About Phan Y Ly

PHAN Ý LY
Founder, Như Là
http://nhula.net

Born in 1981
Based in Nha Trang, Vietnam

EDUCATION

Master’s Degree in Theatre and Communication for Development

Graduated with Distinction, 2004–2005
University of Winchester, United Kingdom
Chevening Scholarship (UK Government)

FOUNDING & LEADERSHIP

Nhula.net – Online Community (2021 – present)
A community of 6,000 members, primarily Vietnamese aged 18–70, practicing together to recognize comprehensive freedom.

Lat Mem Buoc Chat – Online Community (2013 – 2020)
A community of over 16,000 members, mainly Vietnamese women aged 18–50, sharing about body, mind, emotions, and sexual health in everyday life.

Art Facilitator Network in Vietnam (2010 – 2011)
Over 60 members from social development, education, and mental health fields, meeting weekly to exchange practice using arts such as dance, theatre, puppetry, drawing, and clay modeling for human development.

Life Art Co. Ltd, Vietnam (2010 – 2015)
A social enterprise providing consulting and training for artists, teachers, social workers, and individuals in personal development through methods such as Theatre of the Oppressed, improvisational theatre, educational theatre, creative theatre, and playback theatre.

SameStuff Theatre, Vietnam (2006 – 2012)
An independent theatre group of seven young artists aged 17–25 in Hanoi, using performance art for social transformation.
Works combined movement, puppetry, shadow, and masks to provoke discussion around “unnamed issues” among youth.

DIRECT REALIZATION & OBSERVATION OF BODY–MIND MECHANISMS

2012
Participated in a 30-minute online guidance session with Mooji; direct realization of Emptiness occurred at that moment, with the cessation of self-view.

2013 – present
Continuous, clear knowing of body and mind.

2013 – 2020
Actively studied texts and systems of thought from multiple religious traditions to cross-reference and make sense of the direct realization experienced in 2012.

Late 2020
Natural knowing of body and mind without distance; no subject–object split, no inside–outside division.
Recognition of the limits of conceptual and textual research.

Early 2021
Began approaching Buddhist scriptures as a reference system to review the body–mind observation process already lived through, and found it difficult to locate the appropriate sutras.

May 2021
First meeting with Venerable Vien Minh (Buu Long Pagoda); prior experiences and insights were confirmed as consistent with the stages of insight described in Buddhist teachings.

In the morning of August 10, 2021

In a naturally silent, clear state, direct realization clarified:

  • Reality as it is.
  • The meaning of samsara and nirvana as two inseparable aspects of the same reality.
  • The overall meaning of the path of practice and the deeper drive behind human seeking.
  • Clear discernment between essence and method in each person’s path out of suffering.
  • The potential for psychological self-liberation across all ages.
  • The empty nature of “me” and a natural humility.

Over the following two months, further recognition unfolded:

  • The common mechanism behind psychological suffering
  • The process through which suffering ends.
  • The principle of relinquishment / purification of the mind.
  • The role and limits of the mind in human life.

Over the following four months, further recognition unfolded:

  • The nature of life.
  • The operating principle behind “psychic” capacities (as functions, not myth).
  • How wisdom forms in human beings.
  • The principle by which wisdom continues to develop after awakening.
  • The nature of awakening/insight events and their role in the path of awakening and liberation.

2022–Present

Runs in-person courses for selected participants to support recognition of subtle restlessness, and direct verification of emptiness and non-self in unpredictable real-life situations.

Continued exploration, research, and experimentation with diverse forms of expression to guide people who seek awakening and liberation.

Runs online courses guiding direct observation of body–mind for those oriented toward awakening and liberation.

POSITION & WORKING APPROACH

Phan Ý Ly is not a member of, nor does she practice within, any fixed religious school or spiritual system. Any points of overlap with existing traditions are understood as consistency of truth when directly verified, and do not represent propagation of or affiliation with any particular lineage.

Her writings focus on clarifying common misunderstandings she observes among practitioners, helping learners dismantle self-created barriers so they can practice more effectively on their own. This approach does not aim to construct theoretical or academic systems, except where conceptual clarification is necessary for learners to directly recognize and free themselves from the constraints of their own thinking.

With formal expertise (Master’s level) in guiding improvisation and multimodal experiential processes for diverse audiences toward human liberation, Phan Ý Ly’s method consistently emphasizes the design of tightly structured experiential exercises that simultaneously engage the senses and reveal active patterns of attachment in each person—safely and with humor—without reliance on concepts or theoretical frameworks.
Notably, in the 7-day Nhu Khong course, participants directly observe and realize Emptiness within creative action, decision-making, and problem-solving, without theory or conceptual explanation.

SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL SEARCHES FOR HAPPINESS & REALITY

REALISING MECHANISMS & LIBERATION FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL SUFFERING

In-person course: Nhu Khong — recognizing subtle restlessness; verifying emptiness and non-self in daily tasks (2021–2026)
Role: Creator and direct facilitator
For: Those who already practice insight sufficiently and are oriented toward awakening and liberation

Online course: Tam Nhu La: Systematizes the body–brain–mind mechanism that generates suffering; guides direct observation skills for insight, identification of “grip points,” and the ending of identification along the path of awakening–liberation (2026)

Role: Designer and lead facilitator
For: Those who want to practice insight / direct body–mind observation toward awakening and liberation

Online Course “Pure Knowing” – sharing A–Z of subtle traps in observing body and mind and guiding direct self-verification on the spot (2022)
Role: Designer and direct instructor
For: Those who want to practice insight / direct body–mind observation toward awakening and liberation

Hundreds of video Q&A sessions clarifying misunderstandings in awakening and liberation, published on social media (2019 – present)
Role: Direct respondent and interlocutor
For: Those who want to practice insight / direct body–mind observation toward awakening and liberation

Articles supporting correct understanding of awakening and liberation (2017 – present)
Author
For: Those who want to practice insight / direct body–mind observation toward awakening and liberation

SOCIAL & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT WORK

Online Course “From Reflection to Liberation” – Critical thinking education for human liberation (2025)
Role: Designer and instructor
For those seeking deep understanding of oppression and liberation principles and their application in education, coaching, and accompaniment.

