Monastic Life / Chestnuts to warm up the sangha – an interview with new monastics
Soon after their ordination ceremony, the Plum Village website team interviewed our new "baby" brothers and sisters of the Chestnut Ordination Family.
Articles
Thich Nhat Hanh on... / Understanding our Father
Many of us have painful relationships with our parents. Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how can use meditation to understand and accept our own suffering, and then look deeply into the suffering of our father.
Monastic Life / A Life Change
As we welcome the new novices of the Chestnut family into the Plum Village monastic sangha, elder brother, Brother Ngo Khong (Brother Freedom), abbot of Deer Park Monastery, recounts how he found his way to becoming a monk in the Plum Village tradition nearly ten years ago.
Together we continue Thay
In this post, we share more stories from our monastic brothers and sisters as well as stories of transformation selected from our friends who have offered their stories as a gift to Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) as we continue to celebrate Thay's 94th continuation day.
Photos / The fortunate mendicant
In the Buddha’s time, the monks and nuns had in their possession only three robes and a begging bowl. The vow of poverty helps monks and nuns to focus on the spiritual practice. They go on alms-round (to beg for food) to practice humility and have a chance to...
Thầy breathes, you breathe
On the 11th of October, 2020, the sangha at Plum Village gathered to celebrate Thay’s continuation day in a spirit of peace and being together as big spiritual family. There were stories recounting beautiful memories with Thay, and how the practices of mindfulness are helping to transform people’s lives...
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...
Happy Contination Day Thay – Thank You!
Students of our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh were invited to express their gratitude to him on his 94th continuation day (birthday). Many, many thanks to you to all who wrote in and offered their gift to Thay. Below is a selection of heartfelt sharings that we have received in...
Photos / Chestnut Tree Family Novice Ordination
Last Saturday, the 3rd of October, we once again experienced the beautiful novice ordination ceremony. Nine men and women were ordained as young monks and nuns. After nine months of training and practicing as aspirants, the had time arrived for their ordination into the Sangha of monks and nuns.It...
Latest News of Thầy’s Health in Huế
Within a few weeks, on October 11th, Thầy will be 94 years old. We are so happy that Thầy has compassionately stayed with us since his massive stroke almost six years ago, offering his presence, stability, and witness, as we step up to nurture and grow the Plum Village...
How To / Finding your spiritual teacher
In this article Sister Chan Duc (Sr Annabel) shares with us the importance of having a teacher to guide us on the spiritual path, and more importantly how to find that teacher or teachers.
A gift for Thay
As we approach Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay) 94th birthday, we would like to invite all our friends to offer a gift for Thay. As his monastic disciples, every year around this time we would ask Thay or ask his attendants what Thay needs or would like to have for...
Updates / New issue of The Mindfulness Bell now available
The Mindfulness Bell is the magazine for the international Plum Village community. The current issue is guest edited by ARISE Sangha and Canadian Dharma teacher André Vellino. It focuses on practicing with climate disruption, racial justice and the pandemic.
Photos / Formal Request for Ordination
Our aspirant family (Chestnut Tree) preparing for their monastic ordination, with our traditional Rose Ceremony. After a formal lunch, our aspirants come up before the Sangha to formally request to be ordained as novices. They each offer a rose to our teacher and the community as a symbol of...
Encounters with a Zen Master / “Everything is going to be OK”
In this new series students and disciples of our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh recount their memorable experiences with him. Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, these moments of deep wisdom remain memories of a lifetime for his students.
Photos / 2020 Autumn Rains Retreat
Following a tradition that dates back to the Buddha’s time, each year the Plum Village fourfold Sangha has a 3-month Rains Retreat. The monastic brothers and sisters use this time to deepen their practice. This year, on the 17th of September we formally opened the Rains retreat with the...
Updates / New book: America’s Racial Karma
We are so happy to announce a new book from Larry Ward, a senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition. In this book, Larry uses Buddhist insight gained from many years as a student of Thich Nhat Hanh to offer guidance on breaking America’s cycle of racial trauma.
Engaged Buddhism / Volunteering with Ayslum Seekers
How can we bring Engaged Buddhism into our day to day lives? We interview regular Plum Village retreatant Joe Holtaway about his experiences volunteering at an Asylum Seeker’s day center including his experiences during COVID-19.
Thich Nhat Hanh on... / The Sun My Heart
The Sun My Heart, first published in 1988, is a timeless book by our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, about the power of the mindfulness practice in daily life. Please enjoy some excerpts from the book and listening to Br Phap Hai, an elder monastic in the Plum Village tradition,...
Thay's Poetry / New Hamlet
We would like to invite you to visit New Hamlet through this video, and enjoy an excerpt of the poem “New Hamlet”. Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh) wrote this poem to the workers of the School of Youth for Social Service during Vietnam War at 1960s. He inspired his students...
Survival Kits / III – Touching our Inner Goodness
All of us are searching for what is good, true and beautiful. Here, we offer two teachings and one letter from our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh on how to find the good, the true and the beautiful inside of us, going back to the island within, and invoking the...
Songs , Thay's Poetry / “The Story of a River” – A Music Meditation with Plum Village monastics
The monks and nuns in Plum Village, France recently offered a special evening of music meditation to celebrate the end of the Summer season of online retreats. The music was interspersed with a reading of “The Story of a River”, a text from Thich Nhat Hanh. Please make some...
Photos / “Love is The Way” online retreat
Let us recall some memorable moments in the “Love is The Way” online retreat 7th-9th August. Here are various activities that we practiced during the three days. Both monastic and lay were nourished. Our teacher (Thay) dreamed about an online monastery a long time ago. Now it becomes true...
Ask a Zen Master / Dealing with Difficult Relationships
In the latest in our "Ask a Zen Master" series, we revisit three answers from our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh about how to wisely be with difficult relationships.
Pandemic Practice / How to deal with illness and death?
To continue our series on Pandemic Practice, we would like to offer this excerpt from a recent interview with Sr Annabel Chân Đức on the topic of dealing with illness.
Photos / Plum Village in Plum Season
In this season, we harvest plum fruit from our garden every year. We make plum jam by ourselves. The lay friends can taste the handmade plum jam every breakfast while they are here with us. We also have dried plum, the profit from selling it will be offered to...
Thich Nhat Hanh on... / Learning to Hug
Our teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, explains how he combined practices from the East and from the West to create "Hugging Meditation".
Racial Justice / What Can White People Do?
Sister Tam Muoi (aka Sr. Samadhi) recounts her personal journey with the practice of White Awareness. White people, do something. But what? Please allow me to share some of the journey I’ve been on for the past five years, initially with the aspiration to create more diversity in our...
Updates / New Book: How to Connect
We are delighted to announce the publication of How to Connect, the eighth book in the bestselling Mindfulness Essentials series.
How To / The Zen of Dishwashing
Getting tired of washing the dishes? Find out how to go deep at the sink in the spirit of our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.