Share
The Still Water Meditation Hall, largest hall of Upper Hamlet, used for all the Dharma talks given by Thay Thich Nhat Hanh and for great gatherings such as at Vietnamese New Year, urgently needs to be renovated. As you many know, whenever we host for the summer or other very popular retreats, this hall can only host a maximum of 250 persons.  Meanwhile, hundreds of others have to sit in smaller groups outside --  under the acacia trees, in the Buddha garden, in the dining hall or even further away in the Transformation Hall.  Many of you have came to Plum Village from far away, with the sole wish to see Thay give teachings, and were disappointed to find yourselves in a completely different hall, listening to audio replay or translation without being able to see Thay.  Whenever it rained, our friends would get wet sitting outside under our modest tents.  We always regretted this uncomfortable situation for you, and for years, we have been trying to find solution -- without much success.

This spring, despite financial obstacles, we are taking action to double the size of the Still Water Hall.  This way, you will be able to sit comfortably inside for every Dharma talk.

The old hall was built 25 years ago with asbestos sheets in the roof and a floor built on beams lying directly on the ground with no foundation or insulation.  We are removing the asbestos, enlarging the Hall, installing a solid concrete foundation and a more appropriate heating system, and adding insulation throughout in order to be more energy-efficient.  The minimum cost of these works will be 396 000 Euros, which works out to about 700 Euros for each square meter.

If you would like to help us in this work, you could offer 700 Euros for one full square meter (floor, heating, walls and roof); or…

300 euros for a square meter of foundation, floor and heating
200 euros for a square meter of roof and insulation
150 euros for a square meter of wall and insulation; or
100 Euros for a square meter of concrete for a solid foundation.

Even  five or ten Euros can help!

We thank you for any small amount you can offer.  Without you, the Upper Hamlet could never have a proper hall to welcome everyone.

On be half of the brothers of Upper Hamlet, Phap Van Monastery
Thich Chan Phap Don

*** Donate online ***

If you live outside of France, you can write a personal check drawn on a French bank. Please use the information below: