Findhorn’s First Mindfulness Festival

The monastic visit to Findhorn turned out to be a mutual inspiration and joy. The Findhorn Eco-Village Community were delighted to welcome six Plum Village monastics for ten days in June. The monks and nuns also enjoyed what the community has to offer: unspoilt nature; friendly people; an eco-village steeped in more than sixty years of history in this well-known spiritual community. One of the Sisters shared that visiting Findhorn had been on her bucket list. The monastics joined in with morning singing and community meditations, they went swimming at the beautiful beach in between organising meetings and events, and they even sighted dolphins on several days (a rare occurrence).

Months of diligent work had been put into making this visit happen by an eight-strong dedicated organising team. There was also a lot of community support: people came forward to offer their beautiful homes for the monks and nuns to stay in; others generously donated their professional skills to help with the public mindfulness events; and many volunteers contributed their time and energy in a joyful collective effort.

The highlight of the visit was the Mindfulness Festival, titled “Peace is the Way”, that was held in the Universal Hall on the 6th and 7th June 2025. Led by the Brothers and Sisters, it was attended by around 300 people over two days. Participants came from sanghas all over Scotland, from the Findhorn Eco-Village Community, and there were also newcomers to the practice from the local area.

The theme of peace is in the hearts and minds of many of us today. The festival was a welcome opportunity to explore how we can cultivate peace in ourselves and with each other, as a contribution towards peace in the world. The monastics offered inspiring Dharma talks, mindfulness practices and workshops; they shared their own experiences, Dharma teachings and concrete steps. It became clear that with mindfulness and compassion, and with the support of sangha, each of us can contribute more to peace in ourselves, in our families, our communities and the world than we might have thought possible. Over the course of the two days, a joyful, mindful, relaxed energy of togetherness developed, nourished by songs and silence, walking meditations through the eco-village, and informal tea break interactions. There was beauty in the experiencing of peace, a peace that came with much joy, engagement, and connection.

by: Susanne Olbrich, True Ever-present Stability

Some Feedback From Participants:

“Just wanted to thank you for organising the wonderful event this weekend and allowing us all to have such an expansive experience of connection and love. It was very special to me and I’m very grateful to you.”

“An abundantly nourishing experience.”

“Thank you for two wonderful days of mindfulness that have left me restored and refreshed. It was so impressive to see the packed Universal Hall. The pace and variety of the activities were just right. A huge amount of organisation and effort must have gone into this event, yet it all went so smoothly and efficiently. More importantly, the atmosphere throughout was relaxed and focused. What a fantastic achievement!”

We hope you enjoy some of the photos taken by Craig Ramsay below. A beautiful slide show with a song sung by the monastics and participants is available here.

The recordings from Dharma Talks offered by the Monastics are available on our YouTube channel.