Day of Mindfulness

A Day of Mindfulness at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California, is an in-person day of practice in the Plum Village tradition of Engaged Buddhism and Vietnamese Zen. It is open to visitors at any stage of practice, from people who have never sat in a meditation hall to long-time practitioners, and it runs from morning into early afternoon on the monastery grounds.

What to Expect

The day begins with a gathering and walking meditation at nine in the morning. The gate opens earlier, between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, to receive registered visitors, so there is time to arrive and settle in.

At 10:15 AM comes a Dharma talk with Hoà Thượng, given in Vietnamese with English translation. At 11:30 AM the community recites the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, a core practice of the Plum Village tradition. A formal lunch follows at 12:30 PM, and the day ends at 2:00 PM.

The schedule is tentative, and the program takes place rain or shine. Access to the monastery grounds is included throughout the program day.

The Setting

Deer Park Monastery is a Plum Village community in Escondido, California. The monastery receives guests throughout the year and relies on donations to stay open.

Lunch is not provided at the moment. Please bring your own vegan or vegetarian lunch, which you will eat during the formal lunch with the community. Donation boxes are in the meditation hall and the dining hall, and giving is also possible online. A donation is greatly appreciated but not fixed.

Before You Go

Advance registration is required, and these days regularly sell out. If a day is full, spots can open up when other people cancel, though no waiting list is kept. Registered guests who need to cancel can do so through their Eventbrite account, or by contacting the registration office if they have no account.

Members of the Order of Interbeing are welcome on any Day of Mindfulness without registering, and are invited to wear their brown jacket.

The Dharma talk is in Vietnamese with English translation, so the day works for English and Vietnamese speakers alike.

Everyone is asked to dress modestly for the whole visit, to support the shared energy of practice:

- Sleeves that cover the shoulders (short sleeves are fine)
- Shirts that cover the midriff and back
- Loose-fitting long pants or long skirts that cover the knees, whether standing or sitting

Casual clothes are welcome. Shorts, tank tops and tight-fitting clothing are not.

If you would like to learn the basic practices before you arrive, the monastery offers a video series called Essential Practices of Mindful Living, which covers the practices included in the day's program.