Plum Village

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France
Thénac
Plum Village

A mindfulness practice center and monastery in south-west France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh
(730)

Plum Village is a monastery and mindfulness practice center in the southwest France founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1982. If you need to contact us please do so via our website: https://plumvillage.org/contact-us/

09/04/2026

Celebrating Sister Chan Khong’s Continuation 🌸

Today we celebrate the continuation day of our beloved Sister Chan Khong (Sister True Emptiness), a founding member of the Order of Interbeing and Plum Village. She has been, and continues to be, a deep source of love, compassionate action, and refuge for our community and for the world.

💛 Love Letters to Sister Chan Khong

“Her stability, joy, and happiness are wonderful supports for many of us in Plum Village and in the greater sangha. The love and concern that underlie her work are deep. True Emptiness is also true love. Her whole life is a Dharma talk."
- Thich Nhat Hanh

“I felt an immediate closeness to Sister Chan Khong… Thay has called her a ‘peace warrior’ to describe her untiring work to bring more happiness and less suffering into the world."
- Sister Chan Duc

“Sister Chan Khong, you are such an inspiration for me. Thank you so much for singing us lullabies during deep relaxation. They help my inner child heal! With much love!”
-Magda, Bodhi Heart of the Source

“Thank you, dear Sister Chan Khong, for being an inspiration to so many of us!”
-Aaron Solomon (Chan Phap Man)

This year, 2026, marks 60 years of the Order of Interbeing. In honor of this special anniversary, and Sister Chan Khong’s continuation day, we are sharing an excerpt from her memoir Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War, about how the Order of Interbeing first manifested through the vision and guidance of our beloved teacher Thay.

To read the full article, please visit the Plum Village website. (plumvillage.org/articles/celebrating-sister-chan-khongs-continuation)

If you wish to deepen your practice and understanding of the Order of Interbeing and the 14 Mindfulness Trainings, you are warmly invited to join our special retreat, Nurturing the Fire Retreat 🔥 (plumvillage.org/event/retreat/nurturing-the-fire)

Last year, so many heartfelt messages for Sister Chan Khong were a true source of joy and inspiration for all of us.

If you have a beautiful memory with her, please feel free to share it in the comments 💛

05/04/2026

We warmly invite you to join our Nurturing the Fire Retreat this June 🌿
A three-week retreat to deepen our understanding and practice of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings.

The first week is open to everyone (There are still a few spaces available for the first week), and the second and third weeks are for those who have received the 14 Mindfulness Trainings.

If you feel called to touch the depth of Plum Village teachings and practice together as a community, you are most welcome to join us.
🔗plumvillage.org/event/retreat/nurturing-the-fire

These photos were taken during our Lamp Transmission Ceremony week in March, when the international sangha gathered in Plum Village, France. From 20–27 March 2026, the sangha came together in a spirit of joy, peace, and harmony to transmit and receive the 14 Mindfulness Trainings and the Dharma Lamp.

44 practitioners from around the world joined this meaningful occasion. 23 received the 14 Mindfulness Trainings, and 21 received the Dharma Lamp Transmission.

During the ceremony, each practitioner offered an Insight Gatha, a short poem reflecting their own journey of transformation and healing. In return, they received a Transmission Gatha from our teachers, to accompany them as they continue their path and share the light of mindfulness in the world.

May this transmission nurture insight, compassion, love, and service in all of us.
May our practice be a light for those facing difficulties in our families, communities, and in the world.

We invite you to enjoy some precious moments from these special ceremonies.
To explore the full album, please visit the Plum Village website.
🔗plumvillage.org/articles/lamp-transmission-ceremony-2026

01/04/2026

Dear friends,
You are warmly invited to come home to the Earth with us 🌿

This spring, across the three hamlets of Plum Village, we are offering themed weeks on happy farming, ecology, nature connection, and rewilding. Together, we can slow down, reconnect with the rhythms of the Earth, and nourish both healing and joy in our daily life.

🌱 New Hamlet (17 April – 3 May)
Themed Weeks: Rooting in Healing (Happy Farm)
A time to come back to the body and the Earth, to cultivate healing through mindful farming and simple, grounded living.
plumvillage.org/event/retreat/themed-weeks-happy-farm-new-hamlet

🌿 Upper Hamlet (1 May – 15 May)
Themed Weeks: Coming Home to Mother Earth (Happy Farm, Ecology, Nature Connection, Rewilding)
Two weeks to deepen our relationship with Mother Earth, learning ways to live more in harmony with ourselves and the planet.
plumvillage.org/event/retreat/themed-weeks-coming-home-to-mother-earth

🌼 Lower Hamlet (8 May – 15 May)
Themed Weeks: Happy Farm (Lower Hamlet) A joyful week of practicing together in nature, touching the wonder of life through mindful farming, rest, and community.
plumvillage.org/event/retreat/happy-farm-retreat-lower-hamlet

Each retreat has its own flavor and energy, while sharing the same spirit of mindfulness, simplicity, and care for the Earth.

