Meet the Monastic Dharma Teachers

Sister Chân Đức  has been a disciple of Thầy since 1986. She became the first Western European woman to be ordained as a nun by Thay in 1988 in India. She received the Lamp Transmission to become a Dharma Teacher in 1990 and served as Director of Practice at Plum Village. She is the former abbess of the Green Mountain Dharma Centre in the USA. Sister Chan Duc has been on the board of directors for the Unified Buddhist Church since 1998.

She is a much-loved senior Dharma Teacher and traveled widely to lead meditation retreats, including in her ancestral land of England. She inspires many with her unique teaching style throughout the world. She was the Dean of Practice at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Germany and currently resides in Plum Village France.

Sister Chân Hội Nghiêm was ordained in 1999 in the “Cherry” family and received the Lamp Transmission as a Dharma Teacher in 2006. Sr. Hội Nghiêm has served as abbess of Lower Hamlet from 2014-2021. 

When Sr. Hội Nghiêm was a child, she admired a monk who stayed at a pagoda in her village. She admired the way he taught her and the people of the village, and she gave rise to the aspiration to become a nun who can help people with their lives wherever they go. 

In addition to writing beautiful calligraphies, Sr. Hội Nghiêm can be found writing poetry and translating them from her native Vietnamese to English. For Sr. Hội Nghiêm, poetry is a medium to share what is at the depth of her inner world. After transforming her sadness and suffering, a new poem appears naturally. Now she offers the fruit of her practice in the form of poetry in her Dharma talks.

Sister Chân Đào Nghiêm was ordained in 2003 and received the Lamp Transmission as a Dharma Teacher in 2011.

She was born in France in a Catholic family and worked for 10 years in an operating theatre as a surgeon’s assistant. Following her aspiration to live a meaningful life dedicated to spiritual growth and service to humanity, she chose to leave the comfort of her life in Paris and begin her spiritual journey.

Sister Chân Đào Nghiêm offers Dharma talks in English and French. She has been very involved in building the Francophone sanghas and supporting French teachers bringing the practice of mindfulness into education. She is interested in interfaith dialogue, the field of health, Buddhist psychology and neuroscience.

Sister Phùng Nghiêm was born and raised in Vietnam. At the age of 9, she visited the temple with her grandmother to practice. When she grew up, she realized that she wanted to become a nun and that she had the aspiration to transform herself and to help people around her.

Prior to becoming a nun, she was a student. At the age of 20, she travelled to Plum Village, France and ordained as a novice with Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2003. She became a Dharma teacher in 2011.

She is currently living in Lower Hamlet and continues to share the practice of mindfulness at the monastery as well as around the world.

She enjoys meditation, writing, nature and gardening.

Sister Chân Bội Nghiêm, whose name means “True Pearl,” was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the USA at the age of 11. She was ordained in Plum Village, France, in 2005 at the age of 21 and became a Dharma teacher in 2013.

Sister Bội Nghiêm carries a deep love for people, and this is evident in her work. She has been a strong advocate for marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC/BAME/global majority and LGBTQIA+ practitioners, creating spaces where they feel seen, heard, and supported. She recognizes the systemic barriers that prevent many from feeling at home in spiritual communities and works actively to change that. Her compassionate listening and willingness to challenge her own perceptions have made her a bridge-builder, helping to foster greater understanding and inclusivity.

She also has a special connection with teenagers, relating to their struggles with identity, relationships, and mental health. She sees their suffering clearly and is committed to offering them tools to navigate life with more awareness and resilience. Her ability to meet young people where they are—with authenticity, humor, and presence—has made her a beloved mentor in the community.

Sister Bội Nghiêm loves spending quality time with her siblings and friends, taking daily naps, connecting with nature, and holding her own hands.

Sister True Dedication (the translation of her Vietnamese monastic name, “Chân Hiến Nghiêm”) is from the U.K. She was ordained in 2008 and became a Dharma Teacher in 2016.

Before entering the monastery, Sister True Dedication worked as a journalist for BBC News in London. In the early years of her monastic training, she assisted Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Chan Khong in their engaged Buddhist actions for human rights, religious freedom, applied ethics, and ecology. She helped to found the international Wake Up Movement, a community of young meditators who are finding new ways to combine mindfulness and engaged Buddhism.

Today, she contributes her time and energy to guiding young monastics, editing Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings, as well as helping the community with external communications and media liaison. At home in the monastery Sister True Dedication enjoys relaxing with her monastic siblings, drinking coffee, community-building, savoring silence in nature, and (when it’s appropriate) acting in comedy skits.

Sister Sĩ Nghiêm （士嚴）was ordained in Plum Village France in 2008, and became a Dharma teacher in the year of 2016. Sĩ means Scholar, so friends sometimes call her Sister Scholar. She was born and grew up in Hong Kong. She has dedicated her time and energy in translating Thay’s books into Chinese since she was ordained. She enjoys sangha building and is always interested in exploring ways to express the Dharma so friends from all over the world can relate to, understand and put it into their daily lives. 

Sister Sáng Nghiêm (True Adornment with Creativity) was born in the Netherlands and ordained in 2009 in New Hamlet, Plum Village. She has lived many years in Maison de l’Inspir, our small monastery near Paris. She is presently living in Lower Hamlet. 

What she enjoys the most is walking in nature and discovering new paths. She also likes drinking tea in the early morning and listening to what is present in herself and others. Offering Dharma talks, however, is not her favorite activity :)

Sister Tam Muội (Sister Samadhi) is from the UK and was ordained in 2012, becoming a Dharma teacher in 2022.

She first encountered mindfulness of the body practicing at the barre from childhood through adolescence, training to be a classical dancer. A change of direction led her to study design at St Martin’s and then the Royal College of Art. 

She came to live and work as a fashion and textiles designer in Paris and brought up two boys with her then partner. 

Having met the practice, whilst living in Paris and later on in the Alps, she became engaged in the French lay sangha and was ordained into the OI in 2004. A growing sense of unease and ethical dissonance led to her leaving the fashion industry and retraining as a Mindfulness teacher.  

Sr. Samadhi is a passionate gardener and since ordaining in Lower Hamlet, her love of colour and form have been directed into the flower garden where she can very often be found, whatever the season, ensuring that something is blooming all year round. 

Any down time she loves to spend in wild nature, especially if there’s an opportunity for wild swimming. She is actively supporting the recent creation of the Being Peace Practice Centre in the UK and is deeply committed to the work of healing ancestral harm, participating in trainings and retreats exploring White awareness.