Dear Friends,

We wish you a happy Buck Moon, as well as Guru Purnima—when Buddhists in India give thanks for the Buddha's first teaching at the Deer Park in Sarnath. Today we are finishing our first full in-person retreat at Deer Park Monastery, where we welcomed 200 people, including more than 50 young people, teens and tweens. Last night we enjoyed a joyful musical be-in in the natural amphitheater of the campground, ending with meditation as the moon rose over the mountain ridge.

Please enjoy this powerful talk by senior Dharma teacher Dr. Larry Ward on how to practice deeply Engaged Buddhism without getting entangled in the drama surrounding us, and Sister Le Nghiem's answer to a question on the Four Noble Truths.

We have two exciting in-person practice opportunities coming up! Brothers Phap Con, Ngo Khong and Minh Dia leave soon on a Happiness Is the Way road retreat tour through the North- and Southwest of the United States, wherein they plan to lead a number of two-day retreats and other activities. Save the date for a Path of Happiness mindful backpacking retreat based around Deer Park from September 5th-11th and supported by the monastics. Registration applications will be accepted starting on July 30th.

With peace and gratitude,

The Monks and Nuns of Deer Park Monastery

How to Be Engaged Without Becoming Entangled — www.youtube.com

Talk by Dharma teacher Dr. Larry Ward

This 55-minute dharma talk was offered for during the North American Order of Interbeing Retreat that took place both online and in-person at Deer Park Monastery, Blue Cliff Monastery, and Magnolia Grove Monastery.

Liberation and the Four Noble Truths — deerparkmonastery.org

Q & A with Sister Le Nghiem

What’s the difference between liberation and the Buddha’s teaching on cessation in the Four Noble Truths, and how can this be applied to our daily life?

Upcoming Retreats

Happiness is the Way: Road Retreat 2021 — deerparkmonastery.org

Follow and join Deer Park Monastery’s brothers on their 4500 miles journey this summer to visit Sanghas in ten western states in the Happiness is the Way: Road Retreat 2021.

Path of Happiness Backpacking Retreat — deerparkmonastery.org

This one week backpacking and hiking trip in Southern California will entail approximately 4-7 miles of walking with a fully-loaded backpack per day. We plan to begin and end the retreat at Deer Park Monastery.