Plum Village France

Plum Village, near Bordeaux in southwest France, is the largest international practice center in the Plum Village tradition, and the first residential community to be founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in the West.

Plum Village is where Thay developed his dream of building a Beloved Community: creating a healthy, nourishing environment where people could learn the art of living in harmony with one another and with the Earth.

What began in 1982 as a small, rustic farmstead, has today grown into Europe’s largest Buddhist monastery, with over 200 resident monks and nuns, living and practising in four different hamlets spread out across the French countryside.

At Plum Village we weave mindfulness into all our daily activities, training ourselves to be mindful throughout the day: while eating, walking, working, or enjoying a cup of tea together.

Plum Village is a home away from home, and a beautiful, nourishing, simple environment in which to cultivate the mind of awakening.

We enjoy periods of silence, sitting meditation, rest, relaxation, mindful work and play. All practitioners who come to Plum Village are invited to join in our communal activities, whether it is preparing meals, cleaning around the hamlet, or washing dishes, as a way of learning to cultivate joy and mindfulness whatever we are doing.

Every year, Plum Village welcomes thousands of meditation practitioners from all around the world who come to experience the art of mindful communal living. Over 40 nationalities are often represented at the festive four-week annual Summer Opening Retreat which offers special programs for children and teenagers.

In addition to Spring and Autumn retreat seasons, where visitors are welcome to stay for a week or more, Plum Village also offers special mindfulness retreats for French speakers, teachers, and young people.

The annual 3-month Winter Retreat, which is open to lay people as well as monastics, attracts hundreds of practitioners who come to deepen their practice of mindfulness and live simply and harmoniously in community for ninety consecutive days.

Plum Village has an volunteer programme for youth service, and recently opened an organic “Happy Farm,” where year-long resident farmers combine ecology and mindfulness as they cultivate vegetables for the community’s vegan meals.

When he was not travelling, Thich Nhat Hanh lived at Plum Village, where he wrote, taught, gardened and guided his global community. Many of the trails around the hills and fields of Plum Village have become legendary paths of walking meditation for Thich Nhat Hanh and his community.

Upcoming Retreats

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