The Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear Friends Just in time for the holidays we have an opportunity to look deeply at Right Speech. The materials prepared for this talk are very useful and insightful. You can find them here: http://deerparkmonastery.org/teachings/moment-by-moment/course-material-week-4/view  Thich Phap Ho shares about ways to make our speech loving, kind, and using speech that grows our community in a harmonious direction.  Sister Quynh Nghiem shares about the important practice of Noble Silence.  We are sorry it took extra time to post this weeks class, we had a bit of technical difficulty but due to the great commitment of our dedicated dharma teacher Phap Ho, he has ensured that this class could manifest and we are very grateful. Please enjoy this deep and timely class.

Today we offer a very useful and moving dharma talk given here at Deer Park Monastery by Brother Phap Dang, in which he speaks about depression and dark states of the mind, and the mind’s obsessions that can lead to these dark places.  We know it will bring benefits to many people.  

Dear Friends:  Tonights podcast includes three amazing gifts-- 00-8:00 a sitting meditation (there is a little additional resonance that makes the bells very long around minute 7:00) 8:00    Intro to the class 13:00   A beautiful song offering, Can't Stop Love,  by Washuntara (www.washuntara.com) 18:00   The teaching by Thich Phap Hai on Right Thinking/ Right Intention.   Enjoy this amazing offering.

Dear Dharmacast Family: We hope you are having a wonderful winter (or summer depending on where you are) and are enjoying the fruits of your practice. We continue with the Moment to Moment exploration with today's class on Right View.  The handout can be found at http://deerparkmonastery.org/teachings/moment-by-moment/course-material-week-2/view and it is highly encouraged that you download and review this.  It provides much wonderful information and insightful suggested practice ideas and reflection questions that can be put to very beneficial use by an individual or a sangha.  We learn from Sr. Bich Nghiem how to bring the joy of practice into our daily life.  She also offers a reminder that, at their base, all views are wrong views (having only one point of viewing) but that, through practice, the quality of our views can always be improved.   

Moment by Moment: A  90-day journey in the landscape of Buddhist Teachings & Practices This winter a group of Monastic Dharma Teachers here at Deer Park will offer a course based in the Buddhas Teaching on the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path. Nov 27, 2011  This winter's course - Moment by Moment: will be an opportunity to enjoy walking meditation through some of the vistas of central Buddhist teachings and practices.  If we look deeply at the Buddhist Dharma, we see concentric circles- at the very heart of the circles lies the Four Noble Truths. All of the foundational teachings and practices spring from this source. Out of the Four Noble Truths emerge the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha's guidance for realizing transformation in body, speech and mind at a fundamental level. From the various steps of the Noble Eightfold Path spring a multitude of sutras, practices and commentaries. During this course, we will enjoy sharings on each of the Truths and the steps of the path; we will be offered co

This very special Dharma Talk by Thay is offered by the wonderful Plum Village Monastery Online.  We encourage you to visit http://pvom.org/ for more of these wonderful teachings. Here is an excerpt from the website. "This is the final Dharma talk offered by Thay in the Together We Are One Retreat at Deer Park Monastery on the North American Tour, on September 11th, 2011. Thay shares compassion, love, and great understanding: Understanding of suffering allows compassion to arise, and the energy of compassion can be very healing. You feel much better after having understood your own suffering.  And your own suffering reflects somehow the suffering of the world. That is why once you have understood your own suffering, it is much easier and easier to understand his suffering, her suffering.  And when you are able to see the suffering in him and in her you're no longer angry.  He goes on to share about right view and how it can free us from notions of being and non-being. He finishes the talk discussing what is r

Dear Community Every year in summer,  Deer Park Monastery hosts a 5-day Teen Camp. The teens camp out, sleeping in tents, gathering around a camp fire in the morning, play and practice.  This year was a wonderful experience for over 50 teens.  Here is a wonderful Dharma talk from the Teen Retreat. Enjoy you peaceful breath, Enjoy your peaceful step

Dear Friends Today's talk is from the annual Meditation and Education Retreat at Deer Park Monastery.  Dharma teacher Sister Huong Nghiem shares insights about the practice and offers beautiful teachings for the group of students and educators gathered at the retreat. She urges us to look for and find the teacher in ourselves and to find ways to be in the drivers seat of our own lives.  We meditate to see what should be done and doesn't need to be done.  She asks us to look to see if we want to react to life or respond to life.  If we practice, we can see what we want from our lives. We hope you enjoy this beautiful talk.

