The Sangha is gathered in England with almost four hundred people practicing mindfulness.

1. How do you deal with the pain when your loved one just turns their back on you and walks out of your life?
2. How can you talk to someone who is not open to the words that you want to say and cannot face what is inside them?
3. Do we all embody in our past life some form of evil, and is retribution correct if someone is not good in this life?
4. Can we remain a Jew or a Christian by practicing Buddhist meditation or practicing the Five Mindfulness Trainings?
5. When one feels totally alienated from the institution and beliefs of the Irish Catholic Church but feels very close to the Buddha, how does one deal with the vulnerability of not being able to go back to one’s roots?
6. From your point of view, how do you view the concept of God or higher power, and how do you see the role of prayer?
7. Is it possible to receive and practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings without formally participating in the ceremony of transmission?

What should I do when I feel afraid everywhere I go, and even hearing noises or watching television makes me fearful and my mind cannot be at peace?
Please teach me a method to concentrate the mind during sitting meditation when my mind is often agitated and unstable.
Why is it that when I solemnly try to bring my mind into mindfulness, I am unable to bring it back?
Please explain the different states experienced during sitting meditation, such as seeing a soft light or feeling a pulling sensation at the crown of the head that makes the mind silent.
How can I transform the habit of comparing and calculating when working with others, even though I have practiced looking and smiling but have not yet succeeded?
Why do I always feel so sleepy when chanting or reading books?
Why do I feel pain during sitting meditation, which only goes away when I feel as if a small child is hugging me or lingering near my left hand?
How can I reduce my anger, practice patience, and speak gently to my three daughters instead of scolding them all day?
When I achieve a little silence during sitting meditation but then generate the thought “I am being silent,” does that cause me to lose that silence?
Is there a method to help reduce anger and jealousy toward colleagues while working?
What criteria can be used to know if someone is speaking correctly about the Buddha Dharma?
Please suggest a method to calm my mind when, while reading sutras, frightening images of the invisible world intrude and disturb me.
What conditions or principles are there to maintain harmony in a large Sangha and for a person to be accepted into that Sangha?
Please help me with a method to improve my sitting meditation; I am fine when reading sutras, but whenever I sit in meditation, I feel pushed and unsettled.
What should we do when the whole family reads sutras, but our 20-year-old child does not believe in it and feels forced?
How can I encourage my children to go to the temple to bow to the Buddha when they believe in the Buddha Dharma but refuse to go when I try to take them?
Why do I get so emotional and want to cry, unable to speak, every time I am angry and want to scold my children?
Why is it that after understanding the self and no longer arguing to win or lose, I still feel suffering in my heart due to suppressing my anger?
How should I act to guide my children when they integrate into Western life and may encounter religious differences when they start a family?
How can I find myself again when I feel dispersed between helping others and my own happiness?
How can I harmonize two lives: one being happiness with my family, and the other being work and German friends where it is difficult to introduce the Buddha Dharma?
Why do I feel very uneasy in my heart, as if everything is incomplete and language is insufficient?
How can I explain to my parents so they will stop worrying excessively about my health?

The World Honored One taught that whenever four or more people come together to live and practice the path of precepts, concentration, and insight, the Buddha is present. Coming from many different directions, the community lives as a Sangha, going as a river and operating like a beehive to continue wisdom and love. With the signless eye, the presence of the World Honored One is seen in every moment of daily life.

Realizing this presence brings great happiness. A vow is made to practice in such a way that brings the Buddha to many people and species, sharing peace and happiness in order for suffering to stop. The Sangha body is the true body. Breathing in, the Sangha body is seen breathing in. Breathing out, the Sangha body is seen smiling. Unifying the whole being in mindfulness, the joy of living becomes possible for every species.

Suffering plays a very important part in making happiness; where there is no mud, there is no lotus. The Kingdom of God is not a place without suffering, but a place where people know how to make good use of suffering to create understanding and love. In relationships, we must help each other understand the suffering inside of us by practicing compassionate listening. Listening to another person for one hour with the sole intention of helping them suffer less requires keeping compassion alive in the heart to protect against irritation and anger. Loving speech is then used to restore communication and reconcile, admitting that we have reacted badly because we did not understand the other person’s difficulties, and asking for their help to understand what is in their heart.

When coming home to the body, there may be tension, stress, and pain. The fourth exercise of mindful breathing is to allow the body to release this tension. It is possible to release tension in all the four positions of the body:

1. Sitting
2. Walking
3. Standing
4. Lying down

Mindful walking allows every step to release tension and bring healing. By stopping thinking and getting in touch with the wonders of life available in the here and the now—such as the blue sky, white clouds, and the people around—we are nourished and transformed. Walking like a free person, free from sorrow about the past and fear of the future, allows us to enter the Kingdom of God. The sunshine, the clouds, flowers, and our own bodies all belong to this Kingdom. We have more than enough conditions of happiness available right now; recognizing them causes joy to be born immediately. Breathing in, we say “I have arrived,” and breathing out, “I am home.” The Kingdom of God is our home, just as the ocean is the home of the waves, and the waves do not need to search for the ocean because they have the ocean within themselves.

March 26, 2011, at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in Bangkok, Thailand: a 97-minute Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh, given in English with consecutive translation into Thai, during the Understanding Our Mind retreat.

Thay offers a lesson on inviting and listening to the bell, a practice that generates the energy of mindfulness and concentration. He guides practitioners in walking and eating meditation, and begins discussion on vijnaptimatrata (Manifestation Only) and the Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu.

The talk continues with an exploration of manifestation, subject and object, mental formations, body, mind, and consciousness, key themes of Buddhist psychology.

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

The Ten Ox Herding Pictures illustrate the journey of practice. In the first drawing, the buffalo boy looks for his beloved buffalo. In the third, the boy rediscovers the buffalo. In the fourth, the boy rides the buffalo. In the fifth, the boy nourishes the buffalo with love and tenderness. In the sixth, both look relaxed with absolute freedom. In the next drawing, only the boy remains as the buffalo becomes one with him. In the following drawing, even the boy is gone, representing utmost emptiness. In the ninth, the buffalo sits by the source of a stream. In the tenth, the buffalo goes into town, doing what everyone else does. Meditation is not something in the sky, but the actions of daily life. Performing acts like drinking or kissing with total concentration may resemble a ritual, but it is actually living the moment deeply. The “buffalo boy” is the energy of mindfulness that helps navigate feelings towards rituals and precepts, which are designed to ensure safety and freedom rather than impose restrictions.

Buddhist meditation involves Samatha (stopping, calming) and Vipasyana (deep looking), leading to Prajna (understanding). Three Bodhisattvas represent the aspects of mindfulness required for true practice: Manjushri embodies deep looking and understanding; Avalokiteshvara represents the capacity of deep listening to understand suffering; and Samantabhadra symbolizes great action to relieve suffering. Without the energy of mindfulness, activists risk burnout, but with it, one practices engaged Buddhism. Deep listening requires emptying oneself of judgment and prejudice to help relieve the suffering of others, who may be like “bombs” ready to explode due to a lack of communication.

Society produces “hungry ghosts” (Pretas), described as having mouths on fire, big bellies, and throats as small as needles, making them unable to absorb love or nutrition. While tantric rituals use mantras to expand their throats, helping real-world hungry ghosts requires patience, trust, and a supportive Sangha acting as a family. Transforming relationships requires recognizing that parents who cause suffering were once fragile five-year-old children themselves. By touching this vulnerability, compassion arises, allowing for the restoration of communication and happiness through the practice of deep listening and loving speech.

Peace is always present inside and outside, yet it must be touched to be realized. Using mindful breathing to touch the heart brings comfort and relief, acknowledging its ceaseless work to preserve well-being. This act serves as a promise to eat, drink, and work in a way that preserves the heart’s condition. Touching the eyes reveals the paradise of forms and colors available in the present, while touching the liver allows for reconciliation with the body and an understanding of its suffering. Reconciling with the body and feelings is necessary to end the internal war that fuels conflict with others, as daily life often waters seeds of violence and fear.

The energy of mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of what is going on in the present moment, allowing for deep looking and listening. This energy is the foundation of true love; the most precious gift one can offer is their true presence, which soothes the suffering of beloved ones without the need for words. Mindfulness is the energy that makes a Buddha and is equivalent to the Holy Spirit, serving as the door to the Kingdom of God or nirvāṇa.

Reality consists of the historical dimension, likened to a wave with a beginning and end, and the ultimate dimension, the water itself. Touching the ultimate dimension in the here and now brings the gift of non-fear, removing the fear of death. Teachings are merely a raft to cross the river or a finger pointing to the moon; one must not be caught in concepts or dogmas, even to the point of “killing the Buddha” to allow the true Buddha to manifest.

The energy of mindfulness and deep listening helps heal pain and tension in the body, while simultaneously transforming suffering. Spiritual practice should begin when one is young, like the kings of the Tran Dynasty, to bring happiness and solidity to oneself and the country. The story of the student Tu Uyen and the beauty in the painting, Giang Kieu, illustrates loneliness, despair, and The Path of Transformation. When one loses a beloved due to a dissolute and hot-tempered lifestyle, the correct method of Incense Offering becomes a bridge to re-establish communication.

Incense Offering does not require much, just one stick is enough, but it must be heart incense or precept incense, performed with concentration and the full investment of body and mind in every gesture. The Five Precepts are the foundation of precept incense to communicate with the Buddhas and our beloved:

1. Seeking ways to protect the lives of all beings.
2. Not cheating, stealing, or deceiving.
3. Not engaging in sexual misconduct, breaking up families, or damaging others’ reputations.
4. Not cursing, lying, or speaking with a double tongue.
5. Not getting drunk, drinking alcohol, or using drugs.

Everyone has a “Giang Kieu” in their life—parents, spouses, or children—those who have come into our lives with great love and affection. We need to recognize and cherish their presence through a mindful way of life, upholding the precepts so as not to cause suffering and regret, and to ensure that happiness is always present.

To practice as a bell master, one bows to the bell, holding it like a jewel in the heart of a lotus flower. A specific verse is memorized to coordinate with the breath: Body, speech and mind in perfect oneness. I send my heart along with the sound of this bell. May all those who listen to me awaken from their forgetfulness and transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow. A half sound is produced first to allow listeners to prepare by stopping thinking and returning to the breath. The full sound follows, offering an opportunity to enjoy breathing in and out three times, silently reciting: I listen, I listen. This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home. This is repeated for three full sounds, bringing peace to the family morning and evening.

The first exercise of mindful breathing is to recognize the in-breath and out-breath. The second exercise is to follow the breath all the way through, without forcing it to be long or short. In walking meditation, this can be practiced by taking steps while breathing, using the phrases This is it for the in-breath and No seeking anymore for the out-breath. The third exercise is to become aware of the whole body, bringing the mind home to the body to be established in the here and the now. The fourth exercise is to release tension in the body. Mindfulness is used to scan the body like a farmer recognizing seeds, embracing specific parts like the eyes, heart, or liver to soothe pain and accelerate healing.

The fifth and sixth exercises are generating a feeling of joy and generating a feeling of happiness. A practitioner is a maker of joy and happiness, which is achieved through letting go of ideas about what is required to be happy. By recognizing the countless conditions of happiness already available—such as having eyes in good condition or a functioning heart—mindfulness becomes a source of happiness. Concentration is the third source of energy; drinking tea or brushing teeth with mindfulness and concentration allows one to be established in the present moment.

The history of Buddhism from 1964 to 1999 is a significant subject, yet the immediate work of helping those who suffer takes precedence over historical documentation. While many spend years obtaining a university diploma, it is often more vital to invest time in restoring communication and happiness with loved ones. Instead of writing books about others, one is encouraged to “write a book on oneself” by transforming into a free, happy person. When direct dialogue is difficult due to irritation, writing a letter becomes a crucial practice. This letter employs the language of loving kindness, admitting the possibility of wrong perceptions and asking for correction. It acknowledges the other person’s suffering and its roots in ancestral habit energy. Before sending, the letter should be reviewed by a Dharma brother or sister to ensure the language is calm and the insight is deep.

Writing such a letter, or creating art, is not limited to the time spent at a desk; the work is produced while watering vegetables, walking, or cooking for the community. Just as growing lettuce is essential for writing poetry, living deeply in every moment of daily life allows insight and compassion to bloom. Enlightenment is not separated from dishwashing. A true love letter is made of the insight and compassion cultivated during these daily acts, capable of producing transformation within oneself and the other person.

Hell is created by the mind, and only the mind can destroy it. This is illustrated by the story of David, a wealthy but egoistic young man unable to maintain relationships due to his arrogance and tendency to blame his parents. After a miraculous encounter with a woman named Angelina who comes to life from a painting, he eventually loses her because of his inability to listen or love. On the verge of despair, he remembers to burn the “incense of the heart”—the incense of mindfulness, the incense of śīla (precepts), the incense of concentration, and the incense of insight. Through this practice, he discovers his own responsibility for his suffering, sheds tears of repentance, and commits to Beginning Anew, allowing for the return of happiness.

Point Five of the Manifesto 2000 addresses the environment. An environmentalist who is full of anger and pollutes himself with nicotine and hatred cannot succeed, because the base of operation is oneself. Many take refuge in drugs, alcohol, consumption, television, and work to avoid the suffering, lack of peace, and the internal “film” of impermanence. Freedom of expression must go together with a sense of responsibility, not destroying children or adults with toxic media. To truly protect the planet, one must first take care of the therapist or the environmentalist; the well-being of the world depends on the well-being of the body and mind.

The Diamond Sutra offers a deep teaching on ecology by helping to remove four notions:

1. Self: Seeing that the self is made of non-self elements, just as a flower is made of non-flower elements.
2. Living beings: Recognizing that living beings are made of non-living elements like water, air, and minerals; to protect the living, one must protect the non-living.
3. Human being: Seeing that humans are made of non-human elements like animals and vegetables.
4. Lifespan: Realizing that life does not begin at birth or end at death, but shares the nature of no birth and no death.

Point Six focuses on contributing to the development of community. The twentieth century was characterized by individualism, but happiness is not an individual matter. As a drop of water, one evaporates, but as a river, one reaches the ocean. Building Sangha allows for the development of talents while being protected by the collective. This point calls for the full participation of women, including the reestablishment of bhikshunī orders, and creating new forms of solidarity. Signing the Manifesto is not enough; it requires concrete practice. Communities and leaders should gather every two weeks to recite the six points and discuss their implementation in daily life, transforming the agreement into a culture of peace and non-violence.

