The Deer Park Dharmacast

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. 

Dear Classmates on the Path Tonight's transmission is on the 4th Verse.  We begin the podcast after those present in the class all shared how our practice was progressing with each other.  Maybe you, too, would like to reflect how your practice has been going for you. 4th Verse: My breathing and my steps Enable me to generate the energy of mindfulness, So that I can recognize and touch the wonders of life within and around me. Our teacher, Thay Phap Hai, reminds us that stopping and calm abiding allow us to uncover what is already there. We also will benefit if we can ask, 'We're stopping what?' Another wonderful practice that our teacher urges us to try this week is 'Lazy Hour'. Enjoy your breath this week--and your laziness.

Dear Friends Here is Sister Su Co Bich Nghiem's beautiful transmission on Verse 3. Third Verse: The practice of Vipashyana is to Look Deeply into the nature of the five skandas so that I may develop understanding and transform suffering.   In this sharing, our sister encourages us to "Give yourself time to be with yourself more so that you can know yourself more.  So that we can better know ways to care for ourselves." Enjoy your week of beautiful breathing.

Dear Friends What a great fortune to have been born a human, to be in harmony with others, and to have a chance to take this wonderful course!  The second session is offered to us by Thay Phap Hai and is rich with insights into our beautiful practice. The Second Verse: Stopping (Shamatha) means to be still In order to recognize, to be in contact, To nourish, to heal, To calm, to soothe, and to refocus the mind. Thay offers us a guided meditation, an introduction to the five hindrances, and three means to plunge ourselves into the cool water of the present moment. The reading materials for this class are available on the Deer Park Monastery website at www.deerparkmonastery.org May all enjoy calm abiding in the present moment during the week ahead. 

Dear Friends The 3-month Winter Rains Retreat began today at Deer Park.  Also, today this course on the Fourteen Verses on Meditation course held its first class.  A group of around 30 people have joined together to be taught by Thay Phap Hai, Thay Phap Ho, and Su Co Bich Nghiem and we have all committed to following the course during the coming 14 weeks. We hope that you will join us online.  In this way you can join us in our study, reflection and practice when and where it is suitable for you.  The text material for the respective classes and the outline of the course can be found on this website under Teachings, Fourteen Verses on Meditation here: http://www.deerparkmonastery.org/teachings/fourteen-verses-on-meditation-course-nov-21-2010-feb-20-2011 or go to http://www.deerparkmonastery.org First Verse on Meditation: Just as a bird has two wings, the practice of meditation has "stopping" and "deep looking." The two wings depend on each other.  Stopping and deep looking go in tandem. The Podcast team w

Dear friends, Brother Phap Dung, the Abbott of Deer Park Monastery, here offers a wonderfully casual talk with the children at this summer's Family Retreat. From Pokemon to Deer Park's ravens to an introduction to inviting the bell to sound, Brother Phap Dung encourages children to be present with, and appreciate, their surroundings and family. Please enjoy these offerings with your family, and may there be great joy in your mindful togetherness.  

Dear friends, Thich Nhat Hahn shows us very clearly that while we practice for our own transformation, it is just as important to practice for our relationships with those we love. In this dharma talk Bother Phap Dung, the Abbott of Deer Park, encourages us to be present with exactly who we are, with all our strengths and weakness, rather than an impossible image of how we should be. He shows us how, by being present with ourselves and families in this way, we can clearly see the time, space, and attention needed to care for ourselves and our loved ones. Please enjoy these offerings, and may they guide us toward acceptance of the miracle of this present moment.  

Dear friends, In this playful dharma talk given to the children at this summer's family retreat, Brother Phap Ho shares a story of a frontier boy learning the ways of the local Native American tribe and the lessons of diligence. Learning, he reminds us, for both children and adults, can be the same thing as playing.    Please enjoy these offerings with your family, and may your present moment be inspired with playfulness.

Waking up this morning I smile 24 brand new hours are before me I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion Dear Friends Gathas are short verses to recite in the routine moments of our lives - waking up in the morning,  brushing our teeth, turning on a car – to bring mindfulness and connection to those moments. In this dharma talk, Sister Huong Nghiem encourages us in our practice of using these gathas, showing us how to use them to cultivate gratitude and stoke the fires of understanding, directing our hearts and minds toward the wholesome seeds stored in our consciousness. Please enjoy these offerings, and may they be nourishing to your practice.  

This is the full audio version of the Bells of Mindfulness video.

  Dear Friends Thich Phuoc Tinh, known to the Sangha as The Venerable, here offers a wonderfully direct talk to encourage us forward in our practice. He reminds us that if we stop practicing when we are feeling good, we are like a person rubbing sticks together to start a fire, and stopping just as the sticks grow warm, before the real fire begins. The Dharma, he tells us, is a dharma of action, not of intellect. This dharma talk is offered for Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year. May the renewal and rejoicing that is going on at the Monastery carry deeply into your life. A collection of The Venerable’s dharma talks is available as a book. Be Like a Tree, Zen Talks by Thích Phước Tịnh is a collection of the Venerable’s uniquely practical and inspiring talks, helping us in our practice with non-fear, recognizing our thoughts and feelings, creating space in our lives, loving and being loved, cultivating our spirituality, and tasting the enjoyment of our own lives. The talks were compiled by OI Member Karen Hilsb

Dear Friends, Last night at the Dharma Nectar Hall of Lower Hamlet in Plum Village, lay and monastic practitioners from around the world gathered to concentrate our energy into a new song which could represent the Wake Up movement. Thanks to the good conditions of a visit from Joe Reilly, Melina Bondy and many talented monks, nuns and lay friends, the fruit of our practice is posted here. To learn more, or to join the Wake Up movement look no further than the website at http://wkup.org. For more of Joe Reilly's songs, follow the link to his website at http://joereilly.org. Open your eyes!

Dear Friends, Often at the end of retreats at Deer Park, a panel of Monks and Nuns will offer a question and answer session with the retreat’s participants. These sessions are always a precious opportunity for the retreat participants to seek guidance in their practice, and for our monastic brothers and sisters to share their unique insights.  This question and answer session was offered on the last day of Deer Park’s recent Mindfulness and Education retreat. The panel of monks and nuns answer questions from the college students and other visitors at the retreat on loneliness and connection, monastic life and values, and mindfulness of habit energies, cravings and addictions. Please enjoy these offerings, and may the support of our monastic brothers and sisters be felt deeply in our practice.

Dear Friends,  In our next focus on the Elements of Practice we look at the first of two basic practices of the dharma: stopping and looking deeply.  In this dharma talk, Brother Phap Ho guides us in Stopping – coming to rest in the present moment, allowing our minds to become clear and rest in awareness.  We are then able to look deeply, to see that there are so many conditions for our happiness right around us that we might not notice otherwise, that we lose in the busy-ness of our lives.  And through this awareness, we are also able to look deeply into ourselves, to look at how we are constrained by the habits of our lives and minds, as so find freedom. Please enjoy these offerings, and may they guide us toward the crystal clarity of the present moment.