Learning to Love and Live
A conversation with the "Mimosa" family of novices on their aspirations to become a monastic, and the joys and pains of life in a monastery.
Monastic
Interview with Sister Đào Nghiêm
Sister Đào Nghiêm recounts experiences of learning from Thich Nhat Hanh as a member of his monastic community.
Meeting My Master – an Interview with Sr Giac Nghiem
Sister Giac Nghiêm, is a much loved elder sister in Plum Village. Sister Giac Nghiêm is a French nun, she took her monastic vows at the age of 56 after having been married and working as a physiotherapist. In 1997, she joined the community of Plum Village as a...
Bamboo Shoots and Tea
As monastics, being invited to drink tea or spend time with our teacher, (affectionately called Thay) are precious occasions. Two sisters, Sr Thuan Nghiem and Sr Thao Nghiem, share memories of what it was like to drink tea and travel with Thay and how they would like to be...
Taking Care of Earth, Nourishing our Love
How to be with the difficulty that comes from Earth changes, to stay strong, and to be a resource for self, family and community.
Who Is The Boss?
The way of the compassionate leader. Concrete practices to heal our relationships, and overcome stress in the business world.
Life is a Poem
A poem by Sr Chan Hoi Nghiem, abbess of Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, about the beauty, depth and interconnectedness available in the present moment.
Preparing to walk the path of simplicity
Read about our aspirants who, on the 25th of October, will receive the ten novice precepts becoming part of the Plum Village monastic community.
Stepping into Freedom
On the 14th of December, 2017, nine young men and women will be ordained into the Plum Village Monastic family. For the very first time they will discover the reality of monastic life. As soon as the ordination date was confirmed, the web team gathered with the aspirants at...
Dogwood Tree Family Ordains in Mississippi
The Plum Village monastic community grew by three on October 20th. The Dogwood Tree ordination family consists of Sr. Trang Quang Son (27), Sr. Trang Kim Son (24) and Br. Troi Minh Dung (23). They were ordained during the North America Tour Monastic Retreat in Magnolia Grove Monastery in...
Upgrading the Mindfulness Bell
Oct.15th, 2014 Bodh Gaya, India Dear Thầy, Dear Sangha of the Order of Interbeing, I write on behalf of our little magazine, the Mindfulness Bell, one of the communication channels for our Plum Village community throughout the world. At present, I am in India traveling with a beautiful Fourfold...
Becoming Buddha’s Disciple
We invite you to read this beautiful article by Sr Linh Di (Emyo Wang), our newest Australian monastic, who was ordained by Thay at Plum Village this Summer, together with her brothers and sisters in the Oriental Cypress Ordination Family. Dear ones, I will be asked to release personal email,...
Plum Village Practice in Vietnam – some background
Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh’s return from exile Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh returned to Vietnam in 2005, after nearly 40 years of exile for having called for an end to the Vietnam War. His return attracted tens of thousands of people to his talks and retreats. His accessible teachings...
Learning to let go
Dear friends of the four fold Sangha, A deep bow to you all from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. Here we have just started the first week of our Autumn retreat, the golden poplar leaves are floating down in the gusts of wind, rain is finally falling on our summer...
Is the Buddha in the car ?
One day, while riding in a bus Thay asked his attendant: “Do you think the Tathagata is in this bus with us or not?” Brother Phap Nguyen replied: “Yes, I think he is.” Thay said: “Are you sure?” There were 3 buses, Thay was in one, and there were...
To Be Present and Flexible
August 22, 2013 Dear friends, After several years of living at plum village and a year since my ordination, I was recently allowed to go on my first home visit to be with my sister at her marriage in Toronto, Canada. Since both of our parents have died and...
Happy Continuation Day
A letter from Sister Chan Khong in 2013 Dear Sangha, Dear Friends, In the autumn of 1959, I had a conversation with a prominent Buddhist monk, and asked him many questions about the Dharma. But he didn’t answer any of them. Instead, he took out a book by Thich...
Thay in Denver Airport
As we all know, traveling can be a tiring, stressful and disjointed experience. The core of our Plum Village practice is the experience of arriving in every step, of reaching our ultimate destination with each breath. At the Denver International Airport in the United States, the artist Ximena Labra...
Peace Harmony Calm
Photo by: Br. Phap Cau
Let’s Play
Dear Plum Village Siblings, Upper Hamlet enters the summer season with the trees and plants fully clothed in green and the graceful pathways surrounding the Thénac (Thệ Nhật Sơn) plateau are shaded once again. A few tents have already sprung up to be shelter for the early arrivals. Lay...
Passing away of Br. Gerard
Dear Thay, Dear Sangha, Dear Friends of Br Gerard, We have some very sad and unexpected news to share with the wider community. Br. Gerard, from Upper Hamlet, passed away yesterday, 19th April, 2013. It seems his passing was peaceful while everyone was at a day of mindfulness at...
Stepping into Freedom – Stepping into Joy
WakeUp Retreat in Jericho/ Palestine, April 7th – 9th 2013 Our tour in Israel and Palestine led us five monastic brothers and sisters to a wonderful community called EcoMe, half an hour drive from Jerusalem, in the desert between the Dead Sea and Jericho. Here, in a “zone” where...
Apple Harvest
About a week ago someone told us that our annual tradition of apple picking was coming around once again. There are some orchards nearby that are harvested a couple times over the course of the autumn. Whatever can’t be gathered by the mechanized pickers is left for any enthusiastic...
Leaves are Falling and the Wind is Blowing
In the last week of September, twenty-two monks piled into vans for a trip to the Spanish Pyrenees. We had just gotten back from the public talk in Paris, and for a lot of people this was going to be the first real break since May. Thay Phap Luu...