The story of the monk Thera illustrates that true living alone does not mean physical isolation, but rather not getting lost in the past or the future. Whether sitting alone or with a friend, if one is established in the present moment, one is truly living alone. Mindfulness grounds the practitioner, unlike an astronaut floating on the moon, allowing for deep living, self-care, and healing. It is the instrument of transformation that makes things real; when touching a sunset, the blue sky, or a loved one with mindfulness, they reveal themselves clearly. Life, peace, and happiness can be found only in the present moment.

To inspire non-fear, one must touch the ultimate dimension. There are two dimensions of life: the historical dimension, compared to waves with birth, death, ups, and downs; and the ultimate dimension, compared to water, which is free from these concepts. Touching the ultimate dimension allows one to smile to birth and death, sorrow and joy. Mindfulness contains light, understanding, and compassion. Everyone possesses the seed of mindfulness, sometimes called the Baby Buddha or Buddha nature. Practicing mindful breathing and drinking waters this seed, preventing it from being buried under layers of sorrow and forgetfulness.

To address guilt regarding the past, such as a veteran who killed children or a bystander unable to save a mole, the practice is to touch the present moment deeply to save life now, rather than suffering from the past. The exercise of “Flower Fresh” involves visualizing oneself as a flower during the in-breath to restore freshness, and smiling during the out-breath. Walking meditation is practiced slowly, focusing entirely on “in, in, out, out” without conversation. The secret of practice is not to think too much, but to be; being is the basis for effective thinking. Finally, the talk touches on the nature of consciousness, describing the river of perceptions and feelings, and the two main functions of consciousness: store consciousness and mind consciousness.

Meditation is the application of mindfulness in daily life, described as the practice of mindful living. It is possible to practice while cooking, driving, or watering the garden. The Sangha serves as a boat, keeping practitioners from sinking back into habit energy and forgetfulness. Collective energy penetrates and supports the individual, making transformation and healing possible. The essential is not thinking, but being; becoming aware of the in-breath and out-breath allows one to be fully alive. Enlightenment is the light that allows awareness of what is happening in the here and the now. Whether washing dishes or driving, the practice is to establish oneself firmly in the present moment, rather than sacrificing the activity for the sake of arrival.

Vasana, or habit energy, pushes us to do and say things we do not want to, often transmitted by ancestors. The energy of mindfulness helps recognize this habit energy, allowing it to return to the form of a seed and become weaker. To cultivate mindfulness, specific exercises are proposed, such as eating an orange in perfect mindfulness to see the sunshine, rain, and cosmos within it, or hugging a loved one with 100% presence. Deep relaxation involves scanning the body with the beam of mindfulness, smiling to each part to release tension and promote healing.

To overcome the belief that happiness is not possible in the here and the now, four questions are asked:

1. What are the one or two conditions believed to be absolutely essential for happiness?
2. Can one manage to be happy even if that condition is never realized?
3. What are the conditions of happiness available right now?
4. What arrangements can be made to come in touch with these conditions every day?

Mindful walking trains one to live deeply without the need to arrive, touching the wonders of life with every step. This practice of arriving and feeling at home is supported by the verses: I have arrived, I am home; In the here, in the now; I am solid, I am free; In the ultimate I dwell.

Looking deeply into the palm of the hand reveals the presence of mother, father, and all generations of ancestors. When the hand touches the forehead during a fever, it is the touch of millions of ancestors bringing comfort. This insight from the Avatamsaka Sutra reveals that every mindful step, breath, and smile is taken simultaneously with blood and spiritual ancestors, including the Buddha and Master Linji. The question “Who is invoking the Buddha’s name?” is a door unlocked by the teaching of dependent co-arising. A flower contains clouds, sunshine, earth, the gardener, and the cosmos, possessing everything except a separate self.

Daily activities such as drinking tea, cooking, and cleaning are opportunities to act with the solidity and compassion of a Buddha in the present moment. The habit of running is replaced by dwelling in the here and the now. In meditation, mind consciousness acts as the gardener while store consciousness (alaya vijnana) is the garden soil. A huàtóu or kōan is entrusted to the store consciousness, nurtured continuously like a baby within a pregnant mother. Enlightenment is not a destination but the way itself; the means and the end are one.

The past and future are available only in the present; by handling the present with mindfulness, the past can be transformed and the future assured. Eating an orange becomes a meditation on the cosmos, revealing that both the fruit and the eater are miracles without a separate self. Joy and happiness are generated through two specific practices:

1. Releasing: Letting go of regrets concerning the past and anxiety regarding the future.
2. Concentration: Living every moment in samadhi, born from mindfulness.

Mindfulness, concentration, and insight arise together, allowing the practitioner to teach the Dharma through their daily life and way of being.

March 31, 2011. A 155-minute dharma talk given in English, with consecutive translation into Thai, on the seventh and final day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) near Bangkok, Thailand.

After a brief review of manas and store consciousness, Thay speaks about the nature of no-birth and no-death discovered by the Buddha. Being and nonbeing—we can’t have something from nothing. How are we continuing the teacher? The young monks, nuns, lay practitioners are also Thay—their practice becomes Thay’s continuation, like the Century plant at Deer Park Monastery: one plant can become many plants.

Right thinking is your continuation. Thinking is already action—karma. Our karma continues after the dissolution of the body. The second karma action is speech. The third is body: the way we eat, the way we drive. So, dissolution of the body is not our death.

Birth and death, being and nonbeing, coming and going, sameness and otherness—the ultimate reality is free from all these notions. Suchness, the ultimate reality, cannot be conceived of by ideas or notions. Nirvana is the other word for ultimate reality: the extinction of all notions.

At the end of the talk, Sister Chan Khong shares about the Thai Plum Village and the new international practice center in Thailand.

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

Listening to the bell allows the sound to penetrate every cell, meeting the sound already inside. This is the voice of the Buddha within, calling us back to our true home. The Bell Master prepares by reciting a gatha: “Body, speech and mind in perfect oneness. I send my heart along with this sound of the bell. May all of you who listen to me awaken from your forgetfulness. And transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow.” A half sound is invited, followed by three full sounds, allowing the community to enjoy nine full in-breaths and out-breaths. A practice gatha is used: “I listen, I listen. This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.” This generates the collective energy of the Sanghakaya, the Sangha body.

Walking meditation is the practice of Samatha, meaning stopping the habit energy of running. Every step signs the earth, bringing one home to the here and the now. In slow walking, one step is taken with an in-breath to realize “I have arrived,” waiting until fully arrived before taking a second step to realize “I am home.” This cultivates freedom and solidity. Steps are coordinated with the breath, such as two steps in and three out, or three steps in and five out. This establishes one in the present moment, the door to the Kingdom of God.

Understanding and compassion are lotus flowers that require the mud of suffering to grow. Recognizing and embracing suffering is essential for transformation, yet a function of consciousness called Mano urges us to run away. Mind consciousness must reprogram Mano, which has five characteristics:

1. The tendency to run away from suffering.
2. To ignore the goodness of suffering.
3. To always seek pleasure.
4. To ignore the danger of pleasure seeking.
5. To ignore the law of moderation.

Promoting Buddhist culture and doing good deeds are universal actions that help reduce war, conflict, and poverty. Standing before the Sangha feels like a return home, despite thirty-six years of exile caused by war, which felt like being a cell separated from the body. Chinese Buddhism serves as a spiritual treasure and source of nourishment, and renewing these teachings to suit the modern mind and younger generation is essential for contributing to world peace and making people happy.

Practices introduced to the West focus on going back to the present moment rather than dwelling in past regrets or future worries. Upon hearing the bell, thinking and talking stop to allow a return to the in-breath and out-breath, overcoming affliction. Similarly, the telephone is answered only after three sounds, using the ringing as a reminder to breathe. Prostrations are acts of devotion, mindfulness, and concentration, while maintaining precepts and manners generates an energy that makes one a beautiful person.

Great compassion and wisdom are perfect and do not take sides. On Wutai Mountain, yellow flowers cover the landscape like golden sand, representing Manjushri. Scientifically, looking into one cell reveals the totality of all cells, just as a new ear of corn manifests hundreds of grains that contain the plant’s history. One must not be attached to images, such as Samantabhadra riding a white elephant, but rather look deeply to see the Buddha in disciples like Shariputra. This is akin to seeing the first flame in the second and third flames, recognizing that the Buddha is alive within.

The Soviet Union proposed a six-point plan regarding the withdrawal of troops from Kuwait, yet the rejection of this leads to continued violence and contradictory prayers for divine support from opposing nations. Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount” shares profound similarities with the Buddhist “Discourse on Happiness.” “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor” parallels the wisdom of knowing one does not know, preventing the blockage of insight. “Happy are those who mourn” reveals that suffering is the necessary base for happiness and learning. “Happy are those who are humble” highlights humility as a condition to overcome ignorance. “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires” equates to bodhicitta, the vow to help living beings through understanding and love. “Happy are those who are merciful” reflects karuṇā, the capacity to remove suffering, which immediately transforms the practitioner. “Happy are the pure in heart” signifies Tự tịnh kỳ ý, purifying the mind to see reality and enter the Pure Land.

“Happy are those who work for peace” requires a peaceful heart, for one cannot overcome evil with evil. “Happy are those who are persecuted” relates to the practice of patience (kṣānti), maintaining peace even in prison. Practitioners are described as the “salt of the earth,” akin to the Sangha providing the taste of liberation, and the “light of the world,” emitting mindfulness that enlightens others. Jesus’s teaching that anger is equivalent to murder aligns with the Buddhist view that action by thought is the most basic action; soldiers practicing killing in their minds inflict deep, lasting wounds on their own consciousness and future generations. The instruction to reconcile with a brother before offering a gift at the altar teaches that God and the altar are found in one’s relationships; hugging meditation and bowing to ancestors are concrete ways to practice this reconciliation and recognize the spiritual nature of all beings.

The teaching on adultery emphasizes that wrongdoings spring from the mind (Tội tùng tâm khởi), and transforming the mind eliminates the transgression without the need for surgical removal of parts of oneself. “Love your enemies” is possible by perceiving the fear and suffering within the other person, transforming the concept of an enemy into an object of compassion. Prayer should not be a performance for others or a list of demands, but a sowing of good seeds of wisdom and happiness in the heart. The petition “Give us today the food we need” calls for living in the present moment and protecting the environment, as destroying nature is destroying the source of life and God. Finally, true forgiveness arises from awareness and understanding, a necessary practice in times of war and in countering the seeds of violence planted by society and media.

Bài viết nộp ngày 15 tây không nên mang tính lý thuyết mà phải dựa trên kinh nghiệm thành bại của bản thân, làm nổi bật sự liên hệ mật thiết giữa sự thực tập với những hạnh phúc, đau khổ, ước mơ và bực bội hằng ngày. Trong kinh Duy Ma Cật, Bồ tát thị hiện ngu si hay đi vào môi trường đọa lạc để độ sinh cần phải có nội lực mạnh mẽ và phương tiện giải thoát bất tư nghì, nếu không sẽ rất nguy hiểm. Tình thương chân thật (Mahākaruṇā) khác với sự luyến ái ủy mị ở chỗ có tuệ giác làm bản chất, giúp nhận diện và chuyển hóa những hạt giống giận hờn, ghen tuông hay tự ái còn sót lại trong tâm.

Khi muốn can thiệp giúp đỡ người khác, chánh niệm giúp nhận diện rõ ba điều kiện:

1. Người kia có vấn đề thật sự hay không.
2. Mình có đang sẵn sàng, tươi mát và sáng suốt đủ hay không.
3. Đó có phải là thời điểm thích hợp để can thiệp hay không.

Danh từ A-la-hán bao gồm ba nghĩa: sát tặc (giết giặc phiền não), phá ác (phá tan điều ác) và ứng cúng (xứng đáng được cúng dường). Sự phân biệt giữa các tông phái thường xuất phát từ thái độ cố chấp hẹp hòi hơn là thực tại tu chứng, vì trong Bắc truyền đã có Nam truyền. Phong trào Đại thừa phát khởi vì hai lý do chính: thứ nhất là để phá vỡ tính cách thủ cựu, khép kín khiến đạo Bụt mất đi sinh khí; thứ hai là nhu cầu hiện đại hóa để đáp ứng lại các trào lưu tư tưởng văn hóa đương thời, giúp đạo Bụt không bị lạc hậu và đánh mất giới trẻ. Sơ tổ Thiền tông Việt Nam là thầy Tăng Hội đã thực hiện sự kết hợp này từ sớm bằng cách dạy thiền Đại thừa nhưng sử dụng các kinh điển Nguyên thủy như An Ban Thủ Ý.

Đức Đạt Lai Lạt Ma đề cập đến việc đối trị cơn giận, bắt đầu bằng sự phân biệt giữa hai loại ham muốn và hai loại cái ngã. Ham muốn vật chất phù phiếm là không tốt, nhưng ham muốn để thành đạo và giải thoát là điều cần thiết. Tương tự, cái ngã chạy theo danh lợi là xấu, nhưng cái ngã đem lại sự tự tin và quyết chí làm việc thiện là tốt. Đối với cơn giận, giận vì công bằng xã hội có thể chấp nhận, nhưng giận vì tư lợi thì không nên. Để bổ sung cho lý thuyết này, cần áp dụng những phương pháp thực tập cụ thể, được xem là tuệ giác chung sinh ra từ khổ đau của nhiều thế hệ cha ông và đất nước.

Tri giác của con người về sự vật và người khác thường sai lầm do bị chi phối bởi tàng thức và những kinh nghiệm quá khứ, giống như mỗi người có một cái thấy khác nhau về cùng một chiếc khăn. Để xử lý cơn giận và tri giác sai lầm, cần tuân thủ các bước:

1. Không nói và không làm gì khi đang giận.
2. Trở về với hơi thở chánh niệm và đi thiền hành để làm lắng dịu tâm tư, tách rời tâm khỏi cơn giận.
3. Thực hành thiền quán (nhìn sâu) để thấu hiểu hoàn cảnh, lịch sử và nỗi khổ của đối tượng, từ đó chuyển hóa cơn giận.

Việc lắng nghe để tháo gỡ những “trái bom” cảm xúc đòi hỏi phải lắng nghe với tâm không thành kiến, thực sự đặt mình vào da thịt người khác để hiểu chứ không chỉ im lặng chịu đựng. Trong trường hợp cần thiết lập kỷ luật hoặc sửa đổi người khác, có thể hành xử mạnh mẽ nhưng phải xuất phát từ tâm bình tĩnh, không phải từ cơn giận. Khi tiếp nhận phê bình, nên dành thời gian (ví dụ một tuần) để quán chiếu và nhận diện phần sự thật trong đó trước khi phản hồi. Sự nhẫn nhục phải luôn đi kèm với tuệ giác và sự nhìn sâu, nếu chỉ đè nén mà không chuyển hóa thì những ức chế nhỏ sẽ tích tụ thành nội kết lớn.

