Plum Village

18/02/2026

How can mindfulness help create a more loving world?

In a recent panel, Brother Phap Huu, Sister True Dedication, Brother Spirit, and climate leader Christiana Figueres shared how practice supports us in times of fear and uncertainty.

“Despair can cripple us,” Brother Phap Huu reminded us. And yet, “wherever there is hatred, we have to be the warrior of love.”

Brother Spirit shared, “On the way to peace we have to pass through the door of suffering and grief.” Real joy includes our pain.

Christiana Figueres encouraged us, “It is not a question of where the highest level of the system I can affect is, but of where I can actually make a difference in this moment.”

And Sister True Dedication reminded us, “We resist injustice as a collective, as a community.”

A more loving world begins with mindful steps, taken together.

This conversation is inspired by our online course Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. The next cohort begins March 1, 2026.

To read the full article, please visit the Plum Village website.

plumvillage.org/articles/how-mindfulness-can-help-create-a-more-loving-world

15/02/2026

🌸 We’re Hiring 🌸

Plum Village monastery is looking for a Financial and Administrative Director to lead our community’s financial system in southwest France.

If you have 5 to 10 years of experience in finance, and wish to bring your skills to a mindful, purpose driven Buddhist community, we would love to hear from you.

Learn more and apply
plumvillage.org/job-opportunities
hiring@plumvillage.org

Application deadline, March 10 🌿

13/02/2026

Running: Another Way to Stop

Sometimes, when our mind feels stuck, our thoughts become small and repetitive. Little worries start to feel very big, and we lose sight of why we are here and how we truly wish to live. In those moments, Sister Chan Trang Lam Hy discovered a simple yet powerful Dharma door: running.

Not running fast, not running far, but running to move the energy, to come back to the body, and to open a wider inner space. She writes that she chose being “wet and sane” over being “dry and stuck,” reminding herself that we cannot always wait for perfect conditions before taking care of ourselves.

Running became a way to “change the peg,” as Thay often taught. When the mind is circling around worries or difficulties, moving the body can gently shift our perspective. For some, this may be singing, painting, or working with the hands. For her, it was running through the countryside, letting the rain, the breath, and the rhythm of her steps loosen the grip of repetitive thinking.

After a run, she finds herself more balanced, more patient, and more able to listen. The body feels alive again, the breath deeper, the heart calmer. Movement, she reflects, is deeply human. When energy flows, the mind also becomes more spacious and kind.

Practicing mindfulness while running is an ongoing exploration. Running more slowly than usual, feeling the sole of the foot touching the earth, noticing the brief moment of flying between steps. Not running to arrive somewhere, but running with the spirit of “nothing to do and nowhere to go.”

In this way, running becomes a way to stop.
To stop being lost in thought.
To stop negative patterns of thinking.
And to come back, fully, to life as it is.

This reflection is an excerpt from a longer article originally published on the Plum Village website. To read the full article, please visit the Plum Village website via the link below.

plumvillage.org/articles/running-another-way-to-stop

08/02/2026

During Lunar New Year, you may notice Parallel Verses throughout Plum Village, in halls, rooms, and on blossoming branches. The photos here are from past years, to give a sense of how we decorate and celebrate.

Each year, Plum Village offered a simple poetic couplet to inspire mindfulness. This year’s Parallel Verses are:

Solid as a Mountain
Free as a White Cloud

We can practice them with our breath:
Breathing in, “Solid as a mountain.”
Breathing out, “Free as a white cloud.”

“Solid as a Mountain” helps us stay grounded when emotions arise. “Free as a White Cloud” reminds us that true freedom comes from letting go of our afflictions and returning to the present moment.

You can place the verses where you’ll see them daily, and bring the words into your practice. To download this year’s Parallel Verses in English, French, German, Spanish, or Vietnamese, please visit the Plum Village website.
(plumvillage.org/articles)

From Plum Village, we wish you a peaceful and happy Lunar New Year. 🌸

06/02/2026

✨ These photos were taken during last year’s Paths of Happiness: Mindful Hiking on the Tour du Mont Blanc retreat (2025). In silence, step by step, we walked through the Alps together, touching peace, effort, and joy in each mindful breath.

This precious journey will be offered again this year.
We are happy to share that there is once more an opportunity to walk this path together.

Paths of Happiness: Mindful Hiking on the Tour du Mont Blanc
📍 Europe
🗓 August 31 – September 10, 2026

The Tour du Mont Blanc, one of Europe’s most beautiful hiking circuits, winds through the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps. It offers an ideal setting for a silent meditation retreat, designed for physically fit participants who wish to cultivate mindfulness and compassion in the heart of nature.

