Plum Village

03/12/2025

Willow Family — Novice Ordination Ceremony 2025 in Plum Village

On 9 November, in the Still Water Meditation Hall of the Dharma Cloud Temple (Plum Village, France), eight young people offered their hair and entered the monastic path, surrounded by their families, friends, and the entire Plum Village community. 🌱

Coming from Australia, Sweden, France, Taiwan, China, and Germany, they have entrusted their lives to this path of healing, transformation, and service, following their deepest aspirations.

“Shedding my hair completely, I make the great vow today to transform all my afflictions and bring happiness to all beings.”

“How wondrous is the robe of freedom! It is the field of all good seeds. I bow my head to receive it today and to express my profound gratitude.”

We warmly invite you to enjoy these precious moments from the novice ordination day. 🙏 The full photo album is available on the Plum Village website. (plumvillage.org/articles/willow-family-novice-ordination-ceremony-2025)

28/11/2025

🎄Christmas Holiday Week in Plum Village (December 20 – 27, 2025)

As we enter this tender and peaceful season, we warmly invite you to touch the candle in your own heart — the quiet flame of practice, peace, and joy — and let its gentle light reach your loved ones, all beings, and our world.

During this one-week Christmas Holiday retreat, we will care for our hearts together through mindful walking, deep listening, joyful work, Dharma sharing, and the simple warmth of being in spiritual community.

December 25 will be a day of simple, quiet celebration, held in the spirit of presence and togetherness. If feel called to stay longer, you’re welcome to continue into the New Year’s Week from December 27 to January 3, 2026.

Families are warmly welcome. Please note that there will be no special activities for children or teenagers during this week. May this season offer you peace, clarity, and a gentle return to what truly matters.

👉 Registration is now open on the Plum Village website. (plumvillage.org/event/retreat/christmas-holiday-week-2)

27/11/2025

The Wisdom of Autumn is here. 🍂

Our friend Mick from the Plum Village Happy Farm and Rewilding Project offers the newest reflection in his ongoing “Wisdom of the Seasons” series. After Spring and Summer, this autumn piece invites us to slow down, look deeply, and touch the quiet teaching of interbeing that is so present in this season.

From the harvest of sweet potatoes and pumpkins to the loving practice of planting winter cover crops on the empty beds, Mick reminds us that the garden is a living conversation between soil, seeds, insects, rain, sunlight, and humans. Nothing exists alone.

He also shares simple practices we can try in our daily life, helping us care for our well-being and return to the Earth with gratitude.

🍁 Reflective Questions for the Season�If you wish, you might take a quiet moment to walk, journal, or sit with these reflections:
• Where does interbeing show up in your life?�• How can you cultivate more interbeing, especially with the natural world?�• Which parts of your life are already in harmony with the Honourable Harvest?�• Which parts are not?�• How might you gently realign your life to come into harmony with this teaching?

May this season help us touch peace in the simple, sacred rhythms of the Earth.

✨ If you would like to read the full article, you can find it on the Plum Village website: plumvillage.org/articles/the-wisdom-of-autumn-the-reality-of-interbeing-is-unsurpassed

23/11/2025

You are warmly invited to join The Way Out Is In on a pilgrimage to India!

Plum Village monastics will co-lead a 14-day pilgrimage with Dharma teacher Shantum Seth in India from January 31 to February 13, 2026. This pilgrimage 'In the Footsteps of the Buddha', is a rare chance to connect with the Buddha’s life and experience the heart of his teachings where they unfolded.

Brother Phap Huu, abbot of Upper Hamlet in Plum Village France, will lead the monastic delegation and will be joined by Jo Confino, his co-host of the podcast The Way Out Is In. They will record a special series of podcast episodes during the journey.

The pilgrimage will visit many of the places where the historical Buddha lived and taught, including Varanasi, Deer Park in Sarnath, the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, and Vulture Peak, one of the Buddha’s most cherished meditation spots.

To share the spirit of this path, here are some moments from last year’s pilgrimage, where we practiced together in peace and gratitude.

