Brother Phap Dung will be hosting a new in-person & online hybrid course this spring. We welcome you to join us at Deer Park or online for this fundraising course for the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing.
April 18 / 7:30 pm - June 13 9:00 pm
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DonateBrother Phap Dung will be hosting a new in-person & online hybrid course this spring:
An 8-Session Fundraising Course for the Thích Nhất Hạnh School of Interbeing
In-person at Deer Park Monastery & Online
NEW DATES: April 18 - June 13, 2026
This hybrid course will be taught live in person on Saturday evenings at Deer Park and the recordings will be available for folks joining online.
The course will begin recording on April 18 and continue for eight weeks.
We warmly invite you to join a new eight-session journey exploring how, under the guidance of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Plum Village tradition of Engaged Buddhism has been taking root in the soil of North America—faithful to its deep Vietnamese roots, while also responding to the needs, conditions, wounds, and aspirations of the people of this place and time.
Brother Pháp Dung will share his unique experience, insights, and perspective as a Vietnamese refugee, having grown up, educated, worked and lived in the American culture and later as a monk for over a quarter of a century, witnessing first hand, how his teacher, Thầy, dedicated his entire life to renewing the Buddhist tradition during the war in Vietnam and the later 40 years of teaching and living in the “West”. He will also offer a brief historical perspective on the evolutive nature of Buddhism, inspired by Thầy’s three Rains Retreat teaching course from 1994-1997, The Living Tradition of Buddhist Meditation, where Thầy explored the development of Buddhist meditation tradition from its origin in India, through China and Vietnam, and last as it took roots in France as the Plum Village tradition of Engaged Buddhism.
This is not an exhaustive course but a preliminary introduction course on this topic with further development and expansion in future iterations. Brother Phap Dung will act as a guide showing us the myriads of pathways that Buddhism took, and along the way, a few of the many sign posts that his teacher had pointed out during his teaching career.
This course will support the unfolding of the Thích Nhất Hạnh School of Interbeing, a place dedicated to nurturing mindfulness, ethics, and belonging in the next generation. Your participation and generosity help this vision continue.
You will explore how the Plum Village Engaged Buddhist tradition has taken root in North America, and what it means to carry the Dharma forward in ways that are both faithful to its Vietnamese roots and responsive to the realities of our time.
Weekly Dharma Talks: Each Saturday evening, Brother Pháp Dung will offer a live Dharma talk at Deer Park Monastery exploring themes of tradition, adaptation, interbeing, community building, and engaged practice in the American context. The live talks will be recorded and available via our Online Learning Platform (Circle) within 48 hours.
Two Live Zoom Q&A Sessions: During the course, we will gather for two live Q&A sessions held over Zoom, bringing together both in-person and online participants for shared reflection and dialogue with Brother Pháp Dung.
Curated Supplemental Materials: Each week will include thoughtfully selected supplemental materials to deepen your understanding of the themes being explored and support continued reflection and study.
Dharma Sharing Circles: Participants will have the opportunity to join small Dharma sharing groups, guided by lay Dharma teachers and members of the Order of Interbeing, creating space for meaningful dialogue and collective practice throughout the eight weeks.
The course will be organized online via Circle, where all materials, communication, and recordings will be hosted. While the structure is online, we are very happy to welcome local practitioners from Escondido and the greater San Diego area to join us in person each Saturday evening from 7:30-9 pm PDT at Deer Park Monastery for the live recording of the weekly Dharma talk. For those participating online only, the live talks will be recorded and available via our Online Learning Platform (Circle) within 48 hours.
All participants will register through the same link and contribute through the course donation tiers. Those attending in person will be asked to indicate that they plan to join live so we can keep track of attendance. The talks will be recorded during the live sessions and uploaded to Circle within a few days, during the same week of course material. Those participating online will receive the same teachings and materials as those who join in person.
We are truly happy to welcome local practitioners to practice together in person for the full eight weeks, while also supporting those joining from afar through our online platform.
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s vision of Engaged Buddhism has touched practitioners across cultures, generations, and spiritual backgrounds. This course is for those who feel called to understand more deeply how that vision is continuing to unfold in the American context.
This course may be especially meaningful for:
Whether you are brand new to Plum Village or have practiced for decades, this course offers a grounded, accessible entry point into an important and timely conversation.
Over eight weeks, we will explore the living journey of the Plum Village tradition as it has taken root in North America—guided by the teachings and lifelong dedication of Thầy.
We will look at:
Together, we will:
Above all, this is an invitation to participate consciously in the ongoing life of the Dharma in America, tending the roots while nurturing new branches for generations to come.
This course is offered as a fundraiser for the Thích Nhất Hạnh School of Interbeing, which will open its first cohort of students this fall. All funds raised through this course will directly support the school’s operations, resources, and the team needed to bring this vision into reality.
Suggested donation tiers:
Root Tier — $400
Branch Tier — $600
Forest Tier — $800
Discounted registration options below $400 will be available for those who are in need of financial support. We want the course to remain accessible while honoring its role as a foundational fundraiser for the school.
If you would benefit from a scholarship or reduced rate, or if you have any questions about participating in the course, please feel free to reach out to us at courses@deerparkmonastery.org. We are happy to connect and support you.
From time to time we offer multi-week courses related to mindfulness, the teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh, and a variety of similar subjects. Please see our schedule of upcoming courses.
Take the Deer Park Monastery and Plum Village community with you wherever you go. The Plum Village app is designed to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and joy through guided meditations, deep relaxations, practice poems, bells of mindfulness, and other practices — all through a mobile device.
