We invite you to join us for The Buddha the Scientist Retreat, co-hosted by UCSD at Lions Camp at Wrightwood, located at Teresita Pines in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains near Wrightwood, California.

event

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat

October 1 / 2:00 pm - 4 / 2:00 pm

About the Retreat

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat will be held October 1 - October 4, 2026, co-hosted by UCSD, one of the world's leading public research universities.

The retreat will be held at Lions Camp at Wrightwood, located at Teresita Pines in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains near Wrightwood, California.

Address: 22801 Big Pines Hwy, Valyermo, CA 93563

Approximate travel times:

2.5 hours from Deer Park Monastery
1.5–2 hours from Los Angeles
2.5–3 hours from San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Approximately 40 minutes from Ontario International Airport (ONT)

The mountain setting offers a peaceful environment with fresh air, pine forests, and quiet walking paths that support mindfulness and deep practice. The facilities are simple and communal, similar in spirit to Deer Park Monastery.

Rooted in the teachings of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, this retreat emphasizes the integration of mindfulness into daily life, providing a nurturing environment to slow down, connect with the present moment, and deepen your meditation practice.

Participants will have the rare opportunity to join scientists and scholars in shared mindfulness activities, creating a space where contemplative practice informs and enriches intellectual exploration.

Whether you are new to mindfulness or a seasoned practitioner, this retreat will support your journey of inner transformation and cultivate the clarity and compassion needed to make meaningful impacts in your life and the world.

Sample Retreat Schedule

5:45 AM Walking Meditation & Mindful Movement
6:30 AM Guided Sitting Meditation
7:30 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM Dharma Talk
11:00 AM Walking Meditation & Mindful Movement
12:30 PM Lunch
2:00 Deep Relaxation
3:00 Dharma Sharing
5:00 Exercise Time
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Workshops with Scientists
9:30 Noble Silence / Lights Out

About the Symposium

Following the retreat, The Buddha the Scientist symposium will be held at UCSD on Monday October 5, which invites scientists from around North America to explore the intersection of Buddhism, psychology, and neuroscience through the embodied practice of mindfulness. The symposium combines mindfulness practice with groundbreaking scientific inquiry and discussion. When registering for the Retreat, you can select the option to reserve your spot for the Symposium simultaneously.

The Buddha as a Scientist

The Buddha, as a true pioneer, ignited a revolution in understanding the mind and body. His teachings offer concrete methods to develop mindfulness, concentration, and insight—an invaluable compass for seekers throughout the ages. Moreover, he embodied a scientific mindset, continually adapting his teachings based on real-life evidence gleaned from his own practice and that of his students.

This will be our fifth The Buddha the Scientist event. View past TBTS events below:

Scientists & Speakers

DHARMA TEACHERMeena SrinivasanMeena Srinivasan/True Seal of Peace (she/her) is a lay Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition of Engaged Buddhism and has been an active member of the community for nearly two decades. She serves on the working board of the Thích Nhất Hạnh Foundation, is a founding board member of the Thích Nhất Hạnh School of Interbeing and is a resident of Simplicity Hamlet at Deer Park Monastery. An internationally recognized leader in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and mindfulness in education, she is a former public school administrator and National Board Certified Teacher.Meena is the author of Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness In and Out of the Classroom and SEL Every Day: Integrating Social and Emotional Learning with Instruction in Secondary Classrooms, named one of the best books for educators by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. She also authored the Integrating SEL into Every Classroom Quick Reference Guide.A Hemera Foundation Contemplative Education Fellow, Meena serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Social and Emotional Learning, the leading journal for SEL policy, research, and practice. She teaches graduate-level SEL courses at UC Berkeley and is a sought-after keynote speaker.Her TEDx talk, “Unlocking the Secret Powers of Tenderness,” sharing the story of her first encounter with Thich Nhat Hanh, became one of the most-watched TEDx talks of 2024 with over two million views. Meena is the Founding Executive Director of Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL), where she pioneered a fellowship for educational leaders that centers personal growth as a catalyst for systemic change. She was honored as one of Mindful magazine’s Ten Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement and recognized by Educational Leadership magazine for insights into mindful leadership and the benefits of meditation for school leaders.Learn more at meenasrinivasan.com.Read

