Marcie L.

Day of Mindfulness at Deer Park Monastery Today, I attended the Day of Mindfulness at Deer Park Monastery. Check-in was between 8 and 10 AM, with an optional 9 AM walking meditation that lasted an hour. It was a slow, silent walk with a beautiful view, but I had to skip it due to a tailbone injury and significant pain. At 10:15 AM, a Vietnamese speaker led a talk, but headphones were available with live English translation. This was followed by a guided meditation on cooking, which lasted an hour. Next, the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings were recited by two monks, taking turns reading them aloud. This portion also lasted an hour. Afterward, around 12pm, we had lunch, which was absolutely delicious. The complimentary vegetarian/vegan meal included a curry dish, chickpeas, white or brown rice, stir-fry, beet broth, and homegrown mandarin oranges. The first 20 minutes of lunch were observed in silence, followed by dishwashing. A monk kindly offered to wash mine, which I appreciated due to my germaphobia--the idea of putting my hands in multiple communal wash trays without gloves was overwhelming. After lunch, people were free to socialize or visit the monastery's bookstore. My Thoughts: Overall, this was a beautiful experience, and I would love to explore Buddhism further. I appreciate the philosophy and values, as they resonate with me more than many aspects of Christianity, which can sometimes feel judgmental. That said, as someone who is naturally energetic and struggles with being still, the overall pace and hours of quietness was difficult for me. It's definitely something I need to work on. Logistics & Sign-Up Info: The Day of Mindfulness happens every Sunday from 9 AM to 2 PM, though we finished around 1:15 PM. You can skip the walking meditation and arrive at 10 AM instead. Slots fill up quickly, so it's best to book at least two weeks in advance. Sign up here: https://deerparkmonastery.org/events/ Getting There: Google Maps will lead you to the entrance, but you'll need to drive another 3-5 minutes uphill to reach the parking lot. From there, it's a 5-7 minute walk up a paved hill to meet the group.

Gaby J.

I've been coming to deer park monastery on & off since 2016 and each visit has been so peaceful and welcoming. I love the fact that they offer a vegetarian meal at the end of their ceremony and their library offer a wide array of Thich Nhat Hanh novels & teachings. I usually donate between $10-$20 or more when I purchase from the bookstore, which I often do. If anyone is interested in deepening their mindfulness practice, I highly recommend the monastery. Although it is a 45 minute drive from central San Diego (the only reason I don't go here as often as I should), I truly appreciate how peaceful & beautiful this monastery is. Although this monastery is solely focused on the teachings of the buddha, it is open to the public, meaning anyone with an open mind is more than welcome. No religion affiliation is required (I've met many people of different religion affiliation in this monastery from christians to hindus to jews) but you must be respectful of the brothers/sisters who live here such as being on time (try to get here early especially for the lectures), dressing modestly and staying silent during meals. Parking: Gravel parking, please drive slowly & carefully Recommendations: Like a yoga class, please come here 10-15 minutes early as well as rsvp online for the day of mindfulness (the only time this monastery is open to the public) so the monks can have enough seats and food.

Teresa L.

Amazing. This place was lovely. The message is lovely. All welcome. You can feel the love.

Kim K.

I attended their day of gratitude, Thanksgiving Day 2022. Looking forward to many more years to come. You can being heirlooms and photos to honor your ancestors if you choose. The talk was by Thay Phap Dung- very relatable, almost unconventionally, which helps me appreciate the personality differences of monks while the messages still remain the same. uses such a great mix of humor and realistic frameworks! Sister Dang Nghiem also sat at the table I was seated during the dharma talk. I attended a day of mindfulness on What to do when a loved one dies earlier this year; where Sister D shared profound stories and insights, and the community supported me with the brightest light of wisdom and love. This wonderful place turns tides.

Joop V.

