This episode was recorded live onstage in New Delhi, India, in February 2026, at the end of the pilgrimage In the Footsteps of the Buddha. Leadership coach Jo Confino was joined by Zen Buddhist nun Sister Tam Muoi and Dharma teacher Shantum Seth to discuss what it means to renew Buddhism, and Thich Nhat Hanh's vision for doing so - including his emphasis on simplicity, equality, and making the teachings accessible and relevant to the contemporary world.
They also reflect on their 14-day pilgrimage in India, and how it deepened their understanding of and connection to the Buddha's teachings. This includes Sister Tam Muoi’s insights about the strong sangha formed among the diverse group of 60 pilgrims from 16 different countries. She also reflects on her personal connection to India and her healing journey of reconnecting with the Buddha's teachings in their land of origin.
Shantum Seth, who has been leading pilgrimages in India for over 30 years, explains the transformative power of these journeys in allowing people to connect with the Buddha as a human being and experience his teachings’ relevance to their own lives. He also shares plans for the Ahimsa Trust to establish a Plum Village center in India, to continue Thich Nhat Hanh's legacy and bring the Dharma to a wider audience, especially a young one.
Shantum Seth, 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 and became 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. Read more here.
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“You sit, you enjoy your breath, you get a little sense of being a Buddha for a moment. Maybe you can become a part-time Buddha, maybe a full-time Buddha. ‘Buddha’ just means ‘to be awake’ - and with mindfulness practice, being mindful is a type of awakening.”
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🔔 The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living is a podcast series mirroring Zen Master 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.
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🎙️ The podcast is co-produced by the Plum Village App and Global Optimism with support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.
🎙️ Recordist: Ann Nguyen; Sound editor: Joe Holtaway; Publisher: Anca Rusu; Producer: Clay Carnill; Executive Producer: Catalin Zorzini
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Resources
Interbeing
Plum Village Tradition
Dharma Talks: ‘The Noble Eightfold Path’
Advaita Vedanta
A Pebble for Your Pocket
Ashoka
Bodh Gaya
Bodhi tree
Dehradun
Jamun Village
Jeta Grove
Nalanda University
Old Path White Clouds
Pushyamitra Shunga
Sarnath
Sister Chan Duc
Spittoon
The Stone Boy and Other Stories
The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Jewels (Episode #89)’
Vulture Peak
Xuanzang