Today we learn about the Four Recollections—recollection of the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and the Precepts—and the four domains of mindfulness, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind. The word “Dharma” appears twice with different meanings: with a capital “D,” it refers to the teachings of the Buddha; with a lowercase “d,” it refers to objects of perception. The origin of the gatha on the Four Recollections in the “Chanting Book of the Zen Monastery” and the White-Clad Layperson Sutra (the Householder Sutra) both mention these Four Recollections. For deeper study, you may refer to:

• “For a Future to Be Possible (White Clad One)”—the White-Clad Layperson Sutra and commentary on the Four Recollections
• “Transformation and Healing”—the original text of the Satipatthana Sutta in Pali, Chinese, and commentary

The practice of mindfulness of the body begins with the sixteen exercises from the Discourse on Mindful Breathing, repeating each exercise:

• Recognizing the breath (knowing when breathing in, knowing when breathing out)
• Following the breath
• Recognizing the whole body
• Releasing tension and relaxing the whole body
  This can be expanded into 20–30 exercises depending on experience, and can be similarly applied to mindfulness of feelings (recognizing feelings, soothing them, generating joy and happiness).

Contemplation of the body is also practiced during walking meditation with each step: being aware of each posture (standing, sitting, walking, eating), each stage of movement (lifting, moving forward, placing). Begin with a rhythm of one or two steps (breathing in, one; breathing out, two), then according to the capacity of your lungs, move to two–two, two–three… up to three–three steps. You can replace the numbers with meditation phrases such as “Returning to the island within.” Only when you are firmly established in mindfulness of the body and your steps can you recognize mental formations, take care of and transform worries, anger, and sadness into mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

There are four domains for the practitioner to contemplate:

1. Body
2. Feelings
3. Mind
4. Objects of Mind (Dhammas)

In the Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness and the Anapanasati Sutta, only these four domains are mentioned, not the five aggregates as is commonly seen.

There are 16 exercises of mindful breathing, divided into four groups according to the above domains:

1. Recognizing the in-breath and out-breath
2. Following the in-breath and out-breath closely
3. Awareness of the whole body and feelings
4. Releasing tension in the whole body (relaxing each part, lying-down meditation)
5. Generating joy
6. Generating happiness
7. Recognizing emotions and feelings
8. Calming emotions and feelings
9. Awareness of the mind (recognizing mental formations as they arise)
10. Gladdening the mind (making the mind happy, nourishing with the joy of meditation)
11. Concentrating the mind (focusing attention on one object, citta ekaggatā)
12. Liberating the mind (untying the knots of the mind, clarifying – liberating the mind)
13. Contemplating impermanence (maintaining the insight of impermanence every second, every minute)
14. Contemplating letting go of craving (recognizing the danger in desire so that desire dissolves)
15. Contemplating cessation – nirvana (transcending all notions of birth and death, being and non-being)
16. Contemplating letting go (releasing, letting go of notions of suffering)

The practitioner practices mindfulness to give rise to joy, concentration to give rise to happiness, and insight to liberate right in the present moment.

When naming the meditation hall Eagle Wing, the eagle is seen as the vast Sangha, flying far with the path of peaceful abiding—a path of happiness not found in the future but right in the present moment. Peace means calm, undisturbed, without worry or fear; happiness is the joy that arises from peace. The practitioner must know how to sit in stillness, body and mind at ease, radiating the energy of peace, as if sitting on a gentle lotus flower, not on a heap of burning coals. Those who are peaceful, truly peaceful, will naturally transmit peace to the Sangha; this is the perfection of giving, offering the Dharma wealth—a treasure more precious than material possessions.

The experience of rescuing boat people in Singapore illustrates the teaching If you wish for peace, you will have peace: in the face of the adversity of a 24-hour expulsion order, the teacher practiced sitting meditation—walking meditation to open insight, and found a solution through the intervention of the French embassy. From there, great compassion was manifested, fearlessness broke through the barriers of rules like the hand of the Buddha.

To nourish happiness and peace, walking meditation—mindfulness of breathing with the Anapanasati method using abdominal breathing is very practical:

• Step 1: Breathe in naturally, keeping it comfortable
• Step 2: Breathe out, gently contract the abdomen, extending the exhalation by 1–2 seconds to expel all stale air
• Step 3: Let the lungs naturally draw in fresh air

Repeat the cycle 3–5, 3–6… until the breath is deep and even, the energy of body and mind is strengthened, tension dissolves, and illness is healed.

Today is the next session on mindfulness of feelings – that is, observing sensations (vedanā) and emotions. Practitioners need to know how to recognize feelings and take care of emotions in order not to be carried away by them into words and actions that cause rupture and suffering. The foundational teachings consist of three basic sutras that must be studied thoroughly:

1. The Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta), which teaches contemplation of the body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind.
2. The Discourse on Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta), which teaches mindfulness of in-breath and out-breath.
3. The Discourse on the Better Way to Live Alone (Bhaddekaratta Sutta), which teaches living fully in the present moment.

In the Discourse on Mindful Breathing, there are four steps of breathing:

1. Recognizing the in-breath and out-breath.
2. Following the breath as it is long or short.
3. Becoming aware of the whole body together with the breath.
4. Releasing tension in the whole body so that the body can heal itself.

Moving to the section on mindfulness of feelings, the seventh exercise is recognizing painful feelings and pleasant feelings, and the eighth exercise is soothing and lessening painful feelings.

Generating joy (pīti) and happiness (sukha) is the art of nourishment before transforming suffering. Joy and happiness arise from two sources:

• Joy born from letting go, happiness born from letting go: letting go of worries and attachments in order to experience joy and happiness right away.
• Joy born from mindfulness, happiness born from mindfulness: recognizing the many positive conditions available in the present moment (youth, health, breathing, brotherhood…) to generate joy and happiness without searching far away.

