Introduction
Dear friends and fellow practitioners,
Our hearts are filled with deep gratitude for the collective journey we have shared. When Thich Nhat Hanh envisioned using technology to carry the practice into people’s daily lives, he saw the possibility of having “Plum Village wherever we go.” The global sangha is still working towards realizing Thay’s vision of the “online monastery”, and we are so happy to play our part in it, through the Plum Village App. In 2024 alone, this vision blossomed in beautiful ways—with over 1.9 million hours of collective practice and 160,000 monthly practitioners joining us across the globe, we witnessed that mindfulness truly knows no borders.
Each meditation session, each dharma talk, and moment of mindful breathing is contributed to a vast web of healing and transformation. In 2024 we reached one million downloads on August 19th, a milestone that reminds us the teachings continue to find their way to those who need them most. Behind every number in this report lie real stories of individuals discovering that peace is always available and that we are never truly alone when we practice together.
May these insights into our shared journey inspire continued practice and remind us that together, we are planting seeds of mindfulness that will bloom for generations to come.
With deep bows of gratitude,
The Plum Village App Community
Plum Village App Impact
A Million Journeys
Cultivating compassion and happiness since 2018
On August 19th, 2024, we reached 1 million downloads—an important milestone in our app’s history since launching in 2018. Each month, around 90,000 of us collectively meditated for more than 100,000 hours. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to help so many people cultivate compassion and happiness.
Historic App Installs
Average Monthly Active Users
Highlights
Most Popular Subcategories
Top 10 Most Popular Items from the App
Testimonials
Web Edition of the Plum Village App
In 2024, we enhanced the web experience with improved search performance and clearer category introductions to help practitioners navigate our teachings more easily. Behind the scenes, we began significant upgrades that will be released throughout 2025, bringing the multi-language support of the mobile app to the web platform and improving search engine optimization. These improvements will make the teachings more accessible to our global community and more discoverable for those seeking mindfulness guidance. We look forward to gradually bringing more mobile app features to the web, creating a seamless practice experience across all devices.
The Web Edition is available at web.plumvillage.app and is especially suited for those using a computer or preferring to access the teachings through a web browser rather than the mobile app.
Plum Village App YouTube Reach
Community
Practice time
Videos published
On YouTube this past year, we embraced a more mindful approach to content creation, choosing depth over frequency.
Film director and editor Miguel Sanchez joined our team, bringing his artistic vision to create weekly immersive short films rooted in Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings. These contemplative pieces, typically 5 minutes long, offer moments of peace and reflection, though Miguel occasionally crafts longer guided meditations and contemplations lasting 20-30 minutes.
Since Thich Nhat Hanh’s talks and meditations resonate most deeply with our YouTube and app communities, focusing on his timeless wisdom felt like a natural path forward. We premiere these offerings on Wednesdays, creating shared moments of practice with our live audience.
We shared an interview with Miguel where you can learn more about his creative process behind the films. These short films have been warmly received, with our community offering much positive feedback. All content is also integrated into the Plum Village App.
We’ve also begun engaging actively in YouTube’s Community section, sharing dharma quotes, thoughtful articles, and polls on a weekly or biweekly basis.
The Way Out Is In podcast
The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, co-hosted by Brother Phap Huu and Jo Confino, continues to bring Thich Nhat Hanh’s wisdom into intimate conversation with practitioners worldwide.
In 2024, we maintained our bi-monthly rhythm, producing 19 episodes that explored everything from navigating personal trauma to finding balance in uncertain times. This consistent pace allows each conversation to resonate deeply with our growing community, which now includes over 1,500 daily podcast listeners and 465 daily YouTube viewers who find connection in these conversations.
Testimonials
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Tina
Dear Plum Village App Team, Just reaching out to tell you how much I appreciate what you are delivering through this App. I have especially enjoyed the podcast The Way Out is In. I became a listener in early 2023 and have subsequently listened to all the episodes and some multiple listenings. When I reflect upon my past year, I count your service as one of the highlights of my year.
Thay’s Translated Teachings
This translation project began in 2021 as one translator’s personal practice—rendering Thay’s Vietnamese dharma talks into English for their own daily mindfulness journey. What started as intimate study soon revealed its potential to serve the wider community, making previously inaccessible teachings available to practitioners worldwide. In 2024, the project flourished, doubling its YouTube following and significantly expanding the reach of these precious translations.
29 full-length talks (originally published as full-length talks by PV monastics) and short talks (originally published as short talks by PV monastics)
26 excerpt videos (cut from full-length talks to make Thay’s teachings more “digestible” to viewers)
These newly translated teachings unlock fresh perspectives from Thay’s Vietnamese-language dharma talks, many never before widely available in English. The 2024 translations include treasures like “Transforming the Fears Inside” and “Take Care of Family and Society,” a profound talk from Thay’s historic 2005 return to Vietnam, preserved in the Thich Nhat Hanh Archive Library. These offerings create precious opportunities to connect more intimately with the roots of Thay’s mindfulness practice and the fullness of his teachings.
Financial Stewardship
When we reflect on the numbers behind our mission, a beautiful truth emerges: the profound impact we are creating together through mindful stewardship of resources. With 1.9 million hours of collective practice supported by $219,205 in community donations, each hour of meditation, dharma study, and mindful reflection costs just 11 cents to sustain. We support our 160,000 regular monthly practitioners with just $1.37 per person per year—a beautiful demonstration of how far mindful resources can reach when shared with wisdom and care.
This efficiency shows what becomes possible when even modest contributions are stewarded thoughtfully. Imagine the exponential impact if each practitioner could contribute just a little more—every additional cent multiplies our ability to serve the global sangha. From creating new dharma offerings and maintaining our digital platforms to supporting the dedicated team that curates these teachings, every contribution nurtures the conditions for practice to flourish worldwide.
How We Nurture Our Mission
| Color | Label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total Sangha Support | ||
Finances for 2024 will be made available in our next Impact Report.
Support us
As we look toward the future, our aspiration is to deepen and expand this offering; enhancing our app experience with new features and content curation, sharing more of Thay's precious teachings in new ways, and reaching practitioners who have yet to discover these paths to peace and transformation. This vision requires continued support, allowing us to plant ever more seeds of mindfulness in our interconnected world. We invite you to consider how you might join our Oak Forest Family of supporters, helping ensure these teachings remain freely accessible while enabling us to continue growing this sanctuary of wisdom for all beings.
Testimonials
@Iamthepossum
Dear Plum Village brothers & sisters, I’ve been listening to the dharma talks that you have so carefully curated & uploaded from master Thay for about 10 years now, and they have gotten me through so many dark times. I am so grateful for your work being his continuation in the world, and sharing his message of peace & love. So many thanks to you from Los Angeles ❤️💕💞
@pixispeacefulkaya
🤗🙏🌼🧵🧡💛✨ Wonderful, these words, images, sounds wash over me like a cool/warm breeze with a favourite scent. Thank you so very much! 🧡💛🎐🙂🙏✨ And WOW the filming/photography, especially the reflection of the tree in the dewdrop on the leaf, 🙂🙏🎥🌳💧🍃✨ lovely.
@connorm1817
These videos are truly incredible. Perfectly capturing Thay's teachings in bite-sized yet powerful displays along with clips of the great teacher of Nature