ShareIt has become a tradition for Plum Village to hold a month long summer retreat for lay practitioners.  People come to the retreat from more than 40 different countries from around the world – countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Holland, The United States, Canada, Vietnam, Thailand, and Brazil. In these countries, Plum Village has become something of a familiar address over the past 20 years. However, Plum Village is still unfamiliar to the Vietnamese communities in the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe. They think of it as just a place where the monks with shaved heads are sitting and chanting.
This year, Plum Village received Vietnamese retreatants from the Czech Republic for the second time. The first visit was in 2008 by a group of “traditional”, devoted practitioners that had already taken refuge in the three jewels and were very familiar with Buddhism. From their quiet trip, the attraction of Plum Village spread to many people, including those who are new to Buddhism. This year, Plum Village received two groups of retreatants from the Czech Republic – a total of 28 people, 11 of which were children and teenagers from the age of six to eighteen. During their one-week stay, the retreatants had a chance to socialize with friends from many countries, listen to Thay’s Dharma talks on topics such as family happiness, a healthy lifestyle, love, protecting the environment, and the prevention of global warming, and practice the Plum Village practices of breathing mindfully, listening deeply, using loving speech, and sitting and walking meditation. Most of the retreatants that visited chose not to use mobile phones, watch television, or use the Internet during their stay and they were very happy because they were living in an environment filled with loving-kindness. People are caring and trusting and help each other like close friends.

Plum Village has been recognized as a scientifically aligned, engaged tradition that does not heavily emphasize religious ceremonies and is not under the influence of any Buddhist congregation. Therefore, it has attracted practitioners from many other religions in Europe. Many priests, monastics, intellectuals, and artists come to practice. About eighty percent of Western lay friends are Christian. The respect that retreatants have for the Plum Village practice and the harmonious life that people celebrate at Plum Village has created a beautiful image of Vietnam and the contemporary form of Buddhism practiced in Plum Village.

Almost all who come to Plum Village have a wish to come back some day. Many families have come to Plum village every year and some have regularly visited it for the past ten to fifteen years. Because of work, lack of information, and travel distance, Plum Village is still unfamiliar to many Vietnamese in the Czech Republic. However, the appearance and participation of the community from the Czech Republic has left a good impression in Plum Village. The teenagers from the Czech Republic were applauded for their good Vietnamese and performance skills, and Sister Chan Khong even dedicated a session to speak with them. Recognizing the difficulty of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, Plum Village is trying to find ways to reach out - especially to the young generation - to help them have a more positive view of society; blending in, but keeping the good traditions of the Vietnamese while avoiding unwholesome activities of societies. We hope that in the near future, the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic will welcome the brothers and sisters in brown robes to the Czech Republic.