It's a new year and it's only appropriate that I write about Deer Park Monastery, a beautiful place affiliated with Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village and nestled in the mountains a lil north of San Diego that brought me so much peace, joy and happiness in a way I never knew was possible. I spent 2 weeks at a retreat at Deer Park and learned first hand how to practice mindfulness and learned valuable things such as how to focus on being in a present moment, how to contemplate about life and being and how to effectively nourish my mind and body. The days spent there had parts of the schedule that were structured (waking up at 5am for morning meditation sitting, exercise walking meditation, working meditation, deep relaxation, evening sitting and in bed by 9pm) but also allowed for free time for own exploration and activities (sunrise and sunset hiking, movies, reading, relaxing and gettogether with friends or even participation in day of mindfulness). It's hard to describe how much peace and joy I feel towards Deer Park unless you experience it yourself. And to be honest, I had not so much idea about Plum Village or Thich Nhat Hanh's style of practice before joining. The monastic and laypeople who form the Sangha communities are probably the most valuable resources/assets of this practice. They are kind, supportive, lighthearted and super peaceful people (also...being a lil superficial but blunt, observant me...I swear the nuns there look 10+ years younger than their actual ages!!..better than results from all the facial creams out there :)). It's amazing how much peace and happiness there is in a community that those people live in. I'm not a super spiritual or religious person and these past days in a retreat were probably the most spiritually intensive time I ever had in my life. What I love and appreciate most about this practice is that it is very practical, easy to understand...and is inclusive. It does not discriminate against other religions/backgrounds (many mindfulness practitioners there are not Buddhists..but from other religions such as Christians and Judaism...and even many of the monks/nuns there are westerners/non-Vietnamese). After the retreat, I felt my mind was much more focused, clearer and simply more peaceful. My body also loved the clean, homemade vegetarian food there (I ate sooo much there that I gained a few pounds...oops :P). It was such a good change to be away from the normal hectic, stressful life that I was so used to. Now that I had experienced a retreat firsthand, I made it part of my resolutions that I wanted to attend plum village retreats some time again in the future, be it back in any retreat centers in the U.S., Thailand...or hopefully one day in France. If you are looking for a retreat to nourish your soul or to help focus on practicing mindfulness, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out activities at Deer Park (or other plum village affiliations). It's by far the best investment in time that I made last year towards self improvement.

Desmond W.

This is where I discovered the beauty and power of a mindful Community (satsang sangha). If you're looking for a five star hotel retreat experience, you better look elsewhere, but you'll experience something here that's much better than you'll get at a five star spiritual retreat. At this picturesque and serene monastery, you'll consume delicious vegan/vegetarian meals, enhanced by the mindful energy of the resident monastics and long term guests who frequent this sacred space. You will also receive a skillful orientation about the art of mindful living and have plenty of opportunities to practice alone and with others, several times a day, while sitting and walking, joyfully, and attentively. Places like this are becoming more rare, as more forests get cut down to build new homes or space for new roads which creates more noise pollution and toxic air.Come and cherish this oasis from the madness of the nearby cities.

Alison L.

I came here with my cousin a couple weeks ago for a Day of Mindfulness. My cousin had been reading a lot of Thich Naht Hanh's books and wanted to visit the monastery. We were greeted with beautiful songs that literally brought me to tears. The lyrics were so sincere and it felt comforting to hear people from all walks of life singing together. We then went on a group walk. It found it to be difficult for me because I couldn't figure out how to pace my breathing and steps together. Afterward, we had a Dharma talk led by Sister Brightness. She was great and really explained things in a way that a Millenial (like myself) could understand. Sister Brightness should have a podcast or youtube series! After the Dharma talk, we had a nice vegan lunch in silence. The food was pretty good, not the best temple food I've had but MUCH BETTER than the food at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights. Sorry/ no offense to Hsi Lai.

Sanaz S.