Mindfulness of the body means deeply contemplating the inseparable relationship between body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind (dharmas). The body cannot be separated from the other three elements: with each breath, there arise sensations and emotions (feelings), mental formations (such as fear, anger, worry, sadness, despair, or love, compassion, joy, equanimity), and the objects of these mental formations, which are called dharmas. Although these four objects of mindfulness are provisionally divided into body, feelings, mind, and dharmas, each domain contains the others, and the body contains all feelings, mind, and dharmas.

The exercises from the Anapanasati Sutra related to mindfulness of the body include:

• 3. Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body – when recognizing the body, we may notice tension, pain, or restlessness (feelings), and through the breath we can also recognize negative or positive mental formations.
• 4. Breathing in, I calm the activities of my body – using abdominal breathing to recognize and soothe fear, despair, and other emotions.

The practice of mindfulness of the body also includes walking meditation and the gatha “let the Buddha breathe, let the Buddha walk” with its variations:

1. Let the Buddha breathe, let the Buddha walk – I do not have to breathe, I do not have to walk.
2. The Buddha is breathing, the Buddha is walking – I am able to breathe, I am able to walk.
3. The Buddha is the breathing, the Buddha is the walking – I am the breathing, I am the walking (non-self).
4. Peace while breathing, joy while walking – peace and joy are available right in our breath and our peaceful steps.

Through mindfulness of the body, each breath and each step becomes a means to recognize the true nature of non-self, enlightenment, and happiness right in our own body.

At the Eagle’s Wing Meditation Hall, during the Rains Retreat, a Day of Mindfulness is organized with the presence of the monastic and lay community. For example, when a corn seed is sown into the earth, it needs warmth, moisture, and fertile soil to sprout into a young corn plant—the corn seed does not truly die but transforms into the plant; one, but not entirely one, two, but not separate. Similarly, we were once a fertilized ovum in our mother’s womb, carrying our father and mother within us through the umbilical cord. When we are born, the cord is cut and we become two, but in essence we remain one. The suffering or happiness of the parents is the suffering or happiness of the child, and vice versa; parents and children should make a vow not to make each other suffer. The Buddha called this “not one, not two”—neither one nor different.

In the Anapanasati Sutra, there are sixteen exercises; today we learn further:

• Exercise 3: recognizing the whole body—breathing in, aware of the presence of the body; breathing out, smiling and relaxing.
• Exercise 4: releasing tension in the whole body—using the breath to let go of tension in the muscles, smiling gently.
• Exercise 7: recognizing emotions—breathing in, aware of suffering, anger, worry, fear, etc. within.
• Exercise 8: embracing and soothing emotions—breathing out, embracing the emotion with mindfulness, easing the pain.

We break the vicious cycle of habit energy and emotions with mindfulness, the breath, and our steps. When the inner storm arises, sit in half-lotus or full lotus, bring your attention down below the navel, breathe deeply into the belly: breathing in, feel the abdomen rise; breathing out, feel the abdomen fall; maintain this for at least 5–10 minutes so that anger or panic gradually subsides. Parents, teachers, and students should all learn this in order to timely care for body and mind, preventing suicide, violence, and pathological stress.

Yesterday we learned about mindfulness of the precepts; today we continue with mindfulness of the body, that is, taking the physical form (the body) as the object of contemplation. Within us, there are five kinds of bodies:

1. The physical body: the material form
2. The Buddha body, Dharma body, Sangha body, and Precepts body
   But the Buddha body and Dharma body only manifest when our practice is solid; the Sangha body needs to be built; the Precepts body must be kept whole—five, ten, or fourteen precepts—so that it is not damaged. We should regularly go to the temple to repent so that the Precepts body can become whole again.

Regarding the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Satipatthana Sutta), there are four basic domains of mindfulness practice:

1. Mindfulness of the body: contemplating and recognizing our own form
2. Mindfulness of feelings: contemplating pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, and collective feelings
3. Mindfulness of the mind: contemplating the 51 mental formations, recognizing them when they arise
4. Mindfulness of objects of mind: contemplating the objects of perception, letting go of wrong perceptions

The Anapanasati Sutra teaches sixteen breathing exercises, of which four are fundamental for mindfulness of the body:

1. Breathing in, I know I am breathing in; breathing out, I know I am breathing out (simple recognition)
2. Following the breath from beginning to end (following the breath)
3. Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body (the entire body)
4. Breathing in, I calm my whole body (releasing tension and pain)

Practicing mindful breathing—the breath bringing body and mind back together as one—helps us to live deeply in the present moment, here and now, bringing peace, healing, and developing mindfulness so that “Buddha is on, Mara is off.”

Pure precepts is a shortened way of saying “the body of pure precepts,” meaning the body is kept intact, not damaged or defiled. The Threefold Pure Precepts can be understood in three groups, including:

• 1. Embracing precepts: protecting the precepts and the mindfulness trainings for the sangha, family, and society
• 2. Embracing wholesome dharmas: protecting what is beautiful and wholesome—customs, environment, and existing ethical values
• 3. Embracing living beings: serving and benefiting all beings who are still suffering, helping them to maintain the body of pure precepts

Keeping the body of precepts intact brings happiness, freedom, and fearlessness; the body of precepts leads to right concentration, then insight, then liberation. In the practice community, every half month the sangha needs to recite the precepts, practice repentance, and renew the body of precepts to prevent cracks and fractures. Monastics and lay friends both have the responsibility to build the sangha—a place to acknowledge and support families in keeping the precepts, to heal families that are declining, so that the Dharma can spread through the physical body, the Buddha body, the Dharma body, and the Sangha body.

