Information about the International Delegation Tour for the
Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village Monastics in Japan 2015
April 27 – May 13, prostate 2015

• Online registration for the tour is available.
• Invitation letter from Sr. Chan Khong
• Transportation notes for the whole trip tour (April 27 - May 13, capsule 2015)

Dec. 28, pharm 2014    

Dear beloved friends of  Plum Village,

In the booklet “A Rose for Your Pocket”, it was told that that Thay was pinned on his robe a white carnation on Mother’s Day, as he and Th?y Thiên Ân were visiting a bookstore in Tokyo. It was Thay’s first trip to Japan then, in 1957. In 1995, Thay and a small delegation of Plum Village monastics held the first Plum Village’s teaching trip in Japan.  A second teaching trip was planned for the Spring of 2011, but was cancelled because of the Tsunami  in March of that year. To make up for that cancelled trip, another teaching trip was planned for the Spring of 2015, with the theme  “The Art of Happiness: Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village Monastics in Japan 2015.”  The trip is co-organized by the Plum Village monastics from Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism in Hong Kong and the Mountain of Harmony Sangha, the core lay Sangha practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village in Japan.

Preparation for the trip has been going well until we received the news that Thay was hospitalized in November 2014 and suffered a brain hemorrhage on Nov. 11, 2014. We have been aware of that Thay had not been in his optimal health since August 2014, but we sincerely trusted that Thay would be able to come to Japan as planned. Posters and flyers for the trip had been printed; the monastics and lay members were ready to welcome Thay to Japan. We would like to make the trip a special one, marking Thay’s return to Japan after 20 years after the first teaching trip in 1995.  Make it 55 years or so, since the time that Thay received that white carnation from a Japanese university student.  Little did the university student know that her action was the seed for a beautiful tradition a few years later in Vietnam.  A group of university students - among them Sr. Chan Khong, distributed the “Rose for Your Pocket” in the annual  Vu Lan (Ullambana) Ceremony and pinned red roses for those whose mothers were still alive, and white roses for those whose mother had passed away. In the annual rose festival in Plum Village, Thay always says his mother is still alive in him, because Thay is his mother’s continuation.

In the spirit that Thay is always with us and we are his continuation, the organizing team decided to continue organizing the trip as if Thay would be on the trip, and kept the title as “Thich Nhat Hanh  and Plum Village Monastics in Japan 2015”, since all the posters and flyers for the trip had been printed. A delegation of Plum Village senior monastic would give the teachings on Thay’s behalf.  We believe that continuing the trip will help Thay’s recovery. Given the smallest chance, we sincerely trust in the future that Thay will recover and be able to be present with us physically in Japan.

Practicing 10 Mindful Movements at Mt. Fuji Retreat in May, 2014.

All the events planned for the trip are kept as they were before. Among them is a packaged tour for Sangha members and friends from all over the world who would like to participate in the teaching events as well as visiting the beautiful and friendly country of Japan. We have worked with the Japanese Tourist Bureau to organize this trip. Activities for the trip (April 28 – May 13, 2015) consist of all public teaching events and sightseeing opportunities at locals where the events take places. In the last two days May 11-13, 2015, a sightseeing trip to Kyoto, the cultural city of Japan, is planned.  Please see details about the package tour in the next pages.

We hope to see you for the “Thich Nhat Hanh  and Plum Village Monastics in Japan 2015”  teaching trip.

Peace is every step,
Br. Phap Kham, Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism
For the Organizing Committee of “Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village Monastics in Japan 2015”

Thich Nhat Hanh* and Plum Village Monastics in Japan 2015
April 27 – May 13, 2015
Schedule of Events

*A delegation of Plum Village senior monastic would give the teachings on Thay’s  behalf.

Monday 27 April 2015                                                         Arrival Day for PV Monastics
Wednesday 29 April 2015 (15:30 - 18:00)                           Public Talk: "The Art of Happiness"
Saturday 02 May 2015 – Wednesday  06  May 2015          5-Day Retreat: "Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World"
Friday 08 May 2015  (15:00 - 18:00)                                    Flash Mob
Saturday 09 May 2015 (09:30 - 16:30)                                Wake-Up Day of Mindfulnes for Young People  
Saturday 09 May 2015 (09:30 - 16:30)                                Day of Mindfulness for Business People  
Sunday 10 May 2015 (09:30 - 16:30)                                  Day of Mindfulness for Health Care Professionals  
Monday 11 May 2015 (10:00 - 15:00)                                 Day of Mindfulness for Japanese Monastics  
Tuesday 12 May 2015 (10:00 - 15:00)                                 DOM for Vietnamese  Speaking People
Wednesday 13 May 2015                                                    Departure Day for Plum Village Monastics

Itinerary and Cost (in US Dollar) for the Plum Village International Delegation’s Tour Package

Cost for the whole trip, including accommodation, food, event fees and sightseeing fees is about $2800.00-$3000.00 (US Dollar), with the final cost to be worked out. The Japan Tourist Bureau is organizing this trip for us, with minimal overhead. There is no surcharge from the Organizing Committee of the TNH and PV Monastics in Japan 2015 trip.

For more information about the trip, please visit pvfhk.org. Registration for the International Delegation Tour package is available on line at pvretreats.org/aiab the online registration site of Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, Hong Kong.

Point of contact for the trip: Sr. Chan Tu Nghiem (Sr. Practice), Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, Hong Kong, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.