We thank you all for the outpouring of support, generosity, and care following the recent on-campus retreat cancellations. Despite these unfortunate circumstances, we are still open throughout the summer for Days of Mindfulness and will be offering several off-campus and online offerings to support your mindfulness practice.

We are happy to announce we’ll be hosting an Online Mindfulness Retreat September 8–12, 2026 with Vietnamese translation available. The following day on September 13, our Peace is Every Bite Mindful Cooking Course begins, inspired by our plant-based dishes from the Deer Park Monastery kitchen as well as Thay’s teachings on mindful eating.

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium will continue off-campus. The Retreat will now take place at an off-site venue near Big Bear, California, while the Symposium will be held at UC San Diego as originally scheduled. Registration opens today at 3:00 p.m. PT. We warmly invite you to join us for this opportunity to explore the meeting of contemplative practice and scientific inquiry.

We are seeking a new Bookshop Assistant to support the day-to-day operations of our in-person and online Bookshop. This is an on-site, part-time position with weekend working hours. Learn more and apply by this Thursday.

Most of our Sangha will be departing for Estes Park, Colorado in a few weeks to host The Sun My Heart Retreat at YMCA of the Rockies, a special venue in our tradition. A delegation of monastics will also travel to Oregon and Alaska for additional mindfulness retreats in August.

Although this season has unfolded differently than we had anticipated, our aspiration to cultivate mindfulness together remains unchanged. We encourage you and your family to continue nurturing your practice at home and to stay connected with the Sangha in whatever ways are possible.

As Thầy often reminded us, “No mud, no lotus.” With the support of the Dharma and our spiritual community, may we continue to cultivate understanding, compassion, and peace, trusting that each challenge can become an opportunity for deeper practice and transformation.

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

Online Retreat: True Love Heals

We invite you to join us September 8–12, 2026 for our Online Mindfulness Retreat, True Love Heals. Vietnamese translation will be available. Throughout the retreat, we will explore loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity as qualities of true love and as practices we can bring into our daily lives. We will also explore teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh's book How to Love.

Register Here

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat (New Location) & Symposium

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium will continue as planned. The Retreat (Oct 1-4) will now take place at an off-site venue near Big Bear, California, while the Symposium (Oct 5) will be held at UC San Diego as originally scheduled. Registration opens today at 3:00 p.m. PT. We warmly invite you to join us for this opportunity to explore the meeting of contemplative practice and scientific inquiry.

Register Here

Peace is Every Bite: Mindful Cooking Course Registration Opens Soon

Save the dates! Peace is Every Bite, a Mindful Cooking Course taught by monastics and inspired by Thay’s teachings on mindful eating begins September 13th. This 4-week course contains plant-based recipes and mindful cooking lessons from the Deer Park dining halls. The course will be held September 13 - October 11, 2026 and registration will open on August 3, 2026.

The Plum Village Cookbook Campaign Surpasses Fundraising Goal

The Plum Village Cookbook Kickstarter Campaign has reached 100% of its funding goal—and beyond. We offer our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported this heartfelt project and helped bring this offering to life. Your generosity is a beautiful expression of community, and our shared aspiration to nourish body, mind, and heart.

Mitri: Dharma Music

Please enjoy these words of Sister Đẳng Nghiêm set over beautiful guitar music created by Jay Isadore Oberman and guitar lovingly made by Peter Tsiorba. This is an improvisation recorded under the redwoods in northern California during a dark and rainy winter of 2022. Thank you dear friend for your contribution.

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

Job Opening: Bookshop Assistant

We are seeking a Bookshop Assistant to support the day-to-day operations of our in-person and online Bookshop. This is an on-site, part-time position (15-20 hours per week) with weekend working hours. Learn more and apply by Thursday, July 23.

Apply Here

Love Letter: Nourishing the Seeds of Healthy Living

Read about a practitioner’s mindfulness journey and how Deer Park has deeply nourished her practice, offering a place of connection, reflection, and inspiration to live with greater compassion, joy, and gratitude.

Looking Ahead:

• July 25, 2026 - LA Day of Mindfulness

• July 26, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness

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

• Aug 2, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness

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

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

• Aug 28, 2026 - Community Opening Ceremony for the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing

• Sep 1, 2026 - Peace is Every Bite: How Food Choices Shape Personal & Planetary Health (Webinar)

• Sep 6, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness

• Sep 8 - 12, 2026 - Online Retreat: True Love Heals

• Sep 13 - Oct 11, 2026 - Peace is Every Bite Mindful Cooking Course

• Sep 20, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness

• Sep 27, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness

• Oct 1 - 4, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Retreat (moved off campus)

• Oct 5, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Symposium @ UCSD

• Oct 9, 2026 - Jan 18, 2027 - 90 Day Rains Retreat

• Oct 11 - Jan 31, 2027 - Who is Thich Nhat Hanh? Online Course [Cohort 3]

View All Events on our Events Calendar here.

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 grati…

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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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