Zen · International (12 monastic centers + 750+ Order members)
Order of Interbeing (Tiep Hien) lay dharma teacher pathway in the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh. Members ordain into the Order, then progress through years of mentorship to become recognized Dharma Teachers. ~750 Order members in 31 countries.
The Plum Village International Practice Center is the principal home of the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master who taught engaged Buddhism widely until his death in 2022. The center is in Thénac, France, with affiliated monastic centers in the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, and Vietnam. Plum Village's lay dharma teacher pathway runs through the Order of Interbeing, the lay-and-monastic order Thich Nhat Hanh established in 1966 in the early years of his teaching activity. The Order of Interbeing, called Tiep Hien in Vietnamese, includes both monastics and lay members. New members ordain into the Order by formally accepting the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, the lineage's articulated ethical and contemplative commitments. Members then engage sustained practice within their local sangha and the wider international Plum Village community over years before being recognized as Dharma Teachers, the lineage's senior lay teaching role. Approximately seven hundred and fifty Order members serve in thirty-one countries at the time of writing, with active sanghas across the international Plum Village network. Lay Dharma Teachers lead local sanghas, give dharma talks at retreats, support newer practitioners, and serve in the wider teaching activity of the lineage. Authorization to receive lamp transmission as a Dharma Teacher comes from senior monastics in the lineage when sustained practice and capacity to teach are recognized. The practice forms within Plum Village center on mindfulness in daily life rather than long silent retreats alone. Walking meditation, mindful eating, sangha building, and the integration of contemplative practice with engaged ethical action are central. Thich Nhat Hanh emphasized engaged Buddhism, the application of mindfulness practice to social, ecological, and political life. The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings articulate this engagement explicitly. The pathway is donation-based throughout, with monastery costs covered by traditional Theravada and Mahayana economics including dana from lay supporters and program contributions for retreats and longer programs. The credential is internal to the lineage and recognized within the international Plum Village community.
There is no fixed academic curriculum. Formation runs through participation in local sangha practice, retreats at Plum Village or affiliated centers, study of Thich Nhat Hanh's published work, and direct relationship with senior monastics. Topics include the Five Mindfulness Trainings (the lineage's basic ethical practice for lay practitioners), the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings (the deeper articulation for Order members), interbeing (Thich Nhat Hanh's articulation of dependent origination as the lineage's central contemplative-ethical framing), engaged Buddhism, mindfulness in daily life, walking meditation, and the lineage's specific approach to sangha building. Reading includes Thich Nhat Hanh's published books, of which there are many dozens, alongside selected dharma talks and the lineage's ceremonial and liturgical materials.
Formation runs through community engagement. Practitioners participate in local sangha, attend retreats at Plum Village or affiliated centers, develop relationship with senior monastics, and engage in sustained personal practice. New Order members ordain by formally accepting the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. Existing members progress through years of engagement before being recognized for Dharma Teacher transmission, given by senior monastics in the lineage's lamp transmission ceremony. There's no examination and no fixed timeline.
Lay Dharma Teachers lead local sanghas, give dharma talks at retreats, support newer practitioners, and serve in the wider teaching activity of the lineage. The credential is recognized within the international Plum Village community across thirty-one countries. It carries no external accreditation. The role is largely unpaid service alongside the lay teacher's other work in life.
Candidates need sustained engagement with a local Plum Village sangha, retreat experience at Plum Village or affiliated centers, ordination into the Order of Interbeing through acceptance of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, and direct relationship with senior monastics. The pathway from Order ordination to Dharma Teacher recognition typically extends across many years.
The Plum Village lineage sits within the wider Vietnamese Mahayana and Zen tradition, with substantial influence from Theravada Buddhism through Thich Nhat Hanh's broad engagement with the wider Buddhist world. Compared to Japanese Sōtō and Rinzai Zen lineages profiled separately, Plum Village's distinctive contributions are the engaged Buddhism framing and the specific articulation of mindfulness in daily life. Compared to Western secular mindfulness lineages including MBSR and the Insight Meditation field, Plum Village retains explicit Buddhist roots and ethical commitments through the Mindfulness Trainings. For practitioners drawn specifically to Thich Nhat Hanh's lineage and to its engaged-Buddhism framing, Plum Village is the home community.
| Location | International (12 monastic centers + 750+ Order members) |
| Country | France |
| Tradition | Zen |
| Format | In-person, Hybrid |
| Duration | Multi-year (Order ordination + transmission) |
| Estimated cost | Free (donation-based) |
| Accreditation | Order of Interbeing Lay Dharma Teacher |