Dear Friends,

In the Great Hidden Mountain we are in the midst of our second large in-person retreat this year—for Vietnamese speakers—on the theme Fragrance of the Homeland. Many of the original community builders of Deer Park are here walking and sharing together as they rekindle friendship on the spiritual path.

At this new moon we begin with a personal account of taking refuge in A Safe Haven by Dajean Marie Landry, featured in our Twenty Year Anniversary book. Next we have an exclusive Dharma talk offered by Sister Đẳng Nghiêm in our recent Summer Retreat: The Window of Tolerance and the Embracing the Power of Mindfulness. In this talk Sister D integrates Plum Village teachings with grief and trauma research.

This fortnight’s Question and Answer explores suffering in the work environment. Dharma Teacher Kenley Neufeld responds to the Yvonne’s questions in Finding our Smile in Difficult Work Situations. If you have a question to pose to a Dharma teacher, please send it to us at qa@deerparkmonastery.org.

Save the date to ring in the New Year with us at our popular annual Holiday Retreat. Watch the website for registration information.

With peace and gratitude,