Deer Park Monastery

We went to the Deer Park Monastery. That was my first “real” live encounter with Buddhism religion. Now the monks there belong to what can be described as Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. In actuality it looked and felt more like a small expatriate community spiced with religion.

The good thing is that they welcome visitors on Thursdays and Sundays. So we went on Thursday. Early in the morning they gave a dharma talk and then went for a stroll (walking meditation). Unfortunately (or fortunately) we missed that. We did, however joined in “dharma discussion” which is very close to a therapy sessions like alcoholics anonymous. It went okay for a while until some guys started loosening up and talking too much. The worst was yet to come.

We had some tea on arrival. Then we joined that discussion. One of the main ideas of Buddhism is to be present in the moment and they have reminders like bell ringing every half an hour or so. You are supposed to stop whatever you are doing and think of yourself at the present moment. By the way the idea is sound but there is still too much theatre involved so sometimes it feels really funny.

Anyway, the main “attraction” of the day was a “free” meal. Why in parentheses? Because I found out that there are no really free meals. You always pay, especially in religious institutions. Not necessarily with money. In this case it was a very long waiting. You serve yourself from a buffet-style table. But then instead of sitting at the table in the same dining hall we walked to their meditation hall and had to sit crossed-legs on the mat while waiting for everyone else. Than you wait through all the ceremonial speeches. Finally you eat. As you can guess by now even if you are finished you have to wait while everyone else is finished. More talk, asking the newbies how they happened to be in the place. It is finally over. And get this: they recycle chopsticks. I know it’s not really relevant to the story but I wanted to let you know anyway. And the moral of the story? It does not pay to be the first.

The best part for me was just walking on the grounds and looking at the plants. The surroundings are beautiful and they have magnificent view on the valley.

So if you are in the area and are curisous about different tradition, stop by. It’s not as bad as I described. You’ll get to see real monks and their lifestyle.