East Coast Tour, Music Festival, & Alaska Retreat Announced
April 2026 Issue of Coyote Tracks from Deer Park Monastery
Dear Beloved Community,
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 and New York City for various events, including a Peace Walk “In the Footsteps of Thay” and Hiking Zen Mindful Walk in Prospect Park.
Back at home, the nuns of Clarity Hamlet are looking forward to welcoming friends for Mother Daughter Weekend and Brother Phap Dung will joyfully begin facilitating the Americanizing Buddhism course.
We are happy to announce that a delegation of monastics will be traveling to Alaska again this year for our annual Alaska Mindfulness Retreat. We are just a few weeks out from the Rhythm of the Earth Mindful Music Festival. Lastly, we are still looking for volunteers to offer their presence during Teen Camp this summer.
As you settle in with this month’s issue of Coyote Tracks, we invite you to embrace the happiness that is available in this present moment.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Your Brothers and Sisters at Deer Park
Deer Park Happy Farm Spring Opening
A short clip capturing our joyful (and sweaty!) day opening Happy Farm on February 28th—where many hands and hearts came together to create something beautiful.
In the Footsteps of Thay: Peace Walk in New York City
Join Deer Park monastics for a mindful walking meditation, “In the Footsteps of Thay,” on April 25 (11am–1pm) in New York City. The event honors Thay’s legacy and offers participants a chance to practice walking meditation together while reflecting on a meaningful period in his life.
Hiking Zen Mindful Walk in Prospect Park
Join Monastics from Deer Park and Magnolia Grove Monasteries for a 90-minute mindful walk through Prospect Park on Sunday, April 26th from 10am to noon. This special event offers a chance to slow down, connect with the present moment, and experience the healing power of mindful walking.
May 9: Rhythm of the Earth Mindful Music Festival
We welcome you to join us for our third Annual Rhythm of the Earth Mindful Music Festival. This is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect—with the rhythms of the Earth, with one another, and with the simple joy of being alive. Bring your friends, your smile, and your open heart for a day of good tunes, mindful presence, and celebration in nature—all in support of the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing. Ticket prices go up on May 8th.
Alaska Mindfulness Retreat
Join Deer Park Monastics in Alaska for a mindfulness retreat co-hosted by Floating Leaf Sangha, August 27- 30, 2026. Registration opens this Friday, April 17.
Reflections on Tết and the Beginning of the Action Wake Up House
Resident Advisor of Action Wake Up, Veronica, shares her reflections on Lunar New Year (Tết) and the joyful beginnings of the Action Wake Up House in Simplicity Hamlet. Read the full article here.
Volunteers Wanted for Teen Camp
We are looking for volunteers for Teen Camp and Family Retreat this summer. This is an opportunity to deepen your practice through joyful service, support young people and families on the path of mindfulness, and be part of a vibrant, intergenerational sangha. In this Love Letter, a friend of Deer Park describes how volunteering for a recent Teen Camp has profoundly changed her and her relationship with Deer Park. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to work side-by-side with monastics, aspirants, and other volunteers in planting and watering seeds of joy and love.
Americanizing Buddhism: Evolving a Living Buddhist Tradition in America
Brother Phap Dung will be hosting a new in-person & online course this spring, Americanizing Buddhism: Evolving A Living Buddhist Tradition in America. This hybrid course will be taught live in person on Saturday evenings and the recordings will be available for folks joining online. Starting this Saturday, April 18 and continuing through June 13, 2026. Register here.
Dartmouth Retreat: Cultivating Compassion & Understanding with Mindfulness
Join us in New Hampshire for a two-day, non-residential mindfulness retreat at Dartmouth College. This will be our fourth year visiting Dartmouth, now a valued campus tradition, offering simple and profound mindfulness practices for meeting strong emotions, navigating difficulty, and remembering our shared humanity.
The Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing is Hiring Teachers
The Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing is searching for Founding Teachers. If you or someone you know feels called to support this vision of education grounded in wisdom and compassion, we warmly encourage you to apply or share this opportunity. View open career opportunities with the school here.
Colorado Mindfulness Retreat
The Sun My Heart Retreat • August 9–15 • Estes Park, CO
Join us for a nourishing week of mindfulness practice in the Plum Village tradition. This family-friendly retreat invites us to slow down, reconnect with nature, and cultivate healing in ourselves and our communities. Learn more & register here.
Deepen Your Practice: Helping Children with Anger and Other Strong Emotions
This article explains that strong emotions in children are like temporary storms that can be calmed with mindful awareness. Adults can support children by practicing deep, slow breathing together, helping them feel safe and grounded. Read article here.
Love Letter to Deer Park
Click here to read about a volunteer’s reflection on her transformative experience supporting Teen Camp at Deer Park, recalling the joy, challenges, and deep sense of community shared with teens and monastics.
Looking Ahead:
April 18–19, 2026 - Dartmouth Retreat: Cultivating Compassion & Understanding with Mindfulness [New Hampshire]
April 18 - June 13, 2026 - Americanizing Buddhism: Evolving A Living Buddhist Tradition in America [Online or In-person Course]
April 23, 2026 - Online; Joyful TNH School of Interbeing Parent Gathering
April 25, 2026 - Peace Walk “In the Footsteps of Thay” in New York City
April 25, 2026 - New York Day of Mindfulness (Event is full)
April 26, 2026 - Hiking Zen Mindful Walk in Prospect Park [Brooklyn, NY]
May 9, 2026 - Rhythm of the Earth Mindful Music Festival
May 15, 2026 - BIPOC Mindfulness Weekend (Event is full; waitlist only)
May 28, 2026 - Online; Joyful TNH School of Interbeing Parent Gathering
June 2026 - Happy Families Change the World Course (registration coming soon)
June 5 - 7, 2026 - Art & Mindfulness Theme Weekend in Clarity Hamlet
June 23 - 28, 2026 - Teen Camp and Teen Camp Volunteer applications open now
July 12 - 18, 2026 - Family Retreat (waitlist only)
Aug 9 - 15, 2026 - The Sun My Heart Retreat (Estes Park, Colorado)
August 27 - 30, 2026 - Alaska Mindfulness Retreat (Registration opens Friday)
Sept 23 - Oct 3, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Retreat
October 4, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Symposium @ UCSD