Long Term Stay in Plum Village

We have received many requests from retreatants to come to Plum Village to practice mindful living for a period of usually 3 to 6 months. Plum Village, which consists of monasteries for monks, nuns and practice centers for lay persons, is a Buddhist Monastic Institution. Its residents are mostly monastic members. We would like to tell you about our policy for receiving guests at Plum Village.

Lay practitioner are welcome to come to Plum Village to practice. Each year, there are more than 2000 people who come to Plum Village to practice mindful living. Their visits may be as short as two days (the weekend program), one week, four weeks (Summer Opening), or as long as three months (Rain Season Retreat). We usually request a minimum stay of one week in order to make mindful living a vital part of the retreatants life when they return to their homes.

Guests are initially accepted for the first two weeks. During the first two weeks everyone is asked to pay the full contribution. After the first two weeks, they can apply to extend their stay for up to three months (including the first two weeks). If they practice well and live in harmony with the community, their requests will be granted. The approval rate is more than 95%. We only have a handful of cases that we had to deny the requests in the past several years. Even for those who come to Plum Village with many difficulties, the first two weeks is enough for them to calm down, to reflect on their problems and to decide on how to proceed to transform them. The practice helps transform our difficulties tremendously. For the first two weeks of their stay, the guests are asked to make the full contribution. If necessary, after the first two weeks, they may apply for a scholarship (up to 50%).

For guests who want to come to Plum Village to practice for three months, but who are reluctant when informed that they have to apply to extend their stay after the first two weeks, we advise that they should go ahead to plan their visit for the whole three months. Inconvenience due to changes in travel arrangements should be secondary to the commitment to improving our life. Guests may have ideal images about community living. This may be a source of difficulty when they have to deal with what we call "personal spaces" in interaction with others in the community. Only through practical experience do we know what community living is about. We are here to help you live mindfully as a member of the community.