Love Letter to Deer Park

In harmony with Thay’s practice of writing love letters to share gratitude, love, and peace with those around him, we asked practitioners to write love letters to Deer Park describing what it means to them. Please enjoy this monthly feature. The Deer Park monastics are truly grateful for the energy and commitment of the lay sangha as well.

A Stranger No More

I have never been to a retreat at Deer Park Monastery. I have never met any of the monastics. I have never been to an event at any of the monasteries in the Plum Village tradition, although I did take the online course: Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. You might say I am a stranger to Deer Park Monastery; yet, the spiritual community, rooted in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, in Escondido has become a part of my life. Let me tell you how I fell in love with Deer Park Monastery.

In the 1960’s I was a peace activist in the United States. I began to hear about the work of Thich Nhat Hanh and was inspired by what I read. After the war, I watched a televised talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh to Vietnam veterans. His profoundly wise and compassionate interaction with the veterans moved me to tears. I had never heard anyone speak so kindly and gently to veterans, who were suffering terrible trauma and rejection here in the United States — their home. After that talk, I began to read books by Thich Nhat Hanh, motivated by his teachings on mindfulness practice and the path towards peace.

In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Thich Nhat Hanh lay in my consciousness quietly for decades, until his death two years ago. The news of his passing affected me deeply; I watched either the live streaming or recordings of the week of mourning at Plum Village and Tu Hieu Temple. Thay’s death stirred something in me; I watched the ceremonies, the rituals, the chants, the beautiful remarks of love and reverence and respect delivered by monastics, venerables, lay practitioners as well as the US Ambassador.

Of all the words spoken about Thay in that period of mourning, I was most moved by those of Br. Phap Dung; I watched a recording in which he spoke to those who had gathered at Deer Park Monastery to support the monastics and pay their respect. I had the sense of lay people driving up the mountain to be together with the monastics in their sorrow. Br. Phap Dung choked up as he expressed gratitude to the community that sat before him, and he expressed, with unreserved emotion, his love for his teacher — Thay.

Br. Phap Dung’s talk that day was my introduction to Deer Park Monastery. There was something so humble and genuine about him that I thought, oh, the people who came to pay their respect must be like that, too. I had a deep longing, at that moment, to be part of a community that comes together with mindfulness, genuine gratitude, and gentleness — people not afraid to feel Thay’s death with deep emotion.

Then I listened to my first Dharma talk by Sister Dang Nghiem: The Diamond Cutting Through Fear. Since then, I listen to a Dharma talk almost every night. I have found voices I respect, teachings that guide me on the path to a life of peace, calm, happiness. In Deer Park Monastery, I found what I believe I have been searching for my whole life: a community that lives with care and compassion for everyone, as reflected in the welcome statement on your website.

Last May, when I made a trip to CA, trying to decide whether or not I would move from CT to CA to be near my daughter, I drove to Deer Park Monastery. The gates were closed, but that was okay —“I had arrived; I was home.”

Warmly,
Lynda S.