The Deer Park Dharmacast

This week's offering is the talk given by our teacher in Plum Village on New Year's Eve. Thay encourages us to make a deep aspiration for the New Year, and to put it into practice.Please write to us and tell us your aspiration to practice here in the comments on www.dpcast.org, or at our e-mail dpcast@gmail.com.Happy New Year!

This holiday week we offer you the audio from one of the Dharma Teacher Lamp Transmissions during the recent Beauty and Well-Being Great Ordination Ceremony in Plum Village, France. Four lay dharma teachers from Italy were chosen to receive the lamp this year, including Diana Petech (right), the teacher on this week's dharmacast.Enjoy.

This week we offer a chant recorded by Sister The Nghiem of Green Mountain Dharma Center: Discourse on Love. This chant is a common one in the Pali tradition of Theravadan Buddhists. The English translation was done by our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh with the help of Plum Village monks and nuns. The text and music can be found here in PDF format.This chant and other songs by Plum Village Monks and Nuns are on the Oasis CD.Enjoy your breathing.

Dear Friends, This week we offer the recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings that was offered by Thay Phap Lai this past Sunday. Please use this in your own practice of these trainings week to week. Smile.

Dear Friends,This week we share a dharma talk that our teacher Thay gave in Plum Village on October 29, 2006, shortly before the recent U.S. elections.  It offers a deep view into both the nature of our current world situation and the nature of this path of practice.Thay Phap Tri hosts.

Dear Friends,This week we have our monthly question and answer session with two monks recently arrived from Plum Village, Thay Phap Lai and Thay Phap Thanh (right.) Sister Susan also joins us to answer a number of questions sent to us via e-mail in the past few weeks. Brother Stream moderates.Enjoy.

Dear Friends,This week we offer the orientation given on the first night of the recent Retreat for College Students at Deer Park. Sister Thuan Nghiem (Harmony, right) and Brother Phap Luu (Stream) cover the basic practices of mindful breathing, sitting and walking, in addition to sharing from their own experiences in college. This talk is a good introduction to the fundamental practices of the Plum Village tradition.Please enjoy this offering, and thank you for your comments and feedback.

Dear Friends,This week we publish one of the talks from our recent college retreat. Our abbot Thay Phap Dung speaks about his own path of practice, and what it means to bring meditation into our lives. Brother Phap Huu hosts.May you be well.

Dear Friends, This week's edition of the Dharmacast includes an introduction to the practice of walking meditation offered by Sister Chau Nghiem (Jewel) and a session of evening chanting led by Br. Phap Khoi. Br. Phap De hosts this Halloween broadcast. May you touch peace and solidity with each step.

Dear Friends,This week we are happy to share with you a question and answer session that we participated in this past Thursday afternoon in the Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall here at Deer Park. Brother Stream hosts, and Thay Abbot Brother Phap Dung (see photo), Brother Phap Ho, Sisters Chau Nghiem and Viet Nghiem answer questions posed over e-mail to the monks and nuns. We ended spontaneously with the song, The Island Within.If you would like to send in a question for an upcoming Q&A session, feel free to write us at dpcast@gmail.com. All names are kept confidential.Enjoy the brisk autumn air.

This week Brother Stream interviews Thay Phap Dang, a Dharma Teacher and the Abbot of Maple Forest Monastery in Vermont. Thay Phap Dang was invited by the Deer Park Sangha along with Thay Vo Ngai to support us during the recent Vietnamese Retreat. He shares about his life and practice as a monk of 17 years, about his experiences teaching in Vietnam, and also shares a song, "Close to Thay." The broadcast ends with the flute solo, "Song for the Buddha," by the Basque musician Laurent Bernays, from the Refuge Tree CD. May you be well.

This week Brother Phap Luu offers readings of two sutras on mindful breathing translated from Chinese by our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. These sutras were the main texts used during the 21-day retreat this past June entitled "The Breath of the Buddha." Included as well are some recent news items from Deer Park, and a brief introduction to sitting meditation. We look forward to a Question and Answer session to take place in the coming week, so please e-mail us any questions you may have about the practice of mindfulness in daily life. A panel of monks and nuns will share based on these questions. You may also put a question in the comments to this week's show. A PDF of Sutra 803 is available here, and of Sutra 810 here. The Chinese texts with Pinyin and Sino-Vietnamese are available here (803) and here  (810). May you breathe in peace.

In this talk from Plum Village on 01 Oct 2006, Thay investigates the true nature of power in the light of the Buddha's teaching, and he describes how we may realize this power in our present-day lives. Also: what are the powers of a true teacher?

A two part release, in this talk from Plum Village on 01 Oct 2006, Thay investigates the true nature of power in the light of the Buddha's teaching, and he describes how we may realize this power in our present-day lives. Also: what are the powers of a true teacher?

Tree Meditation is the title of a song from the album Refuge Tree.  Please enjoy, the whole album can be purchased at the Unified Buddhist Church Gateway.  To find more information about the singer please visit Joe Reilly's webpage.We have a week left before Thay speaks to UNESCO (Oct 7th, 2006), We can use all the help we can get to spread spread the word far and wide.  Lyrics to Tree MeditationNo Car Day petitionUBC GatewayA Lotus for You,Michael Nguyen

Another gift from the hidden mountains of Escondido, CA. This time we can enjoy a talk from Sister Chau Nghiem (Jewel) which she gave on the first full day of the POC Retreat.I was surprised by words of thanks I recieved this past weekend.  It gave me a warm feeling.  In the mist of our busy schedules we might forget to say a few words of gratitude which can make someone's day.  Lets try this one and remember to use it now and again.I know you are there and I am happyPlease enjoy our podcast!A Lotus for You,Michael Nguyen

A little treat for the e-community.  Laura Hunter, a regular at DP loves this song and I thought it would be a nice gift.  If you have attended a retreat hosted by the Plum Village Sangha then you should be familar with this song.  For those who haven't, I am sure you will enjoy this treat!You can order the full album "A Basket of Plums" from the UBC Gateway.A Lotus for You,Michael Nguyen

Did we keep you waiting?  Here is the 2nd installment of the Soul of Gratitude retreat: the practice of Touching the Earth. Brother Larry Ward gives the introduction, and he is joined in the readings by Brother Phap Khoi (right), Sister Chau Nghiem (Jewel) and Sister Susan. This show is hosted by Brother Phap Ho. Friend of DP, Michael Nguyen

It has only been a week since our first DPCast but it feels as though Deer Park has been apart of my life forever.  We have had some wonderful feedback from the e-community and we have read every word!  Thank you so much for such encouraging e-mails and comments.Not to keep you, our second DPCast is hosted by Sister Jewel.  This is the talk the Dharma Teacher Larry Ward offered on the third day of the retreat. I haven't listened to it yet, so lets breathe in together, breathe out together and enjoy this wonderful gift from the Hidden Mountains of Escondido, CA.Be sure to check the Deer Park website for more information about living in the present moment.Friend of DP,Michael Nguyen

Seven years ago the Deer Park Dharma Cast first started. Here is the initial episode, a hidden treasure brought to light again. This is our first attempt, please give us feedback so we can improve upon what we offer to you and the e-community. Brother Phap Luu chants the morning chant, and Brother Phap De (right) offers a guided meditation. In our first dpcast you'll find some chanting, sutra reading, etc...  just give it a go. To find out more information about Deer Park Monastery itself please visit the following link.  Deer Park Monastery Website For a pdf file of the sutra that is read on the dpcast you can download it by following this link.  Chanting P Download Friend of DP, Michael Nguyen