Podcast appearances and mentions of magnolia grove monastery

Sister Phu Nghiem is one of three nuns in her immediate blood family and is passionate about bringing mindfulness to children. "So I focus a lot more on my steps. On how I choose the food when I come to a meal. I learn to enjoy the meal and enjoy my siblings. And that has supported me a whole lot now that I'm here at Deer Park. I'm learning how to do that. And I notice my relationship with my sibling is more honest. But I think the most important thing is that my relationship with myself is a lot more honest. So that made me very happy." 2:07  - Introduction to Spiritual Life 7:49 - Professional Life and Decision to Become a Nun 14:15 - Starting Magnolia Grove 18:46 - Stress and Working Mindfully 26:13 - Mother's Ordination 31:01 - Practicing with the name "Gift from Heaven" 34:47 - Advice for Those Considering Monastic Life You can support this podcast by leaving a comment or review in your podcast application and by sharing it with friends. Financial support can be offered through the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. Brother Minh An introduces an episode of Meet the Monastics featuring Sister Phu Nghiem, who shares her journey to monastic life and reflections on mindfulness practice. Born in central Vietnam in 1981, Sister Phu Nghiem emigrated to the U.S. at age 10, eventually pursuing interior design before feeling called to the monastic path. Influenced by her family's Buddhist roots and her sister's earlier ordination, she found deeper meaning through the Plum Village tradition. Her initial experiences at the Green Mountain Dharma Center awakened a sense of alignment with the practice, leading her to ordain in 2008. Sister Phu Nghiem reflects on her challenges and growth within the monastic community, including starting Magnolia Grove Monastery and balancing responsibilities with self-care. She emphasizes the importance of mindfulness in cultivating a rhythm of life that fosters well-being and honest relationships. As she now supports her aging mother, also a nun, she views this as a unique chapter of learning and joy, blending her spiritual and familial roles. She concludes by describing monastic life as a “luxury lifestyle,” offering a rich, disciplined, and beautiful way of living for those committed to the practice. Encouraging listeners to consider the monastic path, Sister Phu Nghiem shares how the teachings and precepts have deepened her relationships and transformed her life.

Sister Boi Nghiem studied nursing before being ordained, and works regularly as a nun with the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and teen communities. "I think I have a very healthy relationship with myself. Very healthy mental dialogue with myself. There were times I comforted myself. There were times I'm very firm with myself, tell myself to stop thinking that way. And they help. This is why I kept on sharing the importance of self-love. Because by the end of the day, it is the self-love that helped me, that saved me, that keeps me going. Because if I continue to criticize myself or have excessive negative thoughts, I cannot do much. It's very tiring. So I think that is the reason why that helped me not to fall into burnout."" 3:07 Heartbreak, Visiting Green Mountain, Deer Park, and Plum Village 6:37 Novicehood at Plum Village  11:40 Magnolia Grove Monastery 25:00 Interest in Social Injustice 28:34 Teens 34:42 LGBTQIA+ 40:55 BIPOC 53:26 Burnout 1:07:07 Basic Practice 1:17:25 Advice for Potential Monastics You can support this podcast by leaving a comment or review in your podcast application and by sharing it with friends. Financial support can be offered through the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. This episode of “Meet the Monastics,” hosted by Brother Minh An from Deer Park Monastery, shares insights into the lives and practices of monastics in the Plum Village tradition.  In this episode, he interviews Sister Boi Nghiem (Sister True Pearl), who joined monastic life in 2005 at age 21. Sister Boi Nghiem emphasizes the significance of self-love and healthy inner dialogue as key practices to maintain well-being and prevent burnout. She shares her journey from a childhood in central Vietnam to immigrating to the U.S. and eventually finding spiritual direction after a difficult breakup. Initially drawn to Plum Village for personal healing, she gradually committed to monastic life. Sister Boi Nghiem has devoted herself to supporting diverse groups, including the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and teen communities. Her advocacy grew from personal experiences and a deep awareness of societal suffering, leading her to foster inclusivity in the Sangha. Her practice of mindfulness, compassion, and gratitude is nurtured by regular breathing exercises, walking meditation, and the support of her monastic community. The episode also highlights the foundational role of the Plum Village Sangha and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh in fostering a mindful, compassionate, and engaged monastic community.  Listen without the music track.