For more information and registration, please visit the Plum Village website and follow the links for each retreat. We look forward to welcoming you, and to walking gently on the Earth together.

26/03/2026

From the book How to Fight 🌿

In times of conflict, division, and suffering, anger can arise very quickly, sometimes in just a moment. We may feel the urge to react, to say something back, to defend or to hurt.

In How to Fight, out teacher Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that this moment is where the fight truly begins.

Each time we react in anger, we strengthen a familiar pathway in our mind, one that leads again and again to fear, blame, and the wish to punish. But this is not fixed. With mindfulness, we can begin to create a different path, one that leads to understanding and compassion.

When something unpleasant is said to us, we can pause.
Just one breath can interrupt the habit.

Instead of reacting, we come back to ourselves and recognise, “Anger is here.”
We don’t need to fight it. We don’t need to suppress it.
We can gently hold it, like a mother holding a crying child.

If we run after the other person, we may forget that our own house is on fire.
But if we can come home and take care of what is burning inside us, there can already be relief.

Looking deeply, we may begin to see that our anger comes from a wrong perception, or from seeds of fear and suffering within us. When insight arises, the energy of anger can transform.

Peace does not begin with others.
It begins with our willingness to come home to ourselves. In this way, even in a world of tension and conflict, each moment of mindfulness becomes a step toward peace.

✨ What helps you pause and come back to yourself when strong emotions arise?

This is a short reflection inspired by the book. To read the full article and explore the book more deeply, please visit: plumvillage.org/articles/how-to-fight

21/03/2026

Wellbeing in Body & Mind Retreat 🌸
May 8–15 | Plum Village, New Hamlet

We welcome you to join the sisters of New Hamlet (May 8 – May 15) for a one-week retreat: Well-being in the body and mind. Together, we will learn ways to take care of the mind and body in the present moment, to cultivate a deep well-being both individually and collectively. Through mindful breathing, walking, sitting, and deep relaxation, we can touch a sense of ease and stability within ourselves.

In the supportive energy of the sangha, we nourish both individual and collective well-being. Each step, each breath, can become a source of healing and joy. You are warmly invited to come as you are, and to rest, restore, and reconnect.

To register, please follow the link in our bio.
🔗plumvillage.org/event/retreat/wellbeing-in-the-body-mind-retreat-new-hamlet-2

(Photos from the 2024–2025 Well-Being Retreat)

17/03/2026

The Joy of Growing Up in the Sangha🌱🌳

What is it like to grow up in the Plum Village Sangha?

In this interview, we hear from Elli Weisbaum, a long-time Wake Up practitioner who recently received the lamp transmission and became one of the youngest lay Dharma teachers in our tradition.

Elli first encountered the practice as a child, when her parents discovered Thay’s books and began bringing mindfulness into their family life. When she was ten years old, her family joined their first retreat with Thay. The children’s program was very small at the time, just a handful of kids. Elli remembers Thay quietly sitting with them while they were drawing together. No words were needed, yet a deep exchange was there.

Growing up in the Sangha brought a deep sense of joy, playfulness, and belonging.
“When I come to any practice center, I just feel at home.”

Over the years, Elli moved through the children’s program, the teen program, Wake Up, and eventually became a Sangha builder herself. Today, she continues to bring people together and help build bridges between science and the Sangha.

After receiving the lamp transmission, Elli spoke about the beauty and responsibility of continuing a living lineage.
“We are a living lineage, and this means we need to renew in every moment. We need more Dharma teachers, and we need more young Dharma teachers.”

As we approach the June Retreat celebrating 60 years of the Order of Interbeing, we will share one story each month from a member of the Order.

If you would like to read Elli’s full story, we warmly invite you to visit the article on the Plum Village website.

🔗plumvillage.org/articles/the-joy-of-growing-up-in-the-sangha

10/03/2026

Walking Home – A Journey of True Presence

From April 7 to 20, 2026, Plum Village monastics will offer a 14-day pilgrimage retreat in Shikoku, Japan, following part of the traditional Ohenro pilgrimage route. Ohenro is one of Japan’s most well-known Buddhist pilgrimages, a 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) circular journey around Shikoku that visits 88 temples.

During this retreat, we will visit temples along the coastline and in the mountains, practicing together with Dharma talks, sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, Dharma sharing, singing meditation, gatha practice, and total relaxation.

Some temples are located in villages and others in mountainous areas, so the practice will be in the spirit of hiking and connecting with nature. Most travel between temples will be by bus.

All teachings and activities will be offered in English.

For more details and registration, please visit the Plum Village website. (Link in bio)
🔗plumvillage.org/event/pilgrimage/plum-village-pilgrimage-retreat-walking-home-a-journey-of-true-presence

06/03/2026

The Plum Village community is delighted to launch Living Gems. A searchable archive of nearly 3,000 teachings by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, it brings together talks, Q&As, meditations, and recordings many have never seen before. In a world full of distractions and hurry, Living Gems offers a place of clarity and presence.

