Magnolia Grove Monastery — Batesville, United States

A Plum Village residential monastery and practice center in Batesville, Mississippi

Magnolia Grove Monastery began as 120 acres in Batesville, Mississippi, bought by a group of committed individuals and families. They built a large meditation hall with an adjoining commercial kitchen, and a guesthouse for 120 visiting guests. In October 2005 Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh officially accepted the place as a mindfulness practice center in the Plum Village tradition. It is one of three U.S. monasteries in that tradition, alongside Deer Park in California and Blue Cliff in New York. Nearly forty monastics now live at Magnolia Grove, and the pages describe it as a residential monastery and a meditation practice center at once. Guests keep the monastery's own schedule. A sample day starts with waking at 5:00 AM and sitting meditation at 5:30. It continues through walking meditation, working meditation, Dharma talks, lunch with the Five Contemplations, a mindful rest period, and evening chanting, then Noble Silence at 9:30 PM. Personal Retreats run from a weekend to two weeks and average fewer than thirty people. Themed Retreats usually last five days and include Silent, Wake Up for ages 18 to 35, BIPOC and Holiday retreats. Sundays are Days of Mindfulness. The annual 90-day Rains Retreat, which traces to the time of the Buddha, brings lay practitioners into a practice traditionally kept by monastics. A One Year Residential Program is open to experienced practitioners of the tradition. The dining hall and kitchen, built in 2004, were rebuilt and reopened in June 2025. Before that, overflow diners sat at picnic tables under the oak trees. The first themed retreat afterward, a Buddhist youth group retreat, served 525 participants through six serving lines.

Traditions: Plum Village tradition, Engaged Buddhism, Sitting Meditation, Walking Meditation, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Noble Silence

Programs: Personal Retreats, Themed Retreats, Sunday Day of Mindfulness, 90-Day Rains Retreat, Holiday Retreat: The Art of Love, One Year Residential Program, Extended Stay, Group Retreats