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Deer Park International Online Retreat – At Home in the World

March 20 – March 24

Join us from the comfort of your home sanctuary for Deer Park’s first International Online Retreat, March 20 – 24, 2024.

Bring the mindfulness practices and the larger community of Deer Park Monastery straight into your home, turning your apartment or house into the Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall. Named after Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, At Home in the World, this online healing experience allows you to feel at home in the present moment – wherever you are in the world.

The retreat will be primarily in English, with translations available in Vietnamese, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.

All participants will receive a free copy of Thay’s book, At Home in the World, to accompany your mindfulness practice.

Click here to register for the retreat in English

Registration is now closed. Registration closed for the retreat at 9 am Pacific time on March 20, 2024.

國際在線禅修營: Register Here
Retiro Internacional: Register Here
Khóa tu Trực tuyến Quốc tế: Xin bấm vào đây để đăng ký

Online Retreat Cost Options Per Individual:

Full Price $280 | Donor Price $400 | Reduced Price $140

“Our true home is the here and the now. It is only in the here and the now that we have our real refuge. In the present moment, we can get in touch with our ancestors, with God, and with our children and grandchildren. They are already available in the present moment. That is your true home. And if you feel that you are home, then you don’t need to run any more, and your practice is successful. If you still feel that you need to run, then you have not arrived, you are not home yet. Your home is not only in the Middle East, Holland, England, or America, your home is here—here means life. All the wonders of life are available in the here and the now, and it brings you a lot of joy, peace, and happiness.”

– Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Retreat Schedule

Schedule is subject to change at any time.

AHITW Public Online Retreat Schedule March 2024 – Schedule (North America only)-2Download

Dharma Teachers

Sister Boi Nghiem
Brother Phap Luu
Sister Dang Nghiem
Brother Man Tue

Dharma Sharing Facilitators

  • Sister Uyển Nghiêm
  • Sister Than Nghiem
  • Sister Tuyet Nghiem
  • Brother Phap Hoi
  • Brother Phap Xu

A specially-curated five-day experience

Featuring guided meditations, relaxations, and movement

Intimate group interactions with monastics

Listening deeply and learning from monastics & friends globally

Dharma talks from senior teachers

Broadcast live from Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California

Our tech team has your back throughout the experience.

Hear what past participants said about our last online retreat:

“This retreat allowed me to make some deep practice memories in my own home.”

“There were many, many ways that this was as wonderful as and, in some ways, even better than an on-site experience. To be in my own home and participating in the sacred activities of DPM was a marvel. To watch, and change the way I was in my house, unified Deer Park Laura with regular old Laura.”

“What was the same [as an in-person retreat]—The dharma deep and lovely still, the connections in Dharma sharing families real, teachings amazing, facilitation skillful, the Tea-in full of a family vibe, the beauty of the community captured in the videography.  All wonderful, wonderful.  The imprint of Deer Park was made on all of us just like always.”

“Wow, it was all so nourishing, inspiring and helpful! I did not attend dharma sharing groups, but I was able to participate in dharma talks, morning meditation, and some chi gong. I really appreciated the schedule. It felt like the right balance of zoom time and off-screen time. It helped me come home to myself and feel connected to deer park and the community at home.”

“I was skeptical of how beneficial an online retreat could be, especially since I wasn’t too excited about being on zoom more than I already am! But I found it to be incredibly, surprisingly, and deeply nourishing. Fantastic job, everyone!!”

 Experience the healing of singing and chanting

Questions About the Retreat

This is a 5-day retreat, Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon (see schedule above). Ideally, it is best if you can clear your days from other commitments so you can fully participate and savor the peaceful energy of the retreat, even when you are not following a scheduled session.

Please note that you can choose to opt-in or opt-out of the “Dharma sharing” sessions during registration. If you opt-in, we ask that you commit to join all three sessions, on time, so the group can have a strong collective experience. To avoid disturbing the group, we will not be able to admit people to the Dharma Sharing sessions once they have started.

This retreat will be delivered to you through Zoom and email. That’s it!  When following the live events and Dharma Sharing (the smaller breakout groups), you will need to install the Zoom software and you will need a webcam on your computer or tablet, so people can see you (just as you will see others). It is also preferable to have headphones, ideally with a microphone.

We encourage you to attend as much of the retreat as possible to get the greatest benefit from the practice. Please note that if you wish to join the three Dharma Sharing sessions, we encourage you to watch the Dharma Talks. Listening to the Dharma talk prior to joining the Dharma sharing helps you to have a better connection and understanding to what other friends are sharing and experiencing.

Yes, we will share the replay via email the next day and all of the replays will be available on our website in a private, password protected page. Access to this page will be given once the retreat starts. You will not need a log-in or any special technology to watch the videos as they will be hosted as unlisted on YouTube.

It depends how unstable. Your viewing quality is similar to watching something on YouTube. So if that is a pleasant enough experience, then yes you can join this retreat. But for Dharma Sharing, others might find it difficult to hear you. You can ask permission to turn off your camera, so others can hear you better. You might also consider disconnecting Wi-Fi from any other devices in your home in order to speed up the connection on your computer.

