‘Go home to nature, and let nature heal you’ (Thich Nhat Hanh)
I have always benefitted from visiting Plum Village for a retreat. Living in a Sangha with a deep practice and a beautiful environment for outside walking meditation, this has been a place of transformation for me and for tens of thousands of others. Several recent developments are adding even more to the Plum Village experience:
Before the pandemic Plum Village purchased several fields on the west facing slope below Upper Hamlet, with the intention of rewilding this area. This had previously been arable land, but wild seeds must have still been present in the soil seedbank. A wonderful profusion of many species of wildflowers, including several species of orchids, have bloomed.
The rewilding area is being lightly managed with some wide pathways kept open by mowing at appropriate times. Part is fenced off to stop roe deer from browsing on the oak and ash saplings which are springing up. It is likely that regeneration of mixed oak woodland will occur over much of the area, whilst the mowed areas will continue to provide open areas for wildflowers. The flowers provide nectar for butterflies and bees, and seeds for birds such as turtle doves.
Walking between Upper and Lower Hamlets through the fields one hears the songs of nightingales, blackcaps and Cetti’s warblers which nest in the wooded field margins. Together with the purring notes of turtle doves and the fluting calls of golden orioles in the surrounding oak woods… It is a glimpse of the Pure Land!
Waste water management at Plum Village has been a problem over many years, particularly during large retreats when the holding capacity of the septic tanks was inadequate, requiring frequent pump outs. Upper Hamlet and Son Ha have recently invested in waste water treatment, using filtration and a newly established reed bed system, which should provide a lasting, ecologically friendly solution to this problem. The clean water flowing from reedbeds will supplement the natural springs in the rewilding area that flow out of the underlying limestone. A number of small ponds have been created fed by the springs, and in June these damp areas were hopping with tiny frogs.
The Upper Hamlet Happy Farm was set up in 2013 using regenerative and organic techniques to grow significant quantities of fruit and vegetables for Plum Village. Strawberries were in season in June along with radishes. Tomato, squash, aubergine and courgette plants were coming along nicely, tended by the resident Happy Farmers and volunteers. I am looking forward to joining one of the hands-on immersive retreats that the Happy Farm hosts in May and September each year, when retreatants can help to transform compost into food. But ‘it is not just about the carrots, it is also about the collective awakening’!
Seeing the capacity of the Earth to regenerate around Plum Village fills me with hope and joy. Maybe I will see you there!
by UK Dharma Teacher, Murray Corke
If you are interested in practising Earth Care, join our monthly Earth Care Sangha – every third Monday of the month, 7-8:30pm.
