About Plum Village Mindfulness Academy

Updated April 5, 2015.

Plum Village Mindfulness Academy , a unit  of the Plum Village Foundation Hong Kong Ltd ,  is  an institute for research, education, and training in mindfulness. It serves as a medium for bringing mindfulness into the mainstream in a non-sectarian way. It was established in August 2014, to meet the growing needs of  collaboration with educational and professional  institutions, and the training of working professionals in many different fields, especially in the education, health care and human services area. Plum Village Mindfulness Academy was first established in Hong Kong because the needs were very high.  The Mindfulness Academy may be established in other Plum Village Centres , as needs arise.

Plum Village Mindfulness Academy has its roots in Applied Buddhism, as taught and practiced in the tradition of  Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village.  Teachings and practices of mindfulness conducted by the academy are based on the Discourse on Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta), the Discourse on the Four Establishment of Mindfulness (Satipatthana sutta), and Manifestation-Only Psychology (Vijnaptimatrata of the Yogācāra  school of  Mahayana Buddhism).  They all have roots in Buddhism. These teachings have been updated and improved upon by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village to make them more relevant and adaptive to the contemporary world. Buddhism  as  practiced in Plum Village,  is a way of mindful living, not a religion. The Buddha was a wise teacher, showing the way  in this life.  The word Buddha comes from the verb Budh, which means awake. A Budda is an awakened person, who is in touch with reality, with life as it is.  We all have the capacity to be awakened.  The Dharma (with capital D), the teaching, is the way of understanding and love.  The Sangha, a community of practice, is a community that lives in harmony and awareness.

Monastic  Dharma Teachers of Plum Village Mindfulness Academy (PVMA) have  held  mindfulness retreats, workshops and trainings for teachers,  medical doctors, psychologists, social workers and allied health workers in Hong Kong since 2007. Current activities include monthly day of Mindfulness  at Hong Kong Institute of Education, working in partnership with Centre for Religious and Educational Education; quarterly day of mindfulness for health care and social workers at Hong Kong University, in partnership with Centre on Behavioural Health. Once every two years, it holds a one-year Mindfulness Teachers Training Program.  The first one was started  in August 2014, running from August 2014 to July 2015. The Academy holds bi-annual Asia-Pacific Mindfulness  Teachers Conference Retreat. The first one will be held August 12-16, 2015. 

Contact:              Plum Village Mindfulness Academy
                                House No. 41, Chu Lam Ching Yun
                               Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Website:              mindfulness-academy.net
E-mail:                  macademy@pvfhk.org
Phone:                +(852) 2985-5033