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EnglishWho Creates and Maintains the Plum Village App?
Updated
The Plum Village App is created and maintained by the Oak Forest Team, a volunteer group of developers, mindfulness practitioners, translators, and community organizers working in alignment with the Plum Village monastic community. The app itself is described as "a free app with guided meditations, deep relaxations and other practices offered by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastic community," and the team's stated purpose is to realize Thich Nhat Hanh's vision of using technology to share the practice with people on their mobile phones — "to have Plum Village wherever we go."
Who is on the Oak Forest Team?
The team page lists the following members and roles:
| Name | Role / Contribution |
|---|---|
| Raj | Lead developer |
| Justin | Software developer; inspired after visiting Plum Village to explore how technology can support mindful living |
| Jasmine (Jas) | Mindfulness facilitator and teacher for over ten years; communications and social media |
| Cata | Founder of the app; interested in the connection between technology, mental health, and mindfulness |
| Sr. True D. (Sister True Dedication) | Keeps the team in sync with the Plum Village monastic sangha, overviewing from PV HQ in France |
| Maarten | Design and user experience; passionate about mindfulness and community building |
| Shikhin | Software developer |
| Tuyen | Translator |
| Anca | Assistant manager; interested in media literacy and environmental communication |
| Borja | Consultant for community empowerment projects; handles transparency reports and open governance strategy |
| Cyndee (Cyn) | Social media; long-time Plum Village practitioner |
| Karim | Passed away in February 2025; the team notes he "will always be part of our team" |
What this tells you about the app's credibility
The team composition is the main signal here, and it works on three levels:
- Monastic alignment. Sister True Dedication's role as liaison from Plum Village HQ in France means the app's content and direction stay connected to the monastic community rather than being an independent reinterpretation.
- Practitioner involvement. Several team members (Jasmine, Cyndee, Maarten) are described as experienced practitioners or facilitators, not only technologists — relevant if you care whether the app reflects lived practice.
- Governance and transparency. Borja's work on transparency reports and open governance strategy indicates the project has some structure around accountability, not just informal volunteer effort.
The app's own framing also matters: it presents itself as the realization of Thich Nhat Hanh's vision for technology, and the team describes its work as connecting technology, mental health, and mindfulness.
How to support the app
The site includes a "How to support the app" section, though the provided page evidence does not detail specific methods (donation, volunteering, etc.). If supporting the project matters to you, check that section directly on the site rather than assuming a particular mechanism.
Practical takeaway
If your question is whether the Plum Village App is a legitimate, community-backed project rather than an unofficial third-party meditation app: the evidence points to yes. It is built by a named team, includes a monastic liaison from Plum Village in France, and is explicitly positioned as an extension of Thich Nhat Hanh's teaching vision. The team page is the place to verify current members and roles, since the roster can change over time.