Mindfulness of the precepts is to uphold the precepts and the codes of conduct in order to protect all that is wholesome and to be of service to all living beings. The precepts are practiced in three main areas, called the three bouquets of flowers:

• The first bouquet – the precepts of restraint: protecting the precepts and the codes of conduct, keeping the body of precepts intact;
• The second bouquet – the precepts of cultivating wholesome actions: protecting all that is beautiful and good, giving rise to the aspiration to do good;
• The third bouquet – the precepts of benefiting all beings: serving, alleviating suffering, and bringing joy to all species.

The codes of conduct are the detailed, formal aspects of the precepts, having the function of prevention and beautification. The four bodily postures should be imbued with mindfulness and dignity:

• walking with mindfulness and dignity
• standing with mindfulness and dignity
• sitting with mindfulness and dignity
• lying down with mindfulness and dignity

Reciting the precepts and practicing repentance regularly (every 15 days or twice a month) helps keep the precepts unbroken, renewing them through voluntary aspiration, without control or punishment. Applying mindfulness of the precepts to social life (for example, organizing precepts for drivers, or the European Buddhist Youth practicing the Five Mindfulness Trainings) helps to limit social ills, build a healthy community, and nurture love.

Dwelling in the present moment and “I have arrived, I am home” are two of the four pairs of fruits of the Sangha, together with interbeing and no birth. The four pairs and eight noble fruits include:

• Dwelling-in-the-present-moment path and fruit – the fruit of froglessness, transcending “frog nature” to rest peacefully in the here and now.
• “I have arrived, I am home” path and fruit – the state of aimlessness (apranihita), “I have arrived, I’m home.”
• Interbeing path and fruit – the insight of interbeing, seeing oneself and all phenomena as one.
• No-birth path and fruit – the realization of no birth and no death, transcending birth and death, possessing fearlessness.

A true Sangha is a community of the fourfold assembly (monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen) who have mindfulness, concentration, and insight; who have dwelling in the present moment, “I have arrived, I am home,” interbeing, and no birth. Building the Sangha is not only based on organization, letters, or emails, but must be rooted in practice: precepts are mindfulness, the Threefold Training of mindfulness, concentration, and insight, practicing the precepts (the Five Mindfulness Trainings, novice precepts, bhikshu precepts) through recitation and Dharma discussion to deepen understanding and love, beautify the Sangha, and at the same time contribute to creating cultural villages and neighborhoods, protecting the communal life.

Today, the World-Honored One is no longer just an image from 2,600 years ago, but is present everywhere and in countless forms. Practicing mindfulness of the Buddha by applying the six Earth-touching practices is “…opening the door for ourselves to enter,” not stopping at the image of the past but making contact with Him in the present moment. Living mindfully in the present is to have the Pure Land right now, not waiting until after death to be reborn there, so that each breath, each step, is accompanied by the Buddha, bringing peace and lightness:

• mindfulness of the Buddha
• recollection
• mindfulness of the Dharma, mindfulness of the Sangha

The practice leads to the Four Fruits, as recorded in the four pairs of eight noble beings, these four spiritual attainments corresponding to four stages of realization:

1. Dwelling peacefully (attaining the fruit of being at rest, no longer looking for happiness elsewhere)
2. Arrived, Home (at ease, living fully in the present moment)
3. Interbeing (seeing the deep interdependent arising between oneself and all beings)
4. No birth (realizing the nature of no birth and no death of all phenomena)

Each mindful step, each mindful breath, is the first step into the stream of practice, opening up the capacity to transform suffering and transmit insight to others. Compassion and insight become the inexhaustible “heritage” of the practitioner, sufficient to rescue and support all situations of suffering right in the present moment.

Each breath is a miracle in the practice of meditation:
Instead of reciting the gatha “each step…” during walking meditation, we shift to each breath when sitting in meditation, with four main aspects:

1. Each breath is life – it puts us in touch with all the wonders of the blue sky, white clouds, trees, the Sangha, and ourselves.
2. Each breath is a miracle – it proves that we are still alive, inheriting the capacity to breathe in and breathe out.
3. Each breath is healing – a deep, slow breath soothes tension, purifies the blood, and activates our innate capacity to heal.
4. Each breath is freedom – it brings inner freedom, nurtures wisdom and love, so that we can untie our difficulties right in this moment.

Practicing happiness in daily activities:
• Practicing walking meditation together, sitting meditation twice a day, and eating in silence – these are the privileges and the steps of civilization for practitioners.
• Transforming every moment of walking, sitting, eating, and working into an opportunity to nourish and heal body and mind with mindful breathing.
• Creating exercises such as inviting the Buddha or our father and mother within us to breathe in and out together, to open the heart of boundless compassion.
• Along with practice, continuously cultivating basic Dharma (Three Refuges, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Four Noble Truths…) through in-depth teachings, so that each year we attain a deeper insight into the Dharma and the responsibilities of a monastic, so that our practice is always connected with understanding and the nourishment of happiness right now.

Mindfulness is the energy that brings us back to the present moment through attention to an object—our breath, our steps, our body, our feelings, our mind, or the objects of mind. When mindfulness follows wholesome objects, happiness arises and this is called right mindfulness; if it embraces thoughts that cause suffering, it is wrong mindfulness.

In right mindfulness, the four practices of recollection always accompany us, bringing happiness and liberation:

1. Recollection of the Buddha—contemplating the ten qualities of the Tathagata (Thus Come One, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One… World-Honored One) and bringing them into the present moment.
2. Recollection of the Dharma—touching the well-spoken teachings, experiencing them directly, being free from afflictions, transcending time, coming to see and leading the way upward.
3. Recollection of the Sangha—taking refuge in the true community, upholding the precepts, practicing mindfulness, concentration, and insight together in the community.
4. Recollection of the Precepts—practicing the precepts as a foundation for protection and nourishment of happiness.

