April 25, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Please save the date for a Day of Mindfulness at Udumbara Retreat Center in Los Gatos (Santa Cruz Hills).
March Day of Mindfulness in Vacaville
March 14, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Please save the date for a Day of Mindfulness at Pho Tri Wisdom Meditation School in Vacaville.
February Day of Mindfulness
February 21, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Please save the date for a Day of Mindfulness at Shantideva Monastery.
January Day of Mindfulness
January 10, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Please save the date for a Day of Mindfulness at Shantideva Monastery.
Invitation to International Walking Meditation
Saturday, November 29 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Groups in 100+ cities around the world walk for Peace
Saturday 11/29 — Golden Gate Park (Love Blocks)
Gather 10:45am — Walk 11am — Close by 12 noon
Free
Day of Mindfulness at Udumbara
Saturday, October 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
DEAR FRIENDS,
Please join us at a beautiful spot in the Santa Cruz mountains for a Day of Mindfulness in the Plum Village Tradition. Our day will include sitting and walking meditation, a dharma talk, a mindful lunch and dharma sharing practices to invite our true presence and to cultivate our understanding of interbeing.
Please see the flyer for more details.
To help with planning and ride sharing, please RSVP here.
Jim Scott-Behrends
Jsbehrends@aol.com
Armistice Day Weekend Retreat: Continuing Our Lineage of Peace and Writing
Friday, November 7 @ 12:00 pm – Monday, November 10 @ 11:00 am
We are delighted to invite you to register for the Armistice Day Writing Retreat held at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond, California (80 miles from the Bay Area), Nov. 7-10, 2025.
This retreat has historically been called the “Veterans Day Retreat.” It was started by a group of veterans and writers several decades ago. The current organizers are not veterans, but we aspire to carry forward the flame of peace and inspiration started by that group.
Retreat theme: “Continuing Our Lineage of Peace and Writing”
Our intention is to make this retreat an inclusive, restorative, safe space for practicing mindfulness together, along with space to work on our own writing or other creative projects.
The program will offer the opportunity to experience many Plum Village practices: silent meditation each morning and evening, Dharma talks, walking meditation and mindful movement practice, eating meals mindfully together, Dharma sharing in small groups (see the description on this page), and other activities. We will observe noble silence from after the evening program until the end of lunchtime the next day. In the afternoons and evenings, there will be time for mindful conversation.
Quaker Center is a beautiful retreat among the redwoods and oak trees in the hills above Santa Cruz. It is a quiet, peaceful location where the Plum Village community has been holding retreats for many years.
Date/Time: The retreat will begin Friday, November 7 at 6pm PT and end Monday, November 10, 2025 after lunch.
There will also be a writing workshop facilitated by Maxine Hong Kingston from 10am – 4pm on Friday, November 7. You can register for the retreat alone, the workshop alone, or for both.
Retreat meals will be provided by the wonderful chef Tod Nysether, starting Friday evening through Monday lunch.
Teachers: We are excited that Maxine Hong Kingston and Wendy Johnson have agreed to be our dharma teachers for this retreat, with Maxine leading an additional writing workshop during the day on Friday!
Costs: The cost of the retreat will vary by sleeping arrangement.
- For a room with 2 beds the cost per person will be $500 for the entire retreat, food included.
- For a dorm room that sleeps 4-6, or for tent campers, the cost will be $375 per person for the entire retreat, food included.
- We are happy to be able to offer some scholarships for BIPOC, Wake Up, and Veteran retreatants. Scholarships of 25% or 50% are available.
The workshop will cost $60, and will help fund scholarships to the retreat. We also welcome donations to the scholarship fund.
Registration link: https://forms.gle/84xwNZwJYEYpGjgy5
Please fill out the information requested in this Google Form by Friday October 10. Sophie, Miles, Melanie, and Dylan will review all completed registration forms and confirm your registration by Friday, October 17. At this time, we will send details on payment and lodging.
We aspire to create a retreat body that represents the diversity of the many people and communities practicing in the Plum Village lineage, including race/ethnicity, age, and gender, with an aspiration to have 50% people of color and 50% young people at our gathering. Please be patient with us as we do our best to accommodate your needs and to create the conditions for a supportive and inclusive space.
If you have any questions about registration, you are welcome to email Sophie Landau (sophiel42@gmail.com) or Melanie Gin (melaniegin1@gmail.com).
$190 – $500
Price varies depending on you accommodation and potential scholarships.
Dylan Tweney
+1 650-315-9607
dylan@tweney.com
Gathering to welcome new California Dharma teachers
Sunday, June 8 @ 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
On Sunday, June 8th, 9:30am – 1:00pm, the Multifold Sangha is invited to a gathering to welcome California Dharma teachers who were ordained this spring in the Plum Village Tradition of Thích Nhat Hanh.
