Join the 90-Day Rains Retreat and Upcoming Events at Deer Park
Join the 90-Day Rains Retreat and Upcoming Events at Deer Park
Rains Retreat Registration Opens, India Pilgrimage, & Construction Updates
Dear Beloved Friends,
We recently arrived in Estes Park, Colorado, where nearly our entire monastic Sangha traveled by bus to host the Earth, Our True Nature retreat. We also look forward to enjoying a relaxing Sangha outing in the Rocky Mountains following the retreat.
We warmly invite you to join our 90-Day Rains Retreat for a deep practice of engaged mindfulness through meditation and Dharma study. Registration is now open and applications are due September 6.
In February 2025, walk in the footsteps of the Buddha with us on a pilgrimage to India and Nepal.
This month, watch a touching interview with Masako Yamanouchi White about her work with Thay and Sister Chan Khong in Vietnam. Sister Dang Nghiem released her first poetry book today, The River in Me, which is now available for purchase on Parallax.org.
Thank you for your generous contributions and volunteer efforts toward the Monks’ Residence. We are currently completing the rough-ins and framing, with door and window installations coming soon. We also welcome volunteers to assist with the remaining construction work.
Deepen your practice with resources on deep listening and loving speech. Finally, please enjoy our August Love Letter to Deer Park and reflections from friends on what the monastery means to them.
With deep gratitude and peace,
The Monastics of Deer Park Monastery
Rains Retreat: Three Months of Engaged Mindfulness Practice
We warmly invite you to join our Sangha of monastics and lay practitioners for the annual 90-Day Rains Retreat at Deer Park Monastery.
Our daily schedule will be rich with sitting meditation, walking meditation, working meditation, and service meditation. You will have the chance to participate in Dharma talks, receive mentoring, and take classes designed to deepen your understanding of the Buddha’s teachings.
Learn more about the Rains Retreat and register to attend for the full 90 days here.
India & Nepal Pilgrimage: In the Footsteps of the Buddha
Before he died, the Buddha suggested that it would be of great benefit to those who are interested in his teachings to make a pilgrimage to the places associated with his life. We invite you to make this pilgrimage with us, walking in the footsteps of the Buddha across India and Nepal in February 2025.
Interview with Masako Yamanouchi White
For our August installment of the Monthly Engaged Buddhism Series, Brother Phap Luu (Br. Stream) interviews Masako Yamanouchi White, a retired teacher who worked with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Chan Khong in the 60's at the School of Youth for Social Services (SYSS) in Vietnam. Watch the moving and heart-opening interview here.
Sister D Launches First Poetry Book
Embark on a journey of refuge and wisdom with Sister Dang Nghiem (Sister D), a disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh, through her poignant poetry collection. Delve deep into overcoming life’s adversities with Zen-inspired insight. Available now on Parallax.org.
Construction Volunteers Wanted
Thank you for your contribution, donations, and volunteered time in building the Monks’ residence. Our crew of volunteers and a few local contractors are currently working on rough-ins (installation of wires, pipes inside the walls - plumbing, electrical, hvac). We are also finishing framing, with just another week to go! The building is almost ready for doors, windows, roof and siding to be installed.
We'd be grateful for more helping hands with the Monks’ Residence Construction Project. This is the busiest time and we could benefit from volunteers who are skilled and unskilled (with some outdoor work experience preferred). If you're interested in serving and lending your expertise, please fill out this form. Thank you in advance for your interest.
Who is Thich Nhat Hanh? Course
Save the dates! October 13, 2024 - January 12, 2025. This 12-week online course offers an in-depth exploration of the life and teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay), one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our time.
The course will be guided by Brother Pháp Lưu with contributions from Sister Chân Đức, Sister Định Nghiêm, Brother Pháp Dung, and other Plum Village monastics and lay friends who worked intimately with Thầy over the past forty years.
Registration will open in September. If you’d like to attend this course in person, please apply for our 90-Day Rains Retreat.
Deepen Your Practice: Deep Listening and Loving Speech
When communication is cut off, we all suffer. When no one listens to us or understands us, we become like a bomb ready to explode. Compassionate listening brings about healing. Sometimes only ten minutes of listening deeply can transform us and bring a smile back to our lips. Learn how to deepen your listening practice here.
Finding Peace After Loss: How the Rains Retreat Changed My Life
A scholarship recipient to the Rains Retreat shares his story of transformation and gratitude:
“As I sit down to compose this letter, I am overcome with a sense of deep, heart-felt gratitude and reflection. This marks a moment I’ve longed for—a chance to express my heartfelt appreciation to those who have guided me to a path of inner peace and equipped me with the tools to cultivate wisdom and compassion in my daily life: the monastics and laypeople of Deer Park Monastery…” Read the full article here.
Love Letters to Deer Park - “Deer Park Means Home”
In harmony with Thay’s practice of writing love letters to share gratitude, love, and peace with those around him, we asked practitioners to write love letters to Deer Park describing what it means to them. Please enjoy this monthly feature. The Deer Park monastics are truly grateful for the energy and commitment of the lay sangha as well. Read our August Love Letter here: “Deer Park Means Home.”
Activism as a Vehicle for Awakening
Dharma Teacher Jo-Ann Rosen explores how activism can serve as a path to spiritual awakening by encouraging a mindful approach to social and environmental engagement. She emphasizes that while activism often arises from a deep concern for the world, it can become misguided if driven by unregulated emotions like fear or anger. The key to effective activism is cultivating mindfulness, which allows individuals to maintain a broader perspective, understand the interconnectedness of all things, and act from a place of wisdom rather than reactivity. Read the full recap here.
Looking Ahead
September 8 - Day of Mindfulness
September 15 - Day of Mindfulness
September 18-22 – Vietnamese Retreat (Khóa tu Tiếng Việt 2024 tại Tu Viện Lộc Uyển)
October 13 – January 12, 2025 – Rains Retreat (registration is now open)
October 13 - January 12, 2025 — Who is Thich Nhat Hanh? Online Course
2025 Schedule - Save the Dates for 2025 Retreats (please note the following change to the schedule: the Wake Up Retreat will now be held April 27 – May 3, 2025).