The Earth Touching Repentance Practice is a practice of repentance in the form of a heartfelt dialogue with the World-Honored One, combining aspiration and the Three Touchings of the Earth (each touching with three breaths) to make direct contact with the Buddha in this very moment. The Buddha is first of all a historical teacher, who attained powerful mindfulness, concentration, and insight, and continues to manifest in many forms, like a cloud transforming into water, tea, or the very energy of awakening within us. The practitioner uses mindfulness, concentration, and insight to cultivate “holiness” in oneself, from which great understanding gives rise to great compassion.

Walking meditation is a wonderful method that helps us live deeply in the present moment, different from walking like a sleepwalker, automatically driven by our habits (neuro pathways). When practicing walking meditation, with each step, we place our mind right on that step, we are truly present to touch the wonders of life—flowers, air, sunshine, rain—and by doing so, we are nourished and healed, no longer hurried and restless as in our daily life. Mindfulness (sati) is the energy that helps us recognize when negative habits arise, and thanks to mindfulness, concentration, and insight, we can let go of anger, craving, and tension, so we do not fall into the old cycle.

When walking meditation with the sangha, each person can adjust their pace to suit themselves, for example, two steps breathing in—two steps breathing out, or three steps according to their capacity. Thay suggests four principles to make good habits with each step:

1. Each step is life itself
2. Each step is a miracle
3. Each step is healing
4. Each step is freedom

Practicing mindful breathing in harmony with each step will transform walking meditation into a path of enlightenment, bringing peace and helping to transform negative habits into wholesome ones.

Successful investment begins with investing in yourself: you need time, favorable conditions, means, good friends, and a good teacher; learning how to “return to the center” to take care of body and mind through the use of mindful breathing—mindfulness—to release tension and stress. A practice example:

1. In the morning, during breakfast with your family, spend one minute in silence, each person looking at one another for 2–3 seconds with the energy of mindfulness, not hiding behind newspapers or the television.
2. Invite the bell three times, breathe nine breaths (three breaths for each sound), bow to each other, nourishing the nervous system in the “breathing room” like a family meditation hall.

Next is investing in your family—understanding the family as a garden that needs to be cultivated, before investing in your career or business. There, apply:

• The four mantras in Vietnamese:
  – Darling, I am here for you.
  – Darling, I know you are suffering, that is why I am here for you.
  – Darling, I know you are here for me, and I am so happy.
  – Darling, I know you have difficulties, that is why I am here for you.
• The three steps of investment:
  1. Yourself (taking care of body and mind)
  2. Your partner (helping them return to take care of their body and mind)
  3. Your business (listening, investing your “heart” in your colleagues—body, speech, and mind actions)

At least the Five Mindfulness Trainings taught by the Buddha and the Four Recollections (recollection of the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and the precepts) are the path of mindfulness practice, helping individuals, families, and society to be happy right in the present moment. The spirit of “sowing seeds of compassion” and the awareness that our actions (body, speech, and mind) always affect collective karma encourages every entrepreneur to use their power to protect themselves, their family, and Mother Earth.

The sound of the bell calls us back to our breath so that we may stop speaking, stop thinking, and be present in the here and now. In the past, the merchant Sudatta (Anathapindika), who had three children—two daughters and one son—offered the Jetavana Monastery. His family practiced and found happiness after his son, for the first time, listened to the Dharma in exchange for 1,000 coins from his father. One day, he brought 500 merchants to listen to the Buddha teach about Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment (Dṛṣṭadharmasukhavihāra)—living peacefully right in the present moment—and the Buddha repeated this term five times to emphasize the importance of not placing our happiness in the future or getting stuck in the past.

Practicing mindfulness as suggested:

• When sitting in meditation, be aware of breathing in as you breathe in, and breathing out as you breathe out
• With each step, bring your mind back to your body, touching the wonders of life around you
• Establish spaces and times without telephones to nourish and heal yourself

The principles of walking meditation include four affirmations with each step:

• Each step is life
• Each step is a miracle
• Each step is healing
• Each step is freedom

Today’s Dharma talk begins by identifying the First Noble Truth—dukkha—through the stress and unease that accumulate in our body and mind as a result of a life that is too busy, with too many demands. Practicing mindfulness of breathing (as taught in the Anapanasati Sutra, third exercise) helps us to recognize and release tension right in the present moment. There are two ways to address stress:

• Immediate methods such as Deep Relaxation meditation or mindful breathing for instant relief;
• Long-term methods, which include changing our way of living, organizing our daily schedule, practicing walking meditation with each step (“each step is life, a miracle, healing, freedom”), practicing mindful driving (a red light as a mindfulness bell), and washing the dishes in mindfulness (washing the dishes can also be a happy time).

The orientation for practice is presented through the Four Noble Truths:

1. The First Noble Truth: specifically naming the suffering—tension, unease, anger, children committing suicide (12,000 young people per year in France), running away from home (40,000 cases per year, with 6–7,000 lured through the internet)
2. The Second Noble Truth: the causes of suffering (a hurried life, blocked communication, delusion, anxiety, fear)
3. The Third Noble Truth: the cessation of suffering, which is the birth of happiness and peace
4. The Fourth Noble Truth: the path of liberation through the practice of mindfulness, sitting meditation, walking meditation, deep listening, loving speech, and organizing the Sangha as a “mini-society” to support each other in living freely.

In addition, the talk expands the vision to include society and the environment:

• We need to reduce at least 50% of animal agriculture (United Nations), so we should eat vegetarian at least 15 days a month (the practice of “thap ngu trai”)
• Practice “car-free day” (one day a week without cars) and “electricity-free day” (one day without electricity)
• Plum Village in the United States has accumulated 60,000 car-free days, uses solar energy, vehicles running on vegetable oil, grows organic vegetables, and makes compost… The lay Sangha responds by making the aspiration to eat vegetarian 15 days a month and to have “car-free days” to protect the Earth.

