Dear Friends of Deer Park Monastery,
As summer draws to a close, we pause with gratitude for the moments of practice, connection, and growth that have shaped these past months, and we are joyful to share our September newsletter with you.
Shortly after returning from Estes Park, Colorado, our Sangha hosted the True Love Heals Online Retreat for 250 friends from around the world. One friend shared:
“The artfulness and thoughtfulness of the way technology handled was “Top Notch” :) The scenery, showing our dear monastics, showing the beautiful space, dining hall, the trees, the mountains, the stupa. Everything is done so beautifully. I could really feel the energy and love in the “room”. I felt I was with you all.” - Maya, Online Retreat Participant
Last weekend, we began our Peace is Every Bite Mindful Cooking Course with over four hundred participants from around the world. Although registration is now closed, we aspire to run another round of this course next year.
This Sunday, September 20, we warmly invite you to join us at Deer Park Monastery for a our second annual “Sun Day” Day of Mindfulness celebrating the Sun, the radiant source of energy that sustains all life on our beautiful planet.
And in October, the Buddha the Scientist Retreat (Oct 1-4) will take place at an off-site venue near Big Bear, California, while the Symposium will be held at UC San Diego on October 5. We warmly invite you to join us as we practice mindfulness and explore the intersection of contemplative practice and scientific inquiry.
We are happy to announce that registration is now open for the third cohort of the Who is Thich Nhat Hanh? course. Starting October 11, you’ll embark on a 15-week journey (synchronous with the Rains Retreat) to explore the life and teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. New and returning students are welcome to join us and new content will be added to the existing curriculum.
As we transition into a new season, may we carry the warmth, clarity, and mindful presence of summer with us into the days ahead, along with a renewed sense of compassion and kindness.
With love and gratitude,
Your Brothers and Sisters at Deer Park Monastery
Who is Thích Nhất Hạnh? Online Course Registration Now Open
Join us for the third round of the Who is Thích Nhất Hạnh? course, a 15-week online course inviting you on a transformative journey into the life, teachings, and legacy of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. This online course offers a deep dive into the wisdom and insights of one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our time. The course will run from October 11, 2026 – January 31, 2027.
Oct 1-5, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium
The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium brings together a remarkable community of researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, neuroscientists, and Dharma teachers who are exploring the meeting place of contemplative wisdom and modern science. This is our final in-person retreat of the year. If you’ve been longing for time to practice, connect, and nourish yourself in the presence of the Deer Park monastics, we warmly invite you to join us for the Buddha the Scientist Retreat.
Sep 20 - Sun Day: A Day of Mindfulness & Gratitude for the Sun
This Sunday, September 20, we warmly invite you to join us at Deer Park Monastery for a special Day of Mindfulness celebrating the Sun, the radiant source of energy that sustains all life on our beautiful planet. A children’s program for children 6-12 will be available.
Help Reopen Our Residential Retreat Program
For more than two decades, Deer Park Monastery has been a refuge where people from every walk of life have come to pause, breathe, and rediscover the peace that is already within them.
In order to reopen our residential retreat program and continue serving practitioners from around the world, we must complete a significant renewal of the monastery's facilities and infrastructure. This work cannot happen without the generosity of our worldwide Sangha. We hope you will consider offering a gift to help support this work of care and renewal. Learn more and donate to our fundraiser here.
Sister Đẳng Nghiêm’s New Book is Now Available
Live Beautifully, Die Beautifully is a memoir and spiritual guide about transforming suffering through mindfulness, compassion, and healing. In this tender, deeply insightful book, beloved five-time author Sister Đẳng Nghiêm, MD (“Sister D”) writes from the heart of her own story: a childhood marked by war and disappearance, a young adulthood shaped by displacement, and a turning point of grief that led her to leave medicine and follow the socially engaged Buddhist teachings of peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh.
Book Release: 12 Step Zen: Pathways of Recovery
Local Lay Dharma Teacher, Peter Kuhn, recently published 12 Step Zen: Pathways of Recovery, combining decades of recovery experience, Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve-Step tradition into a practical path for healing and spiritual awakening.
Through honest personal stories and practical tools, Kuhn explores how Buddhist practice and Twelve-Step principles can complement and deepen one another.
Sep 18 - TNH School of Interbeing Global Online Opening Ceremony
We invite you to join us on September 18, 9-10AM PT for a global online gathering to celebrate the school’s opening and offer our shared wishes for children, with Br. Phap Luu & Head of School Dr. Kim Nolan.
TNH School of Interbeing Featured in Lion’s Roar Article: A New Vision for Education
The Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing was featured in a recent Lion’s Roar article exploring the future of Buddhist education for children.
“This is about the practice of mindfulness, awareness, and compassion and care. Those are the markers of Buddhist education, so we’re hiring teachers who have those practices because we want the kids to have them. If we want kids to have awareness and truly embrace and care for themselves, the conditions around them need to be that way. Teachers who embody that can bring alive what the practice is for the kids.” - Karman Mak, Director of School Operations, TNH School of Interbeing
The Mindfulness Bell: Submissions Call
The Mindfulness Bell welcomes you to share about your practice of mindful eating, mindful cooking, growing and sharing food, plant-based recipes, and related practices. October 15 is the deadline to be considered for print inclusion.
Q&A with Brother Pháp Lưu
Our friends at Clear Mountain Monastery interviewed Brother Pháp Lưu about his path to monasticism, early Buddhist texts (Pāli Canon), monastic community dynamics, Socially Engaged Buddhism vs. Applied Buddhism, rebirth, vows, and continuous transmission in the present.
Love Letter to Deer Park: Tender Pockets of Grief
While visiting Clarity Hamlet, a practitioner begins to heal tender pockets of grief by practicing meditation, walking, mindful eating, noble silence, and walking for her ancestors. Read the Love Letter here.
Deepen Your Practice: Letting Go of Stress
When you have trouble sleeping, follow your breathing in and breathing out. Bring your awareness to the different parts of your body in turn, and allow them to relax. Read the full “Deepen Your Practice” article here.
Looking Ahead:
Sep 13 - Oct 11, 2026 - Peace is Every Bite Mindful Cooking Course (registration is now closed)
Sep 20, 2026 - Sun Day: A Day of Mindfulness & Gratitude for the Sun
Sep 27, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness
Oct 1 - 4, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Retreat (off campus)
Oct 5, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Symposium @ UCSD
Oct 9, 2026 - Jan 18, 2027 - 90 Day Rains Retreat
Oct 11, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness & Ordination Ceremony
Oct 11, 2026 - Jan 31, 2027 - Who is Thích Nhất Hạnh? Online Course [Cohort 3]
Oct 18, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness & Opening Of Rains Retreat