Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear friends,   In the last talk of the recent Wake Up retreat for young people, Sister Thuan Nghiem enourages retreatants to invest in their spiritual wealth.  In our modern world, young people are prepared in school to seek career success and material wealth. Our sister invites retreatants to seek a balance between spiritual and material wealth.  From simply returning to our breath to taking the...

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast - Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   Today we share the the last talk of the recent Wake Up retreat for young adults.  Sister Thuan Nghiem looks back on the retreat to find practices that retreatants can take home.  She shares that even strong spiritual inspiration and intention after retreat is impermanent and that we will need gentle min...

Dear friends,   Today, we share with you a small taste of retreat at Deer Park Monastery.  Sister Man Nghiem and Brother Phap Hai give a short introduction to life at the monastery for new retreatants. She shares about connecting with others while sharing rooms and connecting with ourselves during the practice of Noble Silence.  And our brother gives guidance to help us feel comfortable and relaxe...

Dear friends,   Today we share the second half of a talk given by Brother Man Tue before the Five Mindfulness Trainings ceremony at Deer Park.  Our brother focuses on how our senses play an integral role in the Fourth and Fifth Mindfulness Trainings.  He encourages us to place our mindfulness between our senses and ourselves, as a way to protect us from fear, craving and anger.  May you walk your...

Dear Friends,   Today we share the dharma talk given by Brother Man Tue at Deer Park Monastery two weeks ago.  He shares his experience of finding joy in mindfulness as a way to take refuge. When world events or events at home cause us suffering, we can nourish our own joy as a way to promote peace in the people around us and in the world.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast a...

Dear Friends,   This week, we continue to share insights from nuns that have recently received the Dharma Lamp at Deer Park Monastery. We have included Brother Phap Hai's introduction to the tradition of receiving the Dharma Lamp for those that did not hear it from the earlier podcast.  Enjoy our sister's sharing of her experience from first wanting to become a nun to becoming part of the Plum Vil...

Dear Friends,   In today's podcast, we have the unique opportunity to share in the transmission of the dharma lamp to the nuns of the Plum Village Tradition. First, Brother Phap Hai shares with us the meaning and roots of the ceremony.  Then, Sister Adornment with Tranquility (Thien Nghiem) from Blue Cliff Monastery and and Sister Andornment with Beauty (Cam Nghiem) from Magnolia Grove Monastery s...

Dear friends,   This week, we offer another sharing from the Earth Holding Theme Weekend at Deer Park Monastery.  Brother Phap Ho and Order of Interbeing members, Nomi Green and Heather Mann share their experience walking the path of supporting our planet during increasing climate change. When Right Action is not clear to us, we can always stop, breathe, and return to ourselves to see the way forw...

Dear friends,   This week we share the talk given by Sister Trung Chinh on Vesak Day, the day of the Buddha's birth. In sharing about the baby Buddha's birth in India and a baby girl's birth in Vietnam, our sister gives insight into the significance of all moments.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at  dpcast.net , on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to...

Dear friends,   This week we share a talk given by Sister Tinh Nghiem and translated by Sister Mat Nghiem.  Our sister shares the Dharma through two stories, both about the dynamics of relationships.  Her stories help us understand that we must be mindful of how we care for our loved ones and be open to the way that they care for us.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at  dpc...

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   This week we offer a sharing by two lay friends and Order of Interbeing members, Heather Mann and Nomi Green.  As part of the Earth Holding theme weekend, they shared experiences from their lives as practitioners.  One story is set on the high seas and another on a windowsill at home.  Both bring us ba...

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   Today, we continue with the second half of a talk from guest speaker Michael Ciborski.  He shares his experiences living as monk at Plum Village and afterwards as a lay practitioner to the concept of the mind as a garden. Michael stresses the importance of tending our garden, to embrace and calm the em...

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   Today, we are lucky to share a talk from a special, guest speaker at Deer Park, Michael Ciborski .  Michael lived as a monk at Plum Village for seven years and is now is a lay practitioner with a mindfulness center, called Morning Sun , in New Hampshire. Michael suggests that rather than have life happ...

