Just a simple monk!
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.
Memories from the Root Temple: Washing Dishes
This is the third in a series of stories Thay has told of his time as a young monk at the Root Temple in Hue, Vietnam, to which he has recently returned to live.
Memories from the Root Temple: Tangerines in Heaven
This is the second in a series of memories written by Thay, called Memories from the Root Temple, based on his time with his teacher, Master Thanh Quy at Tu Hieu Temple, Vietnam, to which he has recently returned to live.
What is an “Aspirant”?
To aspire means to aspire to something. There should be a kind of deep desire that pushes you to go in that direction. That desire makes up the vitality of the person. Each of us needs to have enough vitality, joy, an aspiration, a deep desire. So it is...
A New Spring: 2017 Francophone Retreat
Over 700 retreatants from all over France, as well as Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec, joined the Plum Village community for our annual Francophone Retreat from April 10-17. During this Easter week we enjoyed a full week of mindfulness practice, deep sharings, meditations, teachings and relaxation, all in French. The whole community...
“Walk With Me” Documentary Premieres in Texas
Last month, seven Plum Village monastics supported the launch of the world premiere of “Walk With Me“, the new documentary on Thich Nhat Hanh’s community, at SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. From 11-15th March, they held a series of mindfulness and meditation sessions for festival-goers, including mindful walking, sunset meditation, and a...
Drops of Compassion: a letter from Sister Chan Khong
Sister Chan Khong, the eldest monastic in the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhists, and Thay’s long-time collaborator, has written an open letter to Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, to ask for compassionate action to prevent the violent oppression of Rohingya muslims in her country.
Thich Nhat Hanh flies to Thailand
As Plum Village enters the fourth week of our three month Winter Retreat, the days are getting shorter, the air fresher, and the energy of peace, stability, harmony, and togetherness deepening day by day. Elder Dharma Teachers have been offering inspiring talks, exploring the Noble Eightfold Path on the...
Winter Retreat Opening Ceremony with Thay
On the morning of Tuesday 15th November, Thich Nhat Hanh joined the fourfold community of Plum Village for a very special opening of our annual 90-day Winter Retreat. After missing two years of Winter Retreat in a row, the sangha is delighted that Thay’s health is now strong enough for...
“Mindfulness: Be Happy Now!” Documentary
Interview with Larry Kasanoff, producer and filmmaker about the documentary-making process with Thich Nhat Hanh How did you get into mindfulness?I read one of Thay’s books, loved it, and contacted him to meet because I thought he would be great inspiration for one of the characters in a series...
Advent, the Mystics, and Mother Earth
A Dharma Talk by Brother Phap De December 11, 2011 Today is, in the Christian Churches of the West, the third Sunday of advent, the season in which our Western ancestors made a pretty big deal about getting ready for Christmas, getting ready for the Prince of Peace, looking for...
May the Road Rise With You
Dear Beloved Community, On 25th September, our Deer Park Monastery in California held a memorial service to remember and celebrate the life of our dearly beloved Brother Phap De (“Young Brother”), who passed away peacefully on August 4, 2016, at the age of 81. Brother Phap De had been...
2016-17 Happy Farm Volunteering for Women in the Lower Hamlet
What is The Happy Farm – Lower Hamlet? The Happy Farm Lower Hamlet is a small organic vegetable farm located on the sister’s ground in Plum village. It brings together farming and the mindfulness practice of Plum Village. In 2012 the first Happy Farm was founded in Upper Hamlet....
2016-17 Happy Farm Volunteer Programme for Men in the Upper Hamlet
What is The Happy Farm? The Happy Farm is a small organic vegetable farm located within the Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. We have around 1 acre of land in cultivation, comprising 50 beds which are 35m long and 1.2m wide. In addition we have a large polytunnel with...
Can you hear Mother Earth?
A special message from Sister Chan KhongPlum Village, July 2016 A DESPERATE CALL FOR HELPFROM MOTHER EARTH Dear Citizens of the Earth, Forty-six years ago, in 1970, I was a young biologist present at a ground-breaking meeting between Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and six leading scientists in Menton...
