August 12, 2021 – September 19, 2021 PDT
All dharma talks from the tour are available; see this YouTube Playlist.

This summer, Deer Park Monastery’s brothers will travel 4500 miles in five weeks to visit local Sanghas in ten western states. The Happiness is the Way: Road Retreat provides a wonderful opportunity to practice with your monastic siblings, share practice experiences, and build siblinghood.
According to Brother Ngo Khong (AKA Brother Freedom) “After a year of uncertainty, solitude and various limitations that might have even deepened and strengthened our practice, we want to come together again to share our experiences of practice, bask in each other’s presence, and build siblinghood.”
The Road Retreat starts in Phoenix on August 12th and concludes in San Francisco on September 19th. The three brothers will travel in a RV, dubbed “Dharma Wheelzz”. Each stop is hosted by a local Sangha. The activities range from single to multi-day non-residential retreats to Sangha evenings. You are welcome to join as many of the stops as you are able. The full Road Retreat schedule and links to registration are below.
We hope to see you later this summer. The brothers are very excited to reach out and get to know your Sanghas, your state, your city…YOU!
In gratitude and wonder of this moment,
The Deer Park Monastery brothers
P.S. Please note that space is limited and is available on a first come-first serve basis.
If you would like to offer financial support to the Deer Park brothers trip, please offer dana through the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.
1. Depart Deer Park Monastery
2. Phoenix, Arizona – August 12-14
Live Dharma Talk at 10:30am: Home by Br. Gem
Two day non-residential retreat
Contact mcolpas@yahoo.com for more information
Email to Register
3. Albuquerque, New Mexico – August 17-18
Live Dharma Talk at 9:30am: Quieting the Mind in a Noisy World by Br. Freedom
Two day non-residential retreat
Contact Rainbow Sangha or Jonathan Nimitz jnimitz@comcast.net 505-256-1463 for more information
Register Now
4. Fort Collins, Colorado – August 20-22
Live Dharma Talk at 9:30am: Be Free Where you Are by Br. Gem
Two day non-residential retreat
Contact bcampbelljr@gmail.com for more information
Register Now
5. Provo, Utah – August 28
Live Dharma Talk at 2:30pm: I Am Remembering by Br. Freedom
One-day non-residential retreat
Contact info@awakeningvalleysangha.org for more informationRegister Now This event if full we hope you will join for the live stream.
6. Salt Lake City, Utah – August 29
Sangha Evening
Contact True Mountain Sangha or Salt Lake Wake Up for more information
Register Now
7. Jackson, Wyoming – September 2
Sangha Evening
Contact healingbalm4@gmail.com for more information
Register Now
8. Boise, Idaho – September 3-5
Live Dharma Talk at 11:15am – Sangha: The Fourfold Force by Br. Freedom
Two-day non-residential retreat with live talk on September 4 at 10:30am
Contact rtavlin@yahoo.com or Beginners Mind Sangha for more information
Register Now
9. Missoula, Montana – September 7
Live Dharma Talk at 11:15am – Dream by Br. Gem
One-day non-residential retreat
Contact openwaysangha@gmail.com for more information
Register Now
10. Seattle and Tacoma, Washington – September 11-12
September 10: Online Sangha Evening, 6:00pm-8:30pm
Register Now
September 11: A Day of Mindfulness in English
Contact seattlemindfulness@gmail.com for more information
Register Now
September 12: Pháp Thoại, Quê Hương, Thầy Pháp Côn “Quê Hương“
An in person Day of Mindfulness in Tacoma (Vietnamese) September 12
The Five Mindfulness Training Transmission Ceremony will be offered in English and is open to all area Sanghas.
Register Now / Đăng ký ngay
11. Portland, Oregon – September 14
Sangha Evening
Portland Friends of the Dhamma
1404 SE 25th Ave, Portland, OR
Contact johnsonwadsworth@msn.com or jfbraza@comcast.net for more informationRegister Now This event if full.
12. Oakland, California – September 18-19
Live Dharma Talk – Samtusta – Happy Enough? by Br. Freedom
Two-day non-residential retreat
More informationRegister Now This event if full we hope you will join for the live stream.
21 responses to “Happiness is the Way: Road Retreat 2021”
Will the will the people on the retreat be riding in the RV or will they have to supply their own transportation?
The monastics will be traveling in an RV between locations. You can join any of the events along the path.
I’m from San Diego but I go off to College in August. Coincidentally, I’m going to a university in Portland, and I was wondering where exactly the event will be in Portland on the 14th of September(I will not have a car so I will need to figure out transportation depending on how close/far it is). Any information on the exact address?
Dear Aakash, it appears to be a Sangha Evening with the Portland Friends of the Dhamma at 1404 SE 25th Ave, Portland, OR. You may send an e-mail to the following addresses for more information: johnsonwadsworth@msn.com or jfbraza@comcast.net
Thank you so much!!!
Dear Brothers,
I am in awe concerning your road retreat. I would like to follow your trip on line from France where I live (how is it possible?) to have the pleasure of sharing your wonderful experience. I think this is a great idea. Particularly at a moment when gathering is quite difficult and retreat centers are closed (in France). I miss Plum Village but appreciate online gatherings and everything all the nuns and brothers post on the web.
Thank you and have a safe trip.
PS : do you have a photo of the RV?
BON VOYAGE !
Dear Corinne, you can follow the live dharma talks from everywhere, and there will be some surprise livestreams (though announced on time). A photo of the RV will come soon!
Thank you very much. Take care. à bientôt !
Yes, can someone update Instagram with the RV adventures? Thank you!
We did a little earlier this evening and will keep pictures coming.
A couple people from the Monastic Academy in Vermont and I have just embarked on a 3.5 month Mobile Monastery Chautauqua Tour. Unfortunately our paths won’t cross with your tour, but it’s great to see that you guys are doing something similar. I would love to host you if you ever do a tour to Vermont.
You can learn more about the Monastic Academy here: https://www.monasticacademy.com/
And you can learn more about the Chautauqua Tour here: https://www.chautauqua.tours/
Beautiful Autumn, also that we are offering the dharma at the same time but at opposite coasts, that way many people will benefit from the teachings. Bon voyage! 🍀🙏🏼
So excited in Seattle!
Dear Brothers,
I am so grateful to have just attended the retreat this past weekend in Fort Collins. Thank you, Brother Freedom for making me aware of your YouTube channel, I practiced with you this morning! I would love to find Brother Gem’s YouTube channel, but so far I have been unsuccessful, could you remind me of the name of the channel?
Lauren ❤️
https://youtube.com/channel/UCnE7wBFuFRroScig7ql8cNw
Thank you very much.
the reflections from our sangha after the New Mexico retreat used words like transforming, deep experience of touching the practice.., the intimate retreat was the best experience I have ever had at a retreat… the Brothers were all inspirational.. our sangha siblings were so grateful to have the opportunity to take the 5 MT… oh my heart is happy..
I was following the dharma talks streaming but now cannot find the link. Do you mind sharing for our sangha? We are sending Love and gratitude from New Mexico… what a gift you have given us.
smiling…
s u e and Desert Rain Sangha
Thank you Sue. Each individual talk is linked above for each city. You can also see the entire playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm9_3psBwxqNZ3NqMHTputLWxQvNi8cnk
The link to the retreat in Oakland does not work. Please make it available.
We apologize for the inconvenience. And we’re working on a remedy. Stay tuned.
Hello John. I have just received confirmation from the registration team that the Oakland event is at capacity. The dharma talk will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/qT00yZXCKfU if that’s an option for you.