Practising with others is an essential way to sustain and deepen our mindfulness practice.
A Zen group that meets regularly to practise and for friendship is called a sangha.
We have many sanghas across the UK. Some are small and meet in each others’ homes.
Others are larger and hire their own venues.
They offer a variety of styles and formats, while all still having Plum Village Zen and
the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh at their heart. For any questions about sanghas please email uksanghacoordinator@plumvillage.uk
An affinity sangha is a dedicated practice group formed by individuals who share specific
social identities, backgrounds, or lived experiences.
We recognise the wisdom of and need for these safe places of refuge, where members can
support each other to explore the intersection of practice and their unique struggles.
Most UK affinity sanghas meet online with a few in person too.
You don’t necessarily need to be a monastic or a meditation teacher to start a
sangha. Just four or five friends meeting together is a sangha. All you need is a simple aspiration to practise
with
others and then to begin.
Building a sangha is like planting a sunflower. – Thich Nhat Hanh
We invite UK sanghas to register as affiliated to the charity. Affiliated sanghas benefit
from our shared public liability insurance, publicising of your sangha by us, plus full support and advice
regarding
all aspects of running a sangha.
We suggest an annual donation based on your sangha’s size, but feel free to make a
contribution in line with your circumstances, especially if you are just setting up and don’t have many
members yet.
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