The Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear friends, This week, we continue with Thay's dharma talk on the Four Nutriments taught by the Buddha.  Our teacher shares about the third nutriment: volition, or our deepest desire for what we want to accomplish in our lives.  It is a kind of nutriment that gives us energy to take action in our lives.  He applies this teaching to our modern world of business and corporations.  Whether we are a corporate leader or a busy employee, we need to examine the volition that directs our lives and ensure that it creates true happiness for ourselves, our families and our society. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, Twitter and iTunes.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, This week, we continue to share from the dharma talks given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Deer Park Monastery.  In this segment, our teacher shares the first eight exercises of mindful breathing taught by the Buddha.  These exercises are key to helping us us to learn the art of suffering, enabling us to suffer less and to transform our suffering.  Then, Thay shares the first two of the Four Nutriments taught by the Buddha: edible food and sense impression.  He encourages us to consume edible foods in a way that preserves our compassion and to consume media, conversations and other sense impressions carefully to protect ourselves and our families. We’ve noticed the Dharmacast’s listenership has jumped quite a bit in recent weeks. If you’re a new listener, welcome. And if you’re enjoying the podcast, please let your friends know. They can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, Twitter and iTunes.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, This week, we continue to share Thay's first dharma talk at the recent Deer Park Monastery retreat.  Our teacher shares with us his practice, particularly how he walks and breathes, to connect each one of his steps to the here and now. He invites us to practice with him to touch the Pure Land and Kingdom of God with awareness of the miracles of life -- the beautiful flower, the connection of our bodies to Mother Earth, and the presence of our ancestors in and around us. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, For the past week, the Ocean of Peace meditation hall at Deer Park Monastery was filled to the brim with over one thousand members of the sangha: monks, nuns, lay practitioners and our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, who we affectionately call Thay. Over the next several weeks, we will offer his talks divided into our usual thirty minute segments.  If you heard about the Dharmacast at the retreat and are just tuning in: welcome. We hope you enjoy this chance to hear the Dharma from Thay a second time. In this first segment, Thay looks deeply into the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone.  He shows us that to live alone is to be free of the past and the future and to arrive in the present moment.  He continues on to share that by practicing mindful breathing and walking meditation, we can awaken to the miracle and joy of being alive. Remember that you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, Twitter and iTunes.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. For r

Dear friends, This week, the Dharmacast team is on retreat with Thay at Deer Park Monastery.  We're looking forward to bringing the energy of peace and mindfulness back with us next week. While we're gone, we wanted to offer you the second half of the dharma talk given by Sister Kingh Nghiem at this year's Wake Up retreat.  With Thay touring this year, many of us may have gone on a retreat or heard him speak at a public talk.  We're often deeply moved by experiences at mindfulness practice centers, but how do we take that energy home with us to sustain our practice?  Sister Kinh Nghiem offers us loving advice and many practical ideas for continuing and deepening our practice at home. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, This week we have the first half of a dharma talk given by Sister Kinh Nghiem at this year's Wake Up Retreat.  She tells a light-hearted story about traveling with Thay and then shares the four mantras we can use in order to be truly present.  She encourages us to use these mantras with the people in our lives, the animals and plants around us and with the earth. Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes.  Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast.  This week we have two wonderful surprises for you.   First, we're excited to present to you a fresh new logo. Our team is feeling a lot of gratitude to our wonderful Dharmacast sister, Joan Wong, all the way in Singapore, for her graphic design.  It represents all our Dharmacast listeners, hearing the Dharma and opening peacefully as a lotus.  If you look carefully, you'll see the beautiful shape of the meditation hall at Deer Park monastery, which Thay named the Ocean of Peace.  Since almost all our talks are recorded in this hall, we truly feel that the Deer Park Dharmacast is Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace. Secondly, this week's podcast is a special feature from Brother Phap Ho's blog, Earth Protection Here and Now.  This week, he shares about edible foods, the first of the four nutriments.  He shines the light of awareness on his experience with food and shares how it affects his practice, his community, and our Earth.  Where are you in your jour

