It is with great joy that we can announce that the Wild Geese Sangha has joined the family of faiths in our beautiful city by becoming a member of Edinburgh Interfaith Association.

“When we come together for the common good, we can transform our communities into more inclusive, welcoming, peaceful, equal, caring and compassionate places to live.”

Our Sangha and our tradition of Plum Village are not new to Edinburgh Interfaith. Thay’s first visit to Scotland at St Andrews University was made possible with the help of funding from EIFA. They have been supporting us since, for example at Thay’s tree planting and with our monastics tours. As a member of EIFA we can contribute to how faiths influence our city, for example in schools and how young people learn about and navigate faith and beliefs in a world increasingly divided. In supporting faiths in times of hardship when they come under attack. In helping the police to understand religious discrimination, hatred and persecution.

Our teacher Thay supports such actions and says:-

“When you touch someone who authentically represents a tradition, you not only touch his or her tradition, you also touch your own. This quality is essential for dialogue. When participants are willing to learn from each other, dialogue takes place just by being together. When those who represent a spiritual tradition embody the essence of their tradition, just the way they walk, sit and smile speaks volumes about the tradition.”