These days, our attention is focused on the tightening restrictions to our daily lives, or on the people working the frontlines and putting their lives at risk. In doing so, we have forgotten another life-changing event that is about to happen for teenagers across the country, and around the world: high school graduation. In this

A few reflections to help us deepen our appreciation and actualize the potential of our resilient awareness, from Christie Bates.* Resources mentioned in this episode include: The free download of Ajahn Sucitto's booklet Clarity and Calm available here at Forest Sangha Publications, and Sharon Salzberg's book Faith available for purchase on her website To help you in your retreat planning in the Deep South, take a look at the retreat calendars at the following websites! Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, MS Heartwood Refuge and Retreat Center in Hendersonville, NC Flowering Lotus Meditation for retreats in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi For information about upcoming retreats as it becomes available, as well as our weekly offerings and other events, visit the Deep South Dharma website and subscribe, or like the Deep South Dharma Facebook page. We are always happy to answer general questions via the podcast or our website contact page, but if you are interested in individual contemplative direction with Christie, visit the Passati Counseling & Direction website and/or the Passati Counseling & Direction Facebook page. *Christie Bates is a minister (ordained "Acharya Passatininna") of the Embracing Simplicity Contemplative Order and co-founder of Deep South Dharma. Deep South Dharma has a local practice group in Oxford MS and stays connected with our extended sangha through this podcast and occasional online offerings. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/deepsouthdharma/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/deepsouthdharma/support

Acharya Christie Bates shares a conversation with kalyana mitta (spiritual friend) and Deep South Dharma co-founder Jaya Judy Seeley. We learn more about Jaya's contemplative life, as well as the decision she and her husband made a couple of years ago to retire to Batesville, MS to more fully express their commitment as lay supporters of the Magnolia Grove Monastery community. Discussion ranges from the spiritual backgrounds of these southern women, to the experience of practice in community, to the temporary but poignant waves of grief we sometimes weather as we make the transition to greater happiness and well-being on the path. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/deepsouthdharma/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/deepsouthdharma/support

The Sangha is gathered together at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2011 US Teaching Tour with the theme Cultivating the Mind of Love. This 115-minute dharma talk is from October 2, 2011 and both the audio and video are available with this post. This is the last day of Magnolia retreat and may be a little difficult if listeners have not heard the talks from the previous days (video playlist). https://youtu.be/g_F_cxM9d5Q The beginners mind. It is a source of energy. A willingness to practice. And to serve others. We are not afraid of obstacles in order to realize our dream and our intention. Siddhartha had this beginners mind, and we can too. The mind of love is the beginners kind. During this retreat has allowed this to arise in our heart. Do we know how to continue this mind? In Buddhism, there are two kinds of truth: conventional and ultimate. Thay explains how it is similar to what we see in science. We can learn to understand the true nature of reality. When we come to the ultimate truth, we can leave behind our notions of birth and death, suffering and happiness, being and non-being, etc. How can we do this? We cannot be an observer, we must try to be a participant. The Buddha’s insight received under the bodhi tree was to be relieved of all fear. This cannot be learned from notions and concepts. We learn of Right View, another element of the noble path. Thay tells a story of Katyayana, a student of the Buddha, asking about Right View. A teaching of no-birth, being and non-being, as illustrated by a cloud. Right View is being able to transcend all these notions: being and non-being, birth and death, left and right, above and below, subject and object, etc. All pairs of opposites. We cannot remove one without the other. Story of a grain of salt wanting to know how salty is the ocean to illustrate the subject of cognition and object of cognition. Being a participant to truly understand. Talking to a flame to illustrate this teaching of being and non-being. Thay writes these pairs of opposites on the board: birth and death, being and nonbeing, coming and going, sameness and otherness. All these must be transcended to see the true face of reality. A teaching on interbeing and four more notions - self, man, living beings, and life span. Thay explains each as outiined in the Diamond Sutra. This Sutra teaches us that humans are only made of non-human elements. This is one of the oldest teachings in deep ecology. The Buddha too is comprised of non-Buddha elements. This is why bowing to the Buddha is not worshiping, but is a meditation. We have been talking of Right View and dualism. We turn now to three other elements of the noble eightfold path that arise from Right View. Right Thinking can help us remove all discrimination. It is thinking that can produce understanding and compassion. It can heal the world. From these two we can then practice Right Speech. To restore and reconcile. This element includes our ability for deep listening. And then we turn to Right Action. Anything we can do with our body to protect and save. These three are all forms of action, starting with our thoughts. Thinking is already action. And we produce each of these every day. The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said that man is the sum of his action. In Sanskrit, this is called karma. Everything we produce will continue us; it does not disappear. We are the author, and that is our continuation. If we can keep our beginners mind alive, surely we will have a beautiful future. The other elements of the path, briefly outlined in this talk, are Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. This path can be seen very concretely in the Five Mindfulness Trainings. We also briefly learn of the Three Doors of Liberation — emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness — in light of the retreat’s teaching. We talk concludes with a couple of songs led by Sr. Chan Không.

