Online Retreat Announcement & The Buddha the Scientist Retreat Moved Off-Campus
July 2026 Issue of Coyote Tracks from Deer Park Monastery
Dear Beloved Sangha,
We thank you all for the outpouring of support, generosity, and care following the recent on-campus retreat cancellations. Despite these unfortunate circumstances, we are still open throughout the summer for Days of Mindfulness and will be offering several off-campus and online offerings to support your mindfulness practice.
We are happy to announce we’ll be hosting an Online Mindfulness Retreat September 8–12, 2026 with Vietnamese translation available. The following day on September 13, our Peace is Every Bite Mindful Cooking Course begins, inspired by our plant-based dishes from the Deer Park Monastery kitchen as well as Thay’s teachings on mindful eating.
The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium will continue off-campus. The Retreat will now take place at an off-site venue near Big Bear, California, while the Symposium will be held at UC San Diego as originally scheduled. Registration opens today at 3:00 p.m. PT. We warmly invite you to join us for this opportunity to explore the meeting of contemplative practice and scientific inquiry.
We are seeking a new Bookshop Assistant to support the day-to-day operations of our in-person and online Bookshop. This is an on-site, part-time position with weekend working hours. Learn more and apply by this Thursday.
Most of our Sangha will be departing for Estes Park, Colorado in a few weeks to host The Sun My Heart Retreat at YMCA of the Rockies, a special venue in our tradition. A delegation of monastics will also travel to Oregon and Alaska for additional mindfulness retreats in August.
Although this season has unfolded differently than we had anticipated, our aspiration to cultivate mindfulness together remains unchanged. We encourage you and your family to continue nurturing your practice at home and to stay connected with the Sangha in whatever ways are possible.
As Thầy often reminded us, “No mud, no lotus.” With the support of the Dharma and our spiritual community, may we continue to cultivate understanding, compassion, and peace, trusting that each challenge can become an opportunity for deeper practice and transformation.
With love and gratitude,
The Monks and Nuns at Deer Park
Online Retreat: True Love Heals
We invite you to join us September 8–12, 2026 for our Online Mindfulness Retreat, True Love Heals. Vietnamese translation will be available. Throughout the retreat, we will explore loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity as qualities of true love and as practices we can bring into our daily lives. We will also explore teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh's book How to Love.
The Buddha the Scientist Retreat (New Location) & Symposium
The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium will continue as planned. The Retreat (Oct 1-4) will now take place at an off-site venue near Big Bear, California, while the Symposium (Oct 5) will be held at UC San Diego as originally scheduled. Registration opens today at 3:00 p.m. PT. We warmly invite you to join us for this opportunity to explore the meeting of contemplative practice and scientific inquiry.
Peace is Every Bite: Mindful Cooking Course Registration Opens Soon
Save the dates! Peace is Every Bite, a Mindful Cooking Course taught by monastics and inspired by Thay’s teachings on mindful eating begins September 13th. This 4-week course contains plant-based recipes and mindful cooking lessons from the Deer Park dining halls. The course will be held September 13 - October 11, 2026 and registration will open on August 3, 2026.
The Plum Village Cookbook Campaign Surpasses Fundraising Goal
The Plum Village Cookbook Kickstarter Campaign has reached 100% of its funding goal—and beyond. We offer our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported this heartfelt project and helped bring this offering to life. Your generosity is a beautiful expression of community, and our shared aspiration to nourish body, mind, and heart.
Mitri: Dharma Music
Please enjoy these words of Sister Đẳng Nghiêm set over beautiful guitar music created by Jay Isadore Oberman and guitar lovingly made by Peter Tsiorba. This is an improvisation recorded under the redwoods in northern California during a dark and rainy winter of 2022. Thank you dear friend for your contribution.
The Sun My Heart Retreat in Colorado
For over a decade, Thay came to the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park to offer mindfulness retreats for thousands. In 2007, Thay specifically asked the monastic community to continue offering retreats in this sacred place, even if he could no longer be physically present. Then in 2024, we hosted the “Earth Our True Nature” retreat for over 400 friends to keep this tradition alive. Now we return two years later to walk in Thay’s footsteps once more in the Rockies. We hope you will join us!
Job Opening: Bookshop Assistant
We are seeking a Bookshop Assistant to support the day-to-day operations of our in-person and online Bookshop. This is an on-site, part-time position (15-20 hours per week) with weekend working hours. Learn more and apply by Thursday, July 23.
Love Letter: Nourishing the Seeds of Healthy Living
Read about a practitioner’s mindfulness journey and how Deer Park has deeply nourished her practice, offering a place of connection, reflection, and inspiration to live with greater compassion, joy, and gratitude.
Looking Ahead:
July 25, 2026 - LA Day of Mindfulness
July 26, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness
Aug 1 - 4, 2026 - Oregon Mindfulness Retreat: “Arrived at Home”
Aug 2, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness
Aug 9 - 15, 2026 - The Sun My Heart Retreat (Estes Park, Colorado)
Aug 27 - 30, 2026 - Alaska Mindfulness Retreat (Registration is closed)
Aug 28, 2026 - Community Opening Ceremony for the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing
Sep 1, 2026 - Peace is Every Bite: How Food Choices Shape Personal & Planetary Health (Webinar)
Sep 6, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness
Sep 8 - 12, 2026 - Online Retreat: True Love Heals
Sep 13 - Oct 11, 2026 - Peace is Every Bite Mindful Cooking Course
Sep 20, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness
Sep 27, 2026 - Day of Mindfulness
Oct 1 - 4, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Retreat (moved off campus)
Oct 5, 2026 - The Buddha the Scientist Symposium @ UCSD
Oct 9, 2026 - Jan 18, 2027 - 90 Day Rains Retreat
Oct 11 - Jan 31, 2027 - Who is Thich Nhat Hanh? Online Course [Cohort 3]