We recently celebrated Vesak, the Buddha’s birthday, with more than 350 friends gathered at Deer Park Monastery. Vesak is one of the most important observances in the Buddhist tradition, honoring the birth of the Buddha and commemorating his enlightenment and passing into nirvana. It was a joyful day of practice, community, and gratitude (Watch the recap video here.)

As summer unfolds, we look forward to our upcoming Los Angeles Day of Mindfulness on July 25. This month, several Dharma Teachers, our Action Wake Up Resident Advisor, and others are traveling to Plum Village to participate in the global Order of Interbeing gathering, celebrating 60 years of the OI. Along the way, they will also join friends in London and Dublin for Hiking Zen events, bringing the practice of mindful walking to communities abroad.

We are happy to share that the long-awaited Happy Families Change the World course begins tomorrow with its first live Zoom gathering. We are also excited to announce a new retreat in Portland, Oregon, from August 1–4, offering an opportunity for our Pacific Northwest friends to come together in mindfulness, connection, and renewal.

There is also much joyful activity surrounding the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing as we prepare to welcome students for the inaugural school year beginning August 17. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kim Nolan as the school’s founding Head of School. Our teaching team is coming together beautifully, and we look forward to introducing our teachers and sharing more updates with you in the coming weeks.

May your practice continue to bring peace, stability, and joy to your daily life.

With gratitude and trust,
The Monks and Nuns at Deer Park

Happy Families Change the World: Online Course Starts This Saturday

We warmly invite you and your loved ones to join us for Happy Families Change the World, an 8-week self-paced online course rooted in the Plum Village tradition, created in collaboration with researchers from Dartmouth College.

Register for the Course

Happy Families Change the World Introduction Session [Replay]

July 25: LA Day of Mindfulness

Register Here

The Plum Village Cookbook: Kickstarter Campaign

Parallax Press, the non-profit publisher founded by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, launched its first Kickstarter campaign to support the production of the Plum Village cookbook, featuring over 100 plant-based recipes from our brothers and sisters at Plum Village. The campaign has almost reached its goal — with just $2K more to go!

Support the Cookbook Campaign

Teen Retreat 2026: Let the Light In

Teens ages 13–18 are invited to Deer Park for a mindfulness retreat centered on the theme “Let the Light In.” From June 23-28, teens will have the opportunity to practice mindfulness through meditation, mindful walking, mindful eating, hiking in nature, games, and group sharing.

Register for Teen Retreat

TNH School of Interbeing Welcomes New Head of School, Dr. Kim Nolan

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kim Nolan as the founding Head of School of the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing. Kim brings a rare and beautiful combination of gifts — decades of leadership experience and scholarship, an ordained Buddhist chaplain, and a lifelong contemplative practitioner whose work has always been rooted in presence, compassion, and the belief that education can be a place of healing and awakening. Read more about Dr. Nolan and the School team here.

For families considering enrollment at the School of Interbeing, we warmly invite you to join our online Information Session on July 9. Dr. Nolan will be present for the session to share about her background and vision for the School.

Oregon Mindfulness Retreat: “Arrived at Home”

This August 1-4, Join us in Oregon for a four-day mindfulness retreat where you will enjoy Dharma talks, meditation, mindful meals, walking meditation, relaxation practices, and community sharing. This retreat offers sliding-scale pricing and registration is open through July 1, 2026.

Learn More About the Oregon Retreat

The Sun My Heart Retreat in Colorado

For over a decade, Thay came to the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park to offer mindfulness retreats for thousands. In 2007, Thay specifically asked the monastic community to continue offering retreats in this sacred place, even if he could no longer be physically present. Then in 2024, we hosted the “Earth Our True Nature” retreat for over 400 friends to keep this tradition alive. Now we return two years later to walk in Thay’s footsteps once more in the Rockies. We hope you will join us!

Register Here

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium

The Buddha, as a true pioneer, ignited a revolution in understanding the mind and body. His teachings offer concrete methods to develop mindfulness, concentration, and insight—an invaluable compass for seekers throughout the ages. In this spirit, Deer Park is hosting our fifth The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium to bring scientists, scholars, and mindfulness practitioners together in shared mindfulness activities, creating a space where contemplative practice informs and enriches intellectual exploration.

Retreat Registration Opens Today @ 4pmPT

Dr. Sol Diamond Awarded Constellation Prize for Peace Engineering

Congratulations to Solomon Diamond, Associate Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth and OI Member, recognized for his groundbreaking work in Peace Engineering. The 2026 Constellation Prize recognizes visionaries shaping the future of engineering—those who build collaborative foundations for practice, inspire creativity and boldness in learners, and translate knowledge into strategic action for a more just and peaceful world. An online award ceremony will take place on June 15 at 9:00amPT. Diamond also recently received his Order of Interbeing transmission at Blue Cliff Monastery with the Dharma Name: True Arising of Mindfulness.

Looking Ahead:

• June 13 - Aug 9, 2026 - Happy Families Change The World Online Course

• June 23 - 28, 2026 - Teen Retreat (for teens ages 13-18)

• July 2, 2026 -Hiking Zen: Howth Cliff Loop with Zen Monks [Dublin, Ireland]

• July 5, 2026 - Hiking Zen: Hampstead Heath Mindful Walking [London]

• July 9, 2026 - Online; Joyful TNH School of Interbeing Parent Gathering

• July 12 - 18, 2026 - Family Retreat (waitlist only)

• July 25, 2026 - LA Day of Mindfulness

• Aug 1 - 4, 2026 - Oregon Mindfulness Retreat: “Arrived at Home”

• Aug 9 - 15, 2026 - The Sun My Heart Retreat (Estes Park, Colorado)

• August 27 - 30, 2026 - Alaska Mindfulness Retreat (Registration is closed)

• September 9 - 13, 2026 - Vietnamese Retreat (registration opens today)

• Oct 1 - 4, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Retreat (registration opens today at 4pmPT)

• October 5, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Symposium @ UCSD (registration coming soon)

View All Events on our Events Calendar here.