The sangha is gathered together at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2011 US Teaching Tour with the theme Cultivating the Mind of Love. It is the fourth day of the retreat. This 108-minute question and answer session is from October 1, 2011 and both the audio and video are available with this post. https://youtu.be/TQr0bqbqKiI A good question can help many people. It can be a question about our suffering and our happiness. We begin with a few questions from the children. What are some of the traditional foods in a Buddhist monastery? (4:33) What helps to clear your mind? (13:55) Is it true that if you don’t believe in God that you go to the underworld? (17:32) What kind of Buddha’s are there? (21:40) Followed by questions from teenagers, young adults, and adults. How can I relate to another person, and love another person, but not experience the three complexes - inferiority, superiority, and equality? (27:14) What would you advise someone who has been diagnosed with attention disorder, or any mental illness, that hinders a person from being in the now. And have had to rely on medications for their whole life. How can they live in the now? (32:40) What would you do if you had a friend who isn’t being loving to each other, and you are caught in the middle? (37:28) How can I not suffer when I see my 26-year old son’s life unraveling due to his drug addictions? I am overcome by grief and despair. (56:45) When facing a decision, where your only see two possible answers - the one you think is right and the one you feel is right - how can you know which one? (1:03:45) What does it mean to be free?(1:23:50) How can a Vietnam veteran, who still suffers from PTSD, communicate to the many generations of Vietnamese people at this retreat that he cared for the Vietnamese? (1:34:23) We have one more talk in this series from Mississippi. Stay tuned. If you appreciate this teaching, please consider making a donation to support the ongoing efforts of the online monastery. Please make a note with your donation that it was because of this talk.

The Sangha is gathered together at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2011 US Teaching Tour with the theme Cultivating the Mind of Love. This 88-minute dharma talk is from September 30, 2011 and both the audio and video are available with this post. We begin with a 23-minute teaching for the children present at the retreat. Of course, everyone can benefit and enjoy this teaching regardless of age. Thay shares a story of bringing a bag of popcorn, but not to pop, to the children at an Italian retreat. The seed of corn that becomes the plant of corn. And how we can nourish our father and mother. https://youtu.be/yHetqgMB8SM After the children leave, we continue with the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. Yesterday we learned the first eight exercises of mindful breathing - the realm of bodyand the realm of feeling. Today we continue with realm of our mind. Mental formation. 9. Aware of mental formation What is “formation” - comes from samskara. Anything that is formed, is a formation. There are physical formations and mental formation. What are the mental formations? The good ones and the negative ones. Can we name our mental formations? Call it by it’s true name. Store and Mind consciousness. What are the characteristics of these? A teaching on seeds (bija) and how we can use our practice. What is our the ways that we suppress our negative mental formations? The most common is to consume. But what can we do instead? 10. Gladden the mental formation This is equivalent to the practice of Right  Diligence. There are four steps in this practice: First, not to give opportunity for the negative seeds to come up in the first place / in ourselves or in each other. What are the conditions we are creating around us? We should know how to consume. Second, if by chance a negative seed arises then try your best to help it go down as quickly as possible. This is the art of embracing the negative mental formation. We can invite a good seed to come up. Change the CD. Third, give the good seeds plenty of chances to come up. This is the art of flower watering. In ourselves and in the other person. Thay shares the story of the couple who came to Plum Village from the city of Bordeaux. The fourth aspect of the practice, of the good seed has manifested then keep it present as long as you can. If we can do this, then even more good seeds continue to grow. 11. Concentrating the mind / mental formation 12. Liberating the mind / mental formation When we are concentrated, we discover the nature of what is there. We can see the non-flower elements of the flower. Happiness is made of non-happiness elements. Mindfulness can bring concentration. Liberation is the fruit of concentration. There are many forms and teachings in cultivating concentration. What are some examples? There are three kinds of concentration found in every school of Buddhism: emptiness, sighlessness, and aimlessness. These are the Three Doors of Liberation. Insight arrives. Impermanence is another concentration. When we look into the family album, are we the same or different from the baby in the picture. The last four exercises of mindful breathing are about the objects of mind. Reality is not something outside of our mind — it is the object of our mind. These last four help with the practice to release and transform our suffering. 13. Contemplating Impermanence 14. Contemplating non-craving 15. Contemplating the ultimate (nirvana) 16. Contemplating letting go  The talk concludes with an overview and teaching of these last four exercises, particularly our objects of craving. Money, power, sex. The conditions of our happiness are already present and available. If you appreciate this teaching, please consider making a donation to support the ongoing efforts of the online monastery. Please make a note with your donation that it was because of this talk.

