Dr. Magda De La Paz Cabrero is a mindfulness practitioner, writer, and visual artist rooted in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. She holds a doctorate in education from the University of Maryland and previously taught world language pedagogy at George Mason University and served as facilitator of restorative justice programs for youth. For over thirty years, she has advocated for children and young people from historically marginalized communities, work she continues to share on her website, www.truejustice4youth.org.
Magda serves as a Dharma facilitator, coordinator of the Engaged Mindfulness group, and council member of the Opening Heart Mindfulness Community in Washington, D.C., as well as a member of the International Earth Holder Council. She is the coordinator of Journeywomen at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Maryland.
Her new book, Vietnam, Where a Lotus Blooms, is a pilgrimage through sacred landscapes and encounters in Vietnam, following in the footsteps of her teacher. Like her earlier illustrated memoir, Walking on Earth with Thich Nhat Hanh, it blends poetic reflection, original artwork, historical memory, and mindfulness practice. Both books are also available in Spanish.
The daughter of a Puerto Rican father and Venezuelan mother, Magda writes bilingually, contributing regularly to The Mindfulness Bell. Through her words and illustrations, she invites readers to listen deeply to the Earth, to the breath, and to the lotus blooming within.