Families are carrying so much right now. Many parents are navigating overwhelm, disconnection, technology overload, and the challenge of finding moments of true presence together. At the same time, we know how deeply healthy relationships, mindfulness, and compassionate community can support the well-being of children and families.

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We invite you to pause, take a deep breath, and gently receive this month’s newsletter, filled with mindfulness offerings and volunteer opportunities at Deer Park Monastery.

A delegation of Dharma Teachers are traveling around the East Coast this month to visit Dartmouth for the fourth year in a row, as well as visits to Harvard a…

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As we welcome the freshness of spring, let this season remind us to breathe deeply, embrace new beginnings, and cultivate kindness toward ourselves and others. We are currently in the middle of the Wake Up Retreat, our annual mindfulness retreat for friends ages 18-35. Over the weekend we offered a Chanting for Peace Ceremony to …

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As the first hints of spring stir beneath the soil, we arrive together at a significant threshold: Tết, the Lunar New Year, and the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse.

Tết is our tradition’s most cherished celebration. It is a time for togetherness as well as a sacred pause to bow to what has been, to tend what is here, and to…

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As we step together into this new year, we pause to bow in gratitude for all that has been and to open our hearts to what is unfolding. May 2026 be a year of deepened practice, tender connection, and renewed commitment to walking the path of mindfulness — for ourselves, for one another, and for our precious Earth.

We are happy to s…

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As 2025 draws to a close, we pause with joy and gratitude to reflect on our journey together. This year, our community has grown and flourished, welcoming new friends while cherishing long-standing ones. Thank you for your continued support and connection. We look forward to seeing you all in the new year, whether that be in person…

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On this day before Thanksgiving, we pause to honor the land ancestors—the Luiseño people of the Kumeyaay Nation, the indigenous peoples who tended this sacred mountain with wisdom and reverence, and all the plants, animals, minerals, and elements that continue to nourish our lives.

With gratitude for their endurance and teachings, and with …

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As the maple trees ripen to red and the dewy morning air turns crisp and cool, our Sangha continues to gather in gratitude, remembrance, and renewal. Earlier this month, more than two hundred friends joined us for our annual Day of the Dead celebration, honoring our ancestors and all those who have walked this path…

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This week, we pause in mindfulness to honor the Indigenous Peoples of this land on which Deer Park Monastery now rests. Long before we arrived, the Kumeyaay and Luiseño peoples lived, loved, and practiced their ways of harmony—with one another and with the natural world.

Their presence is still alive in the stones …

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A historic moment is approaching for our global spiritual family. Plum Village practitioners around the world are invited to host local “fire-building sessions” to shape our collective future. We invite you to read more about this important initiative in September’s issue of Coyote Tracks.

We are happy to announce a second cohort o…

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The footsteps on the dirt path to the Stupa quietly remain as reminders of our friends who visited last weekend during our annual Vietnamese Retreat. This was a special time of deep practice, cultural celebration, and connection across generations.

In this month’s issue of Coyote Tracks, we are delighted to share several joyful ann…

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Our annual Family Retreat concluded with many joyful footsteps and tender moments of connection. The sound of children’s laughter still echoes through the trees in the Oak Grove in Clarity Hamlet. Now, the monastery is alive with the vibrant energy of Teen Camp, as we welcome many young people who are practicing together with sinc…

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We are happily celebrating the partial completion of a newly paved road here in the Hidden Mountain. Thank you to all who donated to the Road Repairs fundraiser.

If you are looking for peace and practice, we invite you to come stay with us this year for an upcoming Special Retreat, such as the Vietnamese Retreat or Rains Retreat, o…

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On April 11th, New York City officially named “Thích Nhất Hạnh Way” at the intersection of Broadway and West 109th Street, honoring our teacher and globally revered Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. Read about the events of the day and view photos here.

It is with great joy that we share with you the dawn of a new Deer Park online exper…

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Engaged Buddhism Speaker Series:

Meeting Today’s World with the Bodhisattva’s Eyes and Hands

with Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD

Thursday, April 24, 2025

2:00pm – 3:30pm
U.S. Pacific Time

Held on Zoom

Learn More

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As we welcome spring, we embrace the season of renewal, growth, and transformation. Just as nature awakens, we too have the opportunity to cultivate fresh energy in our practice and our daily lives.

In this issue, we are honored to share that Thích Nhất Hạnh will be commemorated in New York City with the co-naming of West 109th Street as Thí…

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Happy Lunar New Year of the Snake! How auspicious for Deer Park - a transformative year to shed the old and begin anew.

We are excited to introduce Happy Farm, following in the footsteps of Plum Village's regenerative farming tradition. This initiative integrates mindfulness with sustainable agriculture, cultivating both food and …

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As we begin this new year amidst the challenges of natural disasters and other hardships, we are reminded of the preciousness of life and the refuge we find in practicing mindfulness in community, which helps us to cultivate hope, compassion, and peace in the face of adversity.

Last weekend, we honored Thầy’s passing with deep gratit…

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