In the Footsteps of the Buddha (4/6) | Fourfold Sangha: The Living Community (Episode #105)

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Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.

The fourth in a series of six episodes recorded during the In the Footsteps of the Buddha pilgrimage, this instalment was made in Vaishali, India, in February 2026. In it, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino are joined by Zen Buddhist nun Sister Tam Muoi and Dharma teacher Shantum Seth to discuss new steps in the pilgrimage, like their visit to Nalanda University, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning, and Vulture Peak, where the Buddha gave some of his most important teachings. In Vaishali, the Buddha made the revolutionary decision to ordain the first nuns, which was a significant step towards gender equality in Buddhism.

Shantum Seth discusses the historical context and significance of these events and places, the importance of adapting Buddhist teachings to the present day, and a vision for Plum Village India to be a multifold community that embraces diversity and continues the legacy of the Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh in a way relevant to the current times.

Sister Tam Muoi and Brother Phap Huu share their personal experiences and reflections on the role of nuns and the evolution of the Plum Village community, emphasizing the importance of embodying Buddhist teachings, skillfully navigating change, and continuing Thich Nhat Hanh’s legacy of inclusivity and gender equality.

About the pilgrimage:

In 1988, Shantum Seth was invited by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) to organize a pilgrimage to the sacred sites associated with the Buddha’s life across India. Subsequently, Thay encouraged Shantum to continue guiding such journeys each year, offering pilgrimage itself as a mindfulness practice—one that the Buddha had suggested.

Shantum has been leading these transformative journeys ever since, offering people from around the world the opportunity to follow In the Footsteps of the Buddha with awareness and insight. After 15 years at the United Nations, Shantum left to volunteer with the Ahimsa Trust, which represents Thay’s work in India and promotes the practice of “peace in oneself and peace in the world”.

Through Buddhapath, his expression of Right Livelihood, Shantum continues to guide pilgrimages and share the wisdom and culture of the places he visits in India and across Buddhist Asia, cultivating community through these deeply meaningful journeys.

To learn more about upcoming pilgrimages, visit www.buddhapath.com, or follow Shantum on Facebook and Instagram at @eleven_directions.

Shantum Seth, an ordained Dharmacharya (Dharma teacher) in the Buddhist Mindfulness lineage of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, teaches in India and across the world. A co-founder of Ahimsa Trust, he has been a student of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings for the past 35 years, and, since 1988, has led pilgrimages and other multi-faith, educational, cultural, spiritual, and transformative journeys across diverse regions of India and Asia.

He is actively involved in educational, social, and ecological programmes, including work on cultivating mindfulness in society, including with educators, the Indian Central Reserve Police Force, and the corporate sector. Across various Indian sanghas, Dharmacharya Shantum is the primary teacher of different practices of mindfulness from Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition.

Sister Tam Muoi (Sister Samadhi) is from the UK and was ordained in 2012, becoming a Dharma teacher in 2022. Having encountered the practice whilst living in France, she became engaged in the French lay sangha and was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in 2004. She is actively supporting the recently created Being Peace Practice Centre in the UK and is deeply committed to the work of healing ancestral harm, participating in trainings and retreats exploring White Awareness. Read more here.

Co-produced by the Plum Village App: https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism: https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation: https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/

Recordist: Ann Nguyen https://ann.earth Sound editor: Joe Holtaway https://joeholtaway.com Publisher: Anca Rusu Producer: Clay Carnill: https://claycarnill.com Executive Producer: Catalin Zorzini

List of resources

The Way Out Is In: ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha (3/6) | The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings (Episode #104)’ https://plumvillage.org/podcast/in-the-footsteps-of-the-buddha-3-6-the-heart-of-the-buddhas-teachings-episode-104

The Way Out Is In: ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha (2/6) | Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree (Episode #103)’ https://plumvillage.org/podcast/in-the-footsteps-of-the-buddha-2-6-enlightenment-under-the-bodhi-tree-episode-103

The Way Out Is In: ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha (1/6) | The Buddha: Down to Earth (Episode #102)’ https://plumvillage.org/podcast/in-the-footsteps-of-the-buddha-1-6-the-buddha-down-to-earth-episode-102

Interbeing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing

Plum Village Tradition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition

Nalanda University https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda_University

‘Female Buddhas: A Revolution for Nuns in the Plum Village Tradition’ https://plumvillage.org/articles/female-buddhas-a-revolution-for-nuns-in-the-plum-village-tradition

Mahayana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana

Flower Sermon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Sermon

New Heart Sutra translation by Thich Nhat Hanh https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation

Sister Chan Duc https://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/sr-chan-duc

Sister Chan Khong https://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong

The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Jewels (Episode #89)’ https://plumvillage.org/podcast/the-three-jewels-episode-89

Pratimokṣa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratimok%E1%B9%A3a

Joan Halifax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Halifax

Sutras: ‘The Ten Great Aspirations of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’ https://plumvillage.org/library/sutras/the-ten-great-aspirations-of-samantabhadra-bodhisattva

Vaishali https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishali_(ancient_city)

Notre Dame Academy, Patna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_Academy,_Patna

Theravada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada

Kapilavastu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapilavastu_(ancient_city)

The Order of Interbeing https://plumvillage.org/community/order-of-interbeing

Sujata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sujata_(milkmaid)

Kisa Gotami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisa_Gotami

Patacara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patacara

Khema https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khema

King Prasenajit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasenadi

Bodhi tree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_tree

Brahmajala Sutra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmaj%C4%81la_S%C5%ABtra

Sariputra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C4%81riputra

Nagarjuna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagarjuna

Vasubandhu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasubandhu

Padmasambhava https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmasambhava

Xuanzanh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang

Visakha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visakha

Theragatha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theragatha

Dharma Talks: ‘Redefining the Four Noble Truths’ https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/redefining-the-four-noble-truths

Vinaya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinaya

Dharma Talks: ‘The Noble Eightfold Path’ https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-noble-eightfold-path

Quotes

“Thay knew that the harmony of energies is so important to success, as well as to creation and to living organisms. You need all the elements. You can’t cut one off, because that’s discrimination. Thay continues to keep pushing boundaries in the context of Buddhism, of traditions. In very traditional monasteries and temples, the nuns can’t teach the monks. Even today, in 2026. In some of the institutes in Vietnam, in China, the nuns are still on one side, the monks on the other side. The nuns have to wear one color, the monks another. But Thay unifies all in brown.”

“‘If, ten years after I’ve transitioned, Plum Village looks exactly the same, Thay will be very disappointed.’ I really took that as his empowerment. We need to keep moving forward. We’re in a river. We cannot stop the river. The river needs to carry on flowing.”

“The precepts are your teachers. And when the time comes, keep renewing the precepts to make them relevant.”

“I can make change by embodying my practice.”

“The full inclusion of everyone can bring balance to a community.”

“Plum Village is not just monks and nuns; Plum Village is a multifold sangha.”

“If we don’t adapt to the current generation, even if we have all the amazing teachings, if they’re not relevant to people then the tradition will die.”

“Buddhism is very inclusive; there’s a lineage for everyone.”

“A great reminder is to embody the change – and not just to have a sign or shout about it, because that doesn’t have the impact of harmony.”