In the Footsteps of the Buddha (5/6) | The River of Life (Episode #106)

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Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh)’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.

The fifth in a series of six episodes recorded during the In the Footsteps of the Buddha pilgrimage, this instalment was made in Kushinagar, India, in February 2026. In it, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu (plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/br-phap…) and leadership coach Jo Confino (instagram.com/joconfino/?hl=en) are joined by Zen Buddhist nun Sister Tam Muoi (plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/trang-t…) and Dharma teacher Shantum Seth (ahimsatrust.org/dharmacharya-shantum) to 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 multi-fold community in preserving and spreading the Buddha’s teachings in a way that is relevant and accessible to 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 staying true to its core principles.

About the pilgrimage:

In 1988, Shantum Seth was invited by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) to organize 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 (ahimsatrust.org), 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 buddhapath.com, or follow Shantum on Facebook and Instagram at @eleven_directions.

Shantum Seth (ahimsatrust.org/dharmacharya-shantum), an ordained Dharmacharya (Dharma teacher) in the Buddhist Mindfulness lineage of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, 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 (beingpeace.uk) in the UK and is deeply committed to the work of healing ancestral harm, participating in trainings and retreats exploring White Awareness. Read more here (plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/trang-t…).

Co-produced by the Plum Village App:
plumvillage.app
And Global Optimism:
globaloptimism.com/With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:
thichnhathanhfoundation.org

Recordist: Ann Nguyen
ann.earth/Sound editor: Joe Holtaway
joeholtaway.com/Publisher: Anca Rusu
Producer: Clay Carnill
claycarnill.com/Executive Producer: Catalin Zorzini

List of resources

The Way Out Is In: ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha (3/6) | The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings (Episode #104)’
plumvillage.org/podcast/in-the-footsteps-of-th…

The Way Out Is In: ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha (2/6) | Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree (Episode #103)’
plumvillage.org/podcast/in-the-footsteps-of-th…

The Way Out Is In: ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha (1/6) | The Buddha: Down to Earth (Episode #102)’
plumvillage.org/podcast/in-the-footsteps-of-th…

Interbeing
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing

Plum Village Tradition
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition

Kushinagar
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushinagar

Blue Cliff Monastery
bluecliffmonastery.org

No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
parallax.org/product/no-mud-no-lotus

The Order of Interbeing
plumvillage.org/community/order-of-interbeing

The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Jewels (Episode #89)’
plumvillage.org/podcast/the-three-jewels-episo…

Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C4%81y%C4%81na_Mah%C…

Vinaya
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinaya

Ashoka
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka

Stephen Batchelor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Batchelor_(author)

Bodhicitta
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta

Sister Dao Nghiem
plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/sr-dao-…

Letters from Thich Nhat Hanh
plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters

Dharma Talks: ‘Redefining the Four Noble Truths’
plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/redefinin…

Dharma Talks: ‘The Noble Eightfold Path’
plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-noble…

Vasubandhu
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasubandhu

Sunyata
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81

King Prasenajit
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasenadi

Kapilavastu
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapilavastu_(ancient_city)

Mahākāśyapa
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C4%81k%C4%81%C5%9Byapa

Quotes

“Thay really practiced the present moment, because in the present you’re also practicing impermanence. There’s only one moment to live and to touch life, and that is the very here and now.”

“All conditioned reality is subject to decay. Strive on diligently – essentially meaning, Everything is impermanent; keep up the practice.”

“Dwelling happily in the present moment is the insight of meditation. But dwelling happily in the present moment doesn’t mean that suffering doesn’t exist; doesn’t mean that our anger and our frustration is not there. But, no matter what the situation is – whether it is loss, grief, frustration, chaos – as a practitioner, we have to have the ability to dwell in the very here and now, and allow ourselves to see that wonder, because …