The Deer Park Dharmacast

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 emotions that arise in us. Without careful tending, our unwholesome seeds become tangled thickets and the stories they weave compelling.  But like a mother to a small child, we can hold the feeling close and whisper, "This is not storytime" and hold them instead.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

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 happen *to* us, we can fully participate in our lives by coming home through the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. This teaching of the Buddha, as explained by our brother, becomes a clear path to a place of mindful refuge.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

 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 have the potential to wake up to our true boddhisattva nature to protect the Earth and nurture the boddhisattva in others. Let us breathe this air and walk on this land with gratitude.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

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 original intent.  If we are not mindful, we can get caught up in the form and appearance of our spiritual practice and forget the essence that lies beneath.  Brother Phap Hoi reminds us that just because we are there at the monastery does not mean that we have ever truly set foot in a monastery.  Let us let go of our ideas about our practice, and just practice.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

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, on Facebook, iTunes and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

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 come back to our spiritual path and the present moment.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

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 in late February for new solar and straw bale buildings for the nuns and our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh.  To see photo updates and to spread the word about ongoing fundraising, go to www.deerparknunnery.org.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

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 words written on a whiteboard to illustrate no birth and no death.  We are the whiteboard and the words that we think define who we are --  are merely temporary.  When we see that the words are not the essence of the whiteboard, no one can cause us to suffer   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply

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 acceptance.  And always, the answer comes from your question and from your heart.     Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply

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, listening to hear the voices of the child in you and the children in your life.  May we embrace all our children to heal the generations before us and the generations to come. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply

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 basic sutras and, most importantly, that we apply the teachings to our practice and our lives.   May your practice be ever-changing and ever-growing.  No mud, no lotus. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply

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, Sister Man Nghiem gave the dharma talk.  With her signature enthusiasm and wonder for life, our sister shares her unique perspective on the Four Nutriments, finding joy, and renewing our practice.  From volition to conciousness, and from potato chips to Star Wars, she fills the talk with richness while rooting it in our real lives.     This Valentine's Day, we wish you the nourishing power of love -- for yourself and all those around you.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

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 backgrounds. In the end, we can see the concepts of the divine and communion with God, mindfulness and interbeing, all intertwining beautifully.Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply

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 interbeing between yourself and all that is around you. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,       Today, we invite you to listen to a sharing given by Brother Phap Ho at a recent Day of Mindfulness.  He invites us to join with the great activists of our time.  To clarify our volition for our lives, to be courageous with our actions, and to live in a way that cultivates compassion.  He reminds us that we need to take care with our senses as we go through this world. We all have suffering that needs to be acknowledged and cared for.  We need time and space in order to transform our suffering, to turn the compost of our lives.  The sweet fruit of our practice will manifest as we diligently walk this path together.   As Deer Park Monastery enters their winter retreat, the Dharmacast will also take a break for the holidays.  Podcasts will start again on January 17th.  We invite you to enjoy this time to retreat as well.  Brother Phap Ho gives some suggestions on how you can take a mini-retreat at home. Or you can delve into the many archived podcasts available on our website.   Remember, t

Dear friends,  This week, we continue with talks given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Deer Park Monastery in October.  In this talk, Thay delves deeply into conciousness, both individual and collective.  As individuals, we can selectively water our positive seeds and take good care of our negative seeds. Thay invites us to also be selective in our relationships and the community that we live in, as they contribute to the collective conciousness that we consume every day. With this care, we can create a foundation where transformation of our suffering is possible. Please take a moment this week to visit deerparknunnery.org and donate to the building of a place where the Deer Park sisters can live. The volunteers at the Deer Park Dharmacast thank you. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, iTunes and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, This week, we return to talks by Thich Nhat Hanh, given this October at the Deer Park retreat.   Thay shares on many interconnected topics:  the workings of our conciousness, the transformative power of volition, the importance of sangha, and how our suffering and happiness are truly inseparable. May we all recognize our mud, and the lotuses that grow from our mud.  We so appreciate you, our dear listeners. Thank you for your love and support over the course of this year. During the month of December, we invite you to donate to the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. They are urgently needing support to break ground to build a safe, warm nunnery for our sisters at Deer Park Monastery. For more information and to donate, visit deerparknunnery.org.  Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends, This week, we take a break from Thich Nhat Hanh's talks to bring you another great teacher, the Venerable of Deer Park Monastery, Thich Phuoc Tinh.  Here in California, it's fall and the Venerable begins by sharing a folk song in Vietnamese and French about autumn leaves falling.  He shares that we can choose the way that we are in touch with the things inside of us and around us.  The emotions and mental formations that arise in our heads are like the seasons of the year, rising and falling.   As practitioners, we can become observers, whether of the changing leaves of fall or changing feelings in our hearts, rather than being defined or overwhelmed by them.  We are not these emotions, we are the energy of mindfulness that peacefully watches them float by on the stream of our lives. We're grateful to have Sister Mat Nghiem translate the Venerable's talk into English for us.  Our monastic brothers and sisters do so much at Deer Park Monastery to create a peaceful refuge for us where we can share

Dear friends, This week, we continue to share Thay's teachings from the recent Deer Park retreat. He speaks to a number of important questions that apply to our daily lives: How do we come back to ourselves?  How does that effect others around us? And how do we reconcile difficult relationships through compassion and deep listening?  With mindfulness, what was previously impossible can become possible.  Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends, This week, we continue to share the talks given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Deer Park Monastery in October.  Thay reviews the second and third of the Four Nutriments taught by the Buddha, Sense Impressions and Volition.  Volition has always surprised me on the list of nutriments. How is volition something we consume? Thay explains it very well.   He shares that we often use mindless consumption and production as a way of running away from ourselves.  When will we start to come back to ourselves?  The time is now.  It is always: now. A big thanks this week to our newest audio editor, David Nelson!  Enjoy his skillful work on this podcast! Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Monastery at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes and Twitter.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.