Learning True Love | Special Retreat with Sister Chan Khong

Updated as of April 03, 2023:

The \”Bed in Shared Room\” option is currently fully booked. You can still register for this option by filling out the registration form and choosing to be added to the waiting list at the end of the form.

The \”Camping\” option is still available and is the best option for securing a place in the retreat. Choosing this option you\’d either have to camp and bring your own tent, or reserve a nearby hotel in Batesville and arrange to commute to the monastery every day. (Kindly note that Days Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot, Holiday Inn and Quality Inn offer a 10% discount if you mention that you participate in a Magnolia Grove Monastery retreat). 

It is our happiness to share with you the sessions of Orientation, Dharma Talks, Questions & Responses, and Celebrating True Love will be live streamed. We are unable to offer Dharma sharing online for this retreat. Please Click Here to register for joining us online. 

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Sister Chan Khong will make special visits to Harvard University, Blue Cliff Monastery in New York, Deer Park Monastery in California, and Magnolia Grove Monastery in Mississippi from April to May of 2023. Her aspiration in helping to alleviate the suffering in others and the happiness she shares continue to touch many lives. We warmly invite you to join us for this precious opportunity to be in the presence of Sister Chan Khong.

Sister Chan Khong, author of Learning True Love, is the first fully-ordained monastic disciple of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and the director of his humanitarian projects since the 1960’s.

Born in 1938 in Ben Tre in Southern Vietnam, Sister Chan Khong began social work in the city slums as a teenager. After meeting Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1959, she helped him set up the School of Youth for Social Service, training thousands of young social workers to bring aid to remote war-devasted villages.

She organised the Buddhist Peace Delegation at the Paris Peace Talks in 1969, and in the 1970’s assisted Thich Nhat Hanh on his world tours calling for peace, and was instrumental in directing emergency humanitarian efforts to rescue Vietnamese Boat People from the high seas, as well as leading sponsorship programs for over 14,000 orphans in Vietnam.

Since the 1980’s Sister Chan Khong has helped Thich Nhat Hanh establish Plum Village Monastery in south-west France, and is today the Elder nun of the International Plum Village Sangha.

• If due to health reasons Sister Chan Khong is unable to join at that time, the monastery will continue to host the retreat.

Read full bio of Sister Chân Không here.

During this special retreat, we will learn the practices of mindfulness, listen to Dharma talks, practice eating meditation, walking meditation, Dharma sharing, deep relaxation, mindful service in small groups, and much more from Sister Chan Khong and the Magnolia Grove monastics.

We are happy to be able to offer a children’s program (ages 6-12) and a teen’s program (ages 13-17) during this retreat. Both of these programs will offer the Dharma geared towards our youth which will also include some games, music, shorter meditations, and the popular snack meditation for children.   

We will also celebrate Vesak (Buddha’s birthday) on the last day of the retreat (Sunday, May 7th). We warmly invite you to join us for this special day. It is a day for us to express our gratitude to the Buddha, our spiritual Teacher, for teaching us the art of dwelling peacefully in the present moment and the art of living mindfully. It is also an occasion for us to honor the Buddha nature inside of us. We all have the capacity to be enlightened in the here and in the now.  It will be an International day of celebration as all Buddhist traditions celebrate this important day.

We hope to make the retreat accessible to all. Please do not hesitate to contact our office (office@magnoliagrovemonastery.org) if you need financial support to attend this retreat.

Register for the retreat.

Please let the office know if you have any special needs or concerns.

This is a four night retreat. Prices include the cost of all activities, three meals per day and lodging.

• DORM/CABIN bed in a shared room $100 per night
• TENT / RV/COMMUTER $60 per night.  

Discounts for seniors & students 20%.

The following nearby hotels kindly offer a special rate to retreatants of the monastery:

Holiday Inn : (662) 563-1234)
Days Inn : (662) 563-4999
Quality Inn : (662) 563-6592)

Please ask for Magnolia Rate when making reservations.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!

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* Do you need a ride or can offer a ride to/from Memphis airport? Please click here to fill out the Google form.