Healing Spring Monastery is a meditation retreat center in Verdelot, Île-de-France, France, working in Zen. On record in OMP's directory: capacity around 80; lineage: Plum Village / Thich Nhat Hanh. From the source listing: Plum Village's monastery for nuns and lay practitioners north of Paris. Mindfulness retreats in the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition. Format on offer is In-person, with retreat types listed as Mindfulness retreats, Days of Mindfulness. Languages: French, English, Vietnamese. What's worth saying clearly is that retreat centers in the Zen space vary considerably in form, even within the same lineage. Healing Spring Monastery sits inside that tradition's broad family while keeping its own character. For people weighing this against other options in France, the directory's tradition and country indexes are useful for side-by-side comparison. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year. Visitors planning a first stay should check the center's current calendar, residency requirements, and any prerequisite practice expectations directly with Healing Spring Monastery, since these change from cohort to cohort and from year to year.
Plum Village practice has a recognizable shape. Days are organized around the bell of mindfulness, walking meditation in silence, sitting meditation in the hall, dharma talks given by senior monastics, and dharma sharing in small groups where practitioners speak and listen without trying to fix each other. Mindful eating is its own practice. Meals are taken in silence with a brief gatha at the start. Manual work, called working meditation, is shared by everyone on retreat. The Five Mindfulness Trainings, Thich Nhat Hanh's translation of the lay precepts, are central. Children and families are welcome at most retreats, which is unusual in the wider Buddhist world. The format on offer at Healing Spring Monastery includes In-person, with retreat types: Mindfulness retreats, Days of Mindfulness. Languages of instruction: French, English, Vietnamese. The exact daily schedule is published by the center for each retreat, since timings, the level of silence, and the inclusion of work practice all vary by length of program and by teacher. The exact daily schedule is published by the center for each retreat, since timings, the level of silence, and the inclusion of work practice all vary by length of program and by teacher. The exact daily schedule is published by the center for each retreat, since timings, the level of silence, and the inclusion of work practice all vary by length of program and by teacher.
Healing Spring Monastery works within Plum Village / Thich Nhat Hanh. the center sits within the wider Zen world and reflects the form of teaching it inherits. Specific dharma authorization or transmission relationships, where stated, live on the center's own page rather than in this directory entry. For prospective practitioners, the lineage matters because it shapes the practice form, the texts that are studied, and how teachers are recognized as ready to lead retreats.
For people who haven't done a residential retreat before, Healing Spring Monastery can be a useful entry point in the Zen stream. Reading the center's orientation materials before booking is the practical move.
For practitioners with a regular sit and prior retreat experience, Healing Spring Monastery offers a container deep enough to extend that practice rather than reintroduce the basics.
For anyone curious about Zen as a living tradition rather than as a concept, time at Healing Spring Monastery offers contact with the form as it's actually practiced.
On a retreat at Healing Spring Monastery, expect a settled daily rhythm, stretches of silence, and instruction that points back to direct experience rather than to belief. Format options listed: In-person. Newcomers are usually given orientation before the silence settles in. There's an emphasis on letting the practice do its work rather than chasing experiences. For exact schedules, residency requirements, and registration timelines,
With a stated capacity of about 80, Healing Spring Monastery's accommodations and meals follow the norms of Zen centers in France. Specifics, single vs shared rooms, meal style, mobility access, are best confirmed with the center directly before booking. Most retreat centers in this category serve vegetarian or vegan meals and run a low-stimulation environment by design.
Pricing as listed: EUR 300-1,000. Scholarships, work-exchange, and reduced rates may be available depending on the program and the time of year.
Healing Spring Monastery keeps the practice close to the form it inherits, with room for what each practitioner brings to the cushion.
Healing Spring Monastery is in Verdelot, Île-de-France, France. The directory listing reflects the location as supplied by the center. Travel logistics, transit options, and any pickup arrangements should be confirmed with the center directly when booking.
Healing Spring Monastery works within Zen. The lineage on file is: Plum Village / Thich Nhat Hanh. Tradition shapes the daily form: how silence is held, what texts are studied, how teachers are recognized, and how practitioners are guided through retreats.
Pricing as listed in the directory: EUR 300-1,000. Many retreat centers offer sliding-scale, scholarship, or work-exchange options that aren't always reflected in headline pricing. The center's own page is the place to confirm current rates.
Retreat types on file: Mindfulness retreats, Days of Mindfulness. Format options: In-person. Languages of instruction: French, English, Vietnamese.
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