Since first entering the monastery, we have studied the Four Noble Truths (Suffering, the Cause of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering, and the Path), but our initial understanding is often shallow and naive. The practice of study and contemplation must help us to deepen our understanding day by day; we should never affirm that we have fully understood the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Awakening, or the Three Jewels, because the more we study, the broader and deeper the teachings become. Recognizing our own suffering through direct experience helps us to transform; we do not see suffering as a pessimistic indoctrination, but as a noble truth that brings about the capacity to grow and to elevate the mind of loving kindness and wisdom.

To be relevant to the 21st century, the first truth (the Noble Truth of Suffering) needs to be presented based on the real suffering of people today, for example:

• tension and stress in body and mind due to deadlines, busyness, and lack of relaxation
• deadlock in communication within the family, the sangha, and the workplace
• more than 12,000 young people commit suicide each year in France, with many phenomena of collective suicide
• storms in Myanmar causing over 100,000 deaths, and the Sichuan earthquake causing more than 30,000 deaths
• the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change are creating collective suffering

Each person needs to establish their own list of the Noble Truth of Suffering through direct experience, then share and supplement it within the sangha in order to move on to the Truth of the Cause of Suffering, the Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, and the Truth of the Path in a practical and scientific way.

Today, Thay presents the concept of formation (Sanskrit: Samskara, English: formation) in Buddhism: every phenomenon is a formation, the result of the coming together of many conditions. For example, a flower or a cloud is a formation, and according to the Tathagata’s words, “all formations are impermanent” – that is, all formations are impermanent, from bodily formations (the hand, the eye) to mental formations (sadness, anger, love). In our practice, we must take care of both bodily formations (relaxation, breathing, refraining from alcohol and drugs…) and mental formations, distinguishing between positive mental formations – such as love and joy – and negative mental formations – such as anger and despair. Each negative mental formation can lie dormant as a seed in the store consciousness, but will sprout when watered; therefore, we need to learn to recognize, take care of, and transform them in time.

To nourish wholesome mental formations and deal with unwholesome ones, the Buddha taught:

1. The method of changing the peg (or changing the CD): when a mental formation of anger or despair arises, replace it with a better mental formation (love, forgiveness…)
2. The Four Right Efforts, four principles for dealing with mental formations:
   • Do not let unwholesome mental formations be watered
   • When they arise, change the peg right away
   • Water the seeds of wholesome mental formations so they can arise
   • Keep wholesome mental formations alive as long as possible
3. Mindfulness – the energy to recognize all phenomena in the present moment (breathing, walking, washing dishes… with full awareness) – helps us embrace and transform sadness and anger, just as a mother holds and soothes her baby, bringing relief after just a few minutes.

Along with practicing mindful breathing and mindfulness, each young person is encouraged to receive and keep the Five Mindfulness Trainings – the miraculous medicine for happiness and mental safety:

1. Protecting the lives of all beings and the environment
2. Sharing time and material resources with those in need, eliminating corruption
3. No sexual misconduct, preserving family happiness and protecting children
4. Loving speech and deep listening to restore true communication
5. Consuming mindfully, refusing toxic products (greed, hatred, delusion…)

A noteworthy statistic: every day in France, 33 young people commit suicide (about 17,000 per year), the deep cause being not knowing how to recognize and transform the mental formation of despair. With the Dharma door of abdominal breathing – sitting firmly, paying attention to the rising and falling of the abdomen with deep breathing – together with the Four Right Efforts and daily mindfulness, each person can master their emotions, maintain peace, share this method with family, students, and friends, and help build a healthy, compassionate society.

In our consciousness, there are two main kinds of seeds:

• “the seed of love, forgiveness, and acceptance,” and
• “the seed of anger, sadness, and jealousy.”
  Each time we water a particular kind of seed, that seed is nourished and grows stronger. In order to protect each other from suffering, two people in any relationship (lovers, fiancés, spouses, parents and children) can make with each other a love contract (peace treaty, love treaty), committing not to water the seeds of suffering in one another, but to do everything possible to water each other’s wholesome seeds. For example: the wife saves, reads, and rewrites old love letters for her husband, helping to water the seeds of happiness; the husband takes the sweet words from those letters as material to come home, express his love, and transform his daily actions.

The practice of watering wholesome seeds can also be done by:

1. Contemplating and recognizing all the “good seeds” and “unwholesome seeds” in ourselves and in the other person, and writing them down on paper
2. Helping each other to deeply understand the suffering and difficulties, so as not to sow more seeds of suffering for one another
3. Applying the Four Immeasurable Minds (Brahmaviharas) in true love:
   • loving-kindness (maitri) – the capacity to bring happiness to oneself and to the other
   • compassion – the capacity to relieve the suffering of the other
   • joy – the joy that is shared between both sides
   • equanimity (upeksha) – non-discrimination, non-attachment, seeing happiness and suffering as belonging to both.

Depending on the situation (spouses, family, parents and children), when this method is practiced sincerely, it only takes from fifteen minutes to one hour to see positive results right away.

Sowing the seed of compassion, preserving Mother Earth is the theme of the three-day retreat within the International Vesak Celebration. Each person has the seed of love, forgiveness, and acceptance, but it is often covered by sorrow, anger, and prejudice. We need to water these seeds with the energy of loving-kindness so that they can sprout and blossom into the fruits of understanding and harmony in our families, schools, and society. Through practice, the seed of compassion can be awakened in just half an hour or an hour; if we practice correctly for three days, our relationships with loved ones can change significantly.

Two main methods are transmitted: sitting meditation with the breath and walking meditation.

