Thich Nhat Hanh's Vision for a Being Peace Centre

In 1997, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) led a retreat in England. He asked the community to establish a national mindfulness practice centre in the UK. He also offered the name ‘Being Peace’ and later presented it in a beautiful calligraphy.

It began with small steps; the Being Peace Cottage, and gathered, from what was a small community in those days, many committed supporters. The small flame that was lit by the cottage is now nourishing the larger flame that is a vision for a national mindfulness practice centre. The cottage sale raised around 20% of the funding needed to make Thay’s vision becoming a reality.

In 2023, the community launch a fundraising appeal for donations and friendly loans. Of the £2m target required to establish the centre, £800,000 has been raised, with deep gratitude to the community.

There is more information below about what the Being Peace centre will offer to mindfulness practitioners in the UK...

My involvement with Plum Village

Having practiced meditation and mindfulness for many years before, I had the great privilege of visiting the Plum Village mindfulness centre in France in 2016. It was an enlightening experience learning how to apply mindfulness to everyday life, rather than simply sitting and meditating as many other retreats consist of. I have many happy memories of walking, singing, working in the shop and the garden and learning to live in a community in harmony.

On my return to the UK, I connected with others who were practicing in the same tradition and we established a new 'Sangha' for the city where I live. Practicing with others is a great source of strength for me. I have since trained as a mindulness teacher and tutor of new mindfulness teachers, and the Plum Village practice has a great influence on the approach I take and lessons I share with my students.

In 2020, I received a transmission of the 5 Mindfulness Trainings, which means I have the intention of living according to Buddhist ethics. At the transmission, I received the 'Dharma' name 'Joyful Commitment of the Heart', which is quite a lot to live up to!

My experience of Walking the Camino

Many years ago, while travelling in the US, I learned about the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route from France to the North West of Spain, arriving at Santiago de Compostela, the burial place of St James. It is something that kept coming into my attention for many years and finally in 2022, I had the experience with my partner of walking one of the many routes that arrive at Santiago. The Portuguese Way that we walked from Porto was a distance of 280km and took about 14 days.

Now for the real thing! The French Way is around 777km and will take somewhere between 5 and 6 weeks, depending on now many rest days and how many blisters there are to recover from! The journey will begin on 26th March 2024 and will end when I arrive at Santiago, all being well.

It seems entirely appropriate that I should start my walk in France, where the origins of the Plum Village tradition are rooted.

Please support the creation of the Being Peace practice centre in the UK by sponsoring me on my walk.

With much thanks and gratitude.

Tony :)

The Being Peace Centre will...

...Be a place of refuge

Located in the countryside, with good transport links and close enough to urban centres to be able to engage in outreach work. It will offer accommodation, camping, a meditation hall and other indoor and outdoor spaces for retreats and mindful living. The Centre will be surrounded by the natural environment and will have its own ‘Happy Farm'.

...Be a central point to connect all Sanghas

Building a sense of community for practitioners to support each other, where Plum Village practice will be ongoing, offered by the resident sangha, visiting monastics, lay Dharma Teachers and long- and short-term volunteers.

...Offer a year-round programme

Retreats, courses and quiet space for individuals, couples, families and groups to experience mindfulness together, fostering a deep sense of connection with one another through living and working as a community, and enjoying the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in a natural environment.

...Be the first lay Plum Village centre

Managed by a lay community, with a residential team living on site and practising together. The centre will also serve as a base for developing outreach engagement.