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

Author, medical doctor, and Plum Village monastic Sister Dang Nghiem (a.k.a. "Sister D.") talks about how her teacher Thich Nhat Hanh taught the "five strengths" — faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight — and how we can harness them to drive and deepen our dharma practice.

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.