Led by the monastics of Plum Village and an experienced team of hikers, this unique 11-day journey weaves together mindful walking and breathtaking alpine landscapes. Each day is guided with intentions and meditations. Walking mostly in silence, participants are invited to rest deeply in the present moment and reconnect with themselves, the Earth, and the sangha.

The journey covers around 105 kilometers of walking, with rest days in between. It is not the full 165-kilometer loop, but a balanced rhythm of walking, resting, and occasional bus rides. This allows space for long hikes, restoration, and meditation, while fully experiencing the spirit of the Tour du Mont Blanc region. Practical details such as baggage transfers and transportation are taken care of, so participants can focus fully on their practice.

🔗 For detailed information and registration, please visit the Plum Village website.
(plumvillage.org/event/tour/paths-of-happiness-mindful-hiking-on-tour-du-mont-blanc-2)

30/01/2026

The 90-day Rains Retreat 2025–2026 has concluded, marking a period of deep study, practice, and transformation for our beloved community. The Rains Retreat is an annual tradition dating back to the time of the Buddha, offering monastics the opportunity to deepen their studies, practice, and healing.

Plum Village is unique in that we invite long-term and short-term lay practitioners to join the retreat, practicing alongside our monastic community. We also focus on nurturing our monastic sangha, supporting our siblinghood and inspiring others to walk the monastic path with us.

During this retreat, we practiced as a multifold Sangha—monastics and lay friends—supporting one another to learn, apply, and continue exploring Thay’s teachings on what it means to be a true “Soulmate of the Buddha.”

The Rains Retreat Closing Ceremony, also called the Ceremony of Invitation, celebrates our enriching community. It is a joyous moment to express gratitude to one another, especially our Elders, who guide us with steadfast practice, loving care, and unwavering commitment.

✨ Precious moments from the Closing Ceremony can be found in our photo album. To view the full album, please visit the Plum Village website.(plumvillage.org/about/photos)

26/01/2026

Do you feel a connection with the Earth and a wish to care for her in our time?

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet (ZASP) is a 7-week online course inspired by the profound teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, designed to help us face challenging emotions and create a sense of freedom and possibility.

Together we’ll have the chance to:
Balance personal wellbeing with climate action
Begin to master difficult emotions and develop inner resilience
Join a grounded purpose-driven community of changemakers
Train in deep listening and compassionate communication
Nourish a profound relationship with the Earth
Turn climate anxiety into sustainable action

🪷 1st March - 19th April
🌱 5 live events with monastics
🍂 Dharma sharing sessions

Learn more and join: plumvillage.org/zasp

22/01/2026

Continuing Thay: Engaged Buddhism in the Plum Village Tradition

On this day, we lovingly remember our beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, and reflect on how we can continue him in our daily lives.

Thay taught that Engaged Buddhism is Buddhism that touches life directly. Our practice is not only on the cushion, but in the way we breathe, walk, speak, listen, and care for one another and for the Earth. Mindfulness is not an escape from suffering. It is a way of meeting suffering with clarity, compassion, and courage.

At the heart of Engaged Buddhism is mindful breathing. Thay reminded us that awareness of the breath is our first ethical action. When we encounter violence, injustice, or despair, our first step is not to react, but to stop and breathe. From calm and stability, our actions can become truly helpful and nonviolent.

Thay often said that we practice not only for ourselves, but so that we can preserve ourselves and be there for others. Engaged Buddhism is not self-help. It is a path that connects us deeply with all life, awakening the bodhisattva energy of love and responsibility within us.

Thay also taught that we cannot walk this path alone. Sangha is essential. Taking refuge in the sangha is a living practice, allowing ourselves to be held by a community that generates mindfulness, understanding, and compassion together. Thay shared that the next Buddha may take the form of a sangha, a community that knows how to live together in awareness and care.

Today, as we remember Thay, we breathe with him.
We walk with him.
We build sangha with him.
In each mindful step, each loving action, and each moment of true presence, we continue Thay. 🕯️💛

(The full article is available on the Plum Village website. This is an excerpt from that piece.)

plumvillage.org/articles/continuing-thay-engaged-buddhism-in-the-plum-village-tradition

21/01/2026

Dear Beloved Sangha,

This year, we joyfully celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Order of Interbeing, a precious path transmitted to our tradition by our beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. Plum Village continues to uphold the living transmission of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings and the Dharma Teacher Lamp, carrying forward the wisdom of our spiritual ancestors.

Looking ahead, we are happy to share that Plum Village is committed to offering these transmissions every year, supporting the continued growth of both our monastic and lay sangha. We hope this regular rhythm allows aspirants and candidates to prepare their path with greater ease and peace.

