Peace is Every Bite: Mindful Cooking Course
We warmly invite you to join Peace Is Every Bite, a four-week online course rooted in the Plum Village tradition that explores mindful cooking and eating as a path to greater peace, nourishment, and connection.
Peace is Every Bite
September 13, 2026 to October 11th, 2026
Format: Online, self-paced with optional live components
In the quiet of the kitchen, we learn to come home to ourselves.
This course is an invitation to return to the present moment through the simple, sacred acts of cooking, eating, and caring for our community. Guided by the spirit of mindfulness as taught by Thầy (Thich Nhat Hanh), we will explore the kitchen not only as a place of nourishment, but as a place of practice and togetherness.
Together, we will learn to prepare food with a peaceful heart, to eat in silence and gratitude, and to wash dishes with joy. Every gesture becomes an opportunity to cultivate presence, love, and understanding.
In this course, we will practice:
- Reciting and reflecting on Mindfulness Verses (Gathas) for cooking, eating, washing dishes, and working mindfully in the kitchen.
- Contemplating the Five Contemplations before eating, as a way to deepen our gratitude and connection to the Earth and all beings.
- Cooking with care and love, using vegan recipes from Deer Park Monastery—simple, nourishing meals that support our body and mind.
- Eating in silence, allowing each bite to bring us back to the here and now.
- Creating a calm and joyful kitchen space where peace is possible.
Thich Nhat HanhThe bread in my hand is the body of the cosmos;
The hand holding bread: also the body of the cosmos.
What's Included:
- Mindful Cooking: Learn to prepare and eat food with deep awareness through gathas, the Five Contemplations, and daily mindfulness practices in the kitchen.
- Dharma & Nutriments: Explore the Four Kinds of Nutriments through teachings by Thầy and senior monastics, including Eating Meditation.
- Traditional Recipes: Cook nourishing vegan dishes from Deer Park Monastery and Plum Village—simple, traditional, and infused with love and care.
- Ancestral Connection: Reflect on food as a bridge between generations, honoring your spiritual and blood ancestors in every mindful bite.
- Sangha Connection: Opportunities to connect with fellow participants, share reflections, and support one another in cultivating mindful cooking and eating practices through virtual gatherings and a dedicated course chat space where you can share photos, reflections, and conversations throughout the course.
- Live Online Zoom Gatherings: Opportunities to gather online at several points during the course and connect with some of the Deer Park monastics featured in the cooking and practice videos. These gatherings offer a chance to deepen your practice, ask questions, and get to know the monastics and fellow participants. Recordings will be available for those who are unable to attend live.
- Dharma Sharing Sessions: Small-group gatherings facilitated by members of the Order of Interbeing, offering a supportive space to reflect on your experience of the course and explore how mindful cooking and eating are unfolding in your daily life.
Meet the Monastics
Throughout the course, you will be introduced to many of the monastics of Deer Park Monastery through weekly Dharma talks, mindful cooking demonstrations, practice videos, and teachings.
The course features teachings and offerings from Thích Nhất Hạnh, Sister Trung Chính (Sister Abbess), Sister Túc Nghiêm, Sister Hộ Nghiêm, Sister Tịnh Nghiêm, Sister Thần Nghiêm, Sister Chùa Xưa, Sister Huyền Hậu, Brother Mãn Tuệ, Brother Pháp Lưu, Brother Pháp Hội, and Brother Minh Niệm.
Many of the recipes are lovingly prepared by different monastics, each sharing their own practice, presence, and care in the kitchen. From the comfort of your own home, you will be welcomed into the kitchens and dining halls of our beloved Clarity and Solidity Hamlets, offering a glimpse into the daily rhythm of monastic life.
As you witness the mindfulness and care with which each meal is prepared, you are invited to practice alongside the monastics and discover how cooking and eating can become expressions of compassion, gratitude, and love.
We are grateful to walk this path together and hope these practices nourish you, your loved ones, and all those with whom you share a meal.
Course Schedule
Week 1: The First Nutriment: Edible Food
Week 2: The Second Nutriment: Sense Impressions
Week 3: The Third Nutriment: Volition
Week 4: The Fourth Nutriment: Consciousness
Final Week of Materials: October 11, 2026
Live Gathering: Join the Deer Park monastics for live online gatherings throughout the course. These optional Zoom sessions offer an opportunity to practice together, ask questions, and deepen your understanding of mindful cooking and eating in community.
Exact dates and times will be announced once the course begins. Recordings will be available for those who are unable to attend live.
Optional Webinar
As a companion to Peace Is Every Bite, we are delighted to offer the following free community webinar, which beautifully complements the themes of the course.
Join Dr. Walter Willett, Cindy Leung, and Brother Phap Luu for a special online conversation on mindful eating, nutrition, and the path of mindfulness.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • 9:00 AM Pacific Time • Live on Zoom
This webinar is free and open to everyone. Course registration is not required to attend. You may register through Eventbrite, or if you register for the course, you will automatically receive the Zoom link by email before the event. The webinar recording will also be included in the course materials for all registered participants.
Individual Registration
Course Registration — $97
Our standard registration price, making the course accessible to as many friends as possible.
Supporter Registration — $197
For those who wish to help support Deer Park Monastery and make future online offerings possible.
Fundraiser Registration — $297
For those who feel inspired to make an additional gift in support of Deer Park Monastery's ongoing building renovations and the continued sharing of the Dharma online.
We aspire to make Peace Is Every Bite accessible to our wider community while supporting the Deer Park Monastery Sangha and the resources needed to create and offer this online course. At checkout, you may choose the price that best reflects your circumstances and your wish to support this offering.
If you are in need of financial support or a scholarship, please feel free to reach out to courses@deerparkmonastery.org.
