A happy family is always a cherished desire for each of us. A family is a place where loved ones are always waiting for us to return, offering comfort when we are tired and encouraging us to pursue our dreams. But how can we nurture a lasting family happiness when life is constantly busy and the struggles of daily living never cease, causing us to gradually lose the connection with our family members? There are times when we feel lonely and lost even within our own home.

The Happy Family Program 2023 with the theme “Where Love is Present” is being held at the sacred Yen Tu Mountain. Here, you will encounter the purity of the mountains and forests, along with the spiritual energy of human connection. Walking peacefully along the legendary Pine Tree Road will guide you back to listen to and understand yourself. When love is expressed and wisdom is awakened, combined with nature, trees, flowers, and plants, you will feel renewed and pure through these days of reconnecting with yourself and your loved ones. Now, the call of love from your heart blends with the sacred sound of the awakening bell as the dawn rises over the green mountains.

You will experience moments of learning and practice to cultivate peaceful energy, overcome challenges, heal wounds, and walk confidently through life. The program is designed so that each family member has the opportunity to understand, share, connect, and find ways to maintain and nurture happiness for each other.

At this moment, are you smiling peacefully, or are you caught up in the rush of work, or perhaps feeling stuck in the daily challenges of life? Is the inheritance from your biological family and spiritual roots helping you to remain calm and grounded? Have you ever felt tired or pressured by the very love and affection shared within your family? How can we nurture love deep enough, big enough, and compassionate enough to bring true peace and happiness to ourselves and those we love?

Come to the Happy Family Program 2024 with the theme “Opening the Path to Love.” Step away from the pressures of a busy life and immerse yourself in nature, trees, and flowers. Feel the purity of the morning sunlight casting its rays on the dewdrops sparkling on the branches and leaves, and listen to the cheerful songs of the birds and the gentle flow of the stream in the forest. You will suddenly realize how miraculous life is, and that happiness sometimes comes from the simplest things.

Here, together, we will live like one big family—walking, breathing, laughing together. We will practice creating joy and happiness under the guidance of the monks and nuns from the Plum Village community. We will sit peacefully together in the sacred mountains, take steady and relaxed steps among the centuries-old pine trees, and nurture and heal our bodies and minds. In the magnificent stillness, we will connect with the spiritual source that has flowed through generations of ancestors and Zen masters at the sacred Yen Tu Mountain. In this sacred connection, we will learn to listen to our own and others’ feelings, and through this, we will come to understand and love one another. With the energy of our fellow practitioners, we will learn to face difficulties, embrace and heal our inner wounds, and, more importantly, find the key to reopening the path of love with our loved ones, friends, and colleagues.