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ONLINE

True Love Heals: Online Retreat

An Online Mindfulness Retreat with the Deer Park Monastery Sangha

September 8 / 4:00 pm - 12 / 6:00 pm

“True love has the power to heal and transform the situation around us and bring a deep meaning to our lives.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

True Love Heals is a five-day online mindfulness retreat offered by the Deer Park Monastery Sangha in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Throughout the retreat, we will explore loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity as qualities of true love and as practices we can bring into our daily lives. We will also explore teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh's book How to Love.

This retreat will be held by the whole Deer Park Sangha, with many of our Dharma teachers and monastics offering Dharma talks, leading Dharma sharing, and guiding the practices and activities throughout our five days together. The retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, Dharma sharing, mindful meals, total relaxation, questions and responses, exercise, and a Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony.

Dharma Teachers

Brother Pháp Dung, Sister Kính Nghiêm, Sister Đẳng Nghiêm, Brother Mãn Tuệ, and Brother Pháp Lưu are among the Dharma teachers who will offer talks during this retreat.

Brother 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

Sister Kính NghiêmSister Kính Nghiêm is one of the elder sisters at Deer Park Monastery, known for her sharp wit, independent spirit, and style. Born and raised in San Diego, she grew up in a deeply Buddhist household, where her mother, a devoted practitioner, woke the family each morning with the sound of sutra chanting and the rhythmic beat of the fish drum. Her connection to Thay (Thích Nhất Hạnh) began early—her grandmother in Vietnam secretly distributed his books when they were banned, and her mother attended every Vietnamese retreat he offered in the U.S., often bringing along a reluctant young Sister Kinh Nghiêm.Despite her early exposure to Buddhist teachings, she was far more interested in school, friends, and her childhood ambition of becoming a lawyer. However, at the age of 14, everything changed when she attended a Buddhist youth retreat led by Thay. Expecting boredom, she instead found herself captivated by his words, which cut through all distractions and made perfect sense to her. She realized that the teachings held the key to something profound—not just for herself, but for her friends, many of whom were struggling with drugs, depression, and violence. She saw the Dharma as a way to offer them another path.Within weeks of the retreat, Sister Kính Nghiêm had made the radical decision to ordain. Against the expectations of family, friends, and society, she left high school and traveled to Plum Village, France, where she received ordination in 1997, becoming one of the youngest monastics in the community. Over the decades, she has remained steadfast in her practice, navigating the inevitable challenges of monastic life with humor, resilience, and a deep sense of purpose.Known affectionately as "Sister Chicken" by children at the monastery, she brings a unique flair to the monastic path—often seen wearing a floppy hat, mirrored sunglasses, and carrying a woven basket. She embodies the teaching that monastic life does not require conformity but rather a deep authenticity. She encourages those interested in monastic life to let go of rigid expectations, embrace the unknown, and take full responsibility for their own journey.A Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, originally from Vietnam and a U.S. citizen, born in 1983. She entered monastic training in 1997 at the age of 14 and received the novice precepts on February 4, 1998, at Từ Nghiêm Temple – Plum Village, with the Dharma name Tâm Phật Chủng and the Dharma title Chân Kính Nghiêm. She belongs to the Cây Táo (Apple Tree) ordination family.She received full ordination on December 18, 2001, in the Kỷ Nguyên Mới (New Era) Great Ordination Ceremony.She is the 64th 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

Sister 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

Brother Mãn TuệThầy Thích Chân Mãn Tuệ, also known as Brother Insight, was born in Huế, Central
Vietnam, in 1985. At the age of 16, he was ordained as a Vietnamese Novice Buddhist
Monk in March 2002 at the root temple of Plum Village, Chùa Từ Hiếu, located in
Vietnam.Brother Man Tue became an aspirant at age 14, and ordained as a novice monk on 22, March 2002 (at age 16) in Plum Village's Root Temple, Chùa Từ Hiếu with lineage name: Tâm Hiếu, and Dharma Name : Mãn Tuệ (given by Root Teacher The Most Venerable Thích Chí Mậu who is Younger Brother in Dharma of Thầy , Zen Master Thich Nhất Hạnh.)
In 2006, he took a profound step by moving to Plum Village, France, where he continued
his dedication to the Buddhist path and received full Bhikshu ordination on December
18, 2006 in the Văn Lang Great Ordination Ceremony. He belongs to the 43 rd generation in the Lâm Tế (Linji) Zen tradition, and the 9th generation of the Liễu Quán Dharma Branch.
Since 2008, Thầy Thích Chân Mãn Tuệ has devoted his practice and teachings to Deer
Park Monastery in California. He received the Lamp from Thay, becoming a Dharma
Teacher in 2012 at Deer Park Monastery.
Dedicated to daily practice, he finds joy in Meditation and Qigong. Thầy Thích Chân
Mãn Tuệ extends his commitment to spiritual well-being by generously sharing Qigong
teachings with friends attending retreats at Blue Cliff
Monastery and Deer Park Monastery, where he currently resides.He received the Lamp transmission in February 2012 at Deer Park in the Tình Huynh Đệ (the
Brotherhood & Sisterhood) Great Ordination Ceremony.Read

Brother 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

Learn More About Our Dharma Teachers

We invite you to listen to the "Meet the Monastics" podcast to hear inspiring stories from the Deer Park nuns and monks. Whether you are new to Deer Park or are a seasoned practitioner, you will enjoy getting to know our monastic siblings in a personal way before the retreat.

