The Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear Friends, Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast - Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace. Today, we bring you Thich Nhat Hanh's new translation of the Heart Sutra as chanted by monastics at Deer Park Monastery. To read about the Heart Sutra and Thich Nhat Hanh's reasons for the new translation, head to the article at plumvillage.org.  May this new translation bring us closer to clear understanding and may everything be illuminated. Now,  enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace. Before the talks of the Miracle of Mindfulness Tour, the monastics offered chanting in both English and Vietnamese. Today, we offer those to you. May they fill your heart with joy and peace. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends,   Today we offer a deep sharing from Brother Phap Ho as he sits with a flowing creek under swaying bamboo at Deer Park Monastery.    The Earth Holder Sangha has been forming in North America in 2015 and is sprouting in other parts of the world. This is an outgrowth of the Earth Holding Here and Now Blog and the Theme Weekend on Earth Holding at Deer Park in 2013. We are thrilled to announce that Deer Park will host the first Earth Holder Retreat: For a Future to Be Possible, April 28 - May 1, 2016.    Our brother invites us to awaken the Earth Holderbodhisattvas in our hearts -- seeing our connection with nature and the path of our planet with love and peace. Breathing joyfully with our surroundings, we can see truth more clearly.   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends,   In the last podcast of the series on Full Awareness of Breathing, Brother Phap Dang shares the final three exercises.  Our brother gently walks us into the deep teachings of non-self, non-duality, and letting go. We hope you have benefited greatly from the monastics that shared during the Miracle of Mindfulness Tour.   Now enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   This week we share the continuation of Brother Phap Dang's sharing on the thirteenth exercise of Full Awareness of Breathing.  From his personal experiences with impermanence, our brother shows us clearly the value of letting go of our ideas and perceptions.  May this sharing move us to recognize our clinging and suffering.    Now enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends, This week we continue our series on Full Awareness of Breathing with Brother Phap Dang's final talk of the Miracle of Mindfulness Tour.  Before delving into the last four exercises, he shares on both the deception of our perceptions and the bright light of insight. May this sharing lead you to the path of clarity.   Now enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.  

Dear friends,   Today we continue Sister Tue Nghiem's talk on the mind and the exercises of Full Awareness of Breathing. She shares the next four exercises and the benefits of being aware of our mental formations.  May this dharma rain water the seeds of confidence, strength and liberation for you and all those around you.   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   Today we continue to share talks from the Miracle of Mindfulness Tour.  Sister Tue Nghiem shares the Buddhist framework of the mind and mental formations. She invites to let go of our rigid perceptions of truth and embrace the mantra given to us by Thay, "Are you sure?"   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends,   Today, we continue Brother Phap Khoi's talk from the Miracle of Mindfulness Tour.  He shares the seventh and eighth exercises from the Full Awareness of Breathing: awareness of mental formations and calming our mental formations. In addition, our brother speaks about practicing in sanghas and how we can foster harmony.   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear Friends,   Continuing our sharing from the Miracle of Mindfulness Tour, today's dharmacast is from Brother Phap Khoi. Our brother shares the fifth and sixth exercises of Full Awareness of Breathing: cultivating joy and cultivating happiness. May this Dharma taught by the Buddha and our teacher, Thay, water the beautiful flowers in your heart.     Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,  This week we continue with Sister Dang Nghiem's sharing on the first four exercises in the Buddha's teaching on mindful breathing. Dwelling in the body grounds us. With our breath, solid concentration and kind relaxation, we can begin to walk towards freedom and begin deep healing.   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,  This week we share with you the first part of Sister Dang Nghiem's talk from the Miracle of Mindfulness retreat. For the children, our sister gives a teaching on patterns in nature and in our families. Then with the adults, she illuminates the ordinary nature of mindfulness in our everyday lives. The interbeing of all things comes to light as she prepares to discuss the Buddha's teaching on awareness of breath. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,      This week we continue the orientation sharing at the recent retreat. Sister Tang Nghiem tells the story of the Buddha's first teaching with children when they named the Path of Awareness. The way we enjoy our breath, our silence, our steps and our sitting meditation are all steps on the path. May you find peace and many friends along the way.    Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.   

Dear friends,    This week we share with you the first half of the retreat orientation with Brother Pháp Trạc. He invites us to listen to the bell, let go of our worries and eat with mindfulness. Whether you were at the retreat or were halfway around the world, allow yourself to begin your own retreat, wherever you are.    Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast. Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace.    Over the past week, Deer Park Monastery welcomed lay friends to the Miracle of Mindfulness tour retreat. This year, the title of the retreat was, Breathe, It'll Be Okay. For this week's podcast, we offer the opening chant by the monastic brothers and sisters.  May your heart open as they invoke the name of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisatva of great compassion,    Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,   Today we share the the end of a question and response session a the recent Teen Retreat at Deer Park Monastery. The discussion between retreatants and monastics touches on the notions of activism, ultimate truth and interbeing. When we ask with open hearts and listen with a beginner's mind, we can better understand the nature of our ideas and concepts.   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   This week we bring you the second in a series of questions and responses during the Teen Retreat at Deer Park Monastery. Participants offer their concerns to the monks and nuns about how to practice outside the monastery, how to forgive, and how to center our youth in mindfulness. By practicing deep listening, may the questions and responses be illuminating for our own practice.   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 offer the first in a series of questions and responses during the Teen Retreat at Deer Park Monastery.  Retreatants ask a panel of monastics about Thay's health, how to handle ancestral pain, and how best to support our future generations.  May the spirit of these questions stir compassion and insight in your own heart.   Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.  

Dear friends, Today we continue a talk given by Sister Hang Nghiem. She offers The Four Diligences as a way to practice taking care of the seeds in garden of our mind. So often we are concerned with the seeds and gardens of others; our sister reminds us to take time to recognize and tend to our own seeds.    Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,   Today we share a talk given by Sister Hang Nghiem. She offers practical advice on how to practice -- by closing our eyes a little bit. In a literal sense, when we can do this during sitting meditation and when we have difficult emotions, but also figuratively when we are going about our daily lives. May we recognize our limits and take good care of ourselves.    Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.