A Centre: why?
The Intersein Centre
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THE OTHER IMPORTANT REFERENCE for the future Italian Centre is the Intersein Centre (“Intersein” is German for ‘Interbeing’), which was founded, with the encouragement and backing of Thich Nhat Hanh, in 1999 by Helga Riedl e Karl Riedl (together with Amoghavajra Karl Schmied, who recently passed away), who continue to run the Centre at both spiritual and organisational levels. The spiritual exercises and paths that have been developed at Plum Village over the years constitute the spiritual base at the Intersein Centre.

Intersein is run by laymen. This makes it specially interesting for the Italian project, who intends to develop a model of practice suited to the daily life of those who live in society.
The life at the Intersein Centre is contemplative and secluded. Daytime activities are devoted to meditation, teachings, sharing, and common work routines in the house and garden.
The driving force at Intersein is the resident community, which is formed by a nucleus of practitioners who live at the Centre and by other friends who practice with the community for long terms (ranging from several months to one year). The resident community is joined by people from Germany and elsewhere in Europe for retreats or practice periods.
The intent and joy of the community dwells in sharing their special experience with other people, offering them the opportunity to participate in this way of life and supporting them on their path.
The community life is founded on the Five and Fourteen Mindfulness Teachings. These encourage the desire of practitioners to live simply and mindfully, to eat, drink and consume with awareness, and to behave responsibly as individuals, consumers and citizens.
A special relationship has grown up between Italian practitioners of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and the Intersein Centre as a consequence of the retreats that Helga and Karl hold in Italy on a regular basis. These retreats are followed by a growing number of people. The Italian week at Intersein has now become a fixed event; it is held in the second week of July and generally welcome more than 50 Italian practitioners.

The outcome of this close relationship is that the Italian Order of Interbeing has invited Karl and Helga to be the spiritual guides of the future Italian Centre. Starting in autumn 2005, a training course was started at the Intersein Centre specifically aimed at those who wish to become resident members of the future Italian Centre.