Deer Park Monastery

USA, California, Escondido

The monastery was founded in 2000 by Buddhists from Plum Village in France. It is under the direct guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh and is considered a branch temple of the Plum Village tradition.
The monastery occupies 162 ha and consists of two hamlets. The Solidity Hamlet, located in the north, was built for monks and laymen, while the Clarity Hamlet for nuns and laywomen is located in the south. The Clarity Hamlet consists of a meditation hall, office, tea room, and residential huts. Facilities in both hamlets are generally similar. On the monastery grounds there are also the Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall, Thay Giac Thanh Memorial Stupa, and a garden.
The single-story wooden Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall has a red metallic barrel vaulted roof with outward sweeping eaves on the sides. The gable ends have a central circular stained glass window decorated with different images: the north window is filled with a lotus flower and the Sanskrit words “Smrti Samadhi Prajna,” which means Mindfulness, Concentration, and Wisdom; the south window shows the Buddha with his father King Suddhodhana, and his son Rahula. Outside the meditation hall, there is a twelve-sided wooden pavilion which houses a large bronze bell.
A white Buddha statue is located in the garden on top of Yen Tu Mountain. The Buddha is sitting on a lotus seat above a two-tier throne composed of stacked rocks.