Articles

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

In this new book How to Dream, Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to nurture the fire in our hearts — to dream deeply, and to bring those dreams into reality through mindful, compassionate action.

To celebrate the continuation of our beloved teacher, we are delighted to share these heartfelt reflections of gratitude and transformation, offered by lay friends, monastics, and Dharma teachers across our multi-fold Sangha.

The Plum Village Community would like to express their deep gratitude and honor the life, teachings, and legacy of our beloved Dharma Teacher Tho Ha Vinh (True Great Understanding) in the wake of his passing on the 26th of September, 2025.

Eighty years after Hiroshima, Sister Chân Trai Nghiêm reflects on walking through the city with Thay, and on how its deep scars can awaken a collective vow to cultivate peace for generations to come.

In this article, Brother Phap Dung outlines Thầy’s aspiration and vision for residential spiritual communities as a service and refuge for society.

Mick McEvoy of the Happy Farm shares insights and offers simple practices inspired by the summer to help you care for your own well-being, and touch the insight of interbeing.

We are happy to share this reflection on the great need for community by David Viafora.

The Plum Village Community is grieving the passing of our beloved Dharma Teacher Larry Ward (True Great Sound). He was a lighthouse of the Dharma, a revolutionary spirit, and a visionary of Engaged Buddhism.

With deep gratitude for the life, teachings, and continuation of Joanna Macy, we offer a selection of excerpts from World as Lover, World as Self in honor of her profound legacy. A life devoted to collective awakening, compassionate action, and service to life.

Throughout the years, Sister Dieu Nghiem (also known as Sister Jina) has touched the lives of countless young monastics as a beloved elder sister. Here in part 2, a few monastics share some joyful moments with their dear elder sister.

In this heartfelt sharing, Dharma teacher Fern Dorresteyn reflects on the joys and challenges of practicing mindfulness as a parent.

In this article, Dharma Teacher Orlaith O’Sullivan invites us into a playful and contemplative practice that blends imagination with presence and care for our world.

In this article, we explore the Two Promises offered to children during the Summer Opening retreat — simple yet powerful vows that plant seeds of compassion and understanding.

In this reflection, Brothers Phap Xa and Phap Luu invite us into an experience of sensory awakening through mindful presence — grounded in a seven-week retreat on the Appalachian Trail that inspired their new book, Hiking Zen.

In this article, we explore the first part of an in-depth commentary on the Discourse on Transforming Violence and Fear, which Thay offered through four Dharma talks in Vietnamese during the 2009–2010 Rains Retreat.

Plum Village recently hosted a "Nourishing our Roots - Young Asians in the West" retreat in which one of the workshops was the challenge of writing Love Letters to Oneself. Here two retreatants share their hearfelt letters.

In this article, we share an introductory excerpt from the new book Calm in the Storm by Br. Phap Huu and Jo Confino — a timely Zen guide for those seeking emotional stability, self-compassion, and inner peace in an anxious, perfection-driven world.

In this article Kim Thai interviews Brother Trời Bảo Tạng, a monastic in the Plum Village tradition, who discusses why a non-binary monastic order is needed, and the practice of speaking up and letting go.

Sister Dieu Nghiem (also known as Sister Jina) arrived in Plum Village in 1990. She had first ordained as a monastic in Japan in the Soto Zen tradition. Here, a few monastics share some wondrous moments with their dear elder sister.

In this article, Dharma Teacher Annie Mahon, based in Washington D.C, shares her deep practice of cultivating fierce compassion in the face of fanaticism.

In this nourishing article, Teen Programme volunteer Géraldine M shares about her summer adventure—stepping into a garden of amazing encounters, joyful transformation, and beautifully blooming flowers.