Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago, after a wait of more than a month, we finally obtained permission to continue work on the extension of the Still Water Meditation Hall in Upper Hamlet. We are trying to complete the meditation hall before the 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, and so the monks are doing much of the construction work with the help of Thay Phap Due father, from Toronto Canada, specialize in house renovation and Hoang Van Ngan, who is a carpenter, and has come to visit with his wife and young son. Everyone is working around the clock, and we are hoping that we can complete the Hall before the Winter Retreat. This would be a wonderful offering to the fourfold Sangha. Although we are working hard, we are also having fun. Most of us have never done a large construction like this, but we are able to learn from and support each other, and we are making a lot of progress. Please enjoy the slideshow, created by Br. Phap Due, with pictures by br. Phap Due and br. Phap Tuc, and music from Paul Tingen's CD, "May The Road Rise To Meet You."

The Still Water Meditation Hall, largest hall of Upper Hamlet, used for all the Dharma talks given by Thay Thich Nhat Hanh and for great gatherings such as at Vietnamese New Year, urgently needs to be renovated. As you many know, whenever we host for the summer or other very popular retreats, this hall can only host a maximum of 250 persons.  Meanwhile, hundreds of others have to sit in smaller groups outside --  under the acacia trees, in the Buddha garden, in the dining hall or even further away in the Transformation Hall.  Many of you have came to Plum Village from far away, with the sole wish to see Thay give teachings, and were disappointed to find yourselves in a completely different hall, listening to audio replay or translation without being able to see Thay.  Whenever it rained, our friends would get wet sitting outside under our modest tents.  We always regretted this uncomfortable situation for you, and for years, we have been trying to find solution -- without much success.

Deer Park Monastery, Escondido, California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sep 25, 2007 – Escondido, CA, – Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and one of the world’s foremost spiritual teachers, announced that Deer Park Monastery is converting to 100% solar power. The monastery, established in 2000 by Thich Nhat Hanh, is open to visitors year round who come to learn the art of mindful living. Mindfulness practice wakens us to the present moment where we can touch life deeply in and around us.