Buổi thực tập bắt đầu bằng việc bốc thăm tên và đề tài để chia sẻ pháp thoại, với các chủ đề được liệt kê bao gồm: Vô Thường, Vô ngã, Niết Bàn, Duyên Sinh, Gốc Rễ, Hơi Thở, Thiền Làng, Từ, Bi, Hỷ, Xả, Tánh, Niệm, Định, Huệ. Nội dung đầu tiên đề cập đến việc thực tập chánh niệm với ba loại cảm thọ: lạc thọ, khổ thọ và xả thọ, cũng như khả năng chuyển hóa cảm giác trung tính. Tiếp theo là chủ đề Chánh kiến, một chi phần của Bát Chánh Đạo cần sự lắng nghe (chánh thính) và được soi sáng bởi Tam Pháp Ấn là Vô thường, Vô ngã và Niết bàn (tương ứng với Không, Vô tướng và Vô tác).

Đề tài Diệt được khai triển qua lăng kính của Tứ Diệu Đế gồm bốn sự thật: Khổ, Tập, Diệt và Đạo, giúp hành giả nhận diện nguyên nhân khổ đau và cắt đứt vòng luân hồi. Tiếp đến là sự phân biệt giữa Thức (nhận thức) và Trí (tuệ giác), nhấn mạnh vai trò của tàng thức và việc dùng chánh niệm để nhận diện các hạt giống tập khí. Chánh tinh tấn được thảo luận trong mối liên hệ mật thiết với chánh kiến, chánh tư duy và chánh niệm, giúp hành giả sử dụng năng lượng một cách lành mạnh, tránh tiêu hao vào lo lắng và tiếp xúc với chiều không gian tích môn thay vì chỉ ở chiều lịch sử.

Chánh ngữ đòi hỏi sự có mặt của chánh niệm, chánh tư duy và chánh kiến để đem lại an lạc và chuyển hóa khổ đau. Để thực hành chánh ngữ, cần tránh bốn điều:

1. Không nói lời hung ác.
2. Không vọng ngữ.
3. Không nói lời đôi chiều.
4. Không lưỡng thiệt (nói lời thêu dệt).
   Phần cuối nhắc lại nội dung của Tứ Chánh Cần liên quan đến việc tưới tẩm hạt giống: hạt giống tốt chưa sanh làm cho sanh, hạt giống tốt sanh rồi làm cho lớn, hạt giống xấu chưa sanh đừng làm cho sanh, và hạt giống xấu sanh rồi thì chuyển hóa cho mau.

“Truyền Thống Sinh Động Của Thiền Tập Đạo Bụt” là bộ pháp thoại Thiền sư Thích Nhất Hạnh giảng trong giai đoạn 1994-1997, dẫn dắt người nghe qua hành trình lịch sử của thiền tập đạo Bụt từ Ấn Độ đến Việt Nam và Trung Hoa. Thiền sư cho thấy Phật giáo đã truyền từ Ấn Độ vào Việt Nam trước Trung Hoa hàng trăm năm rồi mới lan sang Trung Hoa, đồng thời giới thiệu những vị thiền sư Việt Nam lỗi lạc, uyên thâm mà ít được biết đến, mở ra một cái nhìn mới mẻ và phong phú về truyền thống thiền tập của dân tộc.

Lưu ý: mô tả này được tự động lấy từ các mô tả YouTube hiện có và các nguồn khác. Vui lòng ‘Đề xuất thay đổi’ nếu nó không chính xác.

“TTSĐCTTĐB – Truyền Thống Sinh Động Của Thiền Tập Đạo Bụt” là bộ pháp thoại Thiền sư Thích Nhất Hạnh giảng trong các năm 1994-1997, dẫn dắt người nghe qua hành trình lịch sử của thiền tập đạo Bụt từ Ấn Độ sang Việt Nam rồi tiếp tục truyền sang Trung Hoa, chứ không phải ngược lại như quan niệm phổ biến. Qua đó, thiền sư giới thiệu những vị thiền sư uyên thâm, lỗi lạc của dân tộc Việt Nam vốn ít được nhắc đến, mở ra một cuộc hành trình dài tập, sâu sắc và đầy thú vị.

Lưu ý: mô tả này được tự động lấy từ các mô tả YouTube hiện có và các nguồn khác. Vui lòng ‘Đề xuất thay đổi’ nếu nó không chính xác.

Lòng từ bi là hạt giống của bài hát và liên hệ sâu sắc đến cội nguồn người Mỹ bản địa cũng như giới thứ nhất về không sát sinh. Từ bi thuộc về Tứ Vô Lượng Tâm, bao gồm bốn yếu tố nhiếp phục lẫn nhau:

1. Từ (Maitri)
2. Bi (Karuna)
3. Hỷ
4. Xả

Theo “Câu Xá Luận”, Bi nghĩa là bạt khổ (làm cho cái khổ tiêu tan), còn Từ là dữ lạc (cho niềm vui). Trong khi chữ “compassion” phương Tây hàm ý khổ đau chung với người khác, đạo Bụt quan niệm không cần phải khổ mới làm người khác bớt khổ.

Pháp là ngôi báu thứ hai trong Tam Bảo và phải mang ba Dấu ấn Pháp để trở thành giáo lý chân thực:

1. Vô thường
2. Vô ngã
3. Niết bàn

Tăng đoàn (Sangha) là đoàn thể tu tập gồm bốn chúng: tỳ kheo, tỳ kheo ni, upasaka và upasika. Về sự tiêu thụ, có bốn loại thức ăn:

1. Đoàn thực
2. Xúc thực
3. Tư niệm thực
4. Thức thực

Đoàn thực cần chánh niệm để không đưa độc tố vào cơ thể, trong khi tư niệm thực là ý chí hay động lực đẩy mình đi tới, có thể hướng về ngũ dục hoặc hướng về độ sinh.

Sách “Luận ngữ” của Khổng Tử bắt đầu bằng ba câu hỏi: Học mà có cơ hội thực tập, há chẳng phải là niềm vui sao? Có bạn từ phương xa tới, há chẳng phải là niềm vui lớn sao? Người không hiểu mình mà mình không giận, há chẳng phải là bậc quân tử sao? Buổi pháp thoại cũng đề cập đến việc kết nối lại với gia đình huyết thống và gia đình tâm linh để không còn là những “cô hồn” lạc lõng, cùng sự thực tập xả như một yếu tố thiết yếu của tình thương chân thật.

Thích Nhất Hạnh nhấn mạnh tầm quan trọng của việc chăm sóc bản thân trước khi chăm sóc người khác, tránh thương một cách mù quáng và nhớ rằng mỗi người đều có “gai” riêng. Ông kể câu chuyện về cây hường để minh họa rằng mỗi người đều có nhược điểm và cần chấp nhận họ với tất cả những gai đó. Ông cũng chia sẻ về trải nghiệm đau thương trong gia đình và sự hỗ trợ từ quý sư chú, nhấn mạnh việc thực hành từ bi và kiểm soát hơi thở để đạt hạnh phúc thật sự. Ông khuyến khích việc nhìn sâu vào bản thân và tương tác với thiên nhiên để tìm thấy niềm vui và tránh những suy nghĩ tiêu cực. Ông kể về trải nghiệm thiền hành và nhấn mạnh rằng hạnh phúc thật sự đến từ việc buông bỏ và yêu thương. Ông cũng chia sẻ về việc nhìn nhận và xử lý những hạt giống tiêu cực trong tâm trí, và rằng việc chú ý đầy đủ có thể mang lại sự cân bằng và bình an. Ông kết thúc bằng lời khuyên rằng chúng ta nên sống đúng với bản thân, tận hưởng từng khoảnh khắc và giữ gìn sự yên bình trong tâm hồn thông qua việc tu tập.

In daily life marked by insecurity, human beings seek a refuge, permanence, and an absolute identity, even though reality is impermanent. Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha is not about seeking a future or abstract security, but about touching the truth of inter-being and of no-birth and no-death in the present moment. A flower is made of non-flower elements like sunshine and clouds, just as the Buddha is made of non-Buddha elements; understanding this allows us to sail on the ocean of impermanence with peace.

Buddhism addresses fundamental truths to transform our view:

1. Impermanence (Vô thường): it is not sad but essential for life, allowing children to grow and seeds to become plants.
2. Nonself (Vô ngã) or Inter-being: the absence of a separate existence, summarized by the phrase “This being, that is.”
3. Suffering (Khổ) or Nirvana (Niết bàn): seeking happiness in permanence leads to suffering, while basing it on the wisdom of impermanence leads to freedom.

Taking refuge is a concrete practice: the Buddha is the capacity for understanding and love that we touch within ourselves through conscious breathing. The Dharma is the living path of calm (śamatha) and looking deeply (vipaśyanā), manifested in everything, like a flower or a smile (Dharmakāya). The Sangha is the indispensable community for supporting the practice, for a practitioner alone is like a tiger who has left his mountain; it is crucial to build a Sangha with our loved ones or colleagues. This insight dissolves the fear of death, revealing that nothing is born and nothing dies, but only continues in other forms.

To invite the bell to sound, one must practice conscious breathing and a verse uniting body, speech, and mind to transcend the path of anxiety. The sound of the bell is the voice of the Buddha calling us back to our true home; upon hearing it, we must stop all thinking and return to ourselves to allow the Buddha to be in our heart. After the practice of the solid mountain, the fresh flower exercise allows us to restore our freshness through breathing, for a human being is a flower that needs care. To love, one must be capable of offering one’s solidity and freshness to the other by saying: “I am here for you,” which constitutes the true language of love to relieve suffering.

Mindfulness applies to consumption to avoid creating war within oneself, illustrated by the image of a couple eating the flesh of their own child or a skinless cow assaulted by living beings. We must practice selective touching to nourish ourselves with healthy and healing elements in the present moment, such as the blue sky or a tree, a capacity for awakening that Paul Verlaine touched while in prison. The human person is composed of five elements, compared to the sections of an orange:

1. Form, the physical body that must be touched with mindfulness to establish harmony within it.
2. Feelings, which require healthy consumption to avoid toxins.
3. Perceptions, often erroneous like mistaking a rope for a snake, thus creating illusions and suffering.
4. Mental formations, which reside as seeds in store consciousness and manifest at the level of mind consciousness; anger must be embraced by mindfulness and not suppressed.
5. Consciousness, which is the base of all formations.

Each person is the king or queen of their own territory constituted by these five elements and must tend to it to put an end to the internal civil war. It is only by establishing peace within oneself, by transforming one’s perceptions and mental formations through continuous practice, that one can truly reconcile with others.

The details of this discussion highlight the importance of cultivating understanding, compassion, and peace (Bhavana) as a farmer cultivates his plants. Knowledge alone is not sufficient for transformation; it must be accompanied by real practice, such as mastering one’s negative energies like anger through mindfulness and the support of a spiritual community (sangha). Taking refuge in the sangha means trust and commitment to its instructions. The practice of mindfulness allows one to manage anger without acting impulsively, thereby fostering inner peace and open communication. Calmly expressing one’s sufferings strengthens intimate bonds and fosters compassion. Using walking meditation and mindfulness with family and friends is essential for cultivating true love and mutual support, thus avoiding tragedies and cultivating peace and harmony.

Thay introduces the session by suggesting the practice of gathas to accompany daily actions like hearing the bell, turning on the computer, or driving.

1. How do we practice looking deeply into objects of mind and mental formations?
2. What skillful means can be used to share the practice with friends outside without facing their prejudices regarding Buddhism or cults?
3. How can one love without attachment?
4. How can we sincerely invest ourselves in social or political engagement without falling into the trap of the ego, arrogance, or perfectionism?
5. How can we open up and respond to our aspirations when the world within us holds us back or casts blame upon us?
6. What is the relationship between the spiritual path and sexuality, and why is the latter sometimes perceived as a danger?
7. How can we embrace and help a very young child whose manifestations of suffering are not socially accepted?
8. Does the determination to protect life in the First Mindfulness Training extend to approving therapeutic obstinacy?
9. How can we train ourselves to breathe consciously while speaking to avoid getting lost in idle chatter?
10. How can we purify the unconscious of the nocturnal world when the body experiences parallel suffering during sleep?
11. How can we build a Sangha in harmony with organic farming?
12. How can we make the world of physical sensations and traumatic memories of the body more explicit compared to conceptual emotions?
13. Why did the Buddha leave his life as a prince for a life as a monk?

The session closes with the presentation of the book “Chanting from the Heart” and a mention of Martin Luther King and the “Beloved Community” in connection with Barack Obama.

If a tourist agency offered tickets to the Pure Land, many would rush to sign up, imagining an easy life of walking meditation and listening to the Dharma through the wind and birds. However, upon arrival, one might be disappointed by the crowds and the inability to get close to Amitabha Buddha. Furthermore, those habituated to running and hurrying on Earth would disturb the peace of the Pure Land. It is therefore essential to learn to walk peacefully on Earth first, establishing oneself in the here and the now. With enough mindfulness and concentration, the Pure Land manifests in the present moment; it is in the heart, not solely in the future.

This teaching resonates across traditions, illustrated by a Catholic nun realizing the “Kingdom of God is now or never,” and a Protestant minister using Buddhist practices to heal. The blue sky, sunshine, and children’s faces belong to the Pure Land, and nature teaches the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. By mastering the art of walking meditation, one carries a “mobile Pure Land,” transforming environments like airports, markets, or the Great Wall of China into sacred spaces. Walking with the feet of ancestors and using “Buddha eyes” to look cultivates understanding and compassion.

Buddhism must be renewed to offer concrete practices, such as the Five Precepts, that help the younger generation and busy people transform suffering and conflict. During the Q&A, the importance of understanding an individual’s suffering before offering a method is highlighted, alongside the necessity of a Sangha to support practice. Finally, the concept of “Amitabha as true nature” and “Pure Land in the heart” is clarified not as a mere idea, but as a reality experienced through the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

Teaching by Thay in French during the 2008 Winter Retreat:
09:00 – Taking refuge in the present moment
36:45 – Happiness – Understanding suffering…

Note: This description has been automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please suggest an edit if it is incorrect.

Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha allows us to see the path of light, to open the doors of transformation, and to be supported in our practice. Hell and the Kingdom of God are to be found in every one of our cells, because the one contains the all. Suffering plays a crucial role in cultivating understanding and love; without mud, there is no lotus. Rather than repressing pain or running away from it through consumption, the practice is to generate the energy of mindfulness in order to recognize and embrace our negative mental formations with tenderness, like a mother holding her baby or a radiator warming cold air.

