Ceremony of Transformation to Ancestor
Honoring Thay as he becomes the 5th Patriarch of
Từ Hiếu Temple, and the founder of the Plum Village Sangha
In January 2024, Thay’s monastics and lay disciples from around the world gathered in Vietnam to honor our beloved teacher as he became an ancestor in our lineage.
The Ceremony of Transformation to Ancestor marks the end of the International Plum Village Community’s two-year mourning period, known as Đại Tường in Vietnamese (大祥 in Chinese). And it recognizes Thay as the fifth patriarch of Từ Hiếu Temple – his root temple – and the founder of the Plum Village Sangha.
Watch the YouTube video of the formal 2-Year Ceremony of Transformation to Ancestor from Vietnam below. Watch the entire ceremony or tune into 2:47 to observe the transfer of Thay’s sanghati, bowl, image and plaque to the ancestral altar.