• Sitting meditation with the breath (the third exercise in the Anapanasati Sutta consisting of 16 methods)
  – Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body
  – Breathing out, I relax my whole body and smile
• Walking meditation with four gathas, each step is
  1. life
  2. a miracle
  3. healing
  4. freedom

By relaxing body and mind for 5–10 minutes each day, or practicing for 5–6 days as in the West with 1,000–1,200 people, many families have restored communication and reconciled with parents and children. When we practice relaxation and mindfulness, each step, each breath becomes a miracle of healing, bringing happiness right into our daily life.

We have only four days for the retreat “Listening to Understand, Looking Back to Love,” and we need to make the most of our time to grasp the basic Dharma doors of practice: mindful breathing and mindful walking. The breath and the step are like delicate lotus threads, yet strong enough to tie up a fierce tiger, to tame the wild mind like an elephant, and to help us return to the present moment, here and now, which is the address of the wondrous life. When you have fifteen minutes to yourself, instead of chatting or taking photos, practice slow walking meditation: breathe in, take a step, invest 100% of your body and mind in each step until you are fully established in the present moment.

Young Buddhists are entrusted with these two “lotus threads” and must continue to practice after the retreat so as not to waste their efforts. At the same time, young people need a concrete ideal to bring the energy of compassion to serve society. Engaged Buddhism has a long tradition in Vietnam, and for over sixty years has established the Buddhist Youth Family with three aspects of education: intellectual, physical, and ethical. At present, in the context of 47,000 young people running away from home each year in France (with 35 suicides every day) and nearly 10,000 missing through the Internet, it is urgent to reestablish a young Buddhist organization based on the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings:

• The First Training: Reverence for life – protecting human beings, animals, plants, and the environment
• The Second Training: Generosity – not taking what is not given
• The Third Training: True love – practicing fidelity, preventing sexual misconduct and abuse
• The Fourth Training: Loving speech and deep listening – to restore communication and bring about reconciliation
• The Fifth Training: Mindful consumption – not bringing toxins into body and mind through food, drink, books, newspapers, or films

On the basis of the Five Trainings, young Buddhists can establish the European Buddhist Youth for a healthy and compassionate society, to apply the energy of compassion and build a wholesome and loving society.

Infants as young as six months old can already sense the energy of unease when their parents argue, and even a fetus inherits all the stress and anger of its mother and father. Marriage is not without its thorns, so we must prepare in advance with mindfulness, walking meditation, chanting, breathing, and deep relaxation in order to nourish our child from the very moment of conception. A retreat of at least 21 days for young people about to start a family will provide enough basic practices.

Here are three basic steps to help build family happiness and reconcile all tensions:

1. Releasing tension in body and mind through mindful breathing and mindful steps, letting go of all stress
2. Recognizing and embracing the pain and anger in our heart to calm them
3. Listening deeply to understand and using loving speech to share suffering and to correct each other’s wrong perceptions

With six days of deep practice, as in the case of the Catholic woman who successfully “defused the bomb” of anger, anyone—even those who have not formally taken refuge—can reopen the door of their heart and bring happiness back to husband and wife, parent and child.

The retreat “Listening to Understand, Looking Back to Love” at Bat Nha Monastery lasted four days, guiding the practice of sitting, breathing, and walking to relax body and mind, prevent stress and illness. The sitting meditation exercise based on the Anapanasati Sutra includes:

• Breathing in: being aware of the whole body with its tensions and aches
• Breathing out: releasing tension, smiling so that the 300 muscles on the face can relax

In daily activities—sitting in front of the computer, eating, walking meditation—practitioners practice:

1. Sitting peacefully as if on a lotus flower
2. Deep relaxation of the whole body in lying, sitting, or walking positions
3. Eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, contemplating the sources of nourishment from the earth, the sky, and our ancestors

During walking meditation, four gathas are offered to remember and practice with each step:

1. Each step is life
2. Each step is a miracle
3. Each step is healing
4. Each step is freedom

Statistics from 2007 in France show that 46,000 young people left home and an average of 33 people committed suicide each day, emphasizing the need to reduce stress, restore communication between children and parents, and bring happiness back to the family.

This is a 78-minute dharma talk from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism in the 21st Century” retreat. The Dharma is something you need to come and see for yourself. It is experiential. Meditation holds the keys. We can unlock the door of reality. Among them are the Three Doors of Liberation: Emptiness, Signlessness, and Aimlessness. These are the keys.

What are these Three Doors of Liberation? Along with this, we take a deeper look at several pairs of opposites (in the context of signlessness): birth and death, being and nonbeing, coming and going, sameness and otherness. We can be liberated from our fear, our anger, our despair. The story of the flame is quite humorous and enjoyable.

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This is a 117-minute session of questions and answers with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism in the 21st Century” retreat. The questions and answers are offered in English.

Questions include: How would applied Buddhism look to the healthcare professional? How do we deal with guilt? My father cares about no-one and has no interest in life. He also has lots of anger. How can I help him? A question on mindfulness of joy, and how joy relates to attachment to the joy. Experiencing suffering in not being able to conceive a child. A question about medication and depression, and clarification on Thay’s teaching regarding the physiological aspect of depression. Why does life exist? Why are we here? As a young person, how can I use the practice and be able to share with other young people, possibly using more creative language? How do we forgive someone whom we have never known intimately and have no way of communicating, for the suffering they have caused? After traveling in Laos and meeting many people impacted by war and unexploded ordinance, anger and sadness arose—Is this karma? Is this a time when we can be righteously angry? Young people who grow up in a loving and supportive environment may face negative pressure when they travel for university or work; should we give children challenges so they are better prepared? What is your intention with offering the Five Mindfulness Trainings? A question about the 5th Mindfulness Training, and how this training is watered by a feeling of fear based on a Catholic upbringing.