Dear Friends, We are happy today to bring you a wonderful dharma talk on the Discourse on Loving-Kindness by Thay Phap Hai.  In this talk, Thay Phap Hai guides us in a deep introduction not only on the text, but also how to use it in our daily lives.  He urges us, in this and in all the teachings, to always ask ‘how does this apply to my situation?’  He also touches on the Four Divine Abidings and how to practice the ‘radiations’ or metta meditations.  We are urged to look deeply into, What is it that separates us?  What is it that brings us together?  There is a handout that you may wish to print out as you study this talk.  The Pali Language version, an English Translation, as well as the version in our Chanting Book (Chanting from the Heart) Can be found here: http://www.deerparkmonastery.org/teachings/discourse-on-loving-kindness/view May you benefit from and enjoy this talk and may your face be radiant like a ripe fruit just plucked from the tree.

Dear friends, The Deer Park Podcast team hopes you enjoyed the Course on the 14 Verses of Meditation. Now, we are happy to resume our schedule of offering talks from Days of Mindfulness at Deer Park. Thich Phuoc Tinh, known to the Sangha as the Venerable, here offers a forthright guide to everyday practice. The Venerable shows us how a steady mindfulness practice can whither away our sorrow and anger, and allow us to understand that all our reactions and emotions come from within us. This dharma talk was offered for 2011’s New Year, during the Holiday Retreat, and reminds us to be sure that our practice isn’t only for when were on retreat. Please enjoy these offerings, and may they guide us through a wonderful 2011.

Dear Friends After 14 weeks, we have come to our last verse.  We hope you have enjoyed this course.  We hope you will offer your thoughts and comments, especially how this course has helped deepen your practice.   Verse 14 Supported by the Sangha Body my practice flows easier, allowing me to swiftly realize my great determination to love and understand all beings. Alternate Translation: With the support of the Sangha one can practice successfully with ease and accomplish quickly the Great Aspiration to help all beings. Reflection Questions: What do I rely on and take refuge in? Who is my Sangha? What supports me in the practice of awareness? What is my deep aspiration in life? Practices: Attend a local Sangha or start one! Readings The Three Refuges The Four Recollections Discourse on Taking Refuge in Oneself

Verse 13   Not Discriminating Between the practice offered by the Tathagata and that of the ancestral teachers, the Four Noble Truths perfectly interwoven should serve as the foundation of an authentic transmission.   Thay Phap Hai offers a deep class today reminding us that the universe has a way of teaching us the lesson we are ready to learn.  We alsways want to ask, "How does this teaching help me to transform?"  If it doesn't it is not the right teaching at this time.  The dharma should be immediately useful and effective. The reflections for this week are: What is my experience of giving and receiving? Is it easier for me to give or to receive? Why do I think this is? Enjoy this wonderful class.

Dear Friends Sorry for the long delay in posting this class.  Our podcast limits were exceeded but we should be able to post more now. Enjoy bathing in the stream! Verse 12 The Mahayana sutras and teachings open many fresh, wide gateways allowing me to enter the depths of the stream of meditation flowing from the Original Source of the Buddha's teachings.    

Hi Friends Here is Verse 11 The basic meditation sutras, such as the Full Awareness of Breathing and the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, show us step by step, how to transform the body and the mind. We are encouraged to focus on one set of 4 exercises from the Discourse on Full Awareness of Breathing during our daily sitting meditation. We can also look deeply to reflect on  What is suffering in by body and mind? What noursihes these sufferings? What can help heal these sufferings? Please enjoy this beautiful teaching.

