My First Tết at Deer Park Monastery
By Sarah Lane
The monastery is eerily quiet today, after a week of festivities, firecrackers, and friends visiting to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tết).
Leftover candies and treats from visitors hoard the dining hall tables and I am reminded of the generosity and goodwill shared amongst monastics and lay friends on this peaceful celebration of new beginnings.
The silence is loud and all I can hear are the howling coyotes and the flowing stream of water at the Circle Garden in Solidity Hamlet as I write.
For those who aren’t familiar, Tết (short for Tết Nguyên Đán) is the most significant holiday in Vietnamese culture and is deeply ingrained in the traditions of Plum Village monasteries around the world. The Lunar New Year reminds us of the true new year that aligns us with the cycles of the moon and cosmos – rather than what manmade minds tell us to believe about time.
As soon as I entered the monastery gates, I could feel a heightened sense of energy, excitement, and joy in the air. This energy felt like a nourishing balm after watching Los Angeles, a city that held me through my spiritual awakening from 2018-2020, go up in flames during the Palisades and Altadena fires.
Hundreds of friends funneled into the Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall – a Sangha of diverse backgrounds, ages, and spiritual paths – all gathered together to celebrate and practice mindfulness.
As we dropped into our embodied presence through silent meditation, observing our breath moving in and out, I felt a wave of peace and calm wash over me.
And then suddenly – CRACK CRACK, POP POP POP!
My peaceful meditation was abruptly interrupted by loud, intense popping sounds.
My heart sank. What was happening? I felt scared for a moment, and then was joyfully relieved when I turned around and saw a huge red and yellow lion dancing into the Meditation Hall.
“Phew, it was just firecrackers,” I thought, as the joyful sangha burst into laughter watching the lion and its dance partner dance and play into the hall. A feature of the Vietnamese Lion dance is its dance partner Ông Địa or the god of the earth, depicted as a large-bellied, broadly grinning man holding a palm-leaf fan similar to the Chinese Big Head Buddha.
Brothers beat the drum as children gave the lion “lucky money” (lì xì) in a red envelope, as a way to wish good luck, happiness, and wealth to the growing Sangha.
In Vietnamese Tết celebrations, the Lion dance may be known in Vietnam as the Qilin dance (Vietnamese: múa lân or múa sư tử) based on the mythical creature kỳ lân, which is similar to the Chinese Qilin. The dance is performed primarily at traditional festivals such as Tết as well as during other occasions such as the opening of a new business, birthdays, and weddings. The dance is typically accompanied by martial artists and acrobatics.
Once the silliness subsided, the younger brothers and sisters offered Orchids and other gifts to the Most Venerable Thích Phước Tịnh and Sister Abbess (Sister Trung Chinh).
Kieu Oracle readings
After a short break, we proceeded with the Kieu Oracle readings.
Kieu Oracle readings are a spiritual practice that uses the Vietnamese poem The Tale of Kiều to help people make important life decisions. The practice is often performed during Tết and is considered sacred and well-loved. Thich Nhat Hanh adapted the practice for Plum Village monasteries.
Friends were encouraged to ask questions, and then choose an envelope out of the bell. The envelope contained a poem, from The Tale of Kiều or William Shakespeare, that would serve as a response or oracle to their question.
In contrast to the traditional practice of oracle reading, the version Thay developed offers a mindfulness practice to the one who receives it. Through the practice suggested in the verse, the person knows what to do and what not to do. Friends asked questions about love, deepening mindfulness practice, and even how to know when to retire early…
The nuns chanted to bring spiritual healing energy to the recipient and bring us back into the present moment. Then the senior monks and nuns offered interpretations of the poems as well as their insight into the question.
Even though I did not ask a question, I received nourishment from the person asking the question. I was deeply touched by one of the men who inquired about his connection to Mother Earth, and how he could open his heart more deeply to the Earth and to all beings. This touched me deeply and nourished seeds of compassion.
We proceeded to have a vegan picnic lunch while enjoying the views of the great hidden mountain under the shade of the eucalyptus trees.
Room Visits
My favorite part of the day was having the opportunity to visit the new Monks’ Residence, which has been under construction over the past year, and see not only the new building but also the way the monks lived and slept inside.
Many friends stayed for the room visits, as this is a special opportunity to connect more deeply with our monastic brothers and sisters.
Together we sat on the floor cushions and enjoyed tea and snacks while sharing wishes of happiness and joy for the new year.
I enjoyed seeing their book collections – mostly books by Thay but some not – and also the way they lived simply with intention.
So many people have too much stuff. We surround ourselves with unnecessary junk, or things that we think are important for a year or two and that soon becomes landfill. The monastics remind me, simply through their way of life, that we can live simply and that we already have all of the conditions for happiness within us.
I was also deeply touched by the generosity of friends who brought small gifts to the monastics as they visited their rooms, and how everyone seemed so happy and joyful to be celebrating together.
I am deeply grateful to work with such peaceful, compassionate people on sacred, beautiful land. My wish for the New Year is that all beings allow the grief of the world to break their hearts open to allow more love in – for the crack is where the light enters, and the heart is where we connect with ourselves and each other to remember our Oneness.
May we flow as a river into the Year of the Snake, shedding the old and welcoming the new.
In gratitude,
Sarah
“Nourishing Wellness of the Source”
Communications Coordinator
Deer Park Monastery
There are many other festivities involved in Tết, such as Earth Cake Making, Flower Market, and Flag Raising not mentioned in this article. You can read more about last year’s Tết festivities here.
We welcome you to plan your visit to Deer Park Monastery this year and hope to see you next year for Tết.