This process of transformation follows four steps: 1. Recognizing the presence of suffering, 2. Non-violently embracing anger or despair, 3. Soothing the pain with the energy of mindfulness, and 4. Looking deeply to understand the nature of what is and to obtain liberating insight. If our own energy is too weak, the support of the Sangha is indispensable to help us embrace our suffering.

Seeds manifest as formations, and formations in turn plant seeds. These bīja, or seeds, have six characteristics:

1. The simultaneity of cause and effect, existing at the same time as their fruit.
2. Momentary impermanence, being born and dying at every instant.
3. Continuous transformation in relationship with other formations.
4. Waiting for favorable conditions in order to manifest.
5. The capacity to bring about their own specific fruit.
6. Determinate continuity.
   Education and transformation take place through vasana, imprinting, which allows us to modify store consciousness and our habit energies.

The session begins with a chant of the name of Avalokiteshvara to generate the energy of compassion, penetrating the body and mind for transformation and healing. In the West, while universities offer degrees in Buddhist studies, they often provide only theory without the practical skills to handle suffering. Young people and intellectuals, unsatisfied with traditional church teachings and facing spiritual hunger, turn to practice centers not for scholarship, but for concrete methods to transform conflict, anger, and fear. Devotional practices alone are insufficient; meditation and mindfulness are required to radically uproot negative emotions. This approach has allowed for the modernization and renewal of Buddhism, making it accessible to Christians, Jews, business leaders, and police officers who seek relief from stress and loneliness.

Chinese Buddhism possesses a tremendous resource of wisdom, yet there is a vital need to renew the tradition to satisfy the needs of the younger generation. Relying solely on devotion, such as burning incense and praying for outcomes without personal practice, does not resolve deep suffering or relationship conflicts. The practice must be engaged, utilizing tools like loving speech and deep listening. A vow of Samantabhadra is encouraged to study and practice in a way that renews Buddhism for the current time, moving beyond the glory of the past to become a resource of peace and happiness for the nation and the world.

Regarding Chinese temples, the atmosphere of sanctity is often disrupted by tourists; a proposal is made that visitors should practice walking meditation and silence to maintain the spiritual beauty. The practice of walking meditation draws inspiration from both Theravada and Mahayana traditions. From Theravada, there is mindfulness of the four positions: standing, sitting, walking, and lying. From the Linji lineage, the “miracle of walking on earth” is derived from the insight of being free and not bound by form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma. Regarding the modernization of Buddhism, true insight is recognized and reinforced by the Sangha, whereas inauthentic teachings are naturally abandoned. Novice monastics are advised to focus on strict practice of precepts and mindfulness within the monastery rather than engaging in public relations. Finally, the understanding of the Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination is discussed in the context of The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, interpreting primitive texts through the light of Mahayana.

There are three conditions of happiness: health, success, and relationship. Regarding health, the Buddha taught how to eat, drink, and work to maintain physical and mental well-being, acting as a doctor to cure craving, anger, and jealousy. Success is not defined by wealth, power, fame, or sex, which often lead to deep suffering and loneliness, but by the capacity to transform the affliction within. True success generates understanding and compassion, allowing one to help others suffer less. The third element, relationship, requires skillful practice to avoid causing suffering to beloved ones and to maintain open communication.

To restore harmony, one must overcome the tendency to punish others through cruel words or cold silence. Reflecting on the impermanence of loved ones—asking if one would suffer if the other person died—shifts the perspective from anger to cherishing. Hugging meditation is introduced as a practice to reconnect, involving joining palms, breathing mindfully, bowing, and holding the other person while generating mindfulness and concentration to acknowledge that the beloved is still alive. Communication is further restored through two specific methods:

1. Loving speech: Using gentle language to admit one’s own lack of skill in the past and asking the other to express their heart to avoid future mistakes.
2. Deep listening: The practice of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, which aims solely to help the other person suffer less by listening with compassion, without judgment, reaction, or criticism, even if the other person speaks with wrong perceptions.

A practical exercise involves writing down all the good qualities of the person one is angry with. While anger obscures these qualities, focusing on them transforms perception and leads to reconciliation, often through writing a letter expressing appreciation. This practice benefits not only the individual but also parents and ancestors, who are alive in every cell of the body. The talk concludes with instruction on walking meditation to manifest the Pure Land in the here and now, using the words “I have arrived, I am home” to cultivate solidity and freedom.

This is the fourth Dharma talk of the “Nourishing Happiness in Our Hearts” retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany, given in English with consecutive translation into German on August 17, 2014. Thay teaches on dependent co-arising, interbeing, and the four pairs of opposites.

Topics

• A cloud in the water
• Two kinds of truth; conventional and the ultimate
• How to suffer less
• Right View and the ultimate dimension
• Birth and death
• The wisdom of adaptation and the art of looking deeply
• Dependent co-arising
• Interbeing
• Emptiness
• Four Pairs of Opposites
• Sangha Building

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

This is the 3rd Dharma talk by Thay for the German Retreat “Nourishing Happiness in Our Hearts,” offered on a rainy morning at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany, on August 15, 2014. Given in English with consecutive German translation, the talk includes teachings for children on Pebble Meditation; “I Am Here For You” and how to love; producing and consuming, Right Livelihood, the Fifth Mindfulness Training, and the four kinds of nutriments; intention, insight, and innovation; practicing true mindfulness in business and in the military; and Right Diligence and taking care of our good seeds.

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

Suffering is an essential component for growth and the capacity to experience happiness, serving as a kind of compost from which compassion is born. Without being in touch with suffering, compassion cannot arise, and the amount of happiness one possesses depends on the amount of compassion within. Understanding the suffering of people, the planet, and the ecosystem is necessary to relate to life and avoid the destruction caused by craving and ignorance.

Time is life rather than money, and using it solely to pursue the five elements of sensual pleasure—money, sex, fame, good food, and sleeping—prevents one from getting in touch with true happiness. The Dharma acts as a medicine to remove the fever caused by craving, anger, and fear. This living Dharma is expressed through daily activities such as:

• Walking
• Sitting
• Smiling
• Breathing
• Dishwashing
• Garden tending

The sound of the bell serves as the voice of the Buddha nature within, calling us back to our true home in the here and now. By practicing shamatha (stopping) and vipashyana (inquiring), such as turning off the television to communicate sincerely with a partner, we can look deeply into the causes of our suffering. Just as a gardener transforms garbage into compost for flowers, the Five Mindfulness Trainings and the practice of Beginning Anew allow us to embrace and transform our suffering into peace and joy.

Understanding begins with oneself because the self is composed of non-self elements. If you cannot communicate with yourself or accept yourself, you cannot do so for another. Your father and ancestors are fully present in your body and mind; thus, to hate them is to hate yourself. Anger is not an enemy to be suppressed but an organic phenomenon, much like garbage that can be transformed into compost. By taking care of anger in a tender, non-dualistic way, it becomes the energy of understanding and compassion.

Compassion is not passive or a lack of courage; it is a powerful, intelligent source of energy. Being compassionate does not mean allowing others to commit violence or destroy themselves. It may require firm action, such as a judge, a prison guard, or a policeman acting as a bodhisattva to prevent further harm, but such actions must be rooted in non-fear and insight rather than a desire to punish. True peacekeepers must first establish peace within themselves to handle the blocks of fear and frustration that lead to violence.

Transforming society requires moving from personal awakening to collective insight through skillful means. This involves flexible, artistic ways of acting that reveal the truth without being dogmatic, such as using media or dialogue to foster understanding between conflicting groups. By looking deeply at the roots of suffering in our families and society, we can transform negative energies. When you become fresh and pleasant like a stream of cool water, you communicate through your presence, allowing love and understanding to manifest in yourself and others.

The practice begins with the Four Recollections:

1. Recollection of the Buddha: the teacher who has gone over in a wonderful way and understands the world deeply.
2. Recollection of the Dharma: the teachings experienced in the present moment that extinguish afflictions.
3. Recollection of the Sangha: the community of four pairs and eight realizations that follows an upright path.
4. Recollection of the Precepts: the mindfulness trainings that protect freedom and lead to insight.

Anger and irritation are energies that can dominate us, but we can train ourselves to create a new habit energy by returning to mindful breathing and walking. A mini peace treaty can be signed with others as a mutual promise to practice during difficult moments. Specific instruments help maintain this awareness: a pebble to represent freshness and solidity, a mirror to observe one’s expression and restore a smile, and a credit card reminding us of the capacity for being peace. This inner treasure of Buddha nature is a store of credits that cannot go bankrupt. By looking with the eyes of loving kindness, the energy of anger is transformed into compassion. Understanding and compassion are the antidotes that neutralize frustration, turning garbage into flowers.

Restoring communication is essential for healing relationships, achieved through compassionate listening. By emptying ourselves of prejudices and becoming space, we allow others to express their suffering. The sole purpose of this deep listening is to help the other person suffer less. This practice involves the four unlimited elements: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Even if speech contains wrong perceptions, maintaining the energy of compassion through mindful breathing allows for transformation and relief for both parties. As the Buddha said, “I am the physician who heals myself and others.”

The Buddha is a fully human being who suffered and determined to practice to transform that suffering. A drawing of the Buddha sitting peacefully on the grass and a childhood encounter with a mountain hermit, found in the form of a clear natural well, illustrate the deep satisfaction and stability found in the spiritual path. The Five Mindfulness Trainings serve as a teacher and a guide for protection, transformation, and healing. These trainings are a non-religious proposal for a way out of difficult global situations, transcending boundaries of traditions, races, and cultures.

Taking refuge in a Sangha is a concrete practice of living in an environment where everyone follows the mindfulness trainings, providing safety from the toxins of the world. This involves the four recollections:

1. The reality of the Buddha
2. The reality of the Dharma
3. The reality of the Sangha
4. The reality of the Mindfulness Trainings
   The practice of Selective Watering involves nourishing wholesome seeds while refraining from watering negative seeds like anger, fear, and despair. Store consciousness contains the seeds of fifty-one categories of mental formations, including the five divisions: Form, Feelings, Perceptions, Mental Formations, and Consciousness.

Suffering and happiness are of an organic nature; like a flower and compost, one can be transformed into the other. To restore communication and defuse the bombs of anger, we practice Deep Listening and Loving Speech. The story of a young couple and a shadow illustrates how wrong perceptions and pride can lead to tragedy if communication is not restored. The Third Mantra, Darling, I know you suffer. That is why I am here for you, is used when we are aware of another’s pain. When suffering is caused by a loved one, the Fourth Mantra is used:

1. I am angry, I suffer, and I want you to know it.
2. I am doing my best.
3. Please help me.
   During a storm of strong emotion, we move our attention from the head down to the abdomen. By taking refuge in the trunk of the tree rather than the swaying branches, we realize an emotion is only an emotion and will soon go away.

A good question can benefit many people and should concern suffering, happiness, practice, or difficulties.

We begin with questions from the children:

1. If everything is in everything, why does everything get a different name?
2. How do you remember all the names of the brothers and sisters?
3. During the Vietnam War, how did you get to France?

Followed by questions from teenagers and adults:

1. Did you live in peace as a child, and what can be done if one does not live in peace at all?
2. Did you have children or not?
3. How did you become a master?
4. Why is meat never eaten in Plum Village?
5. What will happen to the summer retreat after you die?
6. How can someone who feels lonely and disconnected from themselves and others find joy and fulfillment in life?
7. How can we distinguish between a fear that is justified and protective and a fear that originates in the mind and hinders our actions?

1. How can one remain true to beliefs in oneness and unity when a loved one hurts other people through their words or actions?
2. How can we be sure we are perceiving the truth to make decisions that lead to less suffering and greater joy?
3. What practice is recommended when pride and unskillful actions have caused the loss of a precious friendship?
4. What is the equality complex?
5. What can be said to a suicidal person to help them believe in themselves, breathe, water their flowers, and move toward life for the sake of future generations?
6. Why do seeds of despair grow faster than seeds of joy?
7. Is killing and eating organic farm chickens a crime, and do plants and minerals suffer?
8. How can one resolve feelings of compassion for abusers of children with the upset felt toward their harmful actions?
9. How can seeds of compassion be watered for an abuser while trying to help without acting out of anger?

Taking refuge in the present moment is the practice of living deeply. Sitting is not a form of hard labor aimed at a future goal; it is a pleasure and a nourishment in itself. In the Soto Zen tradition, the instruction is to “just sit” without expectation. When three things come together, one is truly there:

1. The body
2. The breathing
3. The mind
   This mindfulness extends to every daily activity, such as brushing teeth, boiling water, or walking. Each moment is an end in itself, providing an opportunity to touch the wonders of life and cultivate the energies of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Awareness of being alive is already enlightenment.

Life is available only in the present, yet many use the now merely as a means to build a future. This habit of running, driven by worry or ambition, prevents us from taking care of our bodies and feelings. Whether in politics, business, or study, the future can become a dictator that sucks away the time for tea, breakfast, or breath. Through the teaching of “The Golden Lion” and the Avatamsaka Sutra, we see that the one contains the all and that the self is made only of no-self elements. This insight of interbeing allows us to transcend three specific complexes:

1. The complex of superiority
2. The complex of inferiority
3. The complex of equality
   True happiness is based on freedom from the notion of a separate self. Like a lotus flower that recognizes the pond and mud as its own foundation, we find that we are not separate from others.

Transformation and healing occur in the here and now when we stop striving and instead enjoy each breath and step. Suffering, fear, and pain play a vital role in this process, acting as the mud necessary to nourish the lotus. By holding our suffering dearly rather than running from it, these elements become the compost that fosters beauty and insight. Within a Sangha, practitioners motivate and support each other to live every moment of the twenty-four hours given each day, recognizing that every moment is holy and every moment is life.

This short film is part of a new series of videos – Wake Up films – inspired by the spiritual teachings of Plum Village.

Teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh (excerpt from a talk originally recorded on 31.12.1998).

Directed and edited by Miguel Sánchez, with music by wondrousound.

Co-produced by Plum Village App and earth.fm (2023).

Length: 18 minutes and 50 seconds.

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

We gather together in Plum Village, France on May 3, 2002. The talk begins with an Ordination Ceremony receiving new members into the Order of Interbeing, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Plum Village. Following that is a Q&A session about difficulties and happiness in the practice.