Registration will close soon. If you feel called to join, you can find more information here: plumvillage.org/event/pilgrimage/in-the-footsteps-of-the-buddha-5

18/11/2025

Registration Now Open: Calming the Fearful Mind

“If you don’t have the qualities of stability, peace, and freedom inside of you, then no matter what you do, you cannot help the world.”
– Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Join the Sisters of Lower Hamlet for a 5-day online retreat, Calming the Fearful Mind — a space to touch stillness, stability, and compassion in uncertain times.
* January 22–26, 2026
* Online (Hybrid Format)
* In English, with French and Spanish translations
*
With live teachings, guided meditations, and Dharma sharing, this retreat is gently designed for those balancing work or study.
👉 Registration is now open: plumvillage.org/event/online-retreat/calming-the-fearful-mind

14/11/2025

Monastic Life / Love, Transformation and Siblinghood

We’re happy to share a heartfelt conversation with Sister Boi Nghiem (True Pearl), ordained in 2005. In this article, she opens her heart about what siblinghood means on the monastic path and how we can build communities rooted in understanding, compassion, and care.

For Sister Boi Nghiem, siblinghood is simple yet deeply nourishing: a cup of tea shared with presence, a small act of kindness, a gentle look of encouragement. When our hearts feel full and peaceful in the presence of our monastic siblings, we know we are touching true siblinghood. She reminds us that connection cannot be forced and needs space to grow naturally. Even when we cannot speak with someone, we can still hold gratitude, understanding, and kindness in our thoughts. This is also a beautiful way to nourish our relationships.

She also shares openly about supporting our 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. Understanding the deep suffering many friends carry from rejection, misunderstanding, or fear, she chooses to stand beside them with compassion and an open heart. Creating spaces where people feel seen, safe, and respected is, for her, an essential part of healing and transformation.

Through organizing BIPOC retreats, listening deeply to friends who share their struggles, and reflecting on her own experiences as a Vietnamese-American monastic, she continues to plant seeds for a Sangha where everyone feels they belong. A place where we can honor our ancestors, embrace our roots, and support one another in understanding and love.

May her insights remind us of the power of presence, inclusiveness, and true siblinghood in our daily lives. You can read the full interview, with many more heartfelt insights, on our Plum Village website 🕊️ (plumvillage.org/articles/love-transformation-and-siblinghood)

08/11/2025

2025–26 Rains Retreat Opening Ceremony

On October 23, we formally opened the Plum Village Monastery Rains Retreat with the Face to Face Ceremony (Ceremony of Refuge), with 249 practitioners — 159 monastics and 90 lay friends — committing to dwell peacefully together for 90 days.

During this Rains Retreat, we will continue to explore our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh’s 2012–2013 Winter Retreat teachings, “Soulmate of the Buddha.”

In this series, Thay revisited the Buddha’s fundamental teachings: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Three Dharma Seals, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, and key Plum Village practices. He also examined Western dualism and its influence on Buddhism.

Thay’s teachings demonstrate his affection and appreciation for the Buddha, and his deep wish to help us touch the essence of what the Buddha offered, by returning to the context of the Buddha’s time in India and making clear, fresh connections with Plum Village practices as an accessible yet undiluted expression of the Dharma.

We will revisit these seminal teachings to see whether our understanding and application of the Buddha’s teachings are truly correct, and whether they can help us touch ultimate reality and true freedom in our modern times.

✨ Renewing Thay’s “100% Practice” ✨

In the ceremony of Taking Refuge, Brother Phap Ung expressed deep gratitude to Thay, our ancestors, Mother Earth, and the Sangha for the precious continuation of this three-month tradition. He rejoiced that our elders are still with us and affirmed his confidence in the younger generation as the beautiful continuation of Thay’s vision and a refuge for many.

Acknowledging the challenges the community has faced in recent months, he lifted up a card marked “100%” — Thay’s reminder to live and practice wholeheartedly, with full presence in every step and every breath.

This “100%” spirit, he said, is the Dharma seal of Plum Village, yet it seems to have faded over time. He called on the Sangha to renew this practice together, inspired by our elders such as Sister Chan Duc, so that Thay’s love and the energy of mindfulness can be truly felt in each step we take on Mother Earth.

May this Rains Retreat be a time to renew our wholehearted practice: to walk, breathe, and live 100%, in gratitude and mindfulness, as a true continuation of our teacher.

🪷 See the full photo album on our website: plumvillage.org/articles/2025-26-rains-retreat-opening-ceremony

02/11/2025

The Fire of Aspiration (Series 1 – from How to Dream)

We all carry dreams within us — not the ones we see when we sleep, but those that rise from the deepest place in our hearts.
Dreams for peace, for understanding, for a better world.