New CA Dharma Teachers:
- Prajna Paramita Choudhury
- Jun Hamamoto
- Peter Kuhn
- Victoria Mausisa
- Zachiah Murray
- Judy Nakatomi
- Meena Srinivasan
- Brad Wiscons
Several of the new teachers will join us in person on June 8th.
Join us for a nourishing time together:
- Sitting meditation
- Gatha sharing in English from several new Dharma teachers
- Chanting in Vietnamese
- Lunch potluck
Please see below for a flyer and a sheet outlining the flow of the day.
LET US KNOW YOU ARE COMING!
Carpooling is encouraged.
Please bring a vegan potluck item with your ingredients listed.
This event will be livestreamed! To view online via livestream, use this link: meet.google.com/jay-aeri-kfo
On a mobile device, download the Google Meet app before joining the video livestream. On a computer, it is best to use Chrome to join online.
Questions? Contact:
- Natascha – njbruckner@gmail.com
- Dylan – dylan@tweney.com
- or Isabelle – isabellechappuis@yahoo.com
This event is free. Dana to the Compassion Meditation Center is welcome.
Natascha Bruckner
(707) 888-1916
njbruckner@gmail.com
Shantideva Day of Mindfulness, Hosted by Hella Just Sangha
Saturday, September 27 @ 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
The Hella Just and Compassionate Sangha* invites Northern California Sanghas in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh to a Day of Mindfulness at Shantideva: Watering seeds of Inclusiveness and Belonging.
Recently ordained Dharmacharyas Prajna Choudhury and Victoria Mausisa will guide us in practices and reflections to help nurture these qualities.
Tentative flow for the day:
- 9:30 Arrive and settle in
- 9:50 Welcoming remarks
- 10:00 Chanting and silent meditation
- 10:35 Introduction to the day’s practices
- 10:45 Break and Yoga/ Mindful Movement offered by Laurika
- 11:00 Watching Paramita film
- and Five Earth Touchings
- 11:50 Reflection Questions and Q&A
- 12:30 Eating Meditation followed by Mindful Conversation
- 1:30 Dharma Sharing Circles
- 2:30 Closing Circle
- 3:00 Clean Up
We will use yoga mats for yoga and Touching the Earth on the outdoor deck, so please bring yoga mats if you have them (and extras for those who do not).
The location is Thay Tu Luc’s Shantideva Monastery at 30345 Palomares Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94552. It’s about an hour’s drive from Berkeley, SF, or San Jose.
Things to bring:
- Something vegetarian to eat for lunch
- Water
- Layers, sunscreen, hat
- Something to share for tea/snacks (optional)
- yoga mats!
- A friend or two!
Please sign up if you plan to be there. There is limited space for parking, so please plan to carpool (this sign in sheet is designed to help everyone self-organize carpooling).
This day is offered free of charge. Donations for the teaching and to support Shantideva are welcome.
Look forward to practicing together as a river.
* Since 2006, the Hella Just and Compassionate Sangha (HJC) has been a San Francisco East Bay-based refuge for people of color who are committed to nurturing our mindfulness and meditation practice so that we can be better people, working in better ways, for a better world.
Free
Donations welcome
Prajna Paramita Choudhury
proggachoudhury@hotmail.com
Shantideva Day of Mindfulness, Hosted by New Gen Sangha
Saturday, June 21 @ 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
New Generation Sangha invites you to a Day of Mindfulness at Shantideva — bringing the Plum Village community in Northern California together for a chance to flow as a river and practice mindfulness as one sangha.
New Gen is a (mostly) young adult sangha based in the East Bay, and we’re excited to offer this gathering as an opportunity for practitioners of all ages to come together, share our diverse energies, and nourish our collective practice.
The Day of Mindfulness will be centered on Embracing Our Interbeing: A Mindful Celebration of Authenticity and Diversity — a day to honor the courage it takes to be our true selves, to recognize the beauty of our interconnected identities, and to hold space for all beings with compassion.
Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025
Location: Thich Tu Luc’s Shantideva Monastery — 30345 Palomares Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94552
(Approx. 1-hour drive from Berkeley, SF, or San Jose)
Please sign up here: New Gen_Shantideva Registration & Carpool DOM 6/21/25
Things to Bring:
- Something vegetarian to eat for lunch
- Water
- Layers, sunscreen, hat
- Something to share for tea/snacks (optional)
- A friend or two! (Carpooling encouraged—limited parking available)
Tentative Schedule:
- 9:30am – Arrivals and Parking
- 10:00am – Welcome, Intros, Housekeeping
- 10:15am – Singing
- 10:30am – Walking Meditation
- 11:00am – Sitting Meditation
- 11:20am – Short Break
- 11:35am – Dharma Recording
- 12:15pm – Mindful Lunch
- 1:15pm – Dharma Sharing
- 2:00pm – Dedication of Merit
This day is offered freely, with gratitude for the teachings. Donations to support Shantideva Monastery are welcome.
We’d love to practice with you!
With warm hearts,
New Generation Sangha
Free
Donations welcome
Sofia Elizondo
sofia.m.elizondo@gmail.com