Dear Friends,

We wish you a happy new moon in June, as the monks and nuns take two weeks of rest camping in nature after more than a year of closure at Deer Park. We call this Lazy Days, and Thay taught us to enjoy practicing our favorite practice during these largely unscheduled times. The brothers have been camping along a river in Arizona and walking mindfully in the wild nature of red rock country.

We recently finished a Wake Up Earth retreat for young people online, where Sister The Nghiem invited us to "give space to allow the voices of those who have not been heard to speak up so that we can collectively heal our roots" as individuals and as a society.

Deer Park has decided with joy to open for an in-person Summer Retreat. This retreat is available for anyone 12 and over who has received the full vaccination.

The weekly class on the 40 Tenets of Plum Village will resume next Wednesday, June 16th at 7:30 pm PST. Here are the nine classes that have been offered so far.

Enjoy your step, and enjoy your breath.

The Monks and Nuns of Deer Park Monastery

Lazy Days in Sedona with Deer Park — deerparkmonastery.org The monks emerged for the first time since the pandemic began to enjoy some lazy days camping in red rock country.

The Art of Happiness and Suffering — www.youtube.com

Talk by Sister The Nghiem

We live in turbulent times, facing global uncertainty, challenges and strong emotions. How can we learn to stay grounded in the midst of the storm? How can we learn to recognize and treasure the beauty and richness that is still in and around us? In this talk we will hear about the art of stopping and coming back to ourselves. We will learn how to become resilient through recognizing, fully experiencing and embracing our feelings, emotions and our habits of thought. Together we will look at the impact of what we watch, listen to and think about on our happiness and our suffering.

Summer Retreat at Deer Park — deerparkmonastery.org

Sunday July 18 - Saturday July 24, 2021

This marks the first time we open the valley in the hidden mountain to welcome the larger lay community since the beginning of the pandemic. The monks and nuns of Deer Park are grateful to again be able to offer in-person retreats like this. This special week-long retreat will be limited to 250 participants, with options of staying in the dorms or campground. During this retreat we will offer programs for adults, teens, and tweens. The retreat is open to anyone 12-years-old and above who has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination will be required.

The 40 Tenets of Plum Village Class — www.youtube.com

Class by Brother Phap Luu

Welcome to a new weekly class from Deer Park Monastery on the topic “The 40 Tenets of Plum Village”. This class takes place live on Wednesday nights at 19:30 PST. It will also be available to watch afterwards on the Deer Park Monastery Youtube channel. This class is based on a book written by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh called “Làng Mai nhìn núi Thứu” or “Plum Village Looks at Vulture’s Peak” which describes the essential characteristics of Plum Village practice and teachings.