DHARMA TEACHERBrother Pháp LưuOrdained as a monk since December 13, 2003, Brother Chân Pháp Lưu (Brother Stream) received Transmission of the Lamp from Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh to teach in 2011. He helped start Wake-Up, the international movement for young people, as well as the Happy Farm, Plum Village’s organic farming community, and has been working with Wake-Up Schools since its inception in 2012 to bring mindfulness to schools. He has served as a monastic editor several of Thích Nhát Hạnh’s books including Happy Teachers Change the World, Stepping Into Freedom, Cracking the Walnut, The Admonitions and Encouraging Words of Master Guishan, and How to Focus. Brother Phap Luu leads mindful backpacking retreats in nature around Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California and recently co-authored a book with Brother Phap Xa called Hiking Zen.Brother Stream has been working lately with scientists at Dartmouth College and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to develop research on the effect of Plum Village mindfulness practices on children. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Thích Nhát Hạnh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.He is the 201st disciple of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and belongs to the 43rd generation of the Lâm Tế lineage and the 9th generation of the Liễu Quán school.Read

Sister Hương NghiêmA Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, originally from Vietnam and a U.S. citizen, born in 1965. She entered monastic training in 1992 at the age of 27 and received the novice precepts on December 31, 1992, at Pháp Vân Temple – Plum Village, with the Dharma name Tâm Diệu Hương and the Dharma title Chân Hương Nghiêm. She belongs to the Con Khỉ (Monkey) ordination family.She received full ordination on August 5, 1994, in the Hương Tích Great Ordination Ceremony.She is the 15th disciple of Thầy in the Plum Village lineage, the 43rd generation in the Lâm Tế (Linji) Zen tradition, and the 9th generation of the Liễu Quán Dharma branch.Read

DHARMA TEACHERBrother Pháp DungBrother Chân Pháp Dung (Dharma Embrace) was ordained in 1998 as a monk in Plum Village France receiving the Dharma Teacher Lamp from Thầy in 2004. He is the former abbot of Deer Park Monastery in California from 2001 to 2010. He was born in Vietnam in 1969 and escaped as a refugee with his family to the US when he was nine years old. He grew up in the Los Angeles area, studied and received a degree in Architecture from the University of Southern California, and worked as an architect/designer for four years before becoming a monk. Br. Pháp Dung helped to establish Deer Park Monastery and other US centers, creating meditation programs and retreats for children, teens, families, and young adults, as well as planning its halls and infrastructures. He has led mindfulness retreats in North and South America, China, Hong Kong, India, Bhutan, and Germany.A Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, originally from Vietnam and a U.S. citizen, born in 1969. He entered monastic training in 1997 at the age of 28 and received the novice precepts on February 4, 1998, at Từ Nghiêm Temple – Plum Village, with the Dharma name Tâm Hòa Sắc and the Dharma title Chan Phap Dung. He belongs to the Cây Táo (Apple Tree) ordination family.He received full ordination on December 18, 2001, in the Đã Về Đã Tới Great Ordination CeremonyRead

DHARMA TEACHERSister Đẳng NghiêmSister Đẳng Nghiêm, MD, (“Sister D”) immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen with her brother. She earned a medical degree from the University of California – San Francisco. She was ordained as a nun in 2000 by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and given the name Dang Nghiem, which means adornment with nondiscrimination. She is the author of a memoir, Healing: A Woman’s Journey from Doctor to Nun (2010), and Mindfulness as Medicine: A Story of Healing and Spirit (2015). Her newest book, Flowers in the Dark, (2021) is a deeply thoughtful guidebook to healing trauma with mindfulness practice.A Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, originally from Vietnam and a U.S. citizen, born in 1968. She entered monastic training in 2000 at the age of 32 and received the novice precepts on May 18, 2000, at Từ Nghiêm Temple – Plum Village, with the Dharma name Tâm Phụng Hỷ and the Dharma title Chân Đẳng Nghiêm. She belongs to the Cây Bông Sứ (Frangipani Tree) ordination family.She received full ordination on January 9, 2003, in the Đã Về Đã Tới (I Have Arrived, I Am Home) Great Ordination Ceremony.She is the 106th disciple of Thầy in the Plum Village lineage. She belongs to the 43rd generation in the Lâm Tế (Linji) Zen tradition and the 9th generation of the Liễu Quán Dharma branch.Read

