Snowflower Buddha Sangha

Who We Are
SnowFlower Sangha is a community of practitioners who come together to support one another in the practice of mindfulness in the spirit of Plum Village. Mindfulness practice refers to training ourselves to be fully and consciously present in the current moment, free of concerns, self-judgments about the past and worries or plans about the future.

Our Teacher
Our sangha has been practicing together in Madison since 1991 and we follow the Plum Village tradition of Buddhist practice established by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnam in 1966. We often refer to him as “Thây” (pronounced ‘tie’), a term of endearment and respect that means “teacher” in Vietnamese.

Our Community
Thây has said that it is difficult if not impossible to practice well without a sangha. Teachers and teachings are important, but a community of friends who support our practice is ‘the most essential ingredient. The main concern is to build a happy sangha – to take care of each person, their pain, difficulties, aspirations, fears, hopes, in order to “make everyone comfortable and happy.”