The Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear friends,   Today we share a talk given by Brother Phap Ho on the first day of this new year. The theme of the talk is virtue, which our brother frames as "the act of living up to one's potential." He shares specifically on The Three Virtues: cutting through afflictions, love, and insight. May you be inspired to cultivate these virtues in 2015 and reach your true potential.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. 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 share with you a dharma talk given by Brother Phap Hai at the end of 2014. He shares with us the sutra, The Fruits of the Contemplative Life. Our brother encourages us to pause and consider the nature of our own contemplative life. There is Dharma to experience in every moment and a unique path of practice for every practitioner.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.    **We are trying different options: posting podcasts on Saturday and also posting the whole one-hour podcast rather than 30 minute parts.  What do you think?**

Dear friends,   Today, we continue Sister Mai Nghiem's talk on our inner hungry ghost. Our sister shares on the beauty of taking refuge and accepting things as they are: our community before it is perfect, the Buddha in us with the hungry ghost in us, the lotus and the mud.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,   Today, we offer dharma jewels from another sister new to Deer Park, Sister Mai Nghiem.  Our sister introduces us to our "hungry ghost," which is the energy of craving in us. By understanding the suffering of our hungry ghost, we can take better care of the here and now.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net, on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply. 

Dear friends,   This week we continue Sister Jina's first talk at Deer Park. She reminds us of the basics of our practice and how we can be present for ourselves and others. At a time when we may be traveling home or hosting friends and family, let us offer them the gift of our presence. May you and your family have a wonderful and nourishing holidays.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net and on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   We're happy to introduce a new member of the four-fold sangha at Deer Park Monastery on the podcast this week, Sister Dieu Nghiem, also known as Sister Jina. She gives this talk just before Thanksgiving and leads a guided meditation on awareness and gratefulness of the cells in our body. Joining her in mindfulness, we can remember that one breath is enough to bring us back to our true home.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast at dpcast.net and on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   By request of a fellow Dharmacast listener, this week, we offer a talk by Venerable Thich Phuoc Tinh given at the beginning of the Winter Retreat. In his signature energetic and fast-paced style, the Venerable reminds us that every moment in meditation is a moment in the presence of Thay and the Buddha. That Buddhism is not a philosophy to be intellectually debated, but rather a very clear and simple practice.    The Dharmacast team loves to hear from our listeners. If you have feedback on past podcasts or requests for upcoming podcasts, let us know by email. But for now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   We hope that your holiday has been restful and nourishing. Have you had a chance to stop and return to your breath? This week we invite you to join Brother Phap Ho in a session of guided sitting and movement meditation. Our brother gently reminds us that every moment is an opportunity to quiet our thinking and experience our breath in the body.   With Thay peacefully healing in the hospital, we have the chance to support his continuation through the building of the Deer Park Nunnery. The four-fold sangha continues to raise funds to build environmentally sustainable straw bale housing for the sisters and a hut for Thay. See deerparknunnery.org for updates on the construction and how to donate. Most recent updates on Thay's health can be found at plumvillage.org.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look de

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   This week, we present insight from our monastic brothers and sisters at Deer Park Monastery on the art of suffering.  During a question and answer session, retreatants ask how to best practice with suffering in our families and at work. When difficulties manifest in the world around us, we can remember to take refuge in the Dharma, the sangha, and the Buddha nature in ourselves and others.   With our teacher still recovering in the hospital, we have the opportunity to deeply practice his teachings. The most recent official announcements on Thay's health can be found at plumvillage.org.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   Earlier this week, the worldwide sangha was informed that Thay is in the hospital. The monastic community has asked lay friends around the world to practice mindfulness, stability and peace to support our beloved teacher, remembering that we are all cells of the great sangha body that Thay has manifested in his lifetime. More information can be found via official announcements at plumvillage.org.   For the podcast today, we bring you a rich sharing from our monastics during a question and answer session at this year's General Retreat at Deer Park Monastery. A retreatant asks how to work with and transform strong sexual cravings. The monastics respond insightfully on how to practice, look deeply, and see clearly into the nature of sexual energy. With mindfulness and equanimity, everything is possible.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharin

