We are happy to announce that, on the Plum Village App, you can now listen to the entire series of six episodes recorded in India during February 2026’s In the Footsteps of the Buddha pilgrimage.
Part of podcast series The Way Out Is In, these episodes follow the hosts, Brother Phap Huu and Jo Confino – and special guests – on their pilgrimage. The episodes were recorded in various locations during the pilgrimage in front of an audience of pilgrims, usually early in the morning, before another day of walking.
The pilgrimage
In 1988, lay practitioner Shantum Seth was invited by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) to organise a pilgrimage to the sacred sites associated with the Buddha’s life across India. Subsequently, Thay encouraged Shantum to continue guiding such journeys each year, offering pilgrimage itself as a mindfulness practice – one that the Buddha had suggested.
Shantum has been leading these transformative journeys ever since, offering people from around the world the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha with awareness and insight. After 15 years at the United Nations, Shantum left to volunteer with the Ahimsa Trust, which represents Thay’s work in India and promotes the practice of “peace in oneself and peace in the world”.
Through Buddhapath, his expression of Right Livelihood, Shantum continues to guide pilgrimages and share the wisdom and culture of the places he visits in India and across Buddhist Asia, cultivating community through these deeply meaningful journeys.
To learn more about upcoming pilgrimages, visit www.buddhapath.com, or follow Shantum via Eleven Directions on Facebook and Instagram.
The special guests
Shantum Seth joined the hosts for every episode of the series, sharing insights into the history of Buddhism, India, and activism, as well as stories from previous pilgrimages. In addition, Buddhist nun Sister Tam Muoi joined the final three episodes, providing wisdom about previously joining the pilgrimage as a lay practitioner, and about Plum Village practices, community, and more.
Shantum Seth is an ordained Dharmacharya (Dharma teacher) in the Buddhist Mindfulness lineage of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and teaches in India and across the world. A co-founder of Ahimsa Trust, he has been a student of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings for the past 35 years, and, since 1988, has led pilgrimages and other multi-faith, educational, cultural, spiritual, and transformative journeys across diverse regions of India and Asia.
He is actively involved in educational, social, and ecological programmes, including work on cultivating mindfulness in society, including with educators, the Indian Central Reserve Police Force, and the corporate sector. Across various Indian sanghas, Dharmacharya Shantum is the primary teacher of different practices of mindfulness from Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition.
Sister Tam Muoi (Sister Samadhi) is from the UK and was ordained in 2012, becoming a Dharma teacher in 2022. Having encountered the practice whilst living in France, she became engaged in the French lay sangha and was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in 2004. She is actively supporting the recently created Being Peace Practice Centre in the UK and is deeply committed to the work of healing ancestral harm, and to participation in trainings and retreats exploring White Awareness.
Episodes highlights
Episode 1, recorded in Varanasi: ‘The Buddha: Down to Earth’
This episode takes in the importance of understanding the Buddha as a fully human being; a boat journey on the sacred Ganges River at sunrise, from which it was possible to witness cremation and devotion; teachings on death and impermanence as daily practice; the importance of living in the present moment; and much more. The speakers also share personal experiences and reflections about their spiritual journeys, the role played by the community, and the continuation of the Buddha’s teachings through their own lives and practice.
Episode 2, recorded in Bodh Gaya: ‘Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree’
Includes the journey of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, before he reached enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya; Siddhartha’s early life, the various ascetic practices he attempted, finding the middle way between extreme asceticism and hedonism and going through various stages of meditation and insight, becoming the awakened one, and his first teaching.
The hosts further reflect on the relevance of the Buddha’s journey to their own spiritual practices; the challenges of maintaining mindfulness and presence in the modern world; the importance of the sangha in the Buddhist tradition; and how the Buddha’s teachings emphasize the interconnectedness of all things.
Episode 3, recorded in Rajgir: ‘The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings’
Covers the foundational initial teachings of the Buddha: the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, Non-Self, and the Fire Sermon. The hosts also reflect on their personal encounters with the Buddha’s teachings; practicing Thich Nhat Hanh’s wisdom in daily life; highlighting the transformative power of mindfulness, community, and the realization of non-self; and more.
Episode 4, recorded in Vaishali: ‘Fourfold Sangha: The Living Community’
Addresses new locations visited during the pilgrimage, like the pilgrims’visit to Nalanda University, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning, and Vulture Peak, where the Buddha gave some of his most important teachings. In Vaishali, the Buddha made the revolutionary decision to ordain the first nuns – a significant step towards gender equality in Buddhism.
Shantum Seth discusses the historical context and significance of these events and places, and the importance of adapting Buddhist teachings to the present day. He also shares a vision for Plum Village India to become a multifold community, which – in a way crucial to the present moment – would embrace diversity and continue the legacies of the Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Sister Tam Muoi and Brother Phap Huu share their personal experiences regarding the role of nuns and the evolution of the Plum Village community, emphasizing the importance of embodying Buddhist teachings, skillfully navigating change, and continuing Thich Nhat Hanh’s legacy of inclusivity and gender equality.
Episode 5, recorded in Kushinagar: ‘The River of Life’
Here, the hosts reflect on the Buddha’s final days and the legacy and continuation of his teachings. They also discuss Thich Nhat Hanh’s passing and how Plum Village responded to his transition; the responsibility of current and future generations to continue his work and teachings; and the importance of the multifold community in preserving and spreading the Buddha’s teachings in a way that is both relevant to and accessible in the modern world.
Furthermore, Shantum Seth provides historical context about the Buddha’s final journey and the events after his passing, including the first Buddhist council and the spread of Buddhism; Brother Phap Huu draws parallels between the Buddha’s and Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and legacies; and Sister Tam Muoi discusses the importance of the monastic order in continuing the Buddha’s teachings – as well as Thich Nhat Hanh’s vision for the Plum Village tradition to evolve and adapt while remaining true to its core principles.
Episode 6, recorded in Sravasti: ‘Loss and Transformation’
The hosts share their experiences and reflections as they visit Sravasti and Jeta Grove, discussing the power of community and how the sangha held space for grief when co-host Brother Phap Huu received news of his father’s passing. They further explore themes of impermanence, non-attachment, transformation, the balance between the ultimate and historical dimensions in Buddhist teachings, and the importance of insight and practice. All three share personal stories illustrating these themes, and the ways the pilgrimage has deepened their understanding of and connection to the Buddha’s legacy.
The episode concludes with the group singing a song, composed by a fellow pilgrim, which captures the essence of the ‘way out is in’ teachings.
All photos courtesy of Ann Nguyen and Jo Confino