Deer Park Monastery
Deer Park Monastery is a 400-acre (1.6 km2) Buddhist sanctuary in Escondido, California. It was founded in July 2000 by monastic and lay practitioners from Plum Village in France.
The monastery is under the direction of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing in the Vietnamese Zen tradition. Deer Park follows the same practices and schedule as Plum Village and its sister monastery Blue Cliff Monastery in New York.
Since its founding the monastery has grown to be very active. Deer Park hosts an annual retreat when Thich Nhat Hanh travels to North America. Over the years several people have taken novice vows and members of the other monasteries have moved to Deer Park so the ordained sangha has been growing. Lay practitioners also live at the monastery.
The monastery is now composed of two hamlets; Solidity Hamlet for monks and laymen and Clarity Hamlet for nuns and laywomen.
All retreats at Deer Park Monastery include the basic practices of sitting meditation and chanting, walking meditation, eating in mindfulness, group discussions, touching the Earth, total relaxation, and working meditation. Depending on the retreat, extra activities may include private consultations, mountain hiking, bon-fire, and song & skit performances. Retreats are for beginners and experienced practitioners of meditation.