Deer Park Monastery

Deer Park Monastery

Introduction

Deer Park Monastery belongs to the broader Plum Village community of practice centers for Mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism, founded by Thich Nhat Hanh. Deer Park occupies 400 acres of land in Southern California’s Chaparral Mountains. They define themselves as a mindfulness practice center as well as a monastic training center for those choosing ordainment into monastic life.

Founder

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Thich Nhat Hanh, known as “Thay” to his students, was born in Vietnam in 1926. He ordained as a monk in the Rinzai Zen tradition when he was sixteen. In 1966 Thay’s master, Chan That, performed the Lamp Transmission which formally established Thay as a 42nd generation Dharma teacher in the Rinzai tradition. Thay is a world-renowned Zen Master, peace activist, poet, and author of over 100 publications. His teachings on mindfulness share a path to happiness and peace, both on the individual and collective scales.

Thay responded to the war in Vietnam by founding the Engaged Buddhism tradition. Engaged Buddhism calls for compassionate action to address the world’s suffering while still maintaining one’s Buddhist practice (rather than passively accepting the world’s sufferings from afar). Engaged Buddhism brought Thay to the US to work for peace with other leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the war. This practice remains a core element to his teachings.

Since Thay’s advocacy for peace did not exclusively prioritize Vietnamese victory, he was exiled from his home for 39 years. In this time, he founded Plum Village in France, which became a host for retreats, mindfulness practitioners, monastics, and visitors seeking to learn “the art of mindful living.” Deer Park became one of Plum Village’s North American practice centers, founded in July 2000.

Views / Teachings

Deer Park’s central views come directly from Thay’s teachings, which are deeply informed by his traditions of Rinzai Zen and Engaged Buddhism. As Zen belongs to the Mahayana tradition, Deer Park’s monastic community cultivates the Bodhisattva precepts and vows. Also reflective of Zen, Thay’s teachings tend to foster the generation of direct experiences rather than requiring rigorous intellectual exertion.

The traditional Buddhist teachings commonly referenced by Thay include the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Heart Sutra, among many other sutras he has written discourses on. Thay often teaches his Rinzai Zen wisdom in a way that becomes universal and accessible to non-Buddhists, returning to the shared experiences of existence. He notes the suffering that comes from a discriminating mind and the clinging to views, so his official positions on central issues in Buddhism may seem elusive. However, the focus and content of his teachings suggest he regards the cultivation of mindfulness, compassion, and peace (in oneself and the world) as the most fundamental priorities for Buddhist practice.

Accordingly, at the forefront of his teachings are interbeing, mindfulness, and compassionate action, each of which are interrelated. The teachings inform the Sangha’s practices, just as the practices apply the teachings.

Interbeing:

Thay’s teaching of interbeing, crucial to the Deer Park sangha, resonates with the traditional Buddhist concept of dependent arising. Interbeing suggests that no phenomenon can exist separate from anything else. A person cannot be alone, Thay explains, because they always interbe with their ancestors, their food, water, the sun, the trees, and all the things that make their life and survival possible. Phenomena depend on each other for existence and cannot come to be independently. Recognizing the five aggregates to be empty of intrinsic existence, one perceives interbeing and can extinguish wrong perceptions, leading to nirvana. This is the essence of Thay’s translation of the Heart Sutra.

To understand the nature of interbeing, Thay instructs looking deeply and applying mindfulness to phenomena experienced. From this emerges the understanding of interbeing which, in its most fundamental sense, removes the notions of separateness and total independence. As one example, the experience of vision requires the interbeing of eyes, neurons, oxygen, blood, and other bodily elements which too must interbe with one’s ancestors and the environment. The deeper one looks, the more they recognize the web of interbeing connecting everything. Great love and compassion can arise from this understanding. From understanding interbeing, one also recognizes that “to take care of yourself is to take care of the whole sangha,” as Thay teaches.

Mindfulness and Compassionate Action

Deer Park defines mindfulness as “the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment” and “the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment.” Notably, this definition suggests that mindfulness practice is not limited to formal meditation, but rather is something that can be practiced in any moment regardless of what one is doing. They teach that mindfulness improves the harmony between the mind and body.

Deer Park teaches two fundamental branches of Mindfulness trainings. The first branch is known as The Five Mindfulness Trainings. Essentially, this set of teachings offers ethical behavioral guidelines which are intended to guide one’s inner processes (mind, consciousness, volition) as well. These trainings include Reverence for Life, True Happiness, True Love, Loving Speech and Deep Listening, and Nourishment and Healing. Fulfilling The Five Mindfulness Trainings brings one into greater alignment with the Bodhisattva path.

