The Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear friends,   This week, we continue the talk from last week to discuss some of life's important questions.  Sister Quynh Nghiem brings us two questions: Who is the most important person? And what is the most important thing to do? Then Brother Phap Ho continues by helping us answer for ourselves: Where are we going?  As with all the questions we pose, let us ask with genuine curiosity and loving kindness. May your answers illuminate your path.   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 at dpcastlove@gmail.com. Now, enjoy this moment to stop and look deeply

Dear friends,   Welcome the Deer Park Dharmacast. Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   We're happy to kick of our Summer Love Letters project with a love note from our listener, Liesa.  These are her words of love:   The sound of the bell and the sound of the monastics' voices on the Dharmacast remind me of the lotus garden at Solidity Hamlet. It reminds me of the solidity I feel at Deer Park, and how that solidity supports my practice.    If you would love to share a love note to the monastics of the Deer Park, you can reach us at our email or Facebook page.   This week's talk is given by Sister Quynh Nghiem at a recent retreat. She shares her own childhood experiences and observations of families around her. With mindfulness, she sees that true quality of life is not found through wealth or comfort but with time and peace of mind. She tells a story of a king who seeks answers to three questions, the first being, "What is the most important time?"  Tune in next week for the answers to the last two quest

Dear friends,   In the last talk of the recent Wake Up retreat for young people, Sister Thuan Nghiem enourages retreatants to invest in their spiritual wealth.  In our modern world, young people are prepared in school to seek career success and material wealth. Our sister invites retreatants to seek a balance between spiritual and material wealth.  From simply returning to our breath to taking the opportunity of the Five-Year program, there are many ways to start our spiritual future now.   Lastly, the Dharmacast team would like to invite you to participate in our new project,Summer Love Letters.  The monastics have dedicated their lives to sharing the Dharma with you and it nourishes their practice to hear how their dedication has touched your life.  If a sharing on the podcast has touched you deeply, please write a love letter, a love note, or even just a love sentence to the monastics at Deer Park.  Send it to the Dharmacast and throughout the summer, we hope to share your love letter on the air to nourish

Dear friends,   Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast - Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   Today we share the the last talk of the recent Wake Up retreat for young adults.  Sister Thuan Nghiem looks back on the retreat to find practices that retreatants can take home.  She shares that even strong spiritual inspiration and intention after retreat is impermanent and that we will need gentle mindfulness will keep us on the path.   Lastly, the Dharmacast team would like to invite you to participate in our new project,Summer Love Letters.  The monastics have dedicated their lives to sharing the Dharma with you and it nourishes their practice to hear how their dedication has touched your life.  If a sharing on the podcast has touched you deeply, please write a love letter, a love note, or even just a love sentence to the monastics at Deer Park.  Send it to the Dharmacast and throughout the summer, we hope to share your love letter on the air to nourish the monastics at Deer Park and inspire other listeners in

Dear friends,   Today, we share with you a small taste of retreat at Deer Park Monastery.  Sister Man Nghiem and Brother Phap Hai give a short introduction to life at the monastery for new retreatants. She shares about connecting with others while sharing rooms and connecting with ourselves during the practice of Noble Silence.  And our brother gives guidance to help us feel comfortable and relaxed during sitting meditation.   Registration is now open for this year's general retreat at Deer Park Monastery. Whether you have never been on retreat or been on many, the monastics and lay friends welcome you to take refuge at the practice center.  The retreat will be from September 10th to 14th with the theme, "I have enough".  More information can be found at deerparkmonastery.org.   Lastly, the Dharmacast team would like to invite you to participate in our new project, Summer Love Letters.  The monastics have dedicated their lives to sharing the Dharma with you and it nourishes their practice to hear how their de

