart gently permeate the space — free and unhurried. Tea — Tea Meditation — the Way of Tea… whatever the style, the gift we offer one another is the same: a warm, peaceful, and nurturing energy.”

 

An infinite, open expanse unfolds—sunlight spilling like gold across the sandy slopes of the Dawn Garden, where the vast ocean merges with the light of Heaven and the breath of the Earth. Leisurely footsteps move across the sand, feet touching Mother Earth, listening as the waves fall into rhythm with each breath.

OM AH HUM… Om Ah Hum… om ah hum…

OM is the sound of the Body.
AH is the sound of Speech.
HUM is the sound of Mind.

The Maha Mangala Great Bell is a sacred spiritual work, specially created with profound meaning. Weighing 108 kilograms and standing 108 centimeters tall, the bell was designed by Venerable Thien Tue Jamyang Lama and cast by artisans Duong Nhut and Duong Ngoc Tien at Phuoc Kieu Bronze Casting Village, Quang Nam, in the Year of the Metal Rabbit (2011).

A new day at Maha Mangala welcomes you with the first rays of sunlight upon the gentle golden shore. Between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., as dawn softly emerges, the sound of the bell resonates throughout the space, carrying pure faith, deep gratitude, and peaceful aspirations gently sown into the heart and mind. It quietly reminds us: “Offer yourself a smile, speak to yourself with kindness, take steady steps… and live a day in peace.”

 

6. Sunrise Garden 🌿 Freedom in the Light

Where the sun rises over the vast ocean and white sandy shores, merging seamlessly with the earth and the sky. This is the gateway of the Zen Garden Domain — a gateway of Creation, of freedom. Each time I behold this moment of harmony, I cannot help but exclaim, “How beautifully precious this life truly is!”

Walking barefoot on the sand, sitting quietly in the morning breeze, listening to the breath of the sea and the breath of one’s own awareness. How wondrous it is for those who can truly contemplate this moment. The resonance of the Maha Mangala Great Bell blends with the breath of the earth and the sea, with the subtle fragrance of incense, guiding the mind back—vast like endless grasslands in bloom, boundless like the ocean itself, as life gently rises and awakens.

 

7. Bodhi Garden 🌿 A Great Heart

Maha Mangala will welcome your very first steps at the “Bodhi Garden.” To us, the Bodhi tree is not only a symbol of steadiness and the passage of time, but also a “Great Heart” — unwavering, enduring, and ever-present.

Steady when we know we have a path to walk; able to listen to ourselves, to others, to time, and to the changing circumstances of life. All of this forges the “Bodhi Heart” — a heart that does not retreat, a heart that remains unwavering, a heart that turns toward the light: the light of love, understanding, compassion, insight, and benevolence.

By the clear, cool stream, beneath the lush green canopy of the Bodhi Tree, we are gently reminded: “Smile, and let your heart open wide.” The Bodhi Tree is a sacred gift to Maha Mangala, planted when Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh and the Plum Village Sangha returned here in 2016. This rare and precious memory has formed the “Bodhi Heart” — a symbol of Compassion and Wisdom. Each experience, each challenge, becomes an invitation to grow — to become stronger, more grounded, and more embracing with every step of the journey.

 

Maha Mangala 🪷 Where Life Blossoms

Maha Mangala is a meaningful creation, where the seven garden expressions—like the seven lotus footsteps of the Enlightened One—illuminate a way of mindful living. From the morning bell that awakens mindfulness to a cup of tea that gently reminds us of sharing; from the steadfast Bodhi tree teaching unwaveringness to footprints on the sand anchoring us in the present—each garden expression embodies the 38 blessings flowing from the sacred teachings of the Maha Mangala Sutta, guiding us to practice awareness each day, in every single moment.

Each day, we sow a “seed of peace”—a seed for ourselves, a seed offered to others. We offer one another a lotus-bud greeting, a gentle smile, a benevolent gaze, a word of encouragement or appreciation, a sincere counsel—nurturing a way of living that is true, close to the heart, and simple in its depth.

Maha Mangala is a land of “Returning”—for those who cherish life, returning to nature, to our natural essence, and to the life within ourselves; authentic, intimate, and simple in its depth.

Maha Mangala – Together, let’s uphold life in the love of our hands!