Brother Chân Pháp Dung

Dharma Embrace

Brother Chân Pháp Dung was ordained on February 4th 1998 as a member of the “Apple” family at Plum Village France. He received full bhikshu ordination on December 18th 2001, and received the Lamp Transmission from Thầy and became a Dharma Teacher in 2004. He is the former abbot of Deer Park Monastery in California from 2001 to 2010.

He was born in Vietnam in 1969, came to the US when he was nine years old. He received a professional BA in Architecture from the University of Southern California, and worked as an architect/designer for four years before becoming a monk. He enjoys playing, learning and sharing mindfulness with children of all ages. Br. Pháp Dung helped to establish Deer Park Monastery and other US centres, creating meditation programs and retreats for children, teens, families, and young adults, as well as planning its halls and infrastructures. He has led mindfulness retreats in North and South America, China, Hong Kong, India, Bhutan and Germany. He is most inspired by meditation as a method of examining and cultivating the mind, of the individual and of the collective; and by community building as a method to heal and develop society.

Given Br. Pháp Dung’s passion for restoring connection with mother earth, he is involved in the Happy Farm (combining organic farming, community living, and the mindfulness practice in Upper Hamlet), and represented Plum Village at the pivotal COP21 climate conference in Paris. Throughout the year, he is involved in supporting Wake Up Schools (bringing mindfulness practice and well-being into education), Wake Up Hubs (creating sustainable, ethical, healthy, alternative non-sectarian urban practice centers for young people), and Wake Up retreats around the world. In the US, Br. Pháp Dung has offered mindfulness workshops for organisations such as Google, Facebook, Salesforce, and the World Bank. Br. Pháp Dung is happiest when he is immersed in nature. He loves writing, drawing, singing, swimming, drinking tea, and performing rituals of the native American people.

Dharma Talks

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The Power of Peace in Climate Action

Our latest online course “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet” is now open for registration! Sign up here: https://plumvillage.org/zasp What is the “flavor of Zen”? And what does it have to do with the urgent work we need to do to face the climate crisis? Brother Pháp…

Br Pháp Dung

September 28, 2023

Reverence is the Nature of Our Revolution

Br Phap Dung teaches on community living and reverence in our life and in our practice. Br Phap Dung encourages us to give 100% of our being to the practice, much like a newly ordained novice. The Plum Village community is a community of resistance, a radical, non-violent, 2,500…

Br Pháp Dung

November 3, 2019

Questions and Answers

A panel of monastics answer questions during the rains retreat Questions pertain to 1. How to use the 5 Mindfulness Trainings as a guide to practicing engaged Buddhism 2. How to maintain the beginner’s mind as a long time practitioner, and dealing with doubt when it arises about the…

Br Pháp Dung, Sr Thanh Ý, Sr Lực Nghiêm, Br Phap The

October 28, 2019

The Nature of No Birth and No Death | Neuroscience Retreat

Br Phap Dung talks about the historical and ultimate dimension, training our minds and healing ourselves in the present moment. Buddhism is a practice to touch the ultimate dimension (absolute truth) from the historical dimension (relative truth). Teachings such as dependent co-arising or causes and conditions for the manifestation…

Br Pháp Dung

June 20, 2019

Fear of Making a Commitment (FOMAC)

Br Phap Dung gives the New Year’s eve talk. In his talk, he pays homage to our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh who loves festivals and celebrations and talks about the importance of commitment. New Year is a time to look back on the old year and a time to…

Br Pháp Dung

December 31, 2018

Aspiration, Passion & Free Will / Wake Up Earth

What is our reason of being, raison d’être, our passion or aspiration? Is it to be free? Is freewill the same thing? Volition is a source of energy that makes us want to wake up and keep going in life. We need to have a clear and still mind…

Br Pháp Dung

August 16, 2018

The Power of Cutting Off & Letting Go

Letting go is not about suppressing or denying our experiences, but rather acknowledging and accepting them with compassion and understanding. By embracing impermanence and non-attachment, we can free ourselves from the burden of past regrets and future worries, and cultivate a deeper sense of peace and freedom in the…

Br Pháp Dung

July 29, 2018

Articles

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What is Mindfulness

Thich Nhat Hanh January 15, 2020

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