Jennifer Hill speaks with mindfulness expert and author, Laurie J. Cameron, about her new book: “The Mindful Day.” Laurie offers suggestions for incorporating mindfulness into your day and discusses the health benefits of doing so. Laurie also talks about taking 3-10 minutes every day for a “body scan” to check in with any feelings or emotions you might be holding on to so that you can become more self-aware. lauriejcameron.com Mindful leadership expert Laurie J. Cameron is author of “The Mindful Day: Practical Ways to Find Focus, Calm, and Joy From Morning to Evening,” (March 27, 2018). Laurie is founder and CEO of PurposeBlue, an organization that brings evidence-based mindful leadership programs to companies, change makers, culture-shifters, universities and federal agencies. With 25 years of international management consulting and business leadership experience, and a passion for creativity, transformation and human development, Laurie is dedicated to helping people learn mindfulness to live with meaning and lead with purpose-driven performance. As a former Accenture management consultant and business executive with three companies, her clients tell her she “gets their challenges” — in how she translates mindfulness into practical language and applications for everyday life. Laurie founded PurposeBlue on her realization that mindfulness is the foundational competency for achieving human potential, happiness and optimal well-being. Mindful, resilient leaders deepen their self-awareness and self-mastery, which allows them to be in a place of choice during difficult moments. Mindful leaders are able to stay connected to purpose and thrive during uncertainty, change, and the distractions of our tech world. Laurie has practiced mindfulness since 1995, following the teachings of mindfulness leader and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. In 2013, she received the Five Mindfulness Trainings at the Magnolia Grove Monastery from Thich Nhat Hanh. In her capacity as founder of PurposeBlue, Laurie leads retreats, speaks around the globe, coaches and teaches leaders internationally how to bring more wisdom, clarity and meaning to their lives and work. As a Certified SIY Teacher Laurie was part of the first global cohort of teachers for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), based on the leadership program developed at Google. Bringing together thought leaders in emotional intelligence, neuroscience and mindfulness, SIYLI is dedicated to developing wise and compassionate leaders. Laurie teaches the SIY program around the world to companies like Google, Gemalto, Sunovian and in SIY Programs in New York; London; Paris; Beijing; Hyderabad; Washington, DC; and Copenhagen. She has taught PurposeBlue's Mindful Leadership programs in Deloitte across the US. Laurie is a Senior Fellow with the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University, working with leading researchers in the emerging field of workplace well-being. She is a Guest Professor at the top-ranked Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, teaching Mindful Leadership to EMBA leaders in the Leadership Mastery series. Laurie also trained as a Presence-Based Leadership Coach and is a certified coach with the International Coach Federation. She is an active member of Otto Scharmer’s Presencing Institute and the east coast chapter of the Neuroleadership Institute. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and daughter. For more information visit lauriejcameron.com and PurposeBlue.com.

