Magnolia Grove Monastery

Magnolia Grove Monastery Magnolia Grove Monastery is a residential monastery and is a Mindfulness Practice Meditation Center A place to sit and relax. "Breathe!
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We openly and warmly welcome the diversity of your experience to this place of refuge and healing - wherever you come from, however you look or identify, whomever you love. Magnolia Grove Monastery is a residential monastery and is simultaneously, Magnolia Grove Meditation Practice Center, a Mindfulness Practice Meditation Center in the tradition of Plum Village, founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat H

anh, who was nominated for a Noble Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi is the realization of a dream held by a compassionate community intent on establishing a center for mindfulness in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Deer Park Monastery in California and Blue Cliff Monastery in New York uphold his tradition. Now, his teaching and methods of practice are taking root in Mississippi. Ten years ago Magnolia Grove was little more than 120 acres purchased by a group of committed individuals and families. With hard work, dedication and coordinated effort they created a large meditation hall with an adjoining commercial kitchen to feed participants, and they built by hand a guesthouse to host 120 laypeople. The vision of the community that built this beautiful practice center was more fully realized when Thich Nhat Hanh accepted Magnolia Grove Monastery as a mindfulness practice center in October 2005. Today, more than thirty monastics from Thich Nhat Hanh’s monasteries are in residence. Magnolia Grove Monastery is a place to practice meditation and mindfulness. It is where every breath we take reminds us of the wonders of life. A place to walk and kiss the earth beneath our feet. A place to rest under a willow tree on an island in a lotus pond. A place to eat together and savor every bite. A place to listen deeply to the sounds of life and the sound of our hearts. A place to work together to build a community of love and understanding. Magnolia Grove is a place where we can stop running, and discover peace with every step we take. A place to remind each one of us that the present moment is a wonderful moment. You are alive"

Office Hours:

While you will continue to get the fastest and most efficient answers to your questions by contacting us by email through office@magnoliagrovemonastery.org, the office staff will be taking phone calls on the following days:

Tuesday : 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday : 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Saturday : 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

05/28/2026

Dear Friends,

Today is the final online session from 5-6 pm CT, but fret not! We invite you to keep connected with fellow friends on plumline.org
Come see our sisters in person and discover more lovely monastics!

We are grateful that you are there and hope to see you soon!

05/23/2026

Dear Friends,

Join us with your family and friends for Vesak, the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration tomorrow at Magnolia Grove Monastery from 8:30am-2pm!

Visit magnoliagrovemonastery.org for more info to register today for this free event!

05/22/2026

Dear Friends,

With a blink of an eye, 6 years has flown by since we first started our Online Teaching on Thursdays.

As with all things, in accordance with the nature of Impermanence of all dharmas, even this Online Teaching is not exempt from this reality of life.

We regret to inform you that due to causes and conditions, we will close this chapter and no longer offer Online Teachings on Thursdays.

We are grateful for all your love and support these past Thursdays and hope to see you in person at our monastery in the near future!

Should causes and conditions be sufficient again we will notify you on our website.

Meanwhile please visit our website if you would like to attend our last session (free!) this Thursday, May 28th, 5-6pm CT. Register soon!

—your favorite Magnolia Grove Monastery monastics

05/22/2026

Dear Friends,

With a blink of an eye, 6 years has flown by since we first started our Online Teaching on Thursdays.

As with all things, in accordance with the nature of Impermanence of all dharmas, even this Online Teaching is not exempt from this reality of life.

We regret to inform you that due to causes and conditions, we will close this chapter and no longer offer Online Teachings on Thursdays.

We are grateful for all your love and support these past Thursdays and hope to see you in person at our monastery in the near future!

Should causes and conditions be sufficient again we will notify you on our website.

Meanwhile please see visit www.magnoliagrovemonastery.org if you would like to attend our last session (free!) this Thursday, May 28th, 5-6pm CT. Register soon!

05/20/2026

Dear Friends,

Join us this May 24th as we honor the Buddha’s Birthday with a Bathing the Baby Buddha Ceremony!

Come with your family and friends for this free event which begins at 8:30 am with walking meditation and ends after our scrumptious buffet-style lunch.

For more details please visit our website at www.magnoliagrovemonastery.org

Register soon!