Listen Here

Practicing Together Online

In light of the cancellation of our current in-person retreats, we are continuing to adjust and adapt to the conditions of this moment. Although we are unable to gather at the monastery as planned, we are still practicing together.

For friends joining from North America, we recommend setting aside these five days and approaching the online retreat with the same spirit as attending a retreat in person. This may include making space within ongoing responsibilities and projects, simplifying your schedule, and creating supportive conditions for practice at home.

The Retreat Experience

Each day of the retreat will be rooted in the qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Our five days together will include:

Sitting and walking meditation
Dharma talks and teachings
Dharma sharing in small groups
Mindful meals
Total relaxation
Mindful movement and exercise
Questions and responses
Chanting and singing meditation
Community gatherings and affinity-based practice opportunities

The retreat will follow the daily rhythm of Deer Park Monastery and will primarily take place during Pacific Daylight Time hours.

Download the Schedule

Our Online Retreat Space

The retreat will be held and organized through Circle, Deer Park's online course and community platform. Many friends may already be familiar with Circle from previous Deer Park online courses and offerings.

Circle will be the central space for the retreat schedule, Zoom links, announcements, and retreat materials. Before the retreat begins, we will provide guidance and support to ensure everyone can access the platform and become familiar with the retreat space and technology in advance.

Hear From Past Online Retreat Participants:

I love the accessibility of the online retreats. I'm sure an in-person retreat must be 1000 times more powerful, but the travel costs are often prohibitive. Getting to interact, even only online, with the monastics that we've heard and/or seen give Dharma talks on YouTube or on the App is a treat. They become "real" to us; more relatable guides/mentors/teachers. And being able to see ALL the faces of the other retreatants and our Dharma Sharing group members, which we would not be able to see if we were attending in person, is very encouraging and enriching.

There were many, many ways that this was as wonderful as and, in some ways, even better than an on-site experience. To be in my own home and participating in the sacred activities of DPM was a marvel. To watch, and change the way I was in my house, unified Deer Park Laura with regular old Laura.

This retreat allowed me to make some deep practice memories in my own home.

It was a wonder to be able to attend the retreat and sleep with the dog in my bed and only one snoring roommate. 😊 So excellent was my sleep, I made it to EVERY 5:45 am session. A new record!

Wow, it was all so nourishing, inspiring and helpful! I was able to participate in Dharma talks, morning meditation, and some Qigong. I really appreciated the schedule. It felt like the right balance of zoom time and off-screen time. It helped me come home to myself and feel connected to deer park and the community at home.

I was skeptical of how beneficial an online retreat could be, especially since I wasn’t too excited about being on zoom more than I already am! But I found it to be incredibly, surprisingly, and deeply nourishing. Fantastic job, everyone!!

Pricing and Accessibility

We aspire to make True Love Heals accessible to our wider community while supporting the Deer Park Monastery Sangha and the resources needed to offer this five-day online retreat. At checkout you may select the price point that works best for you and your family.

Individual Registration

Donor Price — $500
Full Price — $350
Reduced Price — $180

Family Registration for 2+ Adults

Donor's Family Price — $1,000
Full Family Price — $600
Reduced Family Price — $300

Discounted International and Vietnamese-Language Registration

A discounted registration structure is available for friends joining from other continents whose time zones significantly limit their ability to participate in the full live Pacific Daylight Time schedule, as well as Vietnamese-speaking friends.

Discounted Individual Registration

Donor Price — $300
Full Price — $180
Reduced Price — $90

Discounted Family Registration for 2+ Adults

Donor's Family Price — $600
Full Family Price — $300
Reduced Family Price — $150

Select retreat offerings will include Vietnamese translation, including Dharma talks, and dedicated Vietnamese-speaking Dharma sharing spaces will be available. As not every retreat activity will include Vietnamese translation, the discounted rate reflects the level of Vietnamese-language access available throughout the retreat. The reduced international pricing also recognizes that friends joining from significantly different time zones may only be able to participate live in portions of the retreat schedule.

If you are in need of a scholarship or financial assistance, please contact our course team at courses@deerparkmonastery.org for support.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings

Friends participating in True Love Heals will have the opportunity to receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings during the retreat.

A Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony will be offered on the closing day of the retreat, with Vietnamese translation available. Participants who aspire to receive the Trainings will receive additional information and guidance in preparation.

Receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings is optional and is not required to participate in the retreat.

Free eBook: How to Love

All registrants for the "True Love Heals" Online Retreat will receive a free eBook of Thich Nhat Hanh's How to Love.

How to Love is the third title in Parallax’s Mindfulness Essentials Series of how-to titles by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, introducing beginners and reminding seasoned practitioners of the essentials of mindfulness practice.