Dear Friends We are so happy and thankful to Thay Phap Hai for this beautiful teaching.  The readings are also a wonderful reminder how much all of us non-monastics owe Anathapindika.  He is the one who, on his deathbed, shared with the sangha that us laypeople could understand the deep teachings of the dharma.  Let us live in such a way as to be worthy of his confidence. Verse 10:   Nirvana is non-attainment Sudden or gradual enlightenment are not different. True realization is to live in freedom right now in this moment.   Reflection Questions: 1) Do I notice times when I feel the need to be right? How does this manifest in thought, word and action? 2) What situations do I notice more of a push to be right, or to prove my point? How does this feel in my body? In my mind? 3) If I can sit with that experience, am I able to discover anything underneath?   Readings:  Discourse on Teachings to be Given to the Sick

Dear Virtual Study Group We apologize for the delay in posting.  We are only able to upload 250 MB a month so when we exceed our limit we have to wait a bit.  We hope you will understand as the podcast is run on donations and volunteer time. Here is Verse 9: Emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness liberate me from suffering, so that in my daily practice I am not caught in mere intellectual understanding. Our Sister reminds us that we can learn to let go, that we already have everything we need inside of us.  We can stop running, stop aiming, and make use of what we already have. A good reflection is to look at our life right now and find out what is making us feel not free.   This beautiful sharing is closed with the deep insight, "Thank you for allowing myself to see myself more."  Enjoy

Dear Friends Tonight, we are introduced to the concepts that can, with practice, become our reality.  Thay Phap Hai reminds us that intellectual understanding is not one with wisdom and that whatever we learn we always have to ask 'how does this apply in my life?'  We also are introduced to interdependent co-arising which is at the core of the buddhist teaching. This is, because that is. Verse 8 Impermanence is one with nonself. Nonself is one with interdependent origination, is one with emptiness, is one with conventional designation, is one with the middle way, is one with interbeing. Please enjoy this very deep teaching on Verse 8

Dear Thay, Dear Sangha Tonight's teaching is on the 7th Verse.  Thay Phap Ho shares that we can be aware that our happiness depends on my mindful attitude and not external conditions.  We review the 4 recollections and we are encouraged to seek to recognize what is bringing happiness and joy to our lives.  The Mindfulness Trainings are discussed and we can see that if we are practicing and living according to the Mindfulness Trainings we are at peace because we are not regretting anything. Verse 7 To dwell in the present moment, to transform all habit energies, to give rise to understanding, liberating ourselves from all afflictions. The additional practice of a Minute Meditation is introduced as a means to slow down when we see that we are being carried away.  Slowing down is a compassionate teaching. We hope you enjoy this beautiful talk

Dear Friends on the Path, Here is the teaching on Verse 6. Verse 6 Looking deeply into the heart of reality to see the true nature of things, practicing vipashyana enables me to let go of everything I am searching for, my desires, and my fears. Our sister shares the teaching with us that the practice is to be closer to our hearts. The more I know myself, the more I can connect with what is outside. There are some wonderful suggestions for reflections that we can all benefit from too for the new year. Reflections:  Ending a year and starting a new: - what nourishment did 2010 offer - what were the challenges - how do I aspire to continue Happy New Year Everyone!!  May your year be filled with peace and stability of living in the Present Moment.

Dear Friends Tonight's wonderful class provides many insights into why we meditate and how we can better be masters of our own practice.  Here is the link for the materials http://www.deerparkmonastery.org/teachings/fourteen-verses-on-meditation-course-nov-21-2010-feb-20-2011 Verse 5: To calm, to relax the body and mind. To nourish, to heal,  to protect the 6 senses, and to maintain right concentration. This week's homework also includes the wonderful, restful practice of Deep Relaxation--perfect for those of you entering the holidays....what a gift for yourself and the ones you love! May you and your family be well.