They are making progress. A semicircle of painted buildings shelters a landscaped oasis of flowers, trees and a small pond, a burst of manicured color in this otherwise undeveloped terrain.Their latest project is a 6,000-square-foot meditation hall, which they hope to complete in time for the winter visit of their leader, Thich Nhat Hanh. Thay, or teacher, as Thich Nhat Hanh is called by his students, is a popular Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master whose many books and lectures have found a receptive audience in the West.Like the Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhist fame, Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings of mindfulness and pluralism resonate in a culture where multitasking reigns and us-against-them is the order of the day.In 1969, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the Unified Buddhist Church, in which Plum Village is the main center with U.S. branches in Vermont and here in North County at Deer Park. Today, Deer Park is home to 30 Buddhist brothers and sisters, along with visitors who come for retreats or for Days of Mindfulness, held on the weekends.On this particular weekend, Saturday had been a working meditation, when buildings were painted and cleaned. But this Sunday, the Day of Mindfulness would focus on quiet meditation, when visitors practice being aware of every breath, every moment. That is what the ancient Buddhist virtue of mindfulness is all about being completely present.As participants arrive, they are greeted by a slightly built, cheerful Vietnamese monk named Brother Phap Dung. He nods to them, his palms pressed together, fingers pointed up. They return the gesture. Think of it as your hands coming together to form a flower, he says. "You're offering the flower to that person, a lotus for you, a wonderful being that you are."By the time the day is over, nearly 100 people would be here for some portion of the program. Typically, the participants are a mix of Buddhists and other faiths, as well as people who are simply curious. "I think what they're looking for is a community, a community to belong to," Brother Dung says.Pats Mendenhall, a 56-year-old Escondido woman, is one of them. She was drawn to Deer Park by the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. Raised Catholic, now, says Mendhenall, "when I come for a spiritual community, this is where I come to."Practice, practice By late morning, the walk is finished, along with a half-hour of stretching, reaching and breathing in a clearing surrounded by wild mustard.Participants, about evenly divided between men and women, are seated in a meditation hall listening to a monk give a lecture about mindfulness. His talk is in Vietnamese, so English-speaking guests wear headsets while another monk translates into a microphone in a soft whisper.In his lecture, the monk reminds the group that when it comes to mindfulness, practice makes perfect. "We need to practice being awake in our daily lives, to be mindful in our daily lives."Mindfulness is present-tense personified, being in touch with your feelings and thoughts as you have them. From this awareness is supposed to come clarity and peace. Mindfulness, says the teacher, can free you from afflictions, cravings, anger and other feelings that distract you.But it takes work to stay in the present moment and not stray into these negative thoughts and judgments. "Please don't forget yourself," he adds. "Don't forget to come back to your mindfulness, to your peace, your compassion, your kindness."When the bell is struck again, it is time for lunch, a simple vegetarian meal with women seated on one side of the dining hall and men on the other. The monk who led the walking meditation, Brother Chan Phap Tri, explains to newcomers that this is an "eating meditation," another chance to practice mindfulness."We encourage people to chew the food quite a bit," Brother Tri says. As they eat, they should remember all that went into making this food from the seed that grew into the food, to the farmers who harvested it and the cooks who made it into a meal."Nothing can exist by itself," he adds. "We can realize how we all are part of a much greater thing than this little body that we walk around in."Lunch, like the morning walk and exercises, is conducted mostly in silence. When they are finished, the men and women rise from their cushions and folding chairs and file out in two ritualistic lines, one led by the monks and the other by the nuns.They wash their own utensils, the sponges moving almost soundlessly across the plastic dishes, dunked into basins of clear water before being dried. Each step follows the other, with mindful deliberation.Art of happiness Many who are at Deer Park on this Sunday are Buddhists who know Thich Nhat Hanh through their shared Vietnamese roots. Others have a jumble of backgrounds. But all share a desire to incorporate the practice of mindfulness into their lifestyle."If you do everything without mindfulness, you can cause trouble, you can cause suffering to other people," says Long Tran, a 23-year-old Oceanside resident. He smiles softly before he continues. The more mindful you are of your actions, he says, the better you will behave.This is the third visit to Deer Park for Cody Dolnick, a 36-year-old Ocean Beach resident. "It just increases the sum total of happiness in my life," Dolnick says. "The more I practice, the happier I get."Megan Phillips was raised going to church on Sundays. Now, she goes to Deer Park. "It feels so safe," says the 26-year-old Vista resident. "You feel like you can really open up. It's definitely a sanctuary."Kim Tran, who came to the United States from her native Vietnam in 1975, drives in from Corona in Riverside County. It doesn't matter what religion you are, says the 52-year-old Tran; this is a place for all people to come and "just forget everything down there."Suddenly, the bell sounds, and again, all else ceases. These periodic bells are reminders to center yourself, to be aware of each breath. "It's a training," says Brother Dung. "I like to tell the children it's a game that we play, and it helps us to come back to our body because sometimes we get pulled away."When it is quiet again, the afternoon crowd drifts toward the meditation hall for a final time together.Natalie Tran will return to her Orange County home and her teaching job in the inner city of Los Angeles. "I have a very busy schedule," says the 23-year-old Tran. "Even though it's a long drive, it's totally worth it."She finds serenity at Deer Park. "I just feel such a wonderful sense of peace here. I'm particularly attracted to the natural beauty of the place."
As they leave, they pass little mindfulness road signs along the way. "Breathe," says one. "You are alive."
|