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This is a 78-minute dharma talk from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism in the 21st Century” retreat. Teaching and Social Work: In 1964, Thay was teaching at Colombia University and my friends in Vietnam asked me to return home. In Saigon there was a school (School of Youth for Social Service) to teach engaged Buddhism and serve the communities in Vietnamese countryside. An expression of Love in Action. They did not want sponsorship from the government and didn’t want to be involved in the war. Inspired by compassion. Nonviolence and rural development. It started with 300 workers and expanded to 10,000 workers — these were volunteers. Thay shares some of the work they did during this time and where they learned to do this work. Some of these social workers died in service and there is a memorial at the Dharma Cloud Temple (Chua Phâp Van) in Ho Chi Minh City. Thay talks of the spiritual dimension to this social work. This is where the Order of Interbeing arose and Thay talks of the first members and the first ordination. In 1966, That was invited by Cornell University to teach a series of lectures. The purpose was also to help Thay get out of Vietnam and to speak out about the war in Vietnam. This was sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. After this, Thay was not allowed to return to Vietnam. At this time was intensifying and a young OI member immolated of herself - her name was Nhat Chi Mai. Also several members of the school were murdered. The School for Social Service setup pilot villages. One village was bombed multiple times after re-building. To help with farming, health, and economics. They also setup refugee camps to assist with resettlement of thousands of people. This too is Engaged Buddhism. And we must also maintain our spiritual development. Thay remained in France and raised money to help fund the work of the school and bring awareness of the real war in Vietnam. After we setup Plum Village (1982) in France, they offered retreats for veterans, health professionals, business people, members of war-torn nations, congresspeople, school teachers, and young people. Buddhism is for all walks of society. We also reach into serving those who are imprisoned. Releasing the tension. Holding the emotion. Heal yourself. Heal your family. This too is Engaged Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism is our business in every minute and every hour. It can even be practiced in a normal fashion, without appearing religious.

Manifestation-Only Buddhism: The first practice of Right Diligence is: the negative seeds, let them sleep. Don’t water them. They become weaker and weaker. This is an art. It is the practice of Right Diligence. It is continued practice. Today we introduce the concept of manas. Sometimes this consciousness is called ‘the lover.’ It is born from a number of unwholesome seeds. For example, feelings of superiority, inferiority, and equality. We learn of subject, object, and emptiness. Thanks to emptiness everything is possible. But manas ignores this. Manas believes you have a self. It doesn’t see Interbeing. Manas is always seeking pleasure. It is always trying to run away from suffering and ignores the goodness of suffering. No mud. No lotus. Interbeing. We need the Wisdom of Nondiscrimination (gained through meditation). Linked with Right Thinking and Mindful Consumption.

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This is a 97-minute dharma talk from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism in the 21st Century” retreat. We begin with Thay offering a short guided meditation that encourages us to bring our attention to our father and mother inside of us. There is a school of Buddhism called “Mind Only” and that school studies our mind in depth. Another name is “Manifestation Only” school. No birth and no death. We are not a creation, we are only a manifestation. What does Thay mean by “manifestation” and how is it present in our lives? Before things manifest themselves they can be conceived in the form of Seeds. Bija. When the seeds manifest themselves, they become dharma. Samskara. This teaching of manifestation only could be easily applied in our daily life. And this is part of the practice of engaged Buddhism. In work. In family.

In the May 7 talk, we explored the 51 forms of mental formations. Seeds. This is illustrated with the story of a young couple where the woman is pregnant with a child. Thay recalls her niece who was pregnant and how she used the Lotus Sutra to nourish her unborn child by reciting the sutra regularly. In Buddhism, we learn that understanding is the foundation of love. How do we practice this within our families? We can adopt loving speech. Concrete examples of how to do this is offered. We learn of the “Peace Treaty” used in Plum Village. And of flower-watering, or selective watering. It can be practiced in on our own.

What is buddhanature? Do we all have buddhanature? Illustrated by a couple who lives in Paris. They are well to do and have been married a long time. But they are not happy. They do not know the art of selective watering. How language and loving speech can impact their relationship. The language of love. We receive a lesson on writing a letter of love. Thay shares the story of giving the monastics a “homework” assignment to write a letter to their parents.

Conditions of happiness. We have more than enough conditions of happiness. The practice of mindfulness is very crucial. The Five Mantras. Darling, I know you are there and it makes me happy. A young man who suffered greatly because of his father — they were very rich but his father was not available to his son. His father was completely absorbed with his business. The young man asked for his father to present for him. Darling, I am here for you. That is what he was asking of his father. To love means to be there. Your presence. True love. Overcoming pride. In Plum Village we have a formula, a practice, for overcoming anger. Asking for help. The fourth mantra.

The Buddha in your wallet. Story of Mr. Trung from many centuries ago in Vietnam who had returned home after being gone in the army a long time. A tragedy of misunderstanding and miscommunication. Wrong perceptions. They did not know how to practice the fourth mantra. After 9/11 Thay tried to get America to practice the fourth mantra. Only a few days after 9/11, Thay gave a talk on holding our anger in Berkeley, California. To help people to calm down. Collective anger and collective fear. This is very dangerous. We calm down first and then practice the fourth mantra. Loving speech and deep listening is effective for anyone in relationship, including nations. This is engaged Buddhism.

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This is an 82-minute dharma talk with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism” retreat. Walking Meditation: How can we enjoy walking? How can we use breathing? Every step is life. Every step is a miracle. Every step is healing. Every step is freedom. We learn how to use this gatha with our walking—whether alone or in a group.