The questions asked during the Q&A session include:

• How to transform habit energies of gambling in a spouse when they promise to change but then relapse, causing the family suffering?
• How can two sisters live together without fighting when conflict arises by the third day of meeting, even though we have tried to apply the practice of Beginning Anew?
• How to withdraw a vow to cut off relations with the family uttered in anger and reconcile with loved ones?
• How to use the eyes of compassion to look at life and embrace complex political and social trends as well as past crises?
• How to ensure a spouse values the relatives of both sides of the family equally?
• What to do to help mother transform the fear and insomnia stemming from a superstitious event in the past related to a white tablecloth?
• How to write a letter to heal the sisterly relationship after past misunderstandings and avoidance, when the older sister is still angry and does not reply?
• Is there a method to embrace feelings of compassion that are too strong when doing social work so as not to be choked up and to be able to continue the work?
• How to ordain as a monk without causing suffering to a girlfriend who is very lonely and afraid of losing me?
• Should I continue to attend family gatherings when I see the atmosphere there turning towards decadence and bringing suffering to me?

We are at Dharma Cloud Temple, Upper Hamlet of Plum Village on February 18, 2001, concluding the 2000-2001 Winter Retreat. While sitting in meditation, we can make the in-breath become a Question and the out-breath become an Answer to establish our presence in the present moment.

Below are Questions that can be used for looking deeply during the practice:

1. Am I truly present?
2. Am I at ease right now?
3. Is there ease and relaxation in my body?
4. Is my mind at ease right now, or is it caught in anything?
5. Do I know that I have the good fortune to be sitting with the Sangha?
6. Do I know that things are impermanent?
7. Do I know that I am impermanent, that I am changing?
8. Is my mother impermanent?
9. Is my teacher impermanent?
10. Can I see the nature of no-self in myself?
11. How do I feel right now?
12. What am I doing?
13. What is my original aspiration?
14. Who am I?
15. Can I truly touch the nature of no-self?
16. What Question needs to be asked right now?
17. What can I let go of right now?
18. What can I do right now that is nourishing?
19. Is what I am doing right now nourishing me?
20. Am I looking with the eyes of the Buddha?
21. What am I thinking?
22. Which seed am I watering right now?
23. Am I free?
24. How am I breathing?
25. Can I live without fear?
26. Am I truly practicing mindfulness?
27. What opportunity do I have right now?
28. What elements am I made of?
29. Is my mind right now an awakened mind or a deluded mind?

Next are Questions to look deeply into the wounds of the past in order to transform and heal:

1. Is the person who made me suffer happy?
2. How was that person treated when they were a child?
3. What difficulties and misfortunes did that person encounter?

Taking refuge in the one who embodies ultimate reality and is endowed with perfect wisdom, the teaching that can be realized right here and right now, and the noble community that grows in the direction of goodness. The mindfulness trainings are a wholesome way of living that leads to insight and non-fear.

Questions from children:

1. Can I kill just one mosquito a day to stop them from biting me in my room?
2. What do you do on your lazy day?
3. What can be done when a younger brother always teases and beats you?
4. How can students help bad teachers in school who blame others and give extra work because they have no other means to deal with their lives?
5. Why do we have to die one day?
6. Is it true that everything must be done in moderation?

Questions from adults:

1. How can we appreciate the many people who make it possible for us to be here, and how can a silence that heals be created with a husband who is unhappy about the sacrifices he made for his wife to attend the retreat?
2. What can be done when there is difficulty accepting ancestors as part of the spiritual self due to unresolved emotional burdens, and there is still anger and resentment for receiving this burden?
3. When practicing mindfulness, is it necessary to be conscious of everything that is happening around you at once?
4. How can parents be helped when a baby is born dead or with deformities, and how can one deal with the unbearable attachment to a child with an incurable disease?
5. How can one be faithful in a long-term relationship when there is no permanent self and everything is changing all the time?

Thay encourages the assembly, especially teenagers and young people, to ask questions directly related to their own happiness and suffering instead of theoretical questions.

1. If I finish studying to become a doctor by the age of 25 to have something in my hand as my mother advised, will Thay wait for me to ordain?
2. When inviting the bell, Thay makes a hand gesture like that; at that moment, what is Thay thinking?
3. Does transcending birth and death mean being reborn into higher realms, becoming a Buddha, or does it mean living mindfully in every moment?
4. How can I remember the past and plan for the future without getting caught up in them, so that I can live mindfully in a present that lasts a lifetime?
5. When I go home to my parents, how can I practice without feeling afraid or embarrassed when my family members tease me?
6. How can I see Thay in my father when I am still afraid of him because I don’t know when he is happy or when he will hurt everyone?
7. When I hear the Sangha say that Thay’s Dharma door is better than other Dharma doors, and I cannot catch my breath and lack the practice of listening, do I commit an offense against the Sangha?
8. How can I ask for more energy to use for a year when I can only come to Plum Village once and am afraid I won’t bring back enough?
9. What should I do when I have the intention to ordain, but my parents think that leaving them to become a monastic is unfilial?
10. What does the study program for the monks and nuns here consist of, and is it strict?
11. If you advise everyone to ordain, where will we find living Buddhas out in the world to help the world?
12. What should we do, and is there any method to talk to our loved ones about our homeland without waiting until those on the other side have all died to love them?

We are at Prajñā Monastery during a retreat for lay friends on March 3, 2007. This is the fourth day of the retreat.

1. How can we untie internal knots and have right view and right action when facing those who play a destructive role like Devadatta in modern times?
2. Please allow the establishment of a local practice center to maintain the practice after the Sangha leaves, and is it permissible to switch from invoking the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara to invoking Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha and Bodhisattva Maitreya?
3. How can I remain calm and use loving speech when facing insulting, criticizing, and disrespectful words from my husband?
4. How can we bring the insight and environmental ethics of Buddhism into education at schools and communities surrounding Cat Tien National Park?
5. Does the monastery accept older people for ordination given the information that only those under 30 are accepted?
6. What should be done when the family opposes the love between two people of different religions, and does one commit the offense of betraying the spiritual heritage of the ancestors if following the religion of the one they love?
7. How can I help an elderly mother who is always sorrowful and does not accept the love of her children, and how long must one wait for loving speech to be able to transform the listener?
8. How can I convince my mother to agree to my wish to ordain?
9. What does Thay think about the rise of crime, the death penalty, and the fact that law enforcement officers have to use violence or weapons to suppress dangerous criminals?

The Question and Answer session took place during the monastic retreat, where the community could ask a Question or request Kieu oracles, and contribute writings for the retreat’s commemorative volume.

1. “How to stop striving” (Làm sao để dừng lại sự cố gắng quá mức) and whether effort is really nourishment for love, or only a kind of pretending on a stage?
2. How to maintain the flow of practice like a river with the Sangha when, because of conditions, one has to leave and no longer flows in this river?
3. How to practice in the case that one day elder brothers and elder sisters return to the ocean, become a snowflake, or change into another form?
4. How to transform the strong seeds of anger and heal oneself when one was abused as a child and tends to torture oneself each time one is angry with others?
5. How should elder brothers and elder sisters practice in order to understand and not put labels on the younger ones, and how should younger siblings open their hearts to share their own deepest concerns?
6. How to practice so that there is harmony when things said in a meeting are brought outside and shake the community, or when stories of this residence are told to another residence and cause upset?
7. Please teach about the art of being an elder brother, elder sister, and younger sibling so as to avoid distortion in communication and avoid saying unclear things that cause suffering to others.
8. How to explain the difference between a cloud that has no consciousness of a separate self and the consciousness of a deceased person that still clings to their children, in order to help the living transform their karmic consciousness?
9. When a sister shows signs of attachment and several people come to share and remind her, but she thinks they are motivated by jealousy, what should be done?
10. Why is it that while practicing there is fear of so many things: as a child being afraid of adults, and when grown up being afraid of younger people?
11. Is it true that we have heard the announcement that we will open a vegetarian restaurant to generate income, and how can we accept participating in a commercial enterprise?
12. Should we keep silent to have peace for ourselves and for the community, or should we speak out what we believe in, even knowing it will bring risks and make others sad?
13. Is there another way to be a monastic without learning the mindfulness trainings of oai nghi (monastic decorum), or how can we guide younger siblings better so that they do not feel that oai nghi is an obstacle?
14. Dear Thay, please interpret Kieu oracles number 28 and 40 in order to guide my practice.
15. How to practice and how to speak so that the Sangha truly takes care of us in terms of financial support and illness, instead of having to rely on our blood family?

The session takes place in the New Hamlet of Plum Village. Thay begins by contrasting “I think, therefore I am” with “I breathe, therefore I am,” explaining that thinking disperses and separates the body from the mind, whereas mindful breathing brings the mind back to the body to live in the present moment. He then addresses the notion of inter-being through the image of the flower composed of non-flower elements, the transcendence of being and non-being, and defines nirvana as the extinction of notions and afflictions, accessible here and now through the practice of mindfulness.

Here are the questions asked during this session:

• How do you feel about, and what explanation do you give for the fact that many monastic brothers, Francophone or Western, are leaving the Village?
• What do you think of the interpretation from Christian mysticism where the word being is written with a capital letter to express the ultimate reality that never ceases?
• How should one educate one’s child, knowing that it is perhaps with them that we most easily touch inter-being?
• What is your secret for becoming powerful in opening the heart and the capacity to love one’s brothers and sisters, despite the difficulties felt in inter-being with them?
• What is your insight for the members of the Order of Interbeing regarding the phrase “The lotus does not grow on marble”?

A Day of Mindfulness is a day to make every moment peaceful and happy by learning to breathe, sit, walk, and speak in ways that make peace and joy possible. The energy of mindfulness allows us to be fully present in the here and the now, preventing us from being pulled away by regrets of the past or fears of the future. This energy brings the mind back to the body, allowing us to touch the wonders of life deeply and embrace our suffering tenderly for relief and healing. Through the collective energy of the Sangha and the practice of compassionate listening, we can recognize and transform the pain within ourselves and the world.

Listening to the sound of a bell is a practice of stopping all thinking and talking to touch the peace within. Whether it is a temple bell or a church bell, it is the voice of the Buddha calling us to our true home. Through mindful breathing, we touch the miracle of being alive. Specific exercises include:

1. Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body.
2. Breathing out, I release the tension in my body.
   This practice of total relaxation is like a farmer identifying seeds; we scan our body to recognize and smile to our eyes, brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and kidneys, offering them compassion and rest.

Sitting meditation is the art of sitting and doing nothing, feeling as light and relaxed as a Buddha on a lotus flower. Walking meditation further establishes us in the present moment, where the kingdom of God is available. By taking two steps on the in-breath and three steps on the out-breath, we realize:

• I have arrived
• I am home
  Happiness is possible now or never. By being fully alive and relaxed, we encounter the treasure of the present moment and dwell in the ultimate, as expressed in the song: I have arrived, I am home, in the here, in the now. I am solid, I am free. In the ultimate, I dwell.

The practice of the bell of mindfulness invites a cessation of thinking and talking to return to mindful breathing. Breathing in and out at least three times, the verse “Listen, listen, this wonderful sound brings me back to my true home” is used to guide the mind. The address of this true home is the here and the now, the dwelling place of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Reaching this address requires releasing attachment to the past and anxiety about the future to touch the wonders of life available in the present. Master Linji teaches that spiritual seekers often fail because they lack self-belief, relying on teachers rather than themselves. The path involves performing ordinary daily actions—eating, drinking, using the bathroom—with mindfulness. As the Buddha explained to a philosopher, the difference lies in knowing that one is eating, drinking, or walking while doing so.

Mindfulness is the capacity of being aware of what is going on in the here and the now. This energy generates concentration (Samadhi) and insight (Prajna), forming the heart of Buddhist meditation alongside Smrti. A specific exercise involves breathing in to be aware of the heart, and breathing out to smile to the heart, embracing it with love and care. This practice can lead to the cessation of harmful habits like smoking or drinking by illuminating the harm done to the body. Similarly, the Sutra of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and the Sutra on Mindfulness of the Body advise embracing the thirty-six parts of the body, such as the hair and eyes. Recognizing the condition of one’s eyes reveals a paradise of forms and colors, allowing for happiness in the present moment rather than striving for the future.

The teaching of apranihita, or aimlessness (wishlessness), is the third of the Three Doors of Liberation, alongside emptiness and signlessness. Aimlessness means having no object to run after, realizing that one is already what they want to become, much like a wave searching for water is already water. This understanding allows for the use of Buddha eyes, Buddha feet, and a Buddha mouth in daily life. Walking, drinking tea, and cooking become living Dharma talks when performed with stability, freedom, and joy. If there is suffering during tasks like dishwashing or sitting meditation, the practice is incorrect; true practice transforms ordinary actions into acts of happiness and authentic Zen training.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings represent a modern translation of the five śīla, moving away from the impression of rules imposed by an external authority toward a voluntary practice born of awakening. These trainings are the heart of Buddhist practice and are essential for the future of the world, applicable not only to individuals but to nations and leaders. Practicing these trainings cultivates mindfulness, a protective energy that nurtures growth and happiness, and contains the essence of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

The five trainings are:

1. Protecting Life: Cultivating compassion for humans, animals, plants, and minerals to bring happiness and relieve suffering.
2. Social Justice: Practicing generosity and a simple life to transform exploitation, stealing, and oppression.
3. Sexual Responsibility: Protecting the integrity of individuals and families by avoiding sexual relations without love and long-term commitment.
4. Deep Listening and Loving Speech: Using the method of Avalokiteśvara to listen with compassion and speak with words that inspire joy and hope.
5. Mindful Consumption: Consuming edible foods and sense impressions—such as television, books, and conversations—that preserve peace and well-being while avoiding toxins that damage the body and consciousness.

These trainings are a collective work developed through twenty years of Sangha practice to meet the needs of modern society. To maintain the giới thể, or the powerful energy of the precepts, one should recite the trainings every two weeks and participate in Dharma discussions. If a training is violated, the ceremony of beginning anew allows for restoration through confession and a renewed determination to practice. This path of mindful living, which includes reducing the consumption of meat and alcohol to address global hunger, is a practical way to protect oneself, one’s family, and the world.

Buddha nature and animal nature coexist in peace through the principle of non-duality. Just as a wave is water and a flower is made of compost, enlightenment grows from the ground of suffering. Understanding the true nature and cause of personal pain—such as jealousy, anger, or despair—is the first act of a meditator. Without touching suffering, compassion and wisdom cannot be cultivated; therefore, the garbage of our afflictions is necessary to grow the flowers of happiness and peace.

Mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of what is happening inside and around us in the present moment. This energy, composed of mindfulness, concentration, and insight, is the real substance of a Buddha. Practice involves investing 100% of the body and mind into every ordinary act:

• Mindfulness of breathing: knowing the in-breath and out-breath.
• Mindful drinking: consuming tea with total presence.
• Mindful sweeping: transforming the act into the reality of the Buddha.
• Walking meditation: placing each foot on the ground to transform the earth into the Pure Land.

