Ancient Path for Modern Times:
Applied Ethics
1 – 15 June, 2024
You are warmly invited to join us in Plum Village in southwest France as we gather as an international community to strengthen our practice during this 14-Day retreat held once every two years.
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‘Applied Ethics’ is a term introduced by Thay in 2008. It means that we study ethics only with a view to putting it into practice in our community, family, workplace, college and our personal life. In Buddhism, ethics are a living reminder to practice compassion and understanding.
The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths as the basis of applied ethics. What is our suffering? What are the causes of that suffering? What is our happiness? What makes happiness possible? The answers to these questions differ according to the times in which they are asked and that is why the Mindfulness Trainings need to be revised every ten or twenty years. When we revise the Trainings, what are the criteria and the principles we base on?
Different spiritual paths and different religions may have very different ethical guidelines but what is it that they have in common? What spiritual and ethical values can bring us together as a human family?
During the retreat, we will also have a ceremony for transmitting the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings for Sangha members who have been nominated.
Practical Information
- To support the stability and collective energy of mindfulness, all participants are asked to stay the full two weeks, and only arrive & leave on the designated days. Arrival day is Saturday 1st June and departure day is Saturday 15th June.
Volunteering
- There is an opportunity for experienced practitioners to join us and serve as volunteers supporting the retreat.
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Typical Schedule
The schedule will be slightly different from day to day but a typical day will look like this:
5:00am: Wake Up
6:00am: Sitting Meditation
(followed by Sutra Reading / Touching the Earth / Slow Walking Meditation)
7:30am: Breakfast
9:30am: Dharma Talk / Presentation
11:30am: Walking meditation
12:30pm: Lunch
1:30pm: Rest / Optional Guided Relaxation
3:30pm: Service Meditation/Dharma Sharing
6pm: Light dinner
8pm: Sitting Meditation/ another collective practice/ Personal study time
9.30pm: Noble Silence begins
10pm: Lights out
There is often time in the early morning or late afternoon for personal exercise (eg. Yoga, Chi Gong, Tai Chi, Jogging) or, depending on the weather, group sports (football, volleyball, frisbee etc).
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More information about our retreats
You can find more information about visiting Plum Village for a retreat on this page.
For practicalities such as transportation, arrival and departure, what to bring and what to wear, please see our practicalities page.
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