The second branch of mindfulness trainings for Deer Park is known as The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, which the Deer Park sangha regards as instrumental for developing peace and freeing oneself from the belief in a separate self. These teachings are rooted in compassion, non-attachment, and interbeing. Each of the fourteen are outlined below.

  1. The first mindfulness training is Openness. This teaching calls for one to cultivate an openness to all experiences and examine them through the insight of interbeing. Fanaticism and intolerance are discouraged, as they both stem from the misperception of duality which actively pushes away some aspect of reality. Ultimately, Zen Buddhism teaches that reality is nondual, leaving nothing separate from another.
  2. The second mindfulness training is Non-Attachment to Views. This training builds on the Second Noble Truth and emphasizes the importance of not clinging to any view, even Buddhist views. Deer Park teaches that letting go of notions is more healing than collecting knowledge. Non-attachment to views allows one to listen deeply and be open to receiving clearer understanding,
  3. The third mindfulness training is Freedom of Thought. This essentially teaches to respect the right of others to have sovereignty to their own minds and lives. One should not subject others to their views. However, one can still help others gain understanding and peace without necessarily imposing their beliefs on the other person.
  4. The fourth mindfulness training is Awareness of Suffering. This teaching applies mindfulness to the First Noble Truth. Deer Park teaches that looking deeply into one’s own suffering offers an opportunity to transform it towards greater peace and compassion. The Sangha is taught to seek opportunities for sharing the peace and wisdom they discover internally so that they may reduce the suffering of the world.
  5. The fifth mindfulness training is Compassionate, Healthy Living, which affirms the values of the Sangha. This teaching shares that one should not strive with selfish motives rooted in material gain, as this neglects compassion and will only reinforce suffering from attachment. One is to avoid harmful consumption, and one should consume foods and media that will support the body and mind’s health.
  6. The sixth mindfulness training is Taking Care of Anger. A central teaching from Thich Nhat Hanh, this training instructs one to tend mindfully to their anger with care. One should not act or speak in a state of anger, but rather nurture their unsettled feeling until peace is restored. Then, one can act in a way that is not destructive or rooted in misunderstanding. This teaching is strengthened by the teaching of impermanence, which allows one to contemplate the nature of their interactions and relationships with a more compassionate lens. By taking care of one’s anger, one’s level of peace, love, joy, and understanding can grow steadier in them and the people around them.
  7. The seventh mindfulness training is Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment. This essentially teaches that this moment, right now, is the only moment where life exists. To bring presence to this moment through mindfulness allows one to be in touch with what is. Healing elements are available to us when we return to the present moment. Attending to the present gives rise to (and plants future seeds for) joy, happiness, peace, and freedom from rumination and worries. It is helpful if one remembers that the present moment is sufficient for happiness. Many of the Sangha’s practices stem from this teaching.
  8. The eighth mindfulness training is True Community & Communication, which teaches how to foster a community with solidarity and love. Communicating with compassion, listening with presence, practicing non-judgement, and honest self-reflection amid conflicts are central to this teaching. Through the fulfillment of these virtues, true community can form.
  9. The ninth mindfulness training, which builds on the previous, is Truthful and Loving Speech. This resembles the Eightfold Path’s ‘Right Speech,’ teaching the significance of the words the Sangha members speak. Words carry the capacity to either alleviate or create suffering. One must not speak of other’s faults when they are not present or indulge in speculative gossiping, as these actions fail to relieve suffering. Deer Park also affirms the importance of having the difficult conversations regarding the injustices and pains in the world, despite worldly repercussions that may come from this. Compassion must remain at the forefront.
  10. The tenth mindfulness training is Protecting and Nourishing the Sangha. This teaches the sangha to commit to transcending motives from a separate self, and instead recognize the oneness they all share as members of the same whole. Deer Park teaches this training with the metaphor of cells in a body; each Sangha member is a cell in the body of the Buddha. As a cell, there is no notion of a separate self. They are taught to cultivate insight, compassion, and mindfulness, and to apply these qualities to the community (the sangha and the world community, which is also not separate from them).
    Recognizing interconnectedness, one becomes compelled to work to heal situations causing suffering, as the suffering exists within another part of the shared body. It is not “someone else’s” suffering. Skillful protection and nourishing of the Sangha (and the broader world community) should not reinforce polarization during conflict by taking one side to the exclusion of another, although accountability for oppressors and advocacy for the oppressed remains prioritized. Compassion is not lost towards any “side” in the process. This training corresponds to the teaching and practice of Engaged Buddhism. Like Taking Care of Anger, one directs mindfulness towards suffering instead of turning away from it, cultivates compassion, and acts on that compassion (in this case, in the world).
  11. The eleventh mindfulness training is Right Livelihood which also comes directly from the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. Deer Park teaches Right Livelihood to mean living in a way that is beneficial, not destructive, to other beings and the planet. This includes one’s work life in addition to conscious consumerism. One should not purchase from companies whose work harms the planet or exploits other people.
  12. The twelfth mindfulness training is Reverence for Life, which repeats a mindfulness training from the previous list yet has a different focus. Instead of serving as an ethical guideline for the individual, this context offers the training as a teaching for actively striving for peace on the global, national, and local levels. The sangha is taught to proactively examine the conditions of the world and cultivate insight for how they may seek to promote peace in situations afflicted by violence.
  13. The thirteenth mindfulness training is Generosity. This training teaches the cultivation of selfless compassion, and it encourages sangha members to practice generosity with their actions, thoughts, and words. With this cultivation, one is to reflect on the suffering that selfish actions create, including the suffering caused by social injustice, oppression, disproportionate distribution of resources, and stealing.
  14. The fourteenth and final foundational mindfulness training is Right Conduct, once again applying mindfulness to the Noble Eightfold Path. Deer Park teaches this as essentially a code of conduct for intimate relationships. One should act with love and mutual understanding, rather than having one’s actions motivated by desire.

