For anyone whose calendar has left little room to rest, Plum Village Philippines is offering four unhurried days in the hills of Rizal from November 27 to 30, 2026. The community will host a residential mindfulness retreat at Regina RICA in Tanay, guided by monastics from Plum Village Hong Kong and open to beginners, long-time meditators, and people of any faith or none.
Plum Village began in 1982 on a farmstead in southwest France, where Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his long-time collaborator Sister Chan Khong set up a small community. It has since grown into an international network of monasteries and lay practice groups. The tradition treats daily activity as the ground of practice. Cooking, washing up, and walking to work receive the same attention as time on the meditation cushion, and monastics and visitors learn by living the same schedule side by side.
“Many of us spend our days moving from one task to the next, and even rest becomes something we have to schedule,” said Patrick Kahn, an organizer of Plum Village Philippines’ Makati meditation group. “This retreat gives people four days to stop and notice how they are actually living. You don’t need to be Buddhist, and you don’t need to have meditated before. You only need to be willing to slow down. We’re grateful the monastics from Hong Kong are coming to practice with us, and we hope people go home with a few simple habits they can bring to their families and their work.”
The days keep a gentle rhythm. Participants move between sitting meditation and slow walks along trails through bamboo groves and tall grass, at a pace set by the breath. Meals are eaten in silence, with time to taste every flavor and ingredient. There is also guided deep relaxation, small sharing circles built on deep listening, and talks with open Q&A led by the visiting senior monastics. The programme introduces Beginning Anew, a practice for mending strained relationships, and the Mindfulness Trainings, the tradition’s guidelines for everyday living. Families are welcome, and children and young people may join with an adult.
The teacher behind the tradition
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022), called Thay (teacher) by his students, became a monk at sixteen. During the Vietnam War, he developed what became known as engaged Buddhism, combining meditation with relief work for people affected by the fighting. A 1966 speaking tour abroad to call for peace led to an exile of almost four decades, and in 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. His books, among them The Miracle of Mindfulness and Peace Is Every Step, brought mindfulness to a worldwide readership. He died in Vietnam in January 2022, having asked his monastic community to keep offering retreats.
“Our own life has to be our message,” he once wrote.
Learning from those who live the practice
The visiting monastics come from Plum Village Hong Kong, home of the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. The community runs retreats and public programmes in Hong Kong, including courses for educators and healthcare workers and regular Days of Mindfulness open to all.
The retreat is organized by Plum Village Philippines, a volunteer-run community that practices together in homes, neighborhoods, and online.
Joining the retreat
Regina RICA spreads across 13.5 hectares of rolling hills, bamboo groves, and cool mountain air. The grounds are cared for by the Dominican Sisters of Regina Rosarii, whose kitchen will serve lacto-ovo-vegetarian meals throughout the retreat, with vegan and gluten-free options.
The retreat is open to local and international participants. Rates are all-inclusive, covering three nights in rooms with ensuite bathrooms and every meal from Friday dinner on November 27 to Monday lunch on November 30. Shared rides from Makati and Quezon City can also be arranged at cost. Scholarships are available for individuals who need financial support.
Give yourself the time to pause this November and discover a quieter way to be. Visit https://plumvillage.ph/retreat-2026 for more information about rates, accommodation, and retreat details. You may also get in touch with Plum Village Philippines’ Retreat Secretariat at plumvillage.ph@gmail.com or on WhatsApp at +63 977 455 5466.