Seven Factors of Awakening: The Buddha taught of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. Buddhism is about enlightenment and mindfulness is already enlightenment. Awareness of breathing is already enlightenment. We explore mindfulness, joy, and ease. How does this link with the Four Noble Truths? Ill-being and well-being. Relaxation, lightness, and peace. We have methods for reducing stress. This is the path—the Path of Well Being. We have very concrete practices to assist. For example, the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. In this talk, we touch on several of the methods for breathing. This is a Noble Path. You don’t have to be a scholar, you simply need to be a practitioner. We have all experienced ill-being. How can we do this as practitioners?

Engaged Buddhism in Vietnam: About 39-minutes into the talk, we turn back toward the history of engaged Buddhism. In the 1950s, Thay began writing about religious belief and society. In the mid-60s, we established the Order of Interbeing arising out of war and ideologies. We can look at the precepts of the Order as a direct response. What is the teaching on views from the Buddha? To be free from views is a basic foundation of Buddhism. In 1965, I wrote the book Lotus in a Sea of Fire. The war in Vietnam was raging. Our enemies are not man, it is hate and violence. We needed more international support to hear us say we don’t want this war. The peace movement in Vietnam was the lotus. The book was released underground in Vietnam. Sister Chân Không was arrested for having the book. In 1964, we also establish the School for Youth and Social Service to focus on education, health, economics, and organization. Thay shares of the creation of a new group for today’s youth—now known as Wake Up! And there are also new courses coming from the Institute of Applied Buddhism. These are building upon these early days in Vietnam.

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This is a 96-minute dharma talk with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism” retreat. This is the second talk on May 6, 2008 and the talk is offered in English. We begin with a teaching on mental formations and the roots of our ill-being before moving toward the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Samskara. A Buddhist technical term. Means formation. Physical, biological, and mental. What is a formation? Recognizing that all formations are impermanent. When we observe a formation, we should be able to see this impermanent nature.

In the Plum Village tradition, we talk of 51 mental formations. There are positive formations - compassion, loving kindness, joy, etc. These are wholesome mental formations. As practitioners, can we recognize and help them to manifest? We also have negative mental formations - craving, anger, hate, jealousy, etc. In our practice, we refrain from watering these negative formations. Further, there are also indefinite mental formations - they can be wholesome or unwholesome. Practicing meditation is a way to recognize the mental formation. Thay teaches examples of how to do this practice of awareness with mental formations.

Bija: These are seeds we all carry. For example, we have a seed of anger. It may not be present as a mental formation right now, but it is a seed in our consciousness. These seeds can become a mental formation. Learning to water the wholesome seeds so they may arise as a mental formation. The two layers of consciousness - Store and Mind. The seeds live in store. With the practice, we can water wholesome seeds in store and help them manifest into kind consciousness. Thay teaches this in greater detail along with concrete examples. Mindfulness of our mental formations. An example of depression. No fighting between mindfulness and depression. It is simply to recognize. And then to embrace with tenderness. This is the energy of depression. And this is the energy of mindfulness. This is our practice. Supporting through non-duality and non-violence. Both seeds are you. You are both depression and mindfulness.

Mindfulness, Concentration, Insight: In the Sutra the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, the Buddha teaches to begin with the body. Today we move into the second realm of practice. Aware of the feelings and emotions. And then take good care of them. Mindfulness has the function to recognize, to hold, and bring relief. It also carries the energy of concentration. Mindfulness leads to concentration. With concentration, you can take a deep look at your feelings and then discover the roots of what is. This brings insight - liberation. This only comes if you have strong concentration. This begins with mindfulness.

Roots of Ill-Being and the Noble Eightfold Path: Coming home to the present moment. To recognize ill-being as it is. The first noble truth. Through looking at ill-being, we can discover the second noble truth. Craving. Hate. Ignorance. Wrong perception. Lack of communication. What is the cause of our ill-being? Do we know how to live like a Buddha? To bring a spiritual dimension to our daily life? What are the methods of removing wrong perceptions? Even in the case of war and terrorism. Consumption, developing countries, large populations, meat industry, and learning to reduce our consumption. From the roots of ill-being we can discover the path. By practicing deeply the first and the second noble truths we can discover the fourth noble truth. Using the Five Mindfulness Trainings to guide us.

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This is a 53-minute dharma talk with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from Hanoi during the “Engaged Buddhism” retreat. We begin with some instruction on sitting and breathing. It is important to repeat the essentials. When we sit, we should enjoy our sitting. Like the Buddha, do you know how to sit on the lotus flower? Sitting for the sake of sitting. Releasing tension in our body through sitting and breathing. Thay teaches us how to reduce the tension and we practice together. Smiling is one method. Smiling is like yoga of the mouth. We can let the body lead, instead of the mind, and so we begin with a smile and the joy may come later. With our breathing, we can bring our body and mind together. We can know we are alive and we can smile to life. There is the practice of bringing our parents into our breathing and sitting. Why and how. Breathing in and breathing out is quite wonderful. And it is enough to cultivate wisdom. So, enjoy the sitting. And enjoy the breathing.

During this retreat, while you sit or while you walk, practice these sentences. Every breath is life. Life at every breath. And while we walk, life at every step. Then you may try too, breathing in, I am aware of my heart. Thay teaches how and why we can practice this awareness of our heart. Life is already full of suffering, why would you suffer when practice meditation. Learning to breathe and to enjoy. Life is present in the here and the now. Drinking tea is also a method for being present. Life at every breath. Slow walking is a practice you may try, even on your own, to bring full awareness to life at every step. All the wonders of life. Every moment is a moment of practice. Walk like a Buddha. Walk like a free person. A miracle at every step. A miracle at every breath. Enlightenment. Every step is healing. Every breath is healing. We can heal ourselves and the earth. You are free. Freedom from afflictions. Walk as a free person. We have an appointment with life, in the present moment. With our in breath and our breath. The first meaning of Engaged Buddhism is being present in the here and the now. Regardless of what we are doing. In every moment. Dwelling happily in the present moment. This is the teaching of the Buddha.

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