Our beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that these dreams can become real, one mindful step at a time.

The following lines are from How to Dream, the final book in the Mindfulness Essentials series by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. May they help you nurture the fire in your own heart.

🔥 A Fire in Your Heart
What is our greatest hope and aspiration if not a dream? Each moment of our daily lives, our dreams can slowly become reality. Only faith, aspiration, awakening—only a big dream—can generate a collective energy powerful enough to bring our society to the shore of safety and hope. I know there is fire in your heart. Allow your dreams to carry you far and break free from the walls that limit you.

💫 Taking Action in Our Own Lives
We may have a great desire to live in peace and to live sustainably, but most of us don’t yet have concrete ways to act on that desire in our daily lives. We haven’t yet organized ourselves. We haven’t formed sustainable communities. We can’t only blame our governments and corporations for the chemicals that pollute our drinking water, for the violence in our neighborhoods, or for the wars that destroy so many lives. It’s time for each of us to wake up and take action in our own lives.

🪷 From How to Dream, the final book in the Mindfulness Essentials series by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Available from Parallax Press and local bookstores. (https://plumvillage.org/articles/how-to-dream)

Photo credit: Twan Peeters

25/10/2025

Save the Date: Calming the Fearful Mind

“If you don’t have the qualities of stability, peace, and freedom inside of you, then no matter what you do, you cannot help the world." - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Join the Sisters of Lower Hamlet for an inspiring 5-day online retreat — Calming the Fearful Mind: A Path Out of Uncertainty and Towards Peace.

- January 22–26, 2026
- Online Retreat (Hybrid Format)
- Hosted by Sisters of Lower Hamlet
- In English, with French and Spanish translations available

In a world filled with uncertainty, this retreat is a chance to come home to stillness, stability, and compassion. Together, we will explore how to cultivate mindfulness, concentration, and insight, learning to meet life’s challenges with peace and non-fear.

The retreat is designed especially for those balancing work or study, offering a gentle start on Thursday evening and a full schedule from Friday, January 23 to Monday, January 26.

Enjoy live teachings, guided meditations, Dharma sharing circles in three languages, and connection with a global community of practitioners.

👉 Save the date and stay tuned for more details: plumvillage.org/event/online-retreat/calming-the-fearful-mind

18/10/2025

🙏✨ Tomorrow, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet (ZASP) online course begins in English.

We still have many scholarships available to ensure that the course is beautifully diverse and accessible.

Sign up via the links in ’s bio:
🌏 In English: plumvillage.org/zasp (registration open until 23rd October)
🌎 En español: plumvillage.org/es/zasp (registration open until 29th October)

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Llamando a todos los amantes de la Tierra, agentes de cambio y almas hermosas
Únete al curso en línea Zen y el Arte de Salvar el Planeta - un viaje hacia la ecología profunda, la compasión y la comunidad.

Todavía tenemos muchas becas disponibles para garantizar que el curso sea maravillosamente diverso y accesible.

Inscríbete a través de los enlaces que aparecen en la biografía de :
🌎En español: plumvillage.org/es/zasp (inscripciones abiertas hasta el 29 de octubre)
🌏En inglés: plumvillage.org/zasp (inscripciones abiertas hasta el 23 de octubre)

17/10/2025

From 26 September – 3 October 2025, New Hamlet came alive with our Vegan Mindful Cooking Retreat: Savor Life! A full week of mindfulness, creativity, and joyful community, where every moment was an invitation to slow down, connect, and celebrate life. 🌱✨

Throughout the retreat, we practiced Sitting & Walking Meditation, Mindful Movements, Total Relaxation, and Eating Meditation, learning to bring attention, gratitude, and presence into each moment—turning everyday actions into opportunities for joy and connection.

The highlight of our week was, of course, cooking together! Our meditation hall transformed into a lively kitchen, buzzing with the aromas and colors of wholesome food. Sisters guided us in preparing Korean bibimbap and Vietnamese hu tieu, and all our Dharma Sharing families joyfully joined in, chopping, stirring, and savoring each dish as a shared experience of mindfulness and love. 🍲💛

Through laughter, learning, and shared effort, we discovered how mindful cooking and eating can nourish not just the body, but also the heart, relationships, and our sense of connection with the world around us.

📸 Relive these vibrant moments in our photo album: plumvillage.org/articles/cooking-retreat-2025-savor-life

15/10/2025