To stop the habit energy of running toward the future, a four-line gatha is used for sitting and walking:

1. I have arrived, I am home.
2. In the here, in the now.
3. I am solid, I am free.
4. In the Pure Land, I dwell.

Establishing oneself in the here and the now is the only way to be truly alive and meet the appointment with life. During meals, looking deeply at a piece of food reveals the sunshine and rain within it. By chewing thirty times and remaining aware of the Sangha, eating becomes a deep meditation that nourishes both body and spirit.

Being a bell master requires spiritual strength, concentration, and stability to ensure the sound of the bell has quality. Before inviting the full sound, a half sound is used to wake the bell and warn the community to stop all thinking, dreaming, and talking. This preparation allows everyone to return to their true home and welcome the Buddha within. The practice of breathing with the bell should be pleasant and joyful, not a chore, leading to peace and solidity. The bell master practices according to the gatha: “Body, speech, and mind in perfect harmony. I send my heart along with the sound of this bell. May the hearers awaken from their forgetfulness and transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow.”

The Four Recollections provide a structured path for mindfulness:

1. Buddha: The noble teacher who is the worthy one, endowed with perfect understanding, and the highest charioteer for humans.
2. Dharma: The teaching that is well-proclaimed (svākkhāto), can be realized right here and now (sandiṭṭhiko), is immediately effective (akāliko), and invites all to come and see directly (ehipassiko).
3. Sangha: The community moving toward goodness, truth, and beauty, consisting of four pairs (cattāri purisayugāni) and eight categories (aṭṭha purisapuggalā) of holy people.
4. Sila: The mindfulness trainings that remain unbroken and flawless, protecting self and others while leading to concentration, insight, and total emancipation.

Practicing mindfulness involves recognizing seeds of suffering while staying present to life’s wonders through the six senses. By training in compassionate listening and loving speech, communication is re-established, and suffering is diminished. This path of transformation allows for the creation of a pure land in the present moment, transcending fear of birth and death through the support of the Sangha. Living in the Sangha enables one to participate in the work of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, transforming afflictions into understanding and love.

This talk details the five skandhas: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness, emphasizing holistic self-care through mindfulness practices like breathing and walking. Mindfulness helps release tension and transform emotions like anger and fear. Recognizing perceptions prevents suffering, and compassionate communication aids healing. The Buddha teaches releasing tension gradually and avoiding the “second arrow” of reactions. Mindfulness transforms negative energies, nurturing seeds of joy and compassion. Deep listening and loving speech foster harmony. The Three Doors of Liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness—offer profound insights, interconnectedness, and liberation, urging mindfulness in every moment.

Every human carries a seed of fear deep in consciousness, often covered by layers of mental formations. To transform this fear and despair, one must recognize five facts:

1. I am of the nature to grow old.
2. I am of the nature to get sick.
3. I am of the nature to die.
4. I will have to let go of everyone and everything I treasure.
5. I can only bring the results of my actions—my thoughts, speech, and physical actions—which bear my signature.
   Great understanding, the mother of all Buddhas, allows for the transformation of these fears into true happiness.

Deep looking reveals that nothing can become nothing. A cloud does not die; it transforms into rain or snow. Similarly, a sheet of paper contains the cloud, the sunshine, and the forest; when burned, it continues as heat, smoke, and ash. This reality is the nature of no-birth and no-death. The French scientist Lavoisier discovered this same truth, declaring “Rien ne se crée, rien ne se perd,” which mirrors the Heart Sutra’s teaching of “no production, no destruction.” By looking deeply, one transcends eight specific notions: birth, death, coming, going, same, difference, being, and non-being. Reality is like a flame that manifests when conditions are sufficient and stops when they are not, yet it never truly comes or goes.

The insight of neither the same nor different is illustrated through the five rivers of a human being: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. This wisdom is essential for accompanying the dying, as shown in the story of the lay disciple Anathapindika recorded in “The Teaching Given to the Dying Person.” By watering seeds of happiness and practicing the recollection of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, a person can die peacefully. This practice involves realizing one is not caught in the six sense organs—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—nor the four elements of air, water, fire, and earth. Building a Sangha provides the necessary refuge and support to maintain this mindfulness and achieve the greatest gift: non-fear.

From the archives, this talk by Thich Nhat Hanh was given during the 2002-2003 Winter Retreat (January 19, 2003) from the Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. The one-hour talk begins with a short chant in English by the monks and nuns.

The living Buddha. How do we get in touch with the living Buddha? When we think of the Buddha, we have a notion. We think of Shakyamuni. If we are caught by the notion of the historical Buddha we cannot be in touch with the living Buddha.

The practice of signlessness. With the eyes of signlessness, we can recognize the cloud in the tea or the ice cream. This is not something metaphysical or abstract. We see people and things in their new forms with the eyes of signlessness. We can be free from our ignorance. Impermanence makes life possible. It allows the Buddha to grow beyond his 80-year lifespan.

The living Dharma. The living dharma is something you can see for yourself, something that grows. The dharma needs to be offered in an intelligent way: it must be the right teaching for the right person, it must be flexible, and it must be able to grow.

The notion of the evolutive dharma. The nature of Interbeing can help us touch our true nature. Buddhism is only made of nonbuddhist elements. Buddhism has no fixed identity and is evolving. It’s like a Bodhi tree remains the same tree even as it grows in different directions. The living dharma is alive, moving, and growing.

And the living Sangha has the living Buddha and living dharma inside. Practice in an intelligent way and don’t be caught in fundamentalism. Even in the Buddha’s lifetime, the Dharma and Sangha were evolving. Fundamentalism is our enemy.

Thanks to our practice and our enlightenment, Mahayana Buddhism can grow. Different types of concentrations - impermanence, nirvana, no self - will help us grow in the practice.

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

The ninth exercise of mindful breathing is to recognize any mental formation that manifests, whether positive like maitri and karuna, or negative like anger and fear. In the tenth exercise, the practice of right diligence is used to water the good seeds in our consciousness, inviting joy and happiness to manifest in the here and now. The eleventh and twelfth exercises utilize the power of concentration to transform afflictions and liberate the mind through the Three Doors of Liberation:

1. Emptiness
2. Signlessness
3. Aimlessness

The final four exercises apply these concentrations to attain liberation. The thirteenth exercise, contemplating impermanence, is a living insight that encourages us to cherish the present. The fourteenth, relinquishing, involves looking deeply into the nature of craving to see the hidden dangers that destroy body and mind. The fifteenth and sixteenth exercises focus on contemplating the unborn and letting go of four pairs of notions:

1. Birth and death
2. Being and non-being
3. Coming and going
4. Sameness and otherness

Deeply observing a cloud or a sheet of paper reveals they never pass from being into non-being; they only change form. Like a wave realizing it is water, touching our true nature of no birth and no death removes all fear and discrimination. Nirvana is not an object to run after in the future but is the extinction of wrong views, available in the here and now through every breath and step. Building a Sangha is the way to continue this practice and support each other in maintaining these insights.

This talk details gratitude expressed through incense offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, a playful pantomime involving Pierrot, reflections on interconnectedness with all beings, teachings on impermanence and interconnected existence, profound Buddhist dialectics contrasting with conventional identity principles, meditation on transcending birth and death illusions, and the story of Anathapindika’s profound realization and peaceful passing. It emphasizes practicing mindfulness, supporting dying individuals, embracing teachings of no birth and no death, and fostering supportive Sangha communities. The essence of interconnectedness, impermanence, and liberation through meditation is highlighted, urging reflection and continuation of practice.

This talk details how practicing mindfulness and breathing can cultivate inner peace and clarity, allowing us to calm our minds and be present. By nurturing our buddha nature daily, we grow in wisdom and compassion. Imagining walking in Buddha’s footsteps brings joy and connection. Mindful walking and looking transform ordinary moments into Buddha moments, leading to less suffering and more joy. Embrace mindful practices effortlessly, focusing on breath and relaxation to heal body and mind. Each step in walking meditation brings healing and freedom. Regular deep relaxation fosters family harmony and understanding, enhancing peace in daily life.

Dharma is not a concept to be discussed intellectually, but a living reality that transforms life through practice. When breathing in mindfulness, the resulting joy and calm are elements of the living Dharma that provide nourishment. To truly receive these teachings, one must listen without using the intellect as a barrier. Using existing ideas to compare and judge what is heard is like using a sheet of nylon to block rain from penetrating the soil. Instead, the Dharma rain should be allowed to reach the positive seeds of peace, joy, and enlightenment buried in the depth of consciousness.

Mindful breathing is used to embrace and calm the activities of the mind, including strong emotions like anger, fear, and distress. Suppression is avoided as a violent act; instead, emotions are handled based on two principles:

1. Non-duality: recognizing that you and your anger are one, and that anger is not an enemy.
2. Non-violence: caring for the emotion as a mother tenderly picks up and embraces a crying baby.
   By embracing anger with the energy of mindfulness, it begins to transform, much like a flower opening its heart after being penetrated by the energy of the sunshine.

When angry, one should refrain from speaking or reacting, as attempting to make another suffer provides no true relief and only escalates the conflict. Instead of chasing the person perceived as the cause of suffering, one returns to the self to put out the fire of anger. This practice leads to insights into the roots of suffering, revealing the other person’s own pain and the strength of one’s own internal seeds of anger. Through this process, negative energy is transformed into compassion and love. Cultivating enough energy to touch and transform these states requires practicing mindfulness throughout daily life, including walking, eating, and working.

“The Practice of the Thousand-Petaled Lotus Blooming” (CPNĐSNC) is a series of Dharma talks in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explains in detail the sutras, chants, repentance texts, etc., from the “Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book” published in 2000. The book now has new editions with a few added chants, but the essential sutras and chants remain the same. Through this series of Dharma talks, listeners can better understand the content of the sutras and chants used in daily practice. The talks were given between 1997 and 1999, so the audio and video quality is limited due to the technological conditions of that time.

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This is the second Dharma talk of the “Nourishing Happiness in Our Hearts” retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany, given on August 14, 2014. The talk is offered in English with consecutive translation into German.

In this teaching Thay shares on the Noble Eightfold Path—the way of happiness—exploring Right View, Right Concentration, Right Mindfulness, Right Thinking, Right Speech (along with listening), Right Action, Right Livelihood, and Right Diligence.

Other themes include Seeing with Buddha Eyes; Being born and interbeing with our parents; and Buddhanature, the capacity for understanding and loving.

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

When hearing the bell, stop thinking, talking, and doing to return to the breath. Mentally recite Listen, listen while breathing in, and This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home while breathing out. The bell represents the voice of the Buddha within, which is the energy of mindfulness. This capacity for awareness allows us to be fully present, awake to what is happening inside and around us in the moment. This silence, known as noble silence, makes life real and intense, allowing everything to exist deeply.

Walking mindfully involves moving slowly to enjoy every step, recognizing that life can only be touched in the present moment. Coordinate steps with the breath, making two or three steps for each inhalation and exhalation to arrive in the here and now. The practice includes four specific exercises:

1. Listen, listen, this wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.
2. I have arrived, I am home.
3. In the here, in the now.
4. I am solid, I am free.
   These exercises cultivate solidity and freedom, which are the two characteristics of nirvana available in the here and now.

Sitting meditation is an opportunity to dwell in the true home, whether in a half lotus, full lotus, or a comfortable chrysanthemum position. Keep the back upright and the body relaxed, beginning with a smile to release the 300 muscles of the face and the muscles of the shoulders. The breath serves as a bridge linking the body and mind, creating a state of oneness. To succeed, mindfulness must stay with the breath all the way through, like a finger following a stick from beginning to end. After sitting, massage the feet before practicing slow walking meditation, taking one step for every breath. Practicing within a Sangha, or community, strengthens individual practice as each person becomes a candle of mindfulness for others.

No coming, no going, no after, and no before are the foundations of a practice that releases the self into freedom. Happiness is found in the here and now by dropping worries and returning to the island within oneself, where there are clear streams, sunshine, and fresh air. This journey through Sanya and Yalong Bay emphasizes that mindfulness of breathing and the foundation of mindfulness are essential tools for transformation, especially when renewing Buddhist teachings to be effective for Westerners and younger generations who seek a practice that is consistent with science.

Nanputuo Temple, established during the Tang Dynasty, has a history of over one thousand years and was formerly known as the Four Continents Temple and Puguang Temple. It serves as a center for the Buddhist Academy, which offers three stages of study:

1. Pre-preliminary class (two years)
2. Undergraduate degree (four years)
3. Master’s degree (three years)
   The curriculum includes Buddhist courses alongside philosophy, English, and political science. The temple hosts millions of visitors annually, particularly during the three major festivals of Avalokiteshvara on the nineteenth day of the second, sixth, and ninth lunar months, as well as the Vesak day celebrations.

During the formal lunch, practitioners observe the tradition of the Arhats using three bowls:

1. A bowl for rice
2. A bowl for soup
3. A bowl for vegetables
   The meal is conducted in silence, beginning with an offering of gratitude. Specific gestures with chopsticks are used to indicate the desired amount of food, such as pointing to a specific level in the bowl to request a partial portion. This mindful consumption and the presence of the Sangha reflect the broader contribution of Buddhism to social harmony, peace, and the preservation of cultural foundations.

Mindfulness is the energy that allows us to look deeply into the heart of reality. Buddhist meditation consists of two elements:

1. Samatha, which is to stop, concentrate, and calm.
2. Vipashyana, which is the practice of looking deeply.
   These two elements contain each other; to look deeply, one must stop and concentrate. This practice leads to prajna, or enlightenment, which is not a distant goal but something realized in daily life through the energy of transformation. When we feel lost or confused, we go back to the island of self, a safe place that cannot be washed away by waves. As the Buddha taught, “Take refuge in the island of yourself.”

There are five sources of energy, known as the five powers or pancha bala, which are essential to the practice:

1. Faith, which must be based on direct experimentation and true understanding rather than blind belief.
2. Diligence, the active energy motivated by Bodhicitta, the mind of love and enlightenment.
3. Mindfulness, the energy that brings us back to our true home in the here and now.
4. Concentration, which nourishes us and alleviates suffering.
5. Enlightenment or understanding, the direct knowledge gained through experience.

Much of our suffering stems from wrong perceptions and attachment to ideas. To free ourselves, we must touch reality as it is, without the medium of concepts. When suffering arises in relationships, we practice the third mantra: Darling, I suffer so much. Please help. Please explain. We also practice selective touching by being mindful of consumption, recognizing toxins in two kinds of food:

1. Edible food.
2. Food of sense impressions, such as television or magazines.
   The five wonderful precepts offer a concrete way to practice mindfulness and protect ourselves from despair. Building a Sangha, a community of practice, supports this journey, as reciting the precepts together makes the practice more solid.

