Great Togetherness: Collective Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

This five-day online meditation retreat brings people together with the Sisters of Lower Hamlet at Plum Village in Thénac, Dordogne, France. Rooted in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, it asks how we can cool the flames of fear, anger and despair, and what becomes possible when we reconnect with ourselves, one another, society and Mother Earth. It suits beginners and long-time practitioners alike, and everything is broadcast live from Dharma Nectar Temple in Lower Hamlet.

What to Expect

The retreat opens with a light first day: orientation to the platform, preparing your meditation space, a connection test and a musical opening. The full schedule then runs for four days, with four daily sessions broadcast live from Lower Hamlet. Times are offered for the Americas and for Europe and Africa.

A typical day weaves together mindful exercise, guided sitting meditation with a sutra or teaching reading, walking meditation, guided deep relaxation and Dharma sharing in small groups. Days close with sitting meditation and the Big Bell Chant. Each day also has a Dharma talk by one of the Sisters:

- The Power of Togetherness, with Sr. Tam Muội, on the collective energy of a spiritual community and taking refuge in body, breath and steps.
- Please, Call Me By My True Names, with Sr. Hội Nghiêm, on turning toward despair, fear and anger with mindfulness, and on how joy and pain are linked.
- Getting into the Stream, with Sr. Chân Đức, on Buddhist teachings for sustaining happiness and the seeds of the Five Powers.
- The Great Lion's Roar: Questions and Responses, a panel with Sr. Đào Nghiêm, Sr. Bội Nghiêm, Sr. Hiến Nghiêm and Sr. Sĩ Nghiêm, where participants can bring questions about relationships, work, society and the world.
- No Coming, No Going, with Sr. Lăng Nghiêm, on nonself and interbeing.

Special events include a ceremony to send the energy of compassion, a transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, affinity group consultations and workshops, writing a love letter, and a closing Lyrical Meditation with music and poetry on the history and vision of Lower Hamlet.

About Thich Nhat Hanh

The retreat draws on the teaching of Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022), known to his students as Thay. A Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist, he founded the Plum Village Tradition and is widely credited as a major influence on how Buddhism and mindfulness reached the West. He entered the monastery at Từ Hiếu Temple at sixteen and was ordained in 1951. In the 1960s he co-founded the School of Youth for Social Service, which sent volunteers into rural areas to build schools and clinics and help rebuild war-torn villages. He created the Order of Interbeing, built around the Five and Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, and coined the term "engaged Buddhism": the idea that mindfulness and compassionate action belong together.

Before You Go

No prior experience or knowledge is needed. All teachings and activities are in English, with live translation in French and Spanish. Sharing groups run in English, and Dharma sharing in French or Spanish is available by registering for the retreat in that language. German, Italian, Dutch and Mandarin groups may be offered if there is enough interest. You can choose whether or not to take part in Dharma sharing when you register.

Registration includes the live teachings and practices, the Dharma sharing groups, and a resource package: a video guide to preparing your space, calligraphies and short practice verses to print, ready-to-print key texts, songs and sutras, and a free Thich Nhat Hanh e-book, How to Connect. Platform materials and pre-recorded content stay available for twelve months after the retreat closes. Accommodation and meals are not part of this online retreat, and content may not be shared publicly or with sanghas outside the registered community.

Contributions are on a sliding scale and support renewal and building projects at Lower Hamlet. Scholarships are available for young people aged 35 and under, for Black, Indigenous and People of Color participants, people from the Global South, and people living with a disability. Anyone for whom cost is a barrier can ask about a further reduction.