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Start your mindfulness journey here
You don’t need to be a monastic or a meditation teacher to start a sangha. All you need is a simple aspiration to practise with others.
Building a sangha is like planting a sunflower.
– Thich Nhat Hanh
You can begin by meeting with just two or three friends at one of your homes. Alternatively you could hire a room or hall, or consider doing this if the group grows. If you wish to welcome newcomers and expand the group then hiring a public space is generally better.
Weekday evenings or weekends during the daytime, weekly or fortnightly, work best for most groups.
Traditionally a sangha is at least four people. Thich Nhat Hanh added that he thought five was a good minimum number. Even so, meeting regularly with just one or two friends will still be very worthwhile and a great support to your practice if this is all you have.
Sanghas generally start small and grow. Some of us feel comfortable in large practice groups and others prefer small groups. You may wish to have a closed group to limit numbers or be open to newcomers. It is up to you.
You will need a bell and a source of guided Plum Village meditations. The Blooming of the Lotus book or the Plum Village App are useful.
Having both a small “activity” bell and a larger bell is nice, but not essential.
You can use Thay’s books for readings or listen to Dharma talks online together.
All sources should be from the Plum Village tradition. There is nothing wrong with other traditions and some of us find these helpful to explore separately. During Zen sessions it is best to do just Zen.
If you register as affiliated to our charity then you will be covered by our public liability insurance for:
Meetings and retreats in private homes, community and retreat centres, village halls and similar premises. Residential retreats. Public meditation events in open spaces. Some meetings and/or retreats may include a country walk.
Note that if your sangha decides to go skydiving or to engage in other active pursuits you will need to organise your own insurance for this.
Whatever the size of group, someone has to facilitate each meeting. The role of a facilitator is to coordinate the stages of the session and to do their best to create a space conducive to practice by embodying mindful presence themselves. Facilitators are careful not to take on the role of teacher, but can give practical instructions and share from their own experience.
The way to learn how to facilitate is to do it. Over time we gain serenity about the inevitable ups and downs.
It is best if two members facilitate together and ideally there are different facilitators each meeting. This provides members with the opportunity to learn how to facilitate as well as bringing a sense of belonging and shared ownership.
A session is typically 1½ to 2½ hours in duration. The following represents a tried and tested format.
Introductions and weather reports – Everyone is invited to introduce themselves. We go round and – if we would like to – we say our name, where we’ve traveled from, and a few words describing how we’re feeling. It is common to use a weather metaphor for this.
Guided Meditation – A guided meditation can be taken from The Blooming of a Lotus book or the Plum Village App for instance.
Walking Meditation – We walk in peace, supported by our breathing and the earth beneath our feet. We move together as one and ground ourselves in our bodies.
Sitting Meditation – When we sit with others, practice can be much easier and a meditative state is more accessible as we take on the energy of the group.
Reading – This can take the form of Recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, a short discourse or a passage from one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books. You could also listen to a talk by Thay or another Plum Village teacher on the Plum Village YouTube channel. If using a book, 6 pages can be a useful maximum or perhaps twenty minutes if listening to a talk.
Group Sharing – After enjoying meditation together we can share about Zen practice and our daily lives. This is an opportunity to practise mindful speech and deep listening. We speak from our own direct experience and are open to the experience of others. Dharma sharing is a way of sharing sangha wisdom.
Announcements and closing bells – Finish with any sangha announcements
7:00 PM Welcome and weather reports
7:10 PM Guided sitting meditation
7:30 PM Walking meditation
7.45 PM Silent sitting meditation
8:00 PM Reading
8:20 PM Dharma Sharing
8:55 PM Announcements
9:00 PM Close
Tea or shared mindful lunch – We can drink tea or share food together after the session. This can be partly or all in silence.
Singing – If some of us are musicians, singing can be a regular part of our meetings.
Deep relaxation – This can be a nice way to start sessions sometimes, as an alternative to guided meditation.
Mindful movement – This can be an alternative to walking meditation or can provide a short break from sitting during a long session.
Other options – Consider incorporating practices such as Touching the Earth occasionally, or organising occasional Days of Mindfulness, going for walks together or other social activities.
If your group has running costs (typically room hire) you will need to collect donations towards these. For other than a small group, it is worth investing in a card reader and setting up a separate sangha bank account. Having a reserve of money will enable you to keep going if attendance ever dips for a while or it can go towards buying meditation mats and cushions or books occasionally.
Once you register with Plum Village UK, you can have your own sangha webpage on our website which can then be found by online search. It will also help if you have posters and leaflets that you distribute locally.
It will be helpful to set up an email list through which to announce any special events or changes to venues and timings etc. A sangha messaging group on Signal or WhatsApp is also useful (with Signal being more ethical). This can be used to arrange sangha social meetups as well as to notify of special events.
Be clear about the guiding principles of the group and how it is to be run. For instance:
Larger sanghas find it useful to have Care Taking Teams, composed of some of the most experienced practitioners. There are useful alternatives to formal meetings for decision making, such as listening circles, which work well in the context of a sangha.
There are many ways that the charity can support and advise sanghas. This page just provides an introduction. If you need help with for instance, organising Days or Mindfulness or sangha retreats, organising a Care Taking group or training facilitators, please get in touch: hello@plumvillage.uk
Some safety information can be found in this document.
Mindful Moment
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
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