Updates / The Plum Village Shop starts with… Plums!
We are happy to launch an online store to allow people to buy books, bells, calligraphies and other items to support their mindfulness practice. It's starting slowly though, by selling plums.
Articles
“Thanh Thuy’s Apple Juice” – Reading from “The Sun My Heart”
We would like to invite you to listen to “Thanh Thuy’s Apple juice”, a lovely story written by Thich Nhat Hanh in the book “The Sun My Heart”. This reading can be like a friend that is there for you as you are on the bus or subway, when...
Retreats / “Action from the Heart”: A Diary
Action From The Heart was a Plum Village online retreat for activists which took place in February this year. Andrew Rock, who attended the retreat, keeps a diary of events and shares his highlights with us.
Songs / Singing with young people – Wake Up Earth retreat 2021
Let us enjoy the singing meditation offered by Plum Village sisters and brother in the Wake Up Earth retreat in May 2021. We hope the energy of joy in singing nourishes the young people and also helps you in practicing mindful singing. Go to Plum Village songs here.
Photos / Sharing with India
On 26 May, 2021 Plum Village community celebrated Vesak day with the various Plum Village sanghas in India and the Ahimsa Foundation (an organization founded to represent our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and his practice communities in India). Due to the serious state of COVID-19 in India, people in India...
Updates from India – Celebrating Vesak in a Time of Suffering
On this evening we had a chance to hear firsthand the suffering that many have endured during the pandemic and watch it unfold into an evening of gratitude and joy of being alive in the present moment.
Thich Nhat Hanh on... / Peace between Palestinians and Israelis
At a 2003 retreat in Plum Village for Palestinians and Israelis, Thich Nhat Hanh offered insights into the situation in the Middle East based on Buddhist teachings as well as his own experience of war in Vietnam.
Photos / Vesak Day 2021
On the 26 of May, Plum Village centers around the world organized ceremonies to celebrate Vesak day. On this day we commemorate the birth of Prince Siddhartha, his enlightenment when he became known as Gautama Buddha, and his death known as parinirvana.
Thich Nhat Hanh on... / The Mind as a Gardener
In this extract from Understanding Our Mind, Thich Nhat Hanh explains how our "Mind Conciousness" acts as a gardener to cultivate postive or negatives states of mind.
The Divided Brain: A dialogue with Dr Iain McGilchrist
During the 2020 Online Retreat, Understanding the Mind, Brother Phap Linh and Dr. Liam Kavanagh hosted a disucssion with psychaitrist and writer Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and His Emissary, whose work focuses on the divide between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Mindfulness – Walking with Jesus and Buddha by Sister Annabel
We are pleased to announce the publication of a new book 'Mindfulness - Walking with Jesus and Buddha' by Sr Anabel Laity (also known as Sr Chan Duc).
Photos / The first online 14 Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony
For the first time in Plum Village history the 14 Mindfulness Trainings Transmission ceremony was held online on the 2nd of May in the year 2021.
Sangha Building / Tending the Fire
Brother Phap Bieu reflects on how a Plum Village community or Sangha can continue to keep our spiritual tradition alive, stay true to the essence of the teachings and also be adaptable and flexible to the needs of the times.
Photos / Francophone Retreat
The francophone retreat, organized every year for over 20 years, has always been an opportunity to bring together the lay francophone community in a warm and joyful atmosphere. Last year, for the first time in 20 years, Plum Village was unable to hold this annual “family reunion”. At the end...
Happy Farms / Reverence for the land
An interview with Mick Mc Evoy, manager of the Upper Hamlet Happy Farm, about the challenges of bringing mindfulness to farming, the magic of growing your own food and future plans for ecological healing through rewilding.
Updates / Thich Nhat Hanh’s Books and Calligraphies on show in Vietnam
In March and April of 2021, there were two exhibitions of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books and calligraphies in Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi Vietnam.
Plum Village Lineage / Stories of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teacher
Plum Village celebrated the Memorial day of our Grandfather teacher (Thich Nhat Hanh's teacher) Master Thanh Quý- Chân Thật, on March 22nd this year, and these are some of the memories of him that were recalled this year.
Looking Deeply / “I am the cosmos”- Guiding words by Thich Nhat Hanh for sitting meditation
“I see that in the present moment, I am also the universe, the moon, the stars, the galaxies, all the plant vegetable species, the animal species, the rivers and mountains,…” You are invited to listen to the guiding words before your own sitting meditation to deepen your practice and...
Earth Day / Love letters to Mother Earth
In celebration of Earth day on April 22, 2021, we offer Love Letters to the Earth from Thich Nhat Hanh and recent retreatants as well as inviting you to offer your own.
Engaged Buddhism / A Message to our 3.5 billion neighbours on Planet Earth
In the lead up to Earth Day we are happy to republish "The Menton Statement" from 1971. It is an early and powerful contribution to raising awareness about climate change.
Engaged Buddhism / At the Forefront of Environmental Activism
During “Action from the Heart” online retreat in February, Br Phap Linh had the unique opportunity to interview two special women in the environmental activism field – Christiana Figueres and Dr. Gail Bradbrook.
Interview with Sister Đào Nghiêm
Sister Đào Nghiêm recounts experiences of learning from Thich Nhat Hanh as a member of his monastic community.
Songs / Moments of Joy
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we would like to offer you a few poems, ‘Moments of Joy’ read by Sr Dieu Nghiem (also known as Sr Jina), a senior disciple of Thay, and a much loved Dutch-Irish nun of the Plum Village tradition. Those who have encountered her...
Photos / Monastic Retreat 2021
Every year all the brothers and sisters from the Plum Village centers in Europe look forward to a monastic retreat together. This is a chance for us to build brotherhood and sisterhood, and deepen our practice after a full year of offering retreats to people all around the world....
Celebrating Women’s History Month
In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Mindfulness Bell magazine has shared a selection of articles by women teachers in the Plum Village tradition from their archives.
Racial Justice / Waking up to Whiteness
In February 2020, [the White Awareness Sangha] organized a small retreat for ourselves. Our group was welcomed by the Healing Spring Monastery near Paris, allowing us to ground ourselves in the collective energy of mindfulness throughout the training.
Survival Kits / Handling our strong emotions
All of us encounter despair and loneliness at some time in our lives. How do we weather these emotions when they threaten to overwhelm us?
Photos / “Action from the Heart” Retreat
Photos from our latest online retreat, you can join the next one here. From February 24 to 28, 2021 Plum Village hosted the online retreat “Action from the Heart”. It was especially curated for activists in all fields with almost 1,000 retreatants from over 65 countries joining. We received...
Ask a Zen Master / How do I forgive myself and others?
In this answer from a live question and answer session, Thich Nhat Hanh addresses how we can heal from the mistakes of the past.
Photos / Daffodil Season
“Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.I join my hands in thanksfor the many wonders of life;for having twenty-four brand-new hours before me.The sun is rising.The forest becomes my awarenessbathed in the sunshine. – “Twenty-Four Brand-New Hours” poetry, (Thich Nhat Hanh)Our Teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh embodies and...