About the Book

To love is a process of learning. Learning to understand self and other. And out of that understanding comes acceptance and the energy that is needed to help with transformation and healing. True love can transform and can heal the other person, can transform and heal yourself.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Online Retreat FAQs

Yes. Family registration is available for 2+ adults, and members of the same family or household are welcome to participate in the retreat together.

For Dharma sharing, we ask that each person who plans to participate register with their own email address. This will allow us to place each participant in a Dharma sharing group and provide access to the correct online spaces. Our team will assist families with this process and provide additional instructions before the retreat begins.

Each day will follow the practice rhythm of Deer Park Monastery and include a combination of meditation, teachings, mindful meals, rest, and community practice. While each day will be different, a retreat day may look something like this:

6:00 AM PDT — Guided Sitting Meditation
6:45 AM PDT — Walking Meditation
7:30 AM PDT — Breakfast
9:30 AM PDT — Dharma Talk
11:30 AM PDT — Exercise or Mindful Movement
12:30 PM PDT — Mindful Lunch
2:30 PM PDT — Total Relaxation
4:00 PM PDT — Dharma Sharing
6:00 PM PDT — Dinner
7:30 PM PDT — Sitting Meditation
9:00 PM PDT — Noble Silence and Tech Lights Out

This sample is intended to offer a sense of the retreat rhythm.

We encourage participants, particularly those joining from North America, to set aside the five retreat days and participate as fully as their conditions allow.

We recommend approaching the online retreat with the same spirit as attending a retreat at Deer Park in person. We also understand that practicing from home comes with different responsibilities and conditions, and invite each participant to make space for the retreat within the realities of their daily life.

Yes. Friends from around the world are warmly welcome.

The retreat follows the daily rhythm of Deer Park Monastery and is scheduled in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). We recognize that friends practicing from countries outside of the U.S. may find it difficult to participate in the full live retreat schedule because of the time difference.

In recognition of this, we offer a 50% international time zone discount. If you are registering from a country outside of North America, you are welcome to use the discount code FRIEND50 during registration. This discounted rate is intended to support those who may not be able to attend all live sessions due to the time difference.

Vietnamese translation will be available for select retreat offerings, including Dharma talks. Dedicated Vietnamese-speaking Dharma sharing spaces will also be offered.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony is also planned with Vietnamese translation.

As not every retreat activity will include Vietnamese translation, discounted registration is available for Vietnamese-speaking friends.

At the end of each retreat day, participants will be invited to observe Noble Silence and Tech Lights Out, reflecting the retreat rhythm at Deer Park Monastery. The proposed retreat schedule closes each full practice day with Noble Silence and Tech Lights Out at 9:00 PM.

Tech Lights Out is an invitation to step away from unnecessary screen use, online activity, work, and other digital distractions for the remainder of the evening. Participants are encouraged to use this time for quiet, rest, and continued mindfulness practice at home.

Friends participating in True Love Heals will have the opportunity to receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings during the retreat.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings (The 5 MT) are one of the most concrete ways to practice mindfulness. They are nonsectarian, and their nature is universal. They are true practices of compassion and understanding. All spiritual traditions have their equivalent to the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are based on the precepts developed during the time of the Buddha to be the foundation of practice for the entire lay practice community. Thay has translated these precepts for modern times, because mindfulness is at the foundation of each one of them.

At Plum Village practice centers, both lay and monastic practitioners live by the Five Mindfulness Trainings, strengthening their mindfulness practice and fostering harmony in their communities. Abstaining from smoking, drinking alcohol, and maintaining integrity in relationships are all part of this precious practice, cultivated with diligence in Plum Village communities.

At any time, anyone can choose to live in accordance with these Five Trainings. By practicing them, we become Bodhisattvas—living in harmony, protecting the environment, preserving peace, and nurturing siblinghood. We not only safeguard the beauty of our own culture but also respect and protect the beauty of other cultures and of the Earth itself. Carrying the Five Trainings in our hearts, we are already walking on the path of transformation and healing.

During retreats organized by Plum Village practice centers, there is often a ceremony at the end to formally accept the Five Mindfulness Trainings and to receive a Dharma Name. This name reflects a quality or aspiration to nourish on the path of practice. We are often reminded that the Five Mindfulness Trainings are not commandments or rigid rules but deep practices of love and understanding. Receiving them doesn't mean you must follow them perfectly, but that you are committing to practice, reflect and come back to them again and again.

A Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony will be offered on the closing day of this online retreat, with Vietnamese translation available. Participants who aspire to receive the Trainings will receive additional information and guidance in preparation.

Receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings is optional and is not required to participate in the retreat. Learn more about the 5MT here.

The retreat will be offered primarily in English, with Vietnamese translation available for select retreat offerings, including Dharma talks. Dedicated Vietnamese-speaking Dharma sharing spaces will also be offered.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony is also planned with Vietnamese translation.

As not every retreat activity will include Vietnamese translation, discounted registration is available for Vietnamese-speaking friends.

Due to limited resources we are only able to provide Vietnamese translation at this time.

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

True Love Heals: Online Retreat

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True Love Heals: Online Retreat