Online Course “Parents As-Is” – supporting parents in accompanying their children (2021)
Role: Designer and instructor
For those living and working with children

Women’s Care Workshops – fee-based, Vietnam (2013 – 2020)
Role: Organizer, instructor
Workshops on liberation from the mind, femininity, emotions and sexuality, authentic communication, body–mind–intellect freedom, balance, and happiness.

Personal Development through Creativity – public fee-based workshops (2010 – 2012)
For children aged 6–15 and adults, supporting self-discovery, critical thinking, and creative expression.

Drama Therapy Workshop – Applied Psychology Center Song Pho (SPAP), Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City (2012)
Organized for 50 psychologists to introduce basic drama therapy skills and practical applications in Vietnam.

Art for Sharing – LIN Center, Ho Chi Minh City (2012)
Training for 30 social project and community development staff to use theatre to share and express emotions, especially in qualitative research and sensitive issues.

Interactive Theatre – MTV EXIT, Hanoi (2012)
Multimedia art exhibition on human trafficking at the Workers’ Theatre, collaborating with leading artists such as Doan Hoang Kien, Na Son, and ZTL.

Arts-based Solutions for Organizations & Enterprises (2011 – 2012)
Consulting on leadership, teamwork, communication, organizational culture, creativity, and work–life balance.
Clients: AusAID, ActionAid VN, KOTO, OUCRU, Chevening Alumni, CSIP, CGFED, BAT, FPT…

Office Energy Saving – WWF Vietnam (2011 – 2012)
Training attitudes and behaviors for energy saving among UN staff, development organizations, and enterprises.

Media Education Project Planning – Swedish Film Institute & Swedish Educational Television, Ministry of Education & Training Vietnam (2011)
Designed a two-year project helping children develop critical thinking and participate in media content creation.

Critical Pedagogy for Early Childhood – Hai Ba Trung District Education Office, Hanoi (2011)
Training principals and vice-principals of 50 kindergartens in theory and practice of critical pedagogy.

Development Workshop for People with Disabilities – Nghi Luc Song Center, Hanoi (2010)
20 participants shared and rewrote their life stories through theatre.

Training of Trainers – Personal Development through Creativity (2009 – 2010)
A pioneering course combining theory and creative practice, funded by CSIP and the British Council.

Documentary Project “My Life – My View” – Bai Giua Floating Village, Hanoi (2007)
Seven children filmed, wrote scripts, and voiced a 45-minute film about their community, selected for screening at the United Nations Film Festival.

Arts for Behavioral Change Training – COHED, Vietnam (2006)
For provincial cultural officers, funded by the Asia Foundation.

Children’s Participatory Theatre – Plan International Vietnam (2005)
Enabled children to voice their concerns through theatre and speak for themselves.

Community Theatre in Kibera – Nairobi, Kenya (2005)
Used forum theatre to create dialogue around “forbidden” topics in the Kibera community.

World Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam (2002 – 2004)
Program Assistant
Supported local organizations providing reproductive health information and services for youth.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Vietnam (2001 – 2003)
Project Assistant and Interpreter

FILM & THEATRE

Feature Film UnBox (release planned 2026)
Advisor
Acting Advisor

Free Horse Film Studio (2025)
Advisor

The Stranger – performed in Vietnam, England, Wales (2012)
Co-director, actor
A 90-minute play on gender power, using creative theatre to stimulate critical thinking.

First Filmmaking Project – Discovery Asia Channel (2010)
Director of the documentary City of Passions, one of five scripts produced and broadcast on Discovery Asia.

Look – performances in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam (2006)
Concept director, actor
Theme on online virtual sexuality, with post-performance discussions. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Oe Oe – performance in Hanoi (2006)
Director
The first play of SameStuff, narrating the journey of a fetus from conception to birth.

A Journey – Documentary Film, Kenya (2005)
Director, cinematographer, editor on the self-identification process of the Kibera community, screened in London for 50 NGOs.

PUBLICATIONS

Author of the educational card set Tinh – 101 Traps Obscuring Pure Knowing (2025)
Author of the educational card set Awakened Love (2025)
Author of the educational card set Clarity (2025)
Author of the article “Hopeful Youth Drama in Kibera” for African Theatre: Youth (James Currey, Oxford) (2006)
Co-editor and author of the adolescent reproductive health guidebook, UNFPA Vietnam (2004)
Creative advisor for the street children’s guidebook, KOTO Vietnam (2004)
Contributor to Vietnamese print and online media on: children’s rights, parenting, cultural intersections, travel, arts for development, gender, and education.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Has lived and worked in: India, Iran, Kenya, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan
Roles: Lecturer and consultant in international projects and collaborations

Travels: India, Iran, Kenya, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, France, Italy, Uzbekistan, China, Laos, Denmark, Indonesia, Morocco

MEDIA PRESENCE & PERSONAL CHANNELS

Personal TikTok account: 31k followers
YouTube: 7.3k subscribers
Personal Facebook account: 49k followers
“Như Là” Facebook community page: 38k followers
Quora account: answered over 60 questions in English, sharing knowledge and in-depth perspectives on human development, education, psychology, and cognition.