Dear friends,  This week we have a Question and Response session from a recent Mindful Couples retreat at Deer Park Monastery.  Brother Phap De begins by sharing his experiences of love before and after becoming a monastic.  Then, three dharma teachers, Tony Sylvester, Peggy Rowe, and Jerry Braza, respond to questions on how to heal ourselves and our relationships.  In the end, it all comes down to practice, time, and understanding with others and with ourselves.  Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Twitter, Facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, The end of summer is officially here and seasons are beginning to change.  Let us bring our attention to the Earth, as Sister Mat Nghiem begins her sharing with the story of The Lorax.  She goes on to look deeply into our interconnectedness with Mother Earth, both as children and as adults.  When was the last time you were in touch with nature as your five year-old child?  Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, This week we're happy to share the closing talk of the recent Deer Park retreat for couples.  Three dharma teachers, Jerry Braza from Oregon, Tony Sylvester from Pennsylvania and Peggy Rowe from California, led couples in a weekend of developing mindfulness in their relationships.  They share their reflections on their experience at the retreat and reflect on the nurturing effect that the practice has had on their own relationships. Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on Twitter, Facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Today's sharing is from a Question and Response session earlier this summer at Deer Park Monastery.  Sister Hang Nghiem responds to a short, yet profound, question, "What is important?"  She shows us that with mindfulness, we can see that this present moment is important, especially if a difficult emotion is arising.  Then, Sister Hang Nghiem and Brother Phap De share on the roots of frustration and resentment and how we can begin to better understand ourselves and others.   Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Today we have a dharma talk given by Sister Quynh Nghiem.  Before the dharma talk, Brother Man Tue leads us in some mindful songs and a short guided meditation.  Then, our sister shares with us the wonderful basics of the connection between our mind, mindful breathing.   Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Today we return to sharing question and response sessions from recent retreats at Deer Park Monastery.  Today we combine related questions from two different sessions to help us understand, "How do we forgive others and how do we forgive ourselves?"  Sister Hang Nghiem shares her experience of forgiveness and invites us to continue to practice with her every day. Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Recently, a listener emailed us to ask the question, "As an engaged Buddhist, how can I stop the destruction of Mother Earth and leave my children a clean planet?" In the very same week, Brother Phap Ho offered for us to feature the first recording of his blog, Earth Protection Here and Now.  We hope that you find today's podcast a wonderful response to our listener's question.  Sometimes we want to know what to do, but Brother Phap Ho shares that the very first step to environmental conservation is to look deeply and reframe our perspective on this planet and our relationship to it.   For more insights, visit his blog at earthprotectionhereandnow.wordpress.com. Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on Twitter, Facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Today, we continue to offer excerpts of recent Question and Response sessions from this year's retreats to help us bring the practice into our daily lives.  This week, we present questions and responses on practicing mindfulness at home with our families.  How do we best guide our children?  And how can we practice when our family is not practicing?  Brother Phap Ho and Brother Phap Tuyen share from their experiences before and after becoming monks and give real examples of how to approach specific situations. As always, you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on Twitter, Facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Recently on the Dharmacast, we've heard our monastic brothers encourage us to bring the practice into our daily lives.  But the question arises: How do we *actually* do that?  So for the next few weeks, we'll offer segments from recent Question and Response sessions at Deer Park to answer that question. This week, our focus is work.  How do we apply the practice at work?  Brother Phap Ho and Sister Karen, a lay dharma teacher, offer practical examples of mindful work and share how to achieve a healthy work and home life balance. On the topic of work, The Deer Park Dharmacast team has a great time putting together the podcasts for you each week.  Thank you for listening.  If you love our podcasts and want to get involved, please join our small team of volunteers!  Whether it's selecting content, editing audio, or managing our social media, we need more help to keep the Dharmacast going.  All of our work is virtual, over the internet, so wherever you are in the world, and whatever your skills are,

Dear Friends, Today we share with you the second half of a talk given recently by Brother Phap Hai at Deer Park Monastery.  Everyday spiritual practice continues to be the focus of his sharing, but now Brother Phap Hai focuses on how we practice.  He delves into the concept of bodhichitta, the mind of love, by sharing the story of the 8th century teaching, The Way of the Bodhisattva, by the Indian monk, Shantideva.  Brother Phap Hai reminds us that our practice should not be rigid and dry, but rather infused with great love.  Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, Today we share the first half of a talk given a few weeks ago by Brother Phap Hai at Deer Park Monastery.  Having recently returned from Korea and Hong Kong, he shares the importance of putting the Dharma into practice. What is preventing our life from becoming our practice?  Brother Phap Hai likens three pots of kim chi to the three qualities that hinder our ability to truly practice.   Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, In this week's segment, we continue with Brother Phap Ho's dharma talk from the 2012 Mindfulness Retreat.  He shares why mindfulness by itself is not enough; we need to discover a spiritual path and a community to walk with to transform our suffering.  He also delves into how to understand our mind consciousness and nurture our well-being. After hearing the Dharma, we invite you to share your experience with other listeners online at dpcast.net or on our Facebook page.  Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. 

Dear Friends, This week we offer the first half of a dharma talk given by Brother Phap Ho at the 2012 Mindfulness Retreat.  He explores the questions, "What is suffering?" and "How do we transform ill-being and nourish well-being?" from his own perspective, but also from the perspective of three great teachers and role models for him, the Buddha, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thich Nhat Hanh.   Remember you can find the Deer Park Dharmacast online at dpcast.net, on twitter, facebook, and iTunes. We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences of hearing the dharma with other listeners this week online at dpcast.net or on our facebook page.   Enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.