Initially, Nhất Hạnh established the Order of Interbeing from a selection of six board members of the School for Youth and Social Services, three men and three women.[5] The first members were ordained in February 1966 and vowed to study and practice the Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism.[5] In 1981, Nguyễn Anh Hùng, a microbiologist and lay meditation teacher, became the seventh member of the Order.[5] As of 2020, the Order of Interbeing had more than one thousand core members.[6]
TiếpHiện (接現) is a Sino-Vietnamese term. The term did predate the Order of Interbeing's use in other contexts in Vietnamese, but was and remains uncommon. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." The translation "Interbeing" (French: Interêtre) is a word coined by Nhất Hạnh to represent the Buddhist principles of anatta, pratītyasamutpāda, and the Madhyamaka understanding of śūnyatā. The order contains members of the "Fourfold Sangha" (male and female monastics and male and female laypersons) and is guided by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.[7][8][9]
^Robert Harlen King Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh: Engaged Spirituality in an Age of Globalization 2001
^Jean Baubérot, Franck Frégosi, Jean-Paul Willaime Le religieux dans la commune: régulations locales du pluralisme en France 2001 - p288 "On observe en effet, à Strasbourg, l'émergence d'un groupe encore informel qui se constitue autour de plusieurs personnes habituées à la fréquentation du « village des pruniers » de Thich Nhât Hanh dans le Périgord. Ce moine vietnamien ..." p289 "Bien que le maître réside en France, c'est paradoxalement aux Etats-Unis et au Canada que les centres sont les plus développés. Ce qui caractérise la voie préconisée par Thich Nhât Hanh, ce sont des méditations assises ainsi que la..."
^Thích Nhất Hạnh 1968 Đạo Phật hiện đại hóa Page 198 "Mỗi tĩnh có một cơ sỡ Tiếp Hiện như thế. Mỗi sáng chủ nhật, cá Anh, Chị trong các dông đều về sinh hoạt tại chỉ nào gần nhất trong đó có it ra là một vị chủ thuộc dòng Tiếp Hiện."
^Philip Taylor Modernity and Re-Enchantment: Religion in Post-Revolutionary Vietnam 2007 Page 341 "Five precepts taken on first entry to the Order of Interbeing [Tiếp Hiện] comprising (i) not killing, (ii) cultivating loving kindness, (iii) avoiding sexual misconduct, (iv) practising loving speech, and (vi) practising mindful consuming."