The corn seed symbolizes the stage of transformation: when it sprouts, the young plant uses the nutrients in the seed until they are depleted, and then it must draw nourishment from the earth itself. Similarly, the fetus lives thanks to the nutrients and oxygen the mother transmits through the umbilical cord; everything the mother eats, her irritations, her sorrows, can all be transmitted to the child through this invisible cord. Therefore, parents, especially expectant mothers, must be very careful with

• food and drink,
• books and television,
• thoughts and emotions,
  in order to nourish the child without transmitting “toxic substances” of the mind into the womb.

After the umbilical cord is cut, the form is of two separate beings, but the invisible connection still exists and often lasts about ten years, sometimes even longer. During this period, the nourishment provided is not only rice and food, but also love, understanding, and tolerance. Parents “lose their roots” when they sever spiritual communication, causing the child to lose their roots as well; similarly, if the child loses contact with the parents, both become adrift. The thread of communication between father and child, mother and child, is the link that maintains the lineage from ancestors to future generations.

The novel Kinfolk by Pearl Buck tells the story of four children of a Confucian scholar: the two older siblings give up their illusions and return to China to seek their roots, while the two younger ones initially chase after dreams but ultimately must also face the need to take root in their culture. The father, though eloquent about Confucian values, lives in isolation, unable to help either the Chinese or American communities, nor his own children. The story serves as a reminder not to merely speak of the Dharma, of culture, of history, but to live, to practice, to transmit wisdom and compassion into life. At Plum Village, the monastic and lay Sangha practice engaged Buddhism—“Buddhism in the world”—taking each step in mindfulness, sitting in meditation, speaking in mindfulness, nourishing mindfulness throughout the twenty-four hours, cultivating a strong river instead of a solitary drop of water. The handbook The Way Back to the Deer Park offers guidance on how to breathe, walk, sit, and keep silence to nurture happiness right at the monastery or in daily life.

Today we invoke the name of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva on Great Hidden Mountain, in the oak forest Dharma hall of Deer Park Monastery. The retreat includes the following main practices:

• Waking up at 5 a.m. to practice walking meditation up the mountain and sitting meditation together
• Each time we hear the sound of the bell—returning to the breath: breathing in, knowing we are breathing in; breathing out, knowing we are breathing out
• Mindful steps: left foot, right foot, each step dwelling in mindfulness

In the example of the corn seed, during the first five to seven days the seed cracks open and sprouts, after a few weeks it becomes a plant, and after three months it gives flowers and fruit with more than 1,000 seeds. The original corn seed is not lost but has transformed into the plant and into new seeds—just as we go from being a child to an adult, our children and grandchildren continue us, each person is a continuation without form. Looking at our children and grandchildren, we see ourselves; so every word or action towards our descendants is also a word or action towards ourselves.

We practice in order to break through delusion, to cultivate the three energies of mindfulness, concentration, and insight:

• Mindfulness helps body and mind come together
• Concentration arises when mindfulness is strong
• Insight is born from concentration that is deep enough

The collective energy of mindfulness (when 300–500 people walk, sit, and eat in mindfulness together) creates a great energy, embracing and transforming personal suffering and bringing about true happiness.

There are two kinds of karmic retribution that explain the differences between parents and children: the cause is the seeds sown by bodily action, verbal action, and mental action; the retribution is the result. Retribution includes:

• Primary retribution: the body and consciousness transmitted by our parents (name and form – namarūpa)
• Secondary retribution: the circumstances that nurture the seeds (nature – nurture)
  For example, Mencius’ mother moved their home from a bad neighborhood to one near a clean school, so that the good seeds in Mencius could manifest. Besides individual karma, there is also collective karma, which creates the collective energy of the sangha—a solid boat that supports each mindful step.

The teaching of the Noble Eightfold Path consists of eight elements leading to happiness, in which right mindfulness, right concentration, and right view are the three inputs that help transformation, and the three outputs are right thinking, right speech, and right action; in addition, there is right livelihood and right diligence. Right diligence has four aspects:

1. Preventing unwholesome seeds that have not yet arisen from arising
2. Helping unwholesome seeds that have arisen to subside right away
3. Watering wholesome seeds so that they can manifest
4. Maintaining wholesome seeds that have already arisen
   Practicing fully helps each moment of life become a meaningful and peaceful path.