The Sangha is gathered together at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2011 US Teaching Tour with the theme Cultivating the Mind of Love. This 85-minute dharma talk is from September 29, 2011 and both the audio and video are available in this post. We begin with a 27-minute teaching for the children present at the retreat. Of course, everyone can benefit and enjoy this teaching regardless of age. https://youtu.be/Z8pFAjQpTKY When you love someone, what can you offer them? What is the most precious thing we can offer them? Thay offers a story of an unhappy child and his father - what does the child want for his birthday? The first mantra of Plum Village is “Darling, I am here for you.” In order to do this, you really have to be present. We should all memorize this mantra. This is a meditation and does not take time and money. Mindfulness helps you to be there. Thay teaches us about how and why to use pebble meditation. The first pebble represents a flower. What is a true flower? And the second pebble represents a mountain. Cultivating our stability. The next pebble represents still water. The last pebble represents space. Open your heart. A child can very easily lead pebble meditation. We continue teachings on breathing exercises. This morning the guided meditation explored the first four exercises of mindful breathing. These first four have to do with the body. We first recognize our in-breath and our out-breath. What is the intention of this exercise? Then we move to breathing-in, I follow my breath all the way through. During this time, there is no interruption. You only follow the breathing. With the third, we are aware of our body. Mind and body are together. To restore the oneness. And our body is a wonder. Thay shares of a recent visit to the Googleplex. Practiced these breathing exercises, especially helping them connect with the body as described in the third exercise. It is a reconciliation between the mind and the body. The fourth exercise is breathing in, I release the tension in my body. This practice is very relevant to our time. We can reduce the amount of pain. Contemplation of the body. Revisit all parts of our body. How do we do this? The next set of exercises are designed to help us handle our feelings. 5. Generating joy 6. Generating happiness 7. Recognize a painful feeling 8. Embrace a painful feeling Can we recognize the conditions of joy and happiness? Living happily in the present moment. This is found right in the Sutra and is especially relevant for business people. Mindfulness is being able to go home to the present moment. Mindfulness is not something you can buy. When you are mindful, you are there with your body. Mindfulness and concentration are two sources of happiness. Another practice is that of letting go. Here we have the teaching on the farmer who has lost his cows. To know our obstacles is also a path to knowing our happiness. Letting go is a good practice. Once we know our joy and happiness, then we can more easily handle our pain. When the pain manifests, a good practitioner can recognize this and know how to take care of the painful feeling. We can hold our pain.  

The Sangha is gathered together at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2011 US Teaching Tour with the theme Cultivating the Mind of Love. Both the audio and video are available in this post. In this 42-minute introduction, Thich Nhat Hanh begins with a teaching on Mindfulness, breathing, and the energy of mindfulness. It can be generated by our practice. And it is always mindfulness of something. We receive a teaching on breathing, sitting, and walking. How to arrive. https://youtu.be/dNjdhGZv2GE Sangha body. We are all a cell in the sangha body. And we can breathe together as one Sangha body. With just 3-seconds of breathing, we can make ourselves available to life and life is available to us. That is the miracle of mindfulness. We release the past and release the future. Do we have the time to get in touch with the miracle of mindfulness? When we bring our mind and body together, we have a chance to touch this miracle through the practice of mindfulness of breathing and mindfulness of walking. The cells in our body have the capacity to generate energy. And we can listen as one sangha body. And we can become a real and true sangha in that moment. And with this we can gain insight. Thay teaches how the practice of walking allow us to touch the wonders of life in the here and now. I have arrived. I am home. Every in breath and every out breath allow us to remain in the here and the now. And we are supported by many other practitioners. As with walking, sitting meditation is the same. We can enjoy in a relaxing manner. It can be a delight! We have our Sangha and our breathing. We don’t need to suffer. I have arrived. I am home. This is not a declaration! During this retreat, we will learn to practice and be the living Buddha, the living Dharma, and the living Sangha. At 23:45 into the recording, Thay invites Sister Pine and Br. Phap Dung to offer a few words on how to enjoy our practice more - how can we enjoy our life? One of the practices is called Noble Silence — what does this mean? How do we practice with noble silence? Another practice we offer and teach is Working Meditation — an opportunity and a training to come back to our body and our breathing. In a retreat, we can slow down and enjoy our capacity to stop, be present, and perhaps gain insight. Br. Phap Dung shares a story of eating salad without the dressing. We can remove the dressing in our lives. Cultivate the ability to generate your own bell of mindfulness. In our tradition, the practice and the non-practice are interweaved. It’s hard to tell where the meditation begins. Try to pay attention to the non-practice. The non-effort.

From the Rising Tide Meditation Hall at a retreat at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is a session of questions and responses from those at the 6-day retreat with the theme Healing Ourselves, Healing the World. The date is September 28, 2013. Try the BetterListen Version of this entire retreat - click the image below How do you deal with depression? How is it possible for humankind to achieve world peace? How do I help a friend who is depressed? How can I help a friend who has a problem with his parents and has suicidal thoughts? How can I help a friend who speaks in anger to his mother and to be less angry? What do you do when you are stuck between two paths in your life? What is the Buddhist perspective on mental disorders, particularly personality disorder, and how a family can heal with this ongoing challenge? How can I practice with my fear of dying? What is the essence of true love? Should we act as a human shield to raise awareness and to stop war and violence in the world? Concerns about consumption of products with less integrity. How can I work with the historical suffering of the Jewish community? I would like to offer walking meditation and do you feel that I am qualified? How does this sangha influence the other sanghas we have created, such as government?