Dear friends,   Today we share the second half of a talk given by Brother Man Tue before the Five Mindfulness Trainings ceremony at Deer Park.  Our brother focuses on how our senses play an integral role in the Fourth and Fifth Mindfulness Trainings.  He encourages us to place our mindfulness between our senses and ourselves, as a way to protect us from fear, craving and anger.  May you walk your path this week protected and free.   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 share the dharma talk given by Brother Man Tue at Deer Park Monastery two weeks ago.  He shares his experience of finding joy in mindfulness as a way to take refuge. When world events or events at home cause us suffering, we can nourish our own joy as a way to promote peace in the people around us and in the world.   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,   This week, we continue to share insights from nuns that have recently received the Dharma Lamp at Deer Park Monastery. We have included Brother Phap Hai's introduction to the tradition of receiving the Dharma Lamp for those that did not hear it from the earlier podcast.  Enjoy our sister's sharing of her experience from first wanting to become a nun to becoming part of the Plum Village monastic family. We are happy to have you as part of the Dharmacast family and the greater Plum Village family.   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,   In today's podcast, we have the unique opportunity to share in the transmission of the dharma lamp to the nuns of the Plum Village Tradition. First, Brother Phap Hai shares with us the meaning and roots of the ceremony.  Then, Sister Adornment with Tranquility (Thien Nghiem) from Blue Cliff Monastery and and Sister Andornment with Beauty (Cam Nghiem) from Magnolia Grove Monastery share their first insights with us.   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 offer another sharing from the Earth Holding Theme Weekend at Deer Park Monastery.  Brother Phap Ho and Order of Interbeing members, Nomi Green and Heather Mann share their experience walking the path of supporting our planet during increasing climate change. When Right Action is not clear to us, we can always stop, breathe, and return to ourselves to see the way forward.   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 share the talk given by Sister Trung Chinh on Vesak Day, the day of the Buddha's birth. In sharing about the baby Buddha's birth in India and a baby girl's birth in Vietnam, our sister gives insight into the significance of all moments.   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 share a talk given by Sister Tinh Nghiem and translated by Sister Mat Nghiem.  Our sister shares the Dharma through two stories, both about the dynamics of relationships.  Her stories help us understand that we must be mindful of how we care for our loved ones and be open to the way that they care for us.   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.   This week we offer a sharing by two lay friends and Order of Interbeing members, Heather Mann and Nomi Green.  As part of the Earth Holding theme weekend, they shared experiences from their lives as practitioners.  One story is set on the high seas and another on a windowsill at home.  Both bring us back to the inescapable truth of our connection with all beings on our Mother Earth.   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 continue with the second half of a talk from guest speaker Michael Ciborski.  He shares his experiences living as monk at Plum Village and afterwards as a lay practitioner to the concept of the mind as a garden. Michael stresses the importance of tending our garden, to embrace and calm the emotions that arise in us. Without careful tending, our unwholesome seeds become tangled thickets and the stories they weave compelling.  But like a mother to a small child, we can hold the feeling close and whisper, "This is not storytime" and hold them instead.   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 are lucky to share a talk from a special, guest speaker at Deer Park, Michael Ciborski.  Michael lived as a monk at Plum Village for seven years and is now is a lay practitioner with a mindfulness center, called Morning Sun, in New Hampshire. Michael suggests that rather than have life happen *to* us, we can fully participate in our lives by coming home through the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. This teaching of the Buddha, as explained by our brother, becomes a clear path to a place of mindful refuge.    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, in celebration of Earth Day, we joyfully share with you a talk given by Brother Phap Ho at the recent Earth Holding Theme Weekend at Deer Park Monastery.  Our brother gently invites us to look at our world with open eyes.  We can shed the definition of ourselves given to us by modern media to see that we are not separate from the trees, the rocks and other humans.  We have the potential to wake up to our true boddhisattva nature to protect the Earth and nurture the boddhisattva in others. Let us breathe this air and walk on this land with gratitude.   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.

Welcome to the Deer Park Dharmacast -- Dharma Flowing from the Ocean of Peace.   This week we are lucky to share a talk given by Brother Phap Hoi and translated by Sister Khanh Nghiem.  Our brother poses an important question to us, "What is the essence of your spiritual practice?"  He gives examples of Vietnamese traditions that, over the course of time, have lost the beauty and essence of their original intent.  If we are not mindful, we can get caught up in the form and appearance of our spiritual practice and forget the essence that lies beneath.  Brother Phap Hoi reminds us that just because we are there at the monastery does not mean that we have ever truly set foot in a monastery.  Let us let go of our ideas about our practice, and just practice.   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 share a talk given by Sister Hang Nghiem and translated by Sister Man Nghiem.  In this light-hearted talk, our sister tells us three fairy tales about nature and animals.  Children aren't the only ones who can benefit from stories.  Stories can touch our hearts and open new doors to our practice.     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 share a dharma talk given by Brother Phap Nha at Deer Park and translated by Sister Quynh Nghiem. He shares about the steps of the Noble Eightfold Path; how they naturally flow in an order and also how they're all interconnected.  Then, he reminds us that each step on the path, even mindfulness, is impermanent.  We need to know how to nourish ourselves and others to come back to our spiritual path and the present moment.   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, our podcast begins with the sisters of Deer Park Monastery offering a song in Vietnamese.  Then, Sister Mat Nghiem shares the tools we have from the Plum Village practice to take care of our health - physically, mentally, and spiritually.   We are so grateful to have the nuns as part of our four-fold sangha at Deer Park.  Thanks to your contributions, construction began in late February for new solar and straw bale buildings for the nuns and our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh.  To see photo updates and to spread the word about ongoing fundraising, go to www.deerparknunnery.org.   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.