It takes time to practice generosity, but being generous is the best use of our time. — Thich Nhat Hanh
At the beginning of a new year, many of us envision how we would like to embody our lives for the coming year, so as to be aligned with our deepest aspirations. This often includes how we would like to transform the suffering in ourselves and the world and also how we can contribute to our individual and collective well-being, peace, and joy.
The first of the six paramitas (perfections) on the Bodhisattva path or path of awakening is dana paramita, the practice of giving. It is about cultivating a generosity that includes and goes beyond the material sense. It can be as simple as offering a smile, a loving look, or a warm embrace. Our openness, our freedom, and our stable, calm presence can also be a beautiful treasure that we bestow to others. Another precious gift may be dedicating our time and energy as a service to help others.
When we come to Plum Village on retreat, we often feel so much transformation and healing through the different practices, teachings, and the beloved community. Usually our hearts feel so full, that there is a natural overflowing of love and gratitude. This often motivates us to want to become involved in order to extend this gift of well-being and happiness to others.
Throughout the spring and summer we offer many large retreats in Plum Village in which we open our doors to thousands of people. By becoming a volunteer and offering our helping hands and heart of service, we can become part of the continuous stream of love, understanding, and compassion. The well-being and happiness that we have cultivated throughout the mindfulness practices becomes others’ happiness and well-being. The giver, the receiver, and the gift are one. There is no more separation and we are able to touch deeply the insight of interbeing.
Here, some volunteers from the 2025 Well-being Retreat in New Hamlet, share their experiences and what inspires them to volunteer; for some, returning year after year.
Volunteering is interbeing. Each time I volunteer in Plum Village I experience a softening of the self, a deeper understanding of being linked together in a larger entity. Everything becomes so much more vivid and immediate than I can articulate, and it gives me a sense of being alive, and belonging. More, and less, of ‘just me’. As a volunteer, Plum Village becomes more of a home than it usually is for a visitor. And as a homestead, we are capable of achieving so much—yes, sometimes it’s hard work, but we always get it done in the end. Together. I stopped wondering “am I here to give or to receive” because the question makes no sense. There is togetherness, there is toil, there is joy.
— Maff (Welcoming Embrace of the Heart); Coventry, UK
If you’re wondering how to bring the practice into daily life, volunteering here is a beautiful way. You’ll discover a new perspective on work — not about being fast or productive, but about working mindfully, with others. We start together, pause together, finish together. It’s inspiring to see how much can be done with good collective energy. — Mia; Germany
I have volunteered at several retreats and each time is a deeply rewarding and joyful experience. The sisters offer us a lot of support and we have time to meet each other before the retreat begins. The volunteer group becomes close and mutually supportive, a beautiful connection especially in the large retreats. In addition to our own practice, we help retreatants have a nourishing and beneficial experience, and assist them and the monastics in whatever way possible. This adds an extra dimension of meaning to the time at the monastery. Highly recommend it!
— Amy Schuman; Chicago IL, USA
Volunteering for Plum village has been a life-changing experience for me. It’s a unique way to learn the practice of mindfulness. You get the chance to work with some really lovely volunteers and monastics to help to run the retreats, and there’s plenty of opportunity to join in the retreat activities too. It’s a nourishing experience with both challenging and joyful moments, and plenty of knowledge to come home with. — Claire; Wicklow, Ireland
My first retreat as a volunteer in New Hamlet, Plum Village, gently and wisely guided by the Sisters, offered me a true refuge: a space of embodied silence, shared presence, and mindful breathing. In a time saturated with stimuli and demands, I rediscovered here the value of slowness, of mutual care, of simple gestures transformed into prayer—nourishment for both the spirit and heart. This place offers humanity a real alternative to the struggles of daily life: an education in peace, an invitation to inner lightness, a concrete practice for living in the world and with oneself with greater kindness. Anyone wishing to recharge their spiritual battery, to find a moment of deep harmony, or to simply breathe alongside other mindful human beings, will find acceptance, silence, and beauty here. I am deeply grateful to the Sisters, to Thich Nhat Hanh, to the donors, and to all the fellow retreatants and volunteers. Thanks to each of them, I could experience that peace we often seek far away, but which is born from taking care—together—of the present moment.
— Nicola Davide Angerame; Turin, Italy
I experienced volunteering in New Hamlet as a powerful practice of mindfulness in action. I learned to ground myself, and to offer my presence and care to the retreat community around me. The compassionate practice of the NH Sisters and other volunteers and retreatants deeply nourished me in a way I had not even dared to hope. The time was precious to me. — Lisa B; The Hague, Netherlands
Volunteering in New Hamlet was a lovely and meaningful experience. We came two days before the retreat began in order to truly arrive, to meet the sisters and the other volunteers, and to get comfortable with our role during the retreat. This enabled me to feel grounded and part of the team, ready to welcome the retreatants. Throughout the week, our main task was to support and guide our family group for mindful service. At the same time, the schedule gave us the opportunity to attend all activities, allowing us to deeply benefit from the practices and Dharma talks. But for me, the additional gift of being a volunteer was feeling that my own practice could contribute to the collective energy, by eating together mindfully, sharing in circles, and simply being present as a member of the family; as well as to be nourished by the practice of each member in return. This time of service deepened my sense of belonging to the Sangha. It showed me how offering service can nourish my own practice and help me to open my heart more fully to others. And yes, you have to camp! But the grass is soft and you won’t miss a single sunrise and sunset!
— F; Marseille, France
My experience volunteering in New Hamlet has been wonderful. As one Sister put it in a Dharma talk, we need big waves in order to stretch ourselves and to grow; volunteering is an excellent way to push yourself and find some calm in the eye of the storm! — John; London, UK
I have volunteered twice now, after two previous retreats and taking the 5 Mindfulness Trainings which have given me guidance and a path. Volunteering is a chance for me to share my understanding of the practice and reconnect with others on the path. It is in doing mindful tasks together in community that I learn most about letting go—of my desire to control how things are done, for instance, and of the habit energy of always pushing on to do more, or of the view that it may not be good enough. It has helped open my heart and embrace things as they are. I would highly recommend volunteering if you are fit and well. It has opened my eyes to how hard the Sisters all work to keep the monastery running smoothly, as well as clean and in order. It is a glimpse behind the scenes, and it is all done with a smile, joy in working together mindfully. The food is evidence of the love that goes into preparing it; and everyone helps: from cleaning to composting to chopping vegetables.
— Amelia Murray; Exmouth, England
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