Yes, when you subscribe you will receive an email with instructions and telephone numbers to join us via Zoom. You will only be able to follow the live sessions; it is not possible to join Dharma Sharing sessions from a phone.

Yes you can join only via audio, you do not have to start your camera, you can also choose only to watch via our platform. Only when you join the Dharma Sharing session, everybody is asked to start their camera to create a safe environment.

All the recordings will be available afterwards on the password protected page. You will not be able to download them.

In this retreat, the Dharma Sharing is a smaller break-out group of 15-20 participants, led by a monastic with the support of a long term lay practitioner. It gives us a chance to listen deeply, to speak from the heart, and benefit from each other’s insights and experience of practicing mindfulness. We can share our experiences, our joys, our difficulties, and our questions relating to the teachings in the retreat, and the mindfulness practices we are following together. If you do not wish to participate in Dharma Sharing, you may opt out during registration.

When you register for the retreat, please select your preference on which affinity group or category you feel most comfortable in. The groups will be assigned by the monastics, based on our experience of creating diverse yet balanced groups. It is not possible to assign you to a chosen facilitator or to be in a group with friends.

Please organize your time and commitments, so you have space from Wednesday evening at 4 pm Pacific to Sunday afternoon at 6 pm Pacific to fully participate in the retreat. Over the coming weeks, you’ll receive emails with information and resources on how to prepare yourself and your environment so you can really enjoy the retreat. 

Please allow an hour or two before Wednesday evening to familiarize yourself with these materials and set up your computer correctly. You’re invited to prepare a room or corner in your home where you can be online, undisturbed. It is important that you are not interrupted during the various sessions, so you may like to communicate with loved ones, or other people you live with, to ask for their support in this. If you are participating in the Dharma Sharing groups, it will be important for you to log on from a private space where you can share without others hearing you.

The Dharma Sharing break-out groups are the ideal time to ask questions from the heart about the teachings you have heard and practices we are following together. You may also bring your question to our Questions & Responses session on Saturday at 4:00pm PT. Although we cannot guarantee that we will be able to answer everyone’s questions, we will do our best.

The Dharma Sharing break-out groups offer a rare opportunity to join a circle facilitated by a monastic. If you are interested in connecting with the monastics, we strongly encourage you to make the commitment to opt-in to the three Dharma Sharing sessions during registration. Our teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, taught us that Dharma Sharing break-out groups are the most powerful way to learn and grow in our mindfulness practice. Please note that these sessions are not direct question-and-response sessions, but a group where questions are addressed collectively.

Yes, you do not need to be in a hut on a mountain to enjoy this retreat. So long as you have a quiet corner or room where you can be undisturbed, and perhaps have space to stretch and do the mindful movements, you will be able to enjoy the retreat fully. You may need headphones, and if you are joining Dharma Sharing, somewhere in the house where you can speak without being heard by others. You can explain to those you live with your intention in joining the retreat and ask for their support. The idea is not to cut yourself off from them, but to generate a strong energy of mindfulness, peace and presence, during the sessions, that you can bring to your in-person interactions off-screen over the course of the weekend. You will be able to apply many of the teachings on deep listening, mindful eating and so on, right away!

This retreat is designed as an adult learning experience, but anyone is welcome to join the meditations, talks, movement and relaxations. We are not offering Childrens or Teens programs during this retreat.

This retreat is accessible to those new to the practice, and will be a refreshing and deepening experience for those who have been practicing mindfulness for some time. It is a precious chance to connect directly with our spiritual community, and to meet like-minded people.

Yes please! This is an international online retreat. To maintain a clear, concise visual schedule format, we have only provided the time zones for California and Vietnam. However, we encourage you to join us from anywhere in the world and convert the times into your time-zone. If you miss a session, you can watch the replay during a time that works best for you.

The retreat will be primarily in English, with translations available in Vietnamese, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese (registration for these options will be coming soon.)

You may register as a Family for 2-4 people. We recommend that you use separate devices/computers for the Dharma Sharing break-out sessions so that each person can participate fully. You may like to enjoy watching the Dharma talks together as a family.

For cancellations made prior to the first day of the retreat, partial refunds will be available with a cancellation fee of $40. Cancellations made on or after the first day of the retreat do not qualify for a refund. Registration is non-transferable (we cannot apply your funds to a future retreat stay.)

We do not want the financial aspect to keep you from participating. If you want to attend this retreat and your budget does not allow for you to pay the lowest scholarship fee at this moment, please email the registration office here to apply for a further reduction.

Your contribution will go towards supporting food, lodging, healthcare, and facilities maintenance for our community of Deer Park Monastery. It also supports our investment in technical infrastructure in terms of internet, cameras, and equipment to allow us to offer more teachings live, online, and to facilitate direct contact between monastics and practitioners. Without your support, we would be unable to sustain our community or offer the Dharma online. We thank you for your support and contribution.

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