Read more: plumvillage.org/articles/introducing-living-gems (link in bio) Explore Living Gems: plumvillage.org/gems

Step into the stream of Thay’s teachings, let them meet you, and embody their guidance in your life.

27/02/2026

Volunteering 2026: Generosity in Action

“It takes time to practice generosity, but being generous is the best use of our time.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh

At the beginning of a new year, many of us reflect on how we wish to live in alignment with our deepest aspirations. This often includes how we can transform suffering in ourselves and in the world, and how we may contribute to collective well-being, peace, and joy.

On the Bodhisattva path, the first of the six paramitas is dana, the practice of giving. Generosity is not limited to material gifts. It can be a smile, a loving look, a warm embrace, or our calm and stable presence. Offering our time and energy in service is also a precious gift.

When we come to Plum Village on retreat, our hearts often feel full from the practices, the teachings, and the beloved community. From this fullness, a natural wish arises to give back.

Throughout the spring and summer, Plum Village welcomes thousands of retreatants. By volunteering, we become part of a living stream of love, understanding, and compassion. The giver, the receiver, and the gift are one.

Here, volunteers from the 2025 Well-being Retreat in New Hamlet share what inspires them to offer their time and care:

“Each time I volunteer, I experience a softening of the self and a deep sense of interbeing. Plum Village becomes more of a home, where we support one another and discover that giving and receiving are not separate.”
— Maff, UK

“Volunteering showed me a new way of working, not about speed or productivity, but about being mindful together. Starting and finishing as one community is deeply inspiring.”
— Mia, Germany

“Volunteering was mindfulness in action. I learned to ground myself and offer presence and care to the community, and was deeply nourished.”
— Lisa, Netherlands

“Serving the family group and practicing together deepened my sense of belonging to the Sangha.”
— F, France

We warmly invite you to join us as a volunteer in 2026. Your helping hands, open heart, and mindful presence are deeply needed to support the many retreats offered throughout the year.

👉 Please read the full article here
plumvillage.org/articles/volunteering-generosity-in-action

18/02/2026

How can mindfulness help create a more loving world?

In a recent panel, Brother Phap Huu, Sister True Dedication, Brother Spirit, and climate leader Christiana Figueres shared how practice supports us in times of fear and uncertainty.

“Despair can cripple us,” Brother Phap Huu reminded us. And yet, “wherever there is hatred, we have to be the warrior of love.”

Brother Spirit shared, “On the way to peace we have to pass through the door of suffering and grief.” Real joy includes our pain.

Christiana Figueres encouraged us, “It is not a question of where the highest level of the system I can affect is, but of where I can actually make a difference in this moment.”

And Sister True Dedication reminded us, “We resist injustice as a collective, as a community.”

A more loving world begins with mindful steps, taken together.

This conversation is inspired by our online course Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. The next cohort begins March 1, 2026.

To read the full article, please visit the Plum Village website.

plumvillage.org/articles/how-mindfulness-can-help-create-a-more-loving-world

15/02/2026

🌸 We’re Hiring 🌸

Plum Village monastery is looking for a Financial and Administrative Director to lead our community’s financial system in southwest France.

If you have 5 to 10 years of experience in finance, and wish to bring your skills to a mindful, purpose driven Buddhist community, we would love to hear from you.

Learn more and apply
plumvillage.org/job-opportunities
hiring@plumvillage.org

Application deadline, March 10 🌿

13/02/2026

Running: Another Way to Stop

Sometimes, when our mind feels stuck, our thoughts become small and repetitive. Little worries start to feel very big, and we lose sight of why we are here and how we truly wish to live. In those moments, Sister Chan Trang Lam Hy discovered a simple yet powerful Dharma door: running.

Not running fast, not running far, but running to move the energy, to come back to the body, and to open a wider inner space. She writes that she chose being “wet and sane” over being “dry and stuck,” reminding herself that we cannot always wait for perfect conditions before taking care of ourselves.

Running became a way to “change the peg,” as Thay often taught. When the mind is circling around worries or difficulties, moving the body can gently shift our perspective. For some, this may be singing, painting, or working with the hands. For her, it was running through the countryside, letting the rain, the breath, and the rhythm of her steps loosen the grip of repetitive thinking.

After a run, she finds herself more balanced, more patient, and more able to listen. The body feels alive again, the breath deeper, the heart calmer. Movement, she reflects, is deeply human. When energy flows, the mind also becomes more spacious and kind.

Practicing mindfulness while running is an ongoing exploration. Running more slowly than usual, feeling the sole of the foot touching the earth, noticing the brief moment of flying between steps. Not running to arrive somewhere, but running with the spirit of “nothing to do and nowhere to go.”

In this way, running becomes a way to stop.
To stop being lost in thought.
To stop negative patterns of thinking.
And to come back, fully, to life as it is.

This reflection is an excerpt from a longer article originally published on the Plum Village website. To read the full article, please visit the Plum Village website via the link below.

plumvillage.org/articles/running-another-way-to-stop

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