The Deer Park Dharmacast

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. 

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.