Additional resources for learning about the views & teachings of Deer Park:

Thay’s many discourses on various Sutras further expound upon the views guiding Deer Park, which can be found at this link: https://plumvillage.org/category/sutra/ .

Additionally, his abundance of Dharma Talk teachings can be found in transcription form at the following link: https://plumvillage.org/category/transcriptions/ .

Plum Village also provides over eighty different Dharma Talk recordings from Thay on their YouTube page, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaX_vxbhs8fjxGlHujazfWN1zyT3TWUrR .

These resources offer a versatile and rich collection of Thay’s teachings which are followed by Deer Park.

Practices

Deer Park has formal meditation practice, but it also treats itself as a space where their community can engage (and learn to engage) with the normal tasks of life with mindfulness. The presence of the sangha strengthens this practice. Although their practices are innumerable in the applications of insight and the different ways that they cultivate mindfulness, the most foundational ones are outlined below. These core practices are known as “Mindfulness in Daily Life.” The common threads among these are the application of mindful awareness, conscious and compassionate community engagement, and nurturing one’s own peace (in various contexts). These practices include:

  • Living Together (an intentional practice to mindfully cultivate peace, harmony, care, and skillful communication in the sangha)
  • Bell of Mindfulness
  • Breathing meditation
  • Waking up (setting the intention of mindfulness, joy, and compassion for one’s day)
  • Sitting meditation
  • Kinh Hanh (walking meditation)
  • Eating Together (serving and eating mindfully in silence, with gratitude and the recognition of interbeing)
  • Resting
  • The Body of Practice (a daily practice of taking care of the physical body; includes Deep Relaxation and 10 Mindful Movements)
  • Dharma Sharing (communal sharing of one another’s experiences practicing the Dharma)
  • Working Meditation
  • The Kitchen
  • Noble Silence
  • Solitude
  • Touching the Earth
  • Gatha Poems
  • Beginning Anew (biweekly introspection as a community to heal any tensions that may have formed in relationships, as well as acknowledging positive traits in one another)
  • Hugging Meditation
  • Lazy Day
  • Listening to a Dharma Talk
  • Tea Meditation
  • Taking Refuge (in the Three Jewels)
  • Sangha Body (recognizing interconnectedness, and practicing together)
  • Taking Care of Anger
  • Going Home

More detail about each of these practices can be found at the following link: https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/be-mindful-in-daily-life

Constituency and Community

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Deer Park is one practice center of the interconnected and broader Plum Village community, which has nine centers total (located in the US, France, Germany, Australia, Thailand, and Hong Kong). The international sangha community is connected through the shared guidance from Thay and his disciples.

Deer Park is highly inclusive and embraces diversity, making their overall demographic composition diverse. They express invitation to all people regardless of age, background, or faith to be with their community. Their four-fold sangha includes two groups: the Solidity Hamlet (monks and laymen) and the Clarity Hamlet (nuns and laywomen).

Additionally, non-Buddhist visitors often come to practice mindfulness on retreats at the various Plum Village practice centers including Deer Park. Specialized retreats to help different groups of people have been offered through Deer Park’s twenty years, offering sanctuary to a diverse range of people looking to practice mindfulness.

Sources

Review by Avery Willner