Great Togetherness: Collective Wisdom for Cooling the Flames (Online Retreat)

Great Togetherness: Collective Wisdom for Cooling the Flames is an online meditation retreat offered within the Plum Village tradition, the mindfulness community founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). It is open to anyone who wants to practice from home, wherever they live, as part of a wider community of practitioners.

The title points to the heart of the retreat. "Cooling the flames" speaks to the work of meeting strong emotions and the heat of difficult times with calm, and "Great Togetherness" to the idea that this is done in company rather than alone. Plum Village teaching has long held that a community, or sangha, can carry us when our own practice feels thin.

Before You Go

This is an online retreat, so there is no travel and no stay at a monastery. Plum Village hosts its online retreats alongside in-person retreats and online courses at its monasteries in France and North America, and this one is for people who want to join a retreat from a quiet corner of their own home. Setting aside a space where you will not be interrupted, and a cushion or chair you can sit on comfortably, will help you settle into the practice.