Dear friends,   To continue last week's sharing on Beginning Anew, today we offer a sharing by two lay friends and long-time practitioners.  As life partners, they share their experience with Beginning Anew and demonstrate how they practice it. We hope this wonderful gift from them encourages you to try it with your loved ones, your sangha, and yourself.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   Today we bring to you a presentation by Brother Phap De on Beginning Anew, a practice taught by Thay to heal and make fresh our relationships with others. Our brother shares the separate steps of Beginning Anew along with his understanding of the practice in light of his Christian roots.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. 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 second half of Brother Phap Hai's dharma talk from this year's General Retreat.  He shares that despite a recent study showing that most people do not want to sit alone with their thoughts, as practitioners, we sit and look deeply into our thoughts quite frequently. Rather than choosing to react, we can choose this moment to see what this person, or this situation, is teaching us. Rather than trying to transcend, we can choose to accept and transform.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. 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 first half of the dharma talk given by Brother Phap Hai at this years General Retreat.  Our brother invites us to return to ourselves to truly experience the Dharma in the present moment. And in light of the recent ice bucket challenge trend, Brother Phap Hai takes it a step further and invites us to ask the hard questions: What is the work that we're here to do? And why aren't we doing it?   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. 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 continue to share Sister Kinh Nghiem's talk from the recent General Retreat at Deer Park Monastery.  Our sister begins with a favorite song of hers, called Cookie of Childhood.  Then, she shares with us stories from her monastic life that illustrate the joy of letting go, the happiness of living mindfully, and the importance of impermanence.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. 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 past Sunday at Deer Park Monastery, the annual general retreat closed with a lovely talk by Sister Kinh Nghiem.  She shares about the Four Immeasurable Minds, also known as the four elements of true love.  Then, she clearly connects them to the Four Mantras.  May this talk help you practice and cultivate true love in your life.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. 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 offer you a series of questions asked by lay friends at the recent People of Color Retreat at Deer Park Monastery. Our monastic brothers and sisters give guidance on how we can speak our truths from a place of compassion and authenticity.  And then, our sister shares on how the light of mindfulness can transform violence into a lotus of awakening.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends,   At the end of each retreat, lay friends are given the opportunity to ask questions from their heart to a panel of Deer Park monks and nuns. As the brothers and sisters answer the three questions presented today, we can learn from their way of living. From suffering to mindful consumption to even bacon cravings, we find that the monastics are more like us lay practitioners than we may have thought.    Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.  

Dear friends, Today, we share a talk given by Brother Phap Tuyen and lovingly translated by Sister Tinh Nguyen. Our brother shares on the changing nature of our relationships with our fathers, from birth to adulthood. Whether our fathers are still with us or have passed on, let us reflect on what they have given us and what we, in turn, can continue to give to them.   Remember, you can always find the Deer Park Dharmacast on Facebook, iTunes, and Twitter. We welcome dharma sharings from our worldwide listeners on any of our online homes or by email. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply.

Dear friends, Today, we share with you the first talk from this year's People of Color Retreat. Sister Chau Nghiem shares the significance of People of Color retreats at Deer Park and the Plum Village tradition. She draws parallels between retreats and the Muslim month of Ramadan. When we go without, we are able to go more deeply within. Then, with Right Effort we can recognize and select which seeds to water in our consciousness.    We're happy to have another summer love letter to share from a listener in our Dharmacast family:   Thank you for the Deer Park Dharmacasts. They are a precious gift and have helped me so much to cultivate mindfulness and take care of my suffering.    I listen to them repeatedly and each time, I hear something new and learn something new. that's so nice. Examples are Thay Phap Hai's "Back to Basics" (part 1) and "Infusing our Practice with Bodhichitta"; I hear them "new" no matter how many times I listen, which is very often.    with love and ongoing awakening,   Alice NYC   Re