From the Rising Tide Meditation Hall at a retreat at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the third dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Healing Ourselves, Healing the World. The date is September 27, 2013. We begin with seven minutes of chanting from the monastic brothers and sisters. Try the BetterListen Version of this entire retreat - click the image below Thay introduces and explains the process for the Novices and Aspirants along with the 5-year program of training as a monastic. It can bring you a lot of joy. They practice the Ten Precepts of a novice. The third source of nutriment is volition - deepest desire of your life. What you want to do with your life? Knowing what you want to do can give you energy. Brotherhood and sisterhood creates a very deep love. What is life as a monastic like, how are decisions made, how do you practice? Why did Thay begin to take students after living in exile in the west? The need for dharma teachers across the world is great. Thay invites you to join the five year program. At approximately 38-minutes into the recording, we turn to a new topic. We have talked about the art of suffering - if we know how to suffer, we will suffer much less. The art of suffering is linked to the art of happiness. Skillfully we can create joy for ourselves and others. There are many ways to create joy and happiness. The first method is to let go, to leave behind. Letting go will give birth to joy and happiness. If you let go, happiness can come right away. What are holding onto that we think is crucial for our happiness? The practice of releasing our cows. We can practice using sitting meditation and learn to release our cows. A whole country can even be caught my a cow - our ideology. The teaching of the monk Badhya who exclaimed "Oh my happiness!" during his meditation. He was able to let go. The second way to joy and happiness is mindfulness. Mindfulness is a source of joy and a source of happiness. This is our practice. Then we have concentration - if you are very mindful, then concentration can be born. From concentration we then have insight - it can liberate us. Joy and happiness can arrive. in the teachings of the Buddha, there are five types of energies that you can generate. They can help generate joy and happiness. The first three were covered earlier - mindfulness, concentration, and insight. The other two are faith and diligence. Faith here means confidence. The other teaching on power is cutting through / letting go. The power to cut by brought requires courage and courage requires us to have insight. The second power is wisdom. The third power is the power to love, to forgive. How do we listen to a dharma talk? What is the zen way? We continue with a brief review from the exercises of mindful breathing. At 86-minutes into the recording, we turn to a teaching on the three doors of liberation - emptiness, signlessness, and aimlesslessness. We hear an explanation and teaching on each of these doors. No video is available for this talk.

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.

September 25, 2013. 130-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the first dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Healing Ourselves, Healing the World. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Try the BetterListen Version of this entire retreat - click the image below We bring our mind and body together and come back to ourselves in order to be truly there and be able to stop our thinking. We can get lost in our thinking. When we are mindful and concentrated of our in breath them our mind only has one object. Just breathing in mindfully we can get freedom from the past l, the future, and our projects. Freedom is possible and the healing can start. Topics: Conditions of happiness Habit of running after fame, power, wealth, sensual pleasures Deep looking - insight can release the tension and bring healing Mindfulness is a method to insight using our in breath and out breath Inviting our ancestors to listen to the bell and practice walking meditation with you. Our presence is the most precious gift for those we love - to be there is a practice. Freshness, beauty Mountain, solid Space, free Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing Four domains - body, feelings, mind, objects of mind First 8 exercise Sangha - collective energy You are not one emotion The art of happiness and the art of suffering Happiness and suffering interare Happiness is made of non-happiness elements The Four Noble Truths The Four Kinds of Nutriments  

September 24, 2013. 120-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the orientation for the 6-day retreat with the theme Healing Ourselves, Healing the World. Try the BetterListen Version of this entire retreat - click the image below Creating a healing environment in our physical and spiritual spaces. How do we produce a thought that is filled with understanding and compassion? Building a sangha or a practice center is one method. In our tradition, we begin by looking at our suffering. We can then recognize the suffering in the other person. This is the first and second noble truth. With this, the energy if compassion arises because you have touched and understood suffering. Tonight, the monks and nuns will chant the name of Avalokitesvara in order to get in touch with suffering and help relieve the pain and suffering of others. As we listen, we should stop our thinking and be concentrated on our breathing. The chant begins at 19:44. The talk resumes at 48:30 with an orientation to the practice with Br. Phap Dung and Sr. Dang Nghiem.