Reflections on the Paris Climate Conference
Thay Phap Dung, January 2016 Once again a generation is called to stop, reflect and take action for the collective, for our common home. The 2015 Paris Climate Conference was an opportunity for our human family to pause and look at the reality of the situation, and to discover...
2016 Ordination Ceremonies with Thay
The Plum Village sangha has just completed the 2016 “Love and Gratitude” Great Ordination Ceremony, blessed with the physical presence of Thay during the transmission of the Great Bhikshu and Bhikshuni Precepts and ceremonies to transmit the lamp to fifty new Dharma Teachers, lay and monastic. Collective Energy This...
New documentary on Thay and Plum Village
Thanks to kind volunteers in the Philippines and the UK, we now have a beautiful four-part documentary about Thay and Plum Village, available online with English Subtitles. We hope you enjoy the beautiful imagery and powerful message.
Nourishing our Togetherness, Protecting our Planet
by Brother Phap Dung As we approach our next retreat on “Sustainability, Mindfulness and Community Life” at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in Germany from March 31st to April 3rd, we invite you to read the article below by Daniel Dermitzel, one of the founders of the Plum Village Happy...
International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking
Pope Francis has designated February 8, 2016 as an International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. Many of our friends may remember that in December of 2014, a delegation from Plum Village made a historic visit to Rome to represent Thay at the invitation of Pope Francis, in signing...
2016 Lunar New Year “Parallel Verses”
We are very happy to announce the new Plum Village practice phrases to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Monkey. The practice phrases are a traditional parallel verse (or “couplet”) for the Lunar New Year (“Tết”), which will be celebrating in Plum Village soon: Sunday 7th February, 2016 is...
Martin Luther King on the Power of Love
Please enjoy these inspiring words from our Teacher’s friend and spiritual brother, Dr. King in honor of the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King Day, celebrated in the US on January 18th. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: I’m concerned about a better World. I’m concerned about justice; I’m concerned about brotherhood and sisterhood;...
New Year’s Prayer 2016
This prayer will be offered by the Plum Village fourfold sangha on the night of the 31st December 2015, as part of the midnight ceremony to mark the dawn of the New Year 2016. PDF download (English) | Version français PDF New Year Prayer to Mother Earth and All Our Ancestors Dear...
A Green Santa and A Hug of Love
Upper Hamlet Plum Village France 16th December 2015 This year Santa is not buying into any more Last weekend in Paris, world leaders successfully concluded their climate action summit, addressing how each nation can reduce their impact on our precious climate, and help relieve some of the effects created by our past unmindful...
New book: “Inside the Now: Meditations on time”
Inside the Now Meditations on Time Thich Nhat Hanh Available Nov 10, 2015 This beautifully designed book will be cherished for generations. Written in the summer of 2013, Inside the Now contains the most recent, never before published commentaries and reflections of Thich Nhat Hanh on living in stillness and...
Earth Holder Commitment
As part of our Two Weeks of Climate Prayer and Action, The new Earth Holder Commitments are now available in a one-page print-out in English, French and have been translated into Vietnamese. The English and French texts are formatted to be printed double-sided and folded in half. ›› ENGLISH PDF ›› FRENCH PDF ›› VIETNAMESE We...
Touching the Earth to Mother Earth
The following texts are a kind of intimate conversation—a living dialogue—with Mother Earth. They are also a practice of looking deeply. Looking deeply, with mindfulness and concentration, will always bring insight. We need to look deeply in order to see our true nature and the true nature of the Earth....
The Five Earth Touchings
This is the full text guiding the practice of Five Earth Touchings that we use at our practice centers and sanghas in the Plum Village Tradition. Practicing the Five Earth Touchings gives us an opportunity to contemplate what has been transmitted to us by our blood ancestors and spiritual ancestors. We can...
The Three Earth Touchings
This is the full text guiding the practice of Three Earth Touchings that we use at our practice centers and sanghas in the Plum Village Tradition. Practicing the Three Earth Touchings gives us an opportunity to deeply touch the reality of interbeing across space and time. After practicing with this standard...
Dear President Hollande
This moving letter to the President of France was written by Sister Mai Nghiem, a French nun and Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village Tradition, currently residing at Deer Park Monastery in California. Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh) has often taught us the practice of writing “love letters” to our political...