- March 20–27, 2026
This week is dedicated to the transmission of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings and the Dharma Lamp at Plum Village.
(Application Due: January 31, 2026 for the March transmission ceremony)

- June 2026
A special 3week retreat for Order of Interbeing members and aspirants, offering time to practice and celebrate together. The transmission of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings will be available both in person and online.
(Application Due: May 1, 2026 for the June transmission ceremony)

For full details, application guidelines, and to confirm the email address for submissions, please visit the Plum Village website via the link below.

plumvillage.org/event/retreat/14-mindfulness-trainings-transmission-and-lamp-transmissions-for-lay-dharma-teachers

This retreat from 20th March to 27th March will be focused on transmission ceremonies, open to aspirant OI members, aspirant Dharma Teachers, and their families, sangha members, and anyone wishing to…

19/01/2026

Christmas Holiday & New Year Retreats 2025–26

From 20 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, we gathered as a multifold community for our Christmas Holiday and New Year retreats. Over these two weeks, we practiced coming home to ourselves through mindful breathing, sitting and walking meditation, mindful eating, joyful working, deep sharing, and loving listening.

We were nourished by Dharma talks, Beginning Anew, Touching the Earth, total relaxation, and circle sharing. Together, we touched understanding and compassion, and renewed our aspiration to live more mindfully in the year ahead.

On Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we listened to heartfelt Dharma talks and celebrated together in joyful Be-In sessions, sharing songs, poems, and skits. On New Year’s Eve, we reflected on the past year, let go of what no longer served us, and wrote our aspirations for the new year, offering them together in a bonfire. We welcomed the New Year with a sitting meditation at midnight, rooted in peace and togetherness.

This photo album holds some of the precious moments from those days. May it bring you a smile and remind you of the joy of practicing together, wherever you are.

To view the full photo album, please visit our website via the link below. plumvillage.org/articles/christmas-holiday-new-year-retreats-2025-26

14/01/2026

“My life is my teaching”
– Thich Nhat Hanh

We invite our dear sangha friends around the world to come together and practice in remembrance of our beloved teacher, Thay, on the occasion of his 4-Year Memorial Day.

You are warmly welcome to join us by online. Registration is not required.

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial Day Ceremony
LIVE from Plum Village Monastery

1. Live Dharma Talk by Brother Phap Huu
January 18 (9:30 AM CET, 3:30 AM EST, 12:30 AM PST)
• LIVE on Plum Village YouTube
• LIVE on Zoom with French translation

2. Memorial Ceremony (Live Event)
January 18 (3:00 PM CET, 9:00 AM EST, 6:00 AM PST)
• LIVE on Plum Village YouTube
• LIVE on Zoom with French translation

Please check the link below.
plumvillage.org/online

May we come together, breathing and walking in mindfulness, to honor Thay’s life, his teachings, and his living presence that continues to guide us.

09/01/2026

Plum Village, A Living Community of Practice
Past, Present, and Future

As we step into a new year, we naturally touch the past, the present, and the future, all held within this very moment. Plum Village was born from a simple wish to offer refuge and healing, and it continues today as a living community of practice. Here is a short reflection on where we come from, where we are now, and where we are going.

Past, the roots of Plum Village
When Thay bought Lower Hamlet in 1982, his wish was to create a place of healing for Vietnamese boat people. Over time, Plum Village became a refuge for peace activists, families, and young people inspired by his teachings of understanding, love, and compassion. It was here that the international monastic sangha was founded, and the vision of a multifold community practicing together took root.

Present, a living community
Today, Plum Village continues as a place of pilgrimage and training, offering peace, healing, and reconciliation. It is a main training center for monastics and lay practitioners in Europe and the US, while also reaching the world through online retreats, courses, podcasts, and global initiatives, including the Wake Up movement and retreats for climate leaders.

Future, building a global spiritual refuge
In Lower Hamlet, we are preparing to build new nuns’ quarters where all sisters can live and practice together under one roof. An ecological design is ready, with construction planned for Spring 2026. After the loss of the Purple Cloud building in last winter’s fire, this project has become even more essential. We continue to fundraise to support future generations and keep Plum Village accessible to all.

This month, you are warmly invited to practice with us online.
- Special Fundraising Online Retreat, “Calming the Fearful Mind" 22–26 January 2026
- Special Fundraising Online Event, Lyrical Meditation 26 January 2026

👉 Read the full article and find details about both online events via the link in our bio. plumvillage.org/articles/practicing-with-plum-village-at-home

We look forward to practicing together, wherever you are, and beginning this new year with clarity, joy, and connection.