Plum Village

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France
Thénac
Plum Village

A mindfulness practice center and monastery in south-west France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh
(726)

Plum Village is a monastery and mindfulness practice center in the southwest France founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1982. If you need to contact us please do so via our website: https://plumvillage.org/contact-us/

06/09/2026

“Am I good enough?”

Maybe the question is not about becoming someone better, but learning to embrace who we are, just as we are.

From 10–17 August, nearly 900 young people from around the world gathered in Plum Village for our annual Wake Up Retreat. Together, we explored the art of true love, deep listening, self-acceptance, and our connection with ourselves, our communities, society, and Mother Earth.

Through Dharma talks, meditation, mindful meals, workshops, sharing, music, and plenty of joyful moments, we discovered that we don’t have to face the challenges of our world alone.

When we are fully present and do our best in this moment, that is more than enough. 💚

Come and relive some precious moments from Wake Up Retreat 2026 in this photo album.
plumvillage.org/articles/wake-up-retreat-2026-am-i-good-enough

26/08/2026

“I see myself as a bridge between countless past generations of Buddhists rooted in Vietnam, and countless future generations of spiritual seekers taking root in other parts of the world.”

In this new Sangha Stories article, Minh-Chau Le reflects on ancestry, history, Buddhism, and what it means to carry the Dharma forward.

As we celebrate 60 years of the Order of Interbeing, her story invites us to ask: What will we carry forward?

Read Bridging Generations, Living the Dharma on the Plum Village website. 🌿

plumvillage.org/articles/bridging-generations-living-the-dharma

22/08/2026

What does it mean to truly relax?

In How to Relax, Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to rediscover the art of resting, letting go, and simply being. Through mindful breathing, stopping, and coming back to the present moment, we can touch peace and ease wherever we are.

6 gentle ways to practice:
1. Breathe — Return to your faithful friend, your breath.
2. Stop — Give yourself permission to pause.
3. Have a lazy day — Leave some time unscheduled.
4. Come back — Take care of this present moment.
5. Let go — Ask, What can I release today?
6. Be — Before doing, learn how to be.

Read the full article on the Plum Village website. 🌿

15/08/2026

What does it mean to bring Buddhism into everyday life?

For Sister Giác Nghiêm, Engaged Buddhism means bringing the practice directly into the places where suffering is present.

Before becoming a monastic, Sister Giác Nghiêm worked as a physiotherapist, she brought mindful breathing, walking meditation, deep looking, and compassionate presence to the bedside of elderly and terminally ill patients. Without even using the word “meditation,” she helped people meet pain, fear, loneliness, and helplessness in a different way.

Sometimes, the practice was simply walking slowly through a hospital corridor. Sometimes, it was becoming a cherry tree in bloom. Sometimes, it was helping someone remember that they were never alone.

“Whatever our profession, we can always find meditations that bring relief.”

Read the full conversation with Sister Giác Nghiêm on the Plum Village website. (plumvillage.org/articles/living-deeply-serving-joyfully)

11/08/2026

Joy comes from the simple things.
The sun, the rain, the earth, the water…
and singing together. 🎶
-
I get my joy from the simple things
Coming from the earth

I get my joy from the sun that shines
And the water speaks to me

Listen to the rain and listen to the water
Hear what they say

Singing "Hay Yah! Hay Yah! Hay Yah! Hey Yah!
Hey Yah! Hey Yah! Hey Yah! Hey!"
Singing "Hay Yah! Hay Yah! Hay Yah! Hey Yah!
Hey Yah! Hey Yah! Hey Yah! Hey!"

08/08/2026

From 11 July to 3 August, Plum Village welcomed nearly 2,500 people from around 50 countries for our annual Summer Opening Family Retreat, bringing together adults, families with children and teens, and practitioners of all ages.

Our Summer Retreat is often described as a Dharma festival, a time to nourish ourselves in many different ways. Through inspiring Dharma talks, mindful meals, joyful play and deep relaxation, art, music and dance, and beautiful communal celebrations such as the Earth Festival, Peace Festival, and Rose Ceremony, we practiced together as one big Dharma family.

Through sitting and walking meditation, mindful exercises, Dharma sharing, and coming back to our breath and body, we learned to dwell more deeply in the present moment, care for our emotions, and find reconciliation within ourselves and with one another.

As the summer days come to an end, we invite you to savor some of the many beautiful moments from this special retreat, and to remember the joy, peace, and healing that are possible when we practice together. 🌻

📸 Explore the full collection of Summer Opening 2026 photos on the Plum Village website: plumvillage.org/articles/summer-opening-family-retreat-2026

30/07/2026

🌿 This spring, our Happy Farms became places of practice.
Across all three hamlets, friends came together to care for the land, work in the gardens, share mindful moments, and enjoy the simple joy of practicing together.

As we listened to the Earth, we also had the opportunity to look deeply into ourselves. Through gardening and community life, we explored the wisdom of Mother Nature and the Buddha’s teachings on interbeing, impermanence, and no birth and no death.

Our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that each of us has both flowers and compost within. Our practice is to learn how to nourish the flowers, in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.

This autumn, we warmly invite you to join us for Happy Farm Harvest Week, offered by all three hamlets from 25 September to 2 October 2026.

🔗plumvillage.org/event/retreat/happy-farm-harvest-retreat

Together, we will care for the land, harvest the season’s gifts, and cultivate the garden of our hearts through mindful breathing, mindful steps, and joyful service.

🌼 Enjoy some beautiful moments from this spring’s Happy Farm Weeks in this photo album. For the full article and many more photos, please visit the Plum Village website.

(With gratitude to the Happy Farms photography team: Loïc Betrand Chichester, Jacopo Miceli, and Helena Brunnerova for these beautiful images.)

26/07/2026

🎵 Island Within

This short video is one moment from our Music Meditation – A Journey of Music & Contemplation, Celebrating Thay and the Order of Interbeing, offered by the monastic community during our June Retreat at Plum Village.

If you would like to experience the full Music Meditation, we warmly invite you not only to listen, but also to practise together with us.

If you have the time and space, you may like to experience this session as a meditation rather than a performance. Find a comfortable place, allow yourself to settle, and, whenever it feels natural, gently close your eyes. Let the poetry, readings, music, and moments of silence guide your breathing and awareness. May this shared practice help you touch the peace, freedom, and compassion that Thay dedicated his life to cultivating, and remind us all that we do not walk this path alone.

You can watch the full session on the Plum Village YouTube channel. We’ll also share the link in our bio. 🌿

17/07/2026

The first week of our Summer Opening Retreat is coming to an end. Even in the summer heat, we found freshness in our shared practice. 🌿

11/07/2026

Throughout the month of June, we came together in Plum Village to practice, celebrate, and honor the 60th anniversary of the Order of Interbeing.

During the final week of this June, Sangha members from around the world gathered for a special week dedicated to the Order of Interbeing Council Meeting. Representing many countries, generations, cultures, and life experiences, we practiced deep listening and loving speech as we reflected on the challenges and aspirations of our Sangha, taking the first steps in the ongoing process of renewing the OI Charter for future generations.

These photos offer a glimpse into this meaningful week in New Hamlet. Between meetings, we continued to enjoy sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful breathing, and moments of joyful connection—reminding ourselves that mindfulness is not separate from our work, but the very foundation of it.

May these moments inspire us all to continue building a Sangha rooted in understanding, compassion, and collective wisdom. 🌿

(Photo credit: Rob Walsh)

Adresse

Le Pey
Thénac
47120

Site Web

https://plumvillage.org/

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