I have known about this place for about a year, and have wanted to go. I did some research and found out there were weekend retreats. And all this time I have not yet been able to make it to one, but I was able to make it to the day retreat (which is open to the public on Sundays). You do need to check the calendar because it's not open to the public every Sunday as they have other events going on at the monastery. It was a wonderful experience, all of it! The meditation walk was so peaceful and so nice. Such a wonderful way to start the day. The dharma talk (which was in the ocean of peace meditation hall) was led by a monk that resides at the monastery. He was a very gentle soul and a very eloquent yet down to earth speaker. The lunch, which was all vegan (which is a perk for me since I am vegan), was delicious. I like that they asked for it to be eaten in silence, and I also like that we waited for everybody to get their food before we began eating. The relaxation in the meditation hall afterwards was so nice, I have decided in a perfect world that female monks will sing me monastic chants and lullabies after my lunch every day for the rest of my life. I kid..but one can dream! We stopped into the gift shop and bookstore and got some delicious vegan Popsicles and some souvenirs. I will definitely return, this is a beautiful place, and everybody was so kind and so humble. Truly felt like I got away from all of the chaos of daily life and found my centering again. What a gift. Thank you Deer Park monastery.

Alan T.

Though I don't label myself a Buddhist, I do accept many of its teachings :) I also generally enjoy being Buddhist establishments more so than I enjoy the other religious house of worships; synagogues, churches, etc. Last time I was here, I was still a fat kid... My friends wanted to do something outdoorsy, and so I suggested basking in the calmness of Buddhist people and the serenity of nature... of course I didn't use those exact words, but whatever I said was enough to convince them to go! We left a little before 6am to avoid the horrible morning traffic; had we left any later, I don't think any amount of meditation or meatless food would've made up for that traffic. The Buddhist establishments around here, (south OC) aren't really Buddhist, in my opinion... they tend to involve more superstition into their beliefs. Deer Park is different; they are extremely nice, for one, they have better food, they're establishment is within a very green and lush environment, and they don't pressure you to donate money. Anyway... check their website for days with events :) I'm not sure what they do on "non-event" days. Food is decent... I wanted to get more but I didn't want to take away any amount of food from these generally small framed Buddhists! I volunteered for washing dishes as a way of repaying them for the food; the dish washing was fun; I had this hose thing that shot water when you squeezed the trigger. :) p.s. Don't bring meat! That's just not cool! OK! No more Yelp! Good night!

KAY KAY L.

I just come back from my retreat from Friday 01-07-11 to Sunday 01-09-11. I meet 5 more new friends. Some have been there for 3 weeks plus and some will stay until 2-3 more months. I wish don't have to go back to work so I can stay there longer. One of my roommate Rita is a Judge and she came from CO. This is her 4th retreats and said she will come back more. She know of the place from reading one of Thay Thich Nhat Hanh's book. She is the one who share with me Thomas Merton's "They have not came to the monastry to escape from the realities of life but to find those realities..." so beautifully words. This monastry is so blissful and are sounded by so much trees, birds, plants and etc..... I will load more pictures tomorrow. I will come back for to stay more. I love everything about it. If you can't stay for the retreat, come for one of the Thursday or Sundday mindfulness day. Make sure to plan a whole day so you have time do the walking meditation and free vegan lunch (just make a donation for your food) and plan to walk about after lunch. If you like nature, clean air, and beautiful views, check it out.

Sophie L.

I attended their college student retreat one weekend last fall and had a truly amazing experience. I thought the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn and maintaining silence for over 12 hours was completely ridiculous but found the entire weekend to be meaningful and enlightening. We practiced sitting, walking, and eating meditation throughout the day and learned the philosophies and educations of Buddhism through Dharma talks and conversing with the friendly monastics. They were careful not to impose too many religious facets but rather allowed room for us to observe and experience a mindful, peaceful, and understanding lifestyle. I understood little about Buddhism and the philosophy of it before attending the retreat and came out learning and appreciating so much. I would love to attend another retreat.