When a child gets angry, parents and children are encouraged to discuss two specific questions: what the child wants the parent to do when they are angry, and what a parent should do when a child is about to do something harmful or dangerous. Establishing a peace treaty or pact during moments of harmony allows families to agree on how to handle these situations. Hugging Meditation serves as a deep practice for reconciliation and healing, requiring one hundred percent of one’s being and mindfulness of breathing to remove obstacles and communicate sincerely.

True happiness in the present moment is possible by perceiving the nature of emptiness and the illusory nature of concepts. Suffering arises from wrong perceptions, such as being caught in a single idea of happiness or an idealized image of others. To be empty means to be empty of a separate self and full of everything in the cosmos. This is the nature of Interbeing: a rose is made only of non-rose elements like sunshine, clouds, and earth. To be is to inter-be, as nothing can exist by itself alone.

The insight of no birth, no death reveals that birth is merely a continuation and death is a transformation. Like a sheet of paper becoming smoke, heat, and ash, nothing is ever reduced to nothingness. Reality cannot be grasped by the four categories of:

1. To continue to be.
2. To cease to be.
3. To both continue and not continue.
4. To neither continue nor not continue.
   The Discourse to Be Given to the Sick details how to support the dying by practicing the recollection of the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha—and the meditation on emptiness. This involves recognizing that we are not caught in:
5. The six sense bases: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
6. The six sense objects: form, sound, smell, taste, contact, and thought.
7. The six elements: earth, water, fire, and air.
   Realizing that “this body is not me” and that we are life without boundaries liberates us from fear and allows us to touch nirvana, the extinction of all concepts.

A bhikṣuṇī is equal to a bhikṣu, possessing the power to perform rituals and transmit precepts within a Sangha. Practicing as a monastic is an art where the materials are the five elements of the body:

1. Form
2. Feelings
3. Perceptions
4. Mental formations
5. Consciousness
   By arranging these aggregates to bring harmony and peace within, one becomes a base for peace for all living beings. This practice is not about working hard but practicing joyfully as an artist, creating beauty through the substances of mindfulness, understanding, and love. When receiving the robe, a nun recites the gāthā: “How beautiful is the robe of a nun! It is the field of all merits. I am now bowing my head and receive it, and I vow that I will be able to wear this robe life after life.”

True happiness, or an lạc, is the absence of ill-being and the presence of peace and joy. Many mistake sensual pleasures for happiness, seeking objects to satisfy the cravings of the:

1. Eye
2. Ear
3. Nose
4. Tongue
5. Body
   Indulging in these creates a state of fever, or nhiệt não, which covers up suffering rather than transforming it. True practice involves going back to embrace and transform ill-being, allowing happiness to spring forth from within like sweet water from the earth. This art of living is defined by three qualities: truth, goodness, and beauty.

The energy of a monastic is fueled by the sơ tâm, or beginner’s mind, which consists of bodhicitta—the mind of awakening and love. This desire to understand and alleviate suffering is protected by the precepts, which are concrete manifestations of mindfulness. Practicing the precepts is an act of love for oneself, ancestors, and future generations. To flourish, a nun requires the support of a Sangha environment, where collective practice makes the path natural and joyful.

Breathing in and breathing out is the truth; all that can be seen and felt is real. The Fourth Mantra, Darling, I suffer so much. You are the person I love the most in the world. Please help me, is a vital practice for overcoming pride when hurt by a loved one. The story of Mr. Truong illustrates how wrong perception and the refusal to ask for help can destroy happiness. A young father, misled by his son’s description of a shadow father, allows his heart to become a block of stone, leading to his wife’s suicide. This tragedy serves as a reminder to always question our perceptions by asking, Are you sure? and to maintain a family ancestral altar to stay rooted and healthy.

Suffering is a holy truth when it is used to gain insight into how it has come to be. While the image of Jesus on the cross teaches us about bearing injustice, there is a great need for refreshing images of Jesus practicing walking meditation or sitting in peace to provide stability for young people. Without transforming our internal violence, we continue the wheel of saṃsāra, transmitting our wounds to our children. By visualizing ourselves and our parents as vulnerable five-year-old children, we generate the nectar of compassion that allows for reconciliation and the end of blaming. In the Christian Gospel, we read: “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.”

True love is an art that must be improved through the practice of looking deeply. It consists of the four immeasurable minds or brahmavihāra:

1. Maitrī (Loving Kindness): the capacity to offer happiness and freshness by understanding the real needs of another.
2. Karuṇā (Compassion): the capacity to remove and transform pain through deep listening and loving speech.
3. Muditā (Joy): love that brings happiness and avoids possessiveness or narrow ideas.
4. Upekṣā (Equanimity): love that offers freedom and space, like the moon sailing through the sky without discrimination.
   When love contains these elements, it becomes a liberating force that transforms our lives and the lives of those around us.

The story of the Venerable Ānanda and a visit from Māra the tempter illustrates the non-dual relationship between the Buddha and Māra, which is like the relationship between a flower and garbage. Just as a gardener transforms garbage into compost to grow flowers, suffering is the organic matter necessary to cultivate peace and joy. Everything is of an organic nature; love can transform into hate, and Māra can be transformed into Buddha if one knows how to handle the garbage. We all possess Buddhatā, or Buddha nature, which allows the Buddha to be born in our hearts every moment. While Ānanda practiced the Five Precepts and served as an attendant, he learned that even the Buddha faces difficulties, such as being misunderstood or having his teachings distorted.

The practice of śamatha, or stopping, is essential for healing, much like a wounded animal in the jungle that simply lies down to rest. Humans have a habit of running that has lasted for four or five thousand years, yet the key to restoring health is not doing anything and allowing the body and consciousness to rest. Fasting for up to three or four weeks allows the body to clean itself, while the process of mental detoxification eliminates toxins accumulated over the years:

1. Fear
2. Craving
3. Anger
4. Despair

Meditation involves two elements: 1. śamatha (stopping) and 2. vipaśyanā (looking deeply). By establishing oneself in the present moment, one can touch the wonders of life and embrace positive qualities: 1. joy, 2. happiness, 3. love, and 4. compassion. This mindfulness is applied to daily activities such as eating a string bean, where one sees the work of the stars, sun, clouds, earth, and water. To transform suffering on a societal scale, such as drug addiction among the youth, a collective Sangha is required, including:

1. Lay people
2. Government officials
3. Doctors
4. Psychotherapists
5. Educators
6. Artists

The sangha is gathered in the Upper Hamlet on September 14, 1996, for a question and answer session.

1. When sitting in meditation, should the eyes be open, closed, or half-open?
2. What does it mean to look deeply, and is it possible to look without the mind?
3. How can one search for spiritual truth without being attached to the search and causing self-suffering?
4. What can be learned from the noble silence of the Buddha?
5. How can one live every day with five hundred swords sticking out of the heart?
6. How can pain and anger be seen as part of oneself without identifying with them or believing they are really me?
7. Why do senseless tragedies occur in a matter of space and time, and is there a karmic link to these events?
8. How can a true insight be recognized during sitting or walking meditation, and is it accompanied by specific sensations or thoughts?
9. How can the Five Mindfulness Trainings be received by someone who has already taken refuge in Jesus Christ?

Mindfulness is the energy of being alive and present in the here and the now. It brings the body and the mind together as one entity, preventing us from losing ourselves in the past, the future, or our worries. Mindful breathing serves as a bridge linking these two sides of our being. By practicing the simple exercise of knowing when we are breathing in and breathing out, we produce our true presence and become available to life and to those we love. The basic condition for true love is to be there for the person you love. Two specific mantras transform relationships:

1. Darling, I am here for you
2. Darling, I know you are there, and I am very happy

Life is available only in the present moment. We can cultivate mindfulness through daily activities:

• Walking meditation: enjoying every step without thinking of arriving.
• Mindful eating: investing one hundred percent of ourselves in a single piece of food, such as a string bean, to see the whole cosmos within it.
• Telephone meditation: using the ring of a phone as a bell of mindfulness to return to our breathing.
• Sitting meditation: finding a stable position to enjoy doing nothing, allowing the mind to settle like particles in a glass of orange juice. Nelson Mandela once declared, “What I want the most, what I need the most is to be able to sit down, doing nothing.”
• Mindful drinking and washing: enjoying tea or coffee and dwelling in the present moment while doing dishes or driving.

By looking deeply, we discover that conditions for our happiness are already more than sufficient. We can be mindful of our eyes, which see the paradise of forms and colors, or our heart and liver, which function normally. Mindfulness allows us to embrace and transform toxins like anger and fear into compassion. This practice was essential during the war in Vietnam, where Engaged Buddhism was born to keep compassion alive. We can profit from the refreshing, healing, and nourishing elements around us, such as the blue sky, beautiful vegetation, clean air, and pure water. This energy of the Buddha is the capacity to generate peace and joy, allowing us to see the way out of suffering and restore our sanity.

The practice of mindfulness begins with returning to the breath and steps to establish a sense of safety and security within the environment of the Sangha. By not closing our eyes to suffering, we get in touch with the first holy truth, allowing for transformation and healing. The Sangha functions not as a collection of individuals but as an organism where every member is a cell, and decisions are made through the collective Sangha eyes. This communal harmony serves as a refuge and the main Dharma talk for those seeking peace.

Mindful breathing is a tool for healing both physiological and psychological distress, such as severe depression. Every deep, mindful breath renews billions of blood cells with oxygen, supporting the healthy cells so they can embrace those that are not healthy. Establishing oneself in the present moment allows one to get in touch with the miracles of life, such as the eyes, the heart, and the beautiful Earth. This shift from worrying about the future or regretting the past enables the work of transformation, as seen in the story of a man who transformed a terminal diagnosis into fifteen years of True Life by learning to enjoy a simple cup of tea and the present moment.

The practice of the Three Touchings of the Earth facilitates deep reconciliation:

1. The first touching: recognizing the presence of all ancestors and posterity within oneself. We are a continuation of our parents and ancestors, carrying their wisdom and their shortcomings. Understanding this allows for forgiveness and the transformation of negative habit energies.
2. The second touching: recognizing all living beings and bodhisattvas in the present moment. This practice of non-discrimination fosters reconciliation between nations and individuals.
   Through these practices, we realize the insight of inter-being (tương tức or pratītyasamutpāda). Just as mitochondria live within our cells in symbiosis, we cannot be by ourselves alone; to be is to inter-be with the entire cosmos.

The Middle Path transcends all pairs of opposites, such as being and nonbeing, or coming and going. This teaching is grounded in four technical terms:

1. pratitya-samutpada (dependent co-arising)
2. shunyata (emptiness)
3. prajnapti (metaphor or conventional designation)
4. madhyama (the Middle Path)
   Phenomena arise when conditions are sufficient and stop manifesting when they are not. There is action and retribution, but no separate self or actor. Everything is a conventional designation, including the self (atman) and things (dharma). In the light of interbeing, the word I is only a metaphor, as the one is made of the all.

The very small contains the very large; the whole cosmos can be seen in a flower or on the tip of a hair. This mirrors the implicate order in physics, where things are inside each other. Every somatic cell contains the totality of the body’s genetic heritage and the information of all ancestors. Reality manifests like a wavicle or namarupa (name and form), appearing sometimes as matter and sometimes as mind. In a particle of dust, there are countless buddhas, and one second contains eternity.

Every cell and mental formation contains the ten realms:

1. Humans
2. Gods
3. Asuras
4. Animals
5. Hungry ghosts
6. Hell
7. Disciples
8. Self-enlightened beings
9. Bodhisattvas
10. Buddhas
    When one realm manifests, the other nine hide. Genes are not deterministic; they follow instructions from the environment, which turns them on or off. While genetic engineering offers hope for treating disease, it lacks control and can be dangerous. We must create a collective awareness and a favorable environment to turn on the realms of buddhas and bodhisattvas, relying on our capacity to heal through mindful living.

The wisdom of non-discrimination, or Nevikampanana, is a reality observed in the way the right hand naturally tends to the left hand’s pain without a sense of separate self. Like bees in a hive or ants in a hill, practitioners function as an organism rather than individuals. When one cooks, cleans, or speaks for the community, they do so with the energy and hand of the Sangha. This collective strength brings joy and protects the practitioner from the suffering of the individual self.

Freedom from suffering is found by transcending three kinds of complexes based on the notion of self:

1. The complex of superiority.
2. The complex of inferiority.
3. The complex of being equal.
   In the ultimate dimension, the past and future are present in the now. When one walks mindfully or smiles in awareness, all ancestors and future generations smile and walk within every cell of the body. This practice is healing and nourishing, allowing one to arrive in the here and now for the benefit of the entire Sangha.

The Buddha is recognized through several bodies available to every practitioner:

• Dharmakaya (Dharma body): The spiritual body that manifests when living the Dharma; it is more important than the physical form, as shown in the story of the monk Vakali. The Dharma is characterized by addressing the here and now, being Karika (timeless), and inviting one to come and see for themselves.
• Sanghakaya (Sangha body): The community as a concrete expression of practice and a refuge for all beings, living according to the Six Togetherness.
• Nirmanakaya (Transformation body): The many forms through which the Buddha and practitioners continue to manifest, transcending birth and death.
• Sambhogakaya (Enjoyment body): The body of joy and satisfaction.

The Buddha’s first teaching on the Four Noble Truths brought the immaculate vision of the Dharma to Kaundinya, revealing that everything has the nature of being born and dying. This insight of interbeing shows that nothing can be by itself alone. Authentic Buddhist teaching must be linked to real suffering, as the path to transformation is born directly from the understanding of suffering. Everyone possesses Buddha eyes and a Buddha heart, which are the capacity to be awakened and mindful. By practicing mindfulness in simple acts like drinking water or breaking bread, the energy of concentration and insight manifests, allowing one to see the cosmos within a single piece of bread.

The practice involves reconciling relative truth and absolute truth. While the Four Noble Truths are presented as worldly truth, they are also empty of a separate existence. To see the nature of interbeing is to use the Buddha eyes to touch the absolute dimension where there is no birth and no death. Right view, the first element of the Eightfold Path, is defined as the deep understanding of the Four Noble Truths and the capacity to identify the four nutriments that sustain us.

The four kinds of nutriments are:

1. Edible food, which should be consumed mindfully to preserve compassion and the health of our ancestors and children.
2. Sense impressions, involving the toxins or nourishment ingested through the six sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
3. Volition, the deep desires and intentions that drive actions and can either lead to suffering or liberation.
4. Consciousness, specifically the store consciousness that receives the totality of consumption and manifests as our physical and mental life.

