Sister Dang Nghiem

Sister Dang Nghiem, MD, MD, was born in 1968 in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. At seventeen, having lost her mother, she immigrated to
the USA, living in foster homes, learning English, and earning a medical degree. She was ordained in 2000. She is the author of several books, including Healing: A Woman’s Journey from Doctor to Nun and Flowers in the Dark.

Recent Articles

A painting of a lotus flower with a flame in the center, in pink and purple

Cultivating the 5 Powers

Buddhadharma: Sister Dang Nghiem, thanks for speaking with us. Let’s lay the ground about how you came to the dharma and how you first encountered the five strengths. Sister Dang Nghiem: I came to the dharma in a desperate situation. I was born Buddhist. I took Grandma to the temple, that was the most I…

Illustration of a Buddha in a lotus.

In the Pure Land of the Present Moment

This is what I heard. Thich Nhat Hanh came to Hollywood to announce that one of his books would be made into a movie. At that time, Thay had with him a number of monastic disciples—monks and nuns from Deer Park Monastery and Plum Village—a number of lay disciples, and many movie stars, directors, and…

Mindfulness is the Best Medicine

After 13 years as a Buddhist nun, Sister Dang Nghiem looks back on her medical career and realizes monastic practice and medicine aren’t that different.