Hear what participants said:

The lecture on somatic exercises was a new learning that made a strong-felt impression. I was also moved by the brave sharing by Sangha members who asked difficult questions.
–
TBTS Participant, 2022

There were many [memorable moments], but hearing the scientists share their research and how changing our diets could save the planet was very inspiring.
–
TBTS Participant, 2022

My favorite element of Dr. Niemiec’s workshop was the part where we were paired with another person and shared our strengths. It’s unusual to talk about my strengths and especially without also talking about my weaknesses.
–
TBTS Participant, 2022

Retreat FAQs

The retreat will be held at Lions Camp at Wrightwood, located at Teresita Pines in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains near Wrightwood, California. Check-in will take place at Teresita Pines.

Address: 22801 Big Pines Hwy, Valyermo, CA 93563

Approximate travel times:

2.5 hours from Deer Park Monastery
1.5–2 hours from Los Angeles
2.5–3 hours from San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Approximately 40 minutes from Ontario International Airport (ONT) (Please note that rideshare availability from ONT may be limited.)

Located in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains near Big Bear and Wrightwood, the Lions Camp at Wrightwood offers a peaceful natural setting that feels familiar to practicing at Deer Park Monastery. Surrounded by pine forests, fresh mountain air, and quiet walking paths, the camp provides an ideal environment for mindfulness, rest, and community.

The accommodations are simple and humble, with cabin-style dormitories featuring bunk beds—similar in spirit to Deer Park's communal lodging. While the facilities are not luxurious, they are clean, welcoming, and designed to support the simplicity of retreat life.

The camp includes a spacious dining hall, gathering spaces for Dharma talks and group activities, and outdoor areas where participants can enjoy the beauty and stillness of the mountains together. Cabins are equipped with bathrooms and showers. Please note that the retreat venue takes place at high elevation level (5,000 ft).

Participants will stay in simple gender-designated, dormitory-style cabins with bunk beds. Most cabins accommodate 8–12 people, with a few larger shared rooms.

Cabins include:

Bunk beds
Indoor bathrooms
Toilets
Showers
Sinks

The accommodations are humble and designed to support simple communal retreat living. We kindly ask that you please bring your own sleeping bag and pillow.

Cabins will be organized by:

Women's cabins
Men's cabins
If there is enough interest, there will also be a cabin for those who identify as gender-nonconforming

The Buddha the Scientist Symposium will be held on Monday October 5, held at the Sanford Consortium in San Diego from 9:00 AM–4:00 PM.

There is an option during registration to bundle your Retreat and Symposium registration together. If you are unable to attend the Symposium, select just the option for the Retreat at checkout.

Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation from the retreat venue to the symposium. Carpooling is encouraged.

The Buddha the Scientist brings together a remarkable community of researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, neuroscientists, and Dharma teachers who are exploring the meeting place of contemplative wisdom and modern science. Drawing from leading universities, medical centers, and the Plum Village tradition, our speakers investigate topics such as mindfulness, compassion, neuroscience, emotional intelligence, social and emotional learning, education, medicine, and human flourishing. Together, they offer both rigorous scientific insight and decades of personal mindfulness practice, illuminating how the Buddha's teachings continue to inspire research, healing, and compassionate action in today's world. View the full speaker lineup here.

This retreat is hosted in collaboration with the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Explore Online Courses

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.

Upcoming Courses

Plum Village App

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.

Open Plum Village Mobile App in the App Store

Open Plum Village Mobile App in the Google Play Store

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat

Turn Your Inbox into a Dharma Door

The Buddha the Scientist Retreat

About the Retreat

Sample Retreat Schedule

About the Symposium

The Buddha as a Scientist

Scientists & Speakers

Hear what participants said:

Retreat FAQs

Explore Online Courses

Plum Village App

Turn Your Inbox into a Dharma Door

About the Retreat

Sample Retreat Schedule

About the Symposium

The Buddha as a Scientist

Scientists & Speakers

Hear what participants said:

Retreat FAQs

Explore Online Courses

Plum Village App