  Dear friends, This week, in celebration of Earth Day, we joyfully share with you a talk given by Brother Phap Ho at the recent Earth Holding Theme Weekend at Deer Park Monastery.  Our brother gently invites us to look at our world with open eyes.  We can shed the definition of ourselves given to us by modern media to see that we are not separate from the trees, the rocks and other humans.  We ha...

Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   This week we are lucky to share a talk given by Brother Phap Hoi and translated by Sister Khanh Nghiem.  Our brother poses an important question to us, "What is the essence of your spiritual practice?"  He gives examples of Vietnamese traditions that, over the course of time, have lost the beauty and essence of their...

Dear Friends,   Today we share a talk given by Sister Hang Nghiem and translated by Sister Man Nghiem.  In this light-hearted talk, our sister tells us three fairy tales about nature and animals.  Children aren't the only ones who can benefit from stories.  Stories can touch our hearts and open new doors to our practice.     Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at  dpcast.net , o...

Dear friends,   This week we share a dharma talk given by Brother Phap Nha at Deer Park and translated by Sister Quynh Nghiem. He shares about the steps of the Noble Eightfold Path; how they naturally flow in an order and also how they're all interconnected.  Then, he reminds us that each step on the path, even mindfulness, is impermanent.  We need to know how to nourish ourselves and others to co...

Dear friends,   This week, our podcast begins with the sisters of Deer Park Monastery offering a song in Vietnamese.  Then, Sister Mat Nghiem shares the tools we have from the Plum Village practice to take care of our health - physically, mentally, and spiritually.   We are so grateful to have the nuns as part of our four-fold sangha at Deer Park.  Thanks to your contributions, construction began...

Dear Friends,   Today, we share with you a deep and lovely talk given by Thich Phuoc Tinh, the monk referred to at Deer Park Monastery as The Venerable.  Here, the Venerable speaks directly about how time can pass quickly if we rush our minds and bodies, pushed by strong habits to be constantly occupied. He encourages us to stop, sit, and enjoy our own inner peace.  He uses the poignant analogy of...

Dear Friends,   This week, we share the question and answer session from the Deer Park New Years retreat.  The questions asked by retreatants center around conflict in oneself and in the family.  In response, the monastics reflect on their own experiences and slowly, the flower petals of wisdom unfurl. The monastics' gentle words reveal that sometimes, the answer is time, patience, space, and acce...

Dear Friends, When did you last listen to the children in your life?  Today we have a chance to listen to the children at Deer Park's New Years Retreat ask questions to the monastics.  Their questions about meditation practice, family life and school show us how perceptive and sensitive they are to the messages in the world around them.  We invite you to approach this podcast with an open heart, l...

Dear Friends, Today we're happy to share a talk from Brother Phap Nha, translated by Sister Quynh Nghiem.  Our brother has a clear and direct style of teaching that we hope you enjoy.  In this talk, he speaks to the three difficulties we may encounter while sitting: sleepiness, restlessness, and dreaminess.  He also shares with us how best to read the sutras.  He recommends that we start with two...

Dear Friends,   Sometimes in life, we have our hearts set on one thing or one person, only to receive something or someone completely different.  The miracle of mindfulness is, in that moment, to see our expectations and return joyfully to the here and now.  This week's podcast is just like that.     Practitioners at Deer Park Monastery were expecting the Venerable to speak, but in his place, Sist...

Dear Friends, This week, we're happy to offer a special talk for those of us with Christian backgrounds.  During last year's Christmas season, Brother Phap De gave a dharma talk exploring the coexistence of our Christian and Buddhist spiritualities.  With keen insight and readings from Meister Eckhart, he shows how the Buddha's teaching of non-duality can be a gift to practitioners with Christian...

Dear Friends, Today, we would like to share with you the second half of Brother Phap Hai's talk at the Deer Park Monastery New Years retreat.  As the theme of the retreat was "Coming Home", Brother Phap Hai shares his insights on what home means in a Buddhist sense.  To arrive home in the present moment is to truly know and experience what is here.  To dwell happily in that moment and to see the i...