Student Study Abroad trip to England, France & Italy


A group of students from Ananda College of Living Wisdom had the opportunity to visit three very unique European spiritual communities this past March and April.

The trip was part of a deeper study of courses in Spiritual Cooperative Communities, World Cultures & Consciousness, World Religions, Art & Consciousness, and Italian language.    The students first visited Stonehenge and Southwestern England, then toured Rome, and up to Assisi, Italy. They stayed in Assisi, Italy for almost two weeks, and had the opportunity to visit the pilgrimage sites of Saint Francis, including a memorable visit to La Verna, the mountain top hermitage where Francis received the stigmata from Christ.   

In Assisi, the students stayed in the Ananda Assisi community, and re-connected with Ananda College of Living Wisdom alumni students who have helped start a primary school nearby.   Students were introduced to the community residents here and did service projects with the members and had a chance to understand more about this community dedicated to the study of yoga philosophy, meditation and service to others.  From Assisi the students traveled to Florence, then up to northern Italy to the fascinating Damanhur community, near Torino.   In the Damanhur community they toured the beautiful underground "Temples of Humanity" created by their residents, and visited their unique housing clusters (called "Nucleos") powered by alternative energy.    The students met many of the young residents who lived here,  visited their intriguing "Tree Village" and learned that one of the important aspects of being a Damanhurian is to see the highest good in others.   Damanhur has an entire Emergency Medical Corp that offers service to residents in nearby towns.  

Next, they traveled to the Bordeaux region of France for a week stay at Plum Village, the beautiful spiritual community created by Buddhist Master Thich Naht Hahn.    Plum Village has 6 smaller villages or "hamlets" within a 10 mile radius, and each hamlet is unique.  The male students stayed with the monks in the Upper Hamlet and the female students stayed in the Lower Hamlet with the nuns.   The students were given the opportunity to meditate and have satsang with the residents here,  learn more about their particular practice of Buddhism, and share in their daily life.   Next, the students spent a few days in Paris, taking in the sights, then on to London and home to San Francisco.  In 2012, the study abroad students will travel to India.

Ananda College Students visiting the Tree Village, where all the residents live in trees above the ground. One of the residents here has created a unique machine that communicates with plants, where the subtle energy exchanged between certain plants and humans creates interesting music.




Ananda College students with young people from Damanhur Community in Northern Italy

Tree Village


Ananda College students with young people from Damanhur Community in Northern Italy

Ananda College students with young people from Damanhur Community in Northern Italy


Springtime in front of Notre Dame in Paris

Springtime in front of
Notre Dame in Paris


A daily walking meditation at Thich Naht Hahn's Plum Village in France

A daily walking meditation at Thich Naht Hahn's Plum Village in France


Study Abroad students with some of our Ananda College alumni and children from the school they have started near Ananda Assisi, Italy

Study Abroad students with some of our Ananda College alumni and children from the school they have started near Ananda Assisi, Italy