05/06/2026

Help needed for our Family Retreat

Dear Friends,
Are you interested in becoming a Volunteer to help with our Family Retreat?
To offer mindful and joyful service and work alongside monastics?
Service meditation and being a service leader is both fulling, challenging, and fun!
Are you up for this next level of service meditation?
If so, consider joining us this summer and become a Volunteer!
To be a Volunteer for this retreat, we ask that you must have attended at least 1 retreat with us before with us at Magnolia Grove Monastery. (It’s most helpful to have experienced first hand what our practice schedule is like, the flow, and are familiar with our monastery grounds before becoming a service leader in showing others the work flow with ease.)
Volunteers agree to:
– be a leader for dharma sharing, guiding groups during service meditation in helping with basic work assignments (pot washing, drying dishes, cleaning bathrooms, recycling etc.)
– help set up circles for Dharma sharing
– help monastics in the teens’ or children’s program if they have experience and expertise in working with children or teens (one or two people only)
– live according to the 5 Mindfulness Trainings while at the monastery
– live in harmony with the community

For more info please visit our website: https://magnoliagrovemonastery.org/calling-for-volunteers-2/

Invite your sangha members, family or friends to volunteer! Sign up soon!

05/06/2026

Dear Friends,

We joyfully to invite you and your family to join our annual Family Retreat this July.
This year’s theme is: Happiness in Simple Moments, which takes place from July 1st to July 5th, 2026.

Don’t miss this opportunity to embark on a journey of exploring and discovering happiness found in the simplest things in life, both inside and around us!
This retreat features special activities designed for the entire family, from parents, couples, young adults, teens, tweens, to children. Youth programs will offer wonderful moments to play, learn, and connect with old and new friends in a loving environment, with opportunities to experience and immerse ourselves in nature.

Meanwhile, parents can enjoy the present moment, hone the art of being fully and mindfully present for ourselves as a kind of spiritual self-care, deepen our connections among family members, as well as nurture peace and cultivate love in every mindful breath and mindful step.
Both as a nuclear family, and as a larger spiritual family, let us come together and enjoy sitting meditation, walking meditation, eating meditation–even Ping-Pong Meditation, and Ice Cream Meditation!

Don’t forget Thay’s deep teaching and loving reminder in his calligraphy: Happy Families Will Change The World!
As our cabins and rooms are limited, please register soon!

A Lotus For You,
–Magnolia Grove Monastery Monastics



For more info please visit: https://magnoliagrovemonastery.org/family-retreat-2026/

05/02/2026

Dear Friends,

How time flies! It’s already May!

If you would like to attend our 12-Step Retreat which begins May 6th and ends on May 10th, there’s still time to register! (Please help us spread the word!)

If you are more interested in a day visit, please join us on any of our Sunday Days of Mindfulness!

Tomorrow we will have a live Dharma talk offered by one of our dharma teacher monks!

May 24th is the Buddha’s Birthday which is a festive day—come with your family and friends!

Visit our website or check our link in bio for more details.

We hope to see you soon!

04/28/2026

Dear Friends,

Are you interested in meditation but live too far from a monastery?

Fear not! We are here for you… online!

Join us Thursdays from 5-6pm CT! (Psst, it’s free!)

Visit our website or see link in bio!

See you!

04/24/2026

Dear Friends,

Don’t miss our 12 Step Retreat from May 6-10!

Together, we will practice meditation in a serene and supportive environment, allowing space for stillness, reflection, and openness to a deeper power as each person understands it.

We welcome anyone actively in the process of recovery, as well as friends who have found clarity and stability but continue to seek or offer support and deepen friendships on the Path. Whether you are navigating challenges or strengthening an established foundation, your spiritual home is here. 🤗🫶🙌

This retreat offers the gift of connection: connection to meditation practice, to spiritual guidance, and to fellow friends who understand the importance of support, honesty, and kindness on the 12-Step Path. It is an opportunity to be held by community, strengthened by practice, and gently be reminded that you do not walk this path alone.

Tell your family and friends and don’t forget to register soon!

For more info, please visit our website at magnoliagrovemonastery.org

04/22/2026

Dear Friends,

You are warmly invited to join us in celebrating the Buddha’s Continuation Day on May 24th, 2026!

On this day, we will bathe the baby Buddha statue, to honor when he was born in the historical dimension but also to remind ourselves of our own inner baby Buddha!

Though we may be part-time Buddhas, as our Teacher, Thay, often mentioned in his Dharma talks, we can always embody this Buddha nature by cultivating our Understanding and our Love for ourselves and all beings.

Did you know that Vesak is a day where we actually celebrate three major events in the Buddha’s life? His Birthday, his attaining Enlightenment after meditating 49 days under the Bodhi tree, and also his passing away into Nirvana.

Come join us this Sunday and participate in Thay’s teaching: The future Buddha may take place in the form of a sangha, a community.

Save the date and bring your family and friends!

The event program on May 24th, 2026:

8:30 am Walking Meditation
9:45 am Dharma Talk
11:30 Bathing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
12:45 pm Picnic Lunch

We look forwarding to celebrating with you!

With Joy,
Magnolia Grove Monastery Monastics

(Register soon via link in bio)

Address

123 Towles Road
Batesville, MS
38606

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