Guarding the six sense organs with mindfulness is essential for survival. Because the modern environment is filled with toxins, the practice of mindfulness must become a collective effort within the Sangha and the nation. We must look deeply into our desires, or our cows, to see if they are obstacles to our happiness, and practice releasing them to become free.

The sangha is gathered at Green Lake on August 28, 2003. The children, teenagers, and adults are invited to ask questions. The session begins with the monks and nuns offering two songs, May the Day Be Well and The Willow Branch with the Compassionate Water.

We begin with a few questions from the children:

1. What happens to promises to protect life if one likes to go fishing?
2. How does one become a monk or a nun?
3. Is it possible for the teacher to stay at the retreat longer?
4. When, why, and where did the teacher first meditate?
5. How was the Earth made?

Followed by questions from teenagers and adults:

1. Is there such a thing as mindful thinking, or does thinking always carry one away from the here and the now?
2. How can one deal with anger when it manifests?
3. At what point does human life begin, and is abortion always against the First Mindfulness Training?
4. How can one compassionately respond to the cynicism of colleagues when introducing the practice of loving speech and listening?
5. Does catching and releasing fish break the promises of protecting life?
6. Is hope for a world on a path of destruction a form of destructive attachment or delusion?
7. How can one express thoughts and ideas through conversation without causing harm to oneself or others?
8. How is it possible to be compassionate toward a man who has committed rape?
9. Does the training to avoid killing include mercy killing and assisted suicide?
10. How can the sanctuary of the retreat be brought into a busy life, and is it possible to be mindfully busy or hurried?
11. What are some practices or meditations for realizing there is no self?

The winter retreat begins with a vow to take refuge in the Sangha and practice for ninety days to transform suffering and bring peace and joy into the body and mind. This period coincides with the one hundred and fifty years commemoration of the Root Temple, which includes:

1. The first day: a Day of Mindfulness for all the monks.
2. The second day: a Day of Mindfulness for all the nuns.
3. The third day: a day opening to everyone.

To apply meditation in a busy life, the practice must be made pleasant and enjoyable. When Mindful Breathing, Mindful Walking, or sitting meditation is pleasurable, mindfulness and concentration arise naturally. This practice is the essence of being present one hundred percent, bringing the body and mind together in the here and the now to restore freedom from afflictions like worries, anxieties, and fear. Every morning provides twenty-four brand-new hours to live, and we are the architects responsible for sculpting this day. Recognizing the conditions of happiness already available—such as having eyes that see the blue sky, a heart that functions normally, and feet strong enough to walk—is the core of meditation. The real miracle is “not to fly in the air or to walk on clouds. The real miracle is to walk on earth.” This mindfulness extends to all activities:

1. Eating an apple as a deep meditation on the wonders of life.
2. Driving or walking on campus as an opportunity for Mindful Breathing.
3. Using the sound of a telephone or a red light as a Bell of Mindfulness.
4. Practicing Total Relaxation to renew the body and mind between exams.

Sitting meditation is a privilege and an act of love that restores clarity, much like particles settling in a glass of apple juice. During sitting, one can relax the three hundred muscles on the face by smiling and breathing. In relationships, mindfulness allows us to cherish the presence of loved ones as a crucial condition for happiness. To resolve conflicts, the Sangha practices the Peace Treaty and Beginning Anew, using gentle communication to transform suffering. Regarding complex issues like euthanasia, one must rely on Sangha eyes—the collective insight of the community—rather than making decisions when the body or mind is weak. Taking care of oneself is an act of love for ancestors and future generations, as they are all present within us.

This talk details the coexistence of suffering and bliss, emphasizing mindfulness and compassion to access bliss in the present moment. Training ourselves in mindful living, cherishing each moment, and practicing compassionate listening and loving speech are crucial. Observing peace and joy in others shows bliss is attainable. The Buddha advises responsibility for our inner landscape, avoiding external distractions that fill us with toxins like craving and despair. The Five Mindfulness Trainings, particularly the Fifth, emphasize responsible consumption and self-care to relieve suffering and promote well-being. Mindfulness transforms tasks into acts of freedom, embodying solidity and freedom for true happiness.

If there are two goings, there must be two goers, because without a goer, the going cannot take place. The word going here means the reality of going, or passing out of existence. If the goer is still there, it cannot yet be called going, and if they have already gone, the goer is no longer present. Therefore, the notions of the goer and the action of going need to be looked into deeply to see that the goer cannot exist independently of the action of going. If we hold the notion that the goer goes, it will lead to the absurdity of having two goings:

1. The going of the goer.
2. The going of the going.

The arising of going cannot be found in the three times:

1. In what has already gone.
2. In what has not yet gone.
3. In what is currently going.

All phenomena manifest through four signs:

1. The sign of birth (manifestation).
2. The sign of staying (remaining).
3. The sign of change (changing).
4. The sign of cessation (passing out of existence).

The nature of these signs is unborn; there is no real beginning or ending, but only the coming together of sufficient causes and conditions. When looking deeply into the Question “What happens when I die?”, we are examining three elements:

1. I (the subject of going, or the goer).
2. Die (the action of going, or the going).
3. When (the time of going).

Reality is by nature neither the same nor different, it is neither one nor different. Just like a sheet of paper, if we look with the eyes of meditation, we will see the non-paper signs present in it:

1. The sign of the forest.
2. The sign of the cloud.
3. The sign of the sunshine.
4. The sign of the earth.

When we see the nature of impermanence and no-self in every ksana, we are freed from the entanglement of the notions of coming, going, remaining, and disappearing, and we touch the reality of nirvana.

Meditation must be made into a pleasant and enjoyable experience to be successful. Whether practicing mindful breathing, walking, or eating, seeking ways to make the practice joyful allows mindfulness and concentration to arise naturally. By being one hundred percent present in the here and now, one restores the freedom to be oneself, liberated from worries, anxieties, and fear. This practice transforms daily activities, such as eating an apple or drinking tea, into deep meditations where one touches the miracle of being alive and recognizes that twenty-four brand new hours are a precious gift.

Each person is the architect of their own day, responsible for how they handle the time offered every morning. Recognizing the conditions of happiness already available—such as having eyes that see, a heart that functions normally, and feet that can walk—is the essence of meditation. For students, learning should be a source of nourishment and discovery rather than a mere pursuit of a diploma. Taking care of the body by avoiding toxins is an act of love for ancestors and future generations, who are all present within us.

Practical techniques for maintaining mindfulness in a busy life include:

1. Using the sound of a watch or a red light as a Bell of Mindfulness to return to the present.
2. Practicing Telephone Meditation by breathing and smiling before dialing or answering.
3. Utilizing Total Relaxation for fifteen minutes to renew the body and mind between examinations.
4. Relaxing the three hundred muscles on the face during sitting meditation to release tension.
5. Resolving conflicts through the Peace Treaty and Beginning Anew, using direct communication to clear wrong perceptions.

Regarding euthanasia, the Buddhist view suggests the possibility of saying yes, but emphasizes that decisions must not be made in a state of weakness and should rely on the collective insight of the Sangha eyes. Individual insight should be offered to the community, but the collective wisdom of the Sangha is necessary to guide one through difficult periods and the process of dying.

Young people often distance themselves from spiritual traditions when they do not see the beauty of faith reflected in the lives of their parents or when institutions remain too conservative. To keep the younger generation within the Buddhist tradition, it is essential to demonstrate that the teachings are a treasure of tolerance and openness that can be practiced to bring happiness to daily life. The Five Mindfulness Trainings serve as a concrete expression of the Three Jewels and a shield for family harmony. Practicing the third training on sexual responsibility and the fifth on mindful consumption prevents the brokenness that causes children to lose faith, while the fourth training of deep listening and loving speech transforms suffering into understanding.

When facing psychological or family difficulties, one should use the Six Paramitas to cross from the shore of suffering to the shore of peace. This transition is achieved through the method of replacing a negative mental peg with a positive one, similar to a carpenter driving out an old peg with a new one. The first of these is Dana Paramita, the practice of giving. Beyond material objects, the most precious gifts one can offer to loved ones are:

1. Presence: Being truly there in the present moment.
2. Freshness: Restoring one’s flower-like nature through breathing, walking, and smiling, as promised in the poem: “Em không khóc nữa, không than nữa. Đây một bài thơ hận cuối cùng. Không than chắc hẳn hồn tươi lại. Không khóc tha hồ đôi mắt trong.”
3. Stability: Being reliable and solid like a mountain or the sea.
4. Freedom: Remaining unbound by the six afflictions of tham (craving), sân (anger), si (misunderstanding), mạn (arrogance), nghi (suspicion), and kiến (views).

True happiness is found by recognizing the many conditions for well-being already present, such as having functional eyes to see the blue sky or a healthy heart that beats without effort. By letting go of the pursuit of distant desires, one finds immediate peace. During walking meditation, this can be practiced by calling the name of a loved one, such as Mother, Teacher, or Buddha, while breathing in, and responding with I am here for you while breathing out. This practice nurtures the seeds of love and presence within the heart.

Commemorating the anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, the promise “Please be still. We shall not do it again” serves as a foundation for practicing reconciliation. Through walking meditation and mindfulness, land once marked by the horrors of war is transformed into a land of peace. Hugging meditation is a tool to touch and heal deep wounds within ourselves and our ancestors, allowing representatives of nations such as Japan, America, Vietnam, France, and Germany to forgive and prevent the transmission of suffering to future generations.

The Six Pāramitās are practices used to cross from the shore of anxiety to the shore of well-being:

1. Dāna Pāramitā (giving)
2. Prajñā Pāramitā (understanding)
3. Śīla Pāramitā (mindfulness training)
4. Dhyāna Pāramitā (meditation)
5. Patience
6. Diligence

The practice of Plum Village is the practice of arriving in the present moment to stop the restless monkey mind. By responding to the bell of mindfulness, one stops thinking and talking to return to the true home or the island of self (attadīpa).

Meditation consists of two essential elements: śamatha (stopping, calming, and embracing) and vipaśyanā (looking deeply for insight). Mindfulness is the energy that allows one to be truly present, transforming daily activities like dishwashing or drinking water into opportunities to touch the Kingdom of God. By cultivating solidity and freedom, one moves beyond the historical dimension of the wave—characterized by birth, death, high, and low—to touch the ultimate dimension of water, where one dwells in a state of no fear and no birth.

The best time to start the practice is now, and the best place is here, regardless of confusion, fear, or pain. The path is one of freedom, reclaiming ourselves from habit energy and afflictions. To succeed, three conditions are necessary:

1. The Buddha: the one who shows the way.
2. The Dharma: the way itself.
3. The Sangha: the persons who support us along the path.
   The living Dharma is visible in the way practitioners walk, sit, and respond to difficult situations with compassion. Joining a Sangha means surrendering individual career and happiness to become part of a collective river. Like a football team, members share success and failure, working together to win understanding and overcome suffering.

This practice is fueled by the five powers:

1. Faith: trust born from direct experience of the Dharma’s effectiveness.
2. Diligence: the energy to practice consistently.
3. Mindfulness: the power to be present and in control of one’s destiny.
4. Concentration: the focus that arises from mindfulness.
5. Insight: the understanding that liberates us from fear and confusion.
   To step into freedom, one makes the determination not to allow four things to lead one’s life: fame, profit, sex, and power.

Mind consciousness is the stage where automatic thoughts, emotions, and images manifest. Without mindfulness, negative seeds like phobias and depression can take hold. Mindfulness acts as a light; when it shines on an emotion or thought, that energy is transformed, as the observer always modifies the object of observation. Negative thinking, feeling, and behaving contribute to depression, but by watering wholesome seeds and using the collective eyes of the Sangha to recognize negative behaviors, we can restore our sovereignty. This mindfulness therapy allows us to transform suffering into compost for the growth of understanding and peace.

Walking meditation is practiced to bring the mind back to the here and now, allowing each step to be nourishing and healing. By stopping all thinking about the past, future, or projects, one feels truly alive and grounded. The miracle is not walking on water or fire, but walking on the earth. This practice cultivates solidity, 不動, and freedom, 自在, which are the foundations of true happiness. Through mindfulness and concentration, the Pure Land is available in the present moment.

The first four exercises of mindful breathing from the Anapanasati Sutra are:

1. Recognizing the in-breath as in-breath and the out-breath as out-breath.
2. Following the in-breath and out-breath from the beginning to the end.
3. Being aware of the whole body.
4. Releasing the tension and pain in the body.
   These practices can be integrated into daily life by using a bell of mindfulness, a telephone ringing, or a red light as signals to return to the breath and release tension.

The Dharma is characterized by three qualities: Sandiṭṭhika, dealing with the present moment; Akālikā, transcending time with immediate effects; and Ehipassiko, the invitation to come and see through direct experience. To generate joy and happiness, four methods are offered:

1. Letting go of “cows” or ideas of happiness that actually cause suffering.
2. Mindfulness of the many conditions of happiness already present.
3. Concentration.
4. Insight.

When strong emotions like anger or despair arise, the seventh and eighth exercises teach how to recognize and embrace them tenderly. Like a mother holding a crying baby, mindfulness embraces the emotion without violence or suppression. During an emotional storm, one should practice deep belly breathing, focusing on the rise and fall of the abdomen at the dantian point. Just as a tree remains stable during a storm because of its deep roots, focusing on the trunk of the body rather than the branches of the mind provides safety and solidity. An emotion is only an emotion; it comes, stays for a while, and goes. By practicing this, one is no longer afraid of strong emotions.

Everyone is given the opportunity to fulfill the aspiration to transform themselves and build a sangha as a refuge for all beings. Building a sangha is not merely an organizational task using correspondence or physical facilities, but using our very body, speech, and mind to generate brotherhood, sisterhood, and joy. Like an apple tree blooming brilliantly, the practitioner offers the fruits of their practice, which are thoughts, words, and actions carrying the elements of freshness, compassion, and understanding.

The Three Jewels are not an abstract concept but concrete elements already present in every cell of our body, transmitted by our ancestral teachers and our teacher. The great difficulties in the life of practice are adverse conditions that act as strong supporting conditions to help train the practitioner to become a Dharma instrument, while the small daily difficulties need to be transformed by a solid bodhicitta. To succeed, each person needs to use the eyes of mindfulness, the eyes of love, the eyes of understanding, and the hands of the Buddha to overcome afflictions, hatred, or jealousy, bringing peace and joy to themselves and those around them.

Like the story of the eight-year-old Naga princess becoming a Buddha in a flash, the capacity to contribute to the sangha does not depend on one’s rank but on one’s capacity to offer. The opportunity for success belongs to everyone, from the Dharma teacher to the:

1. New bhikshus.
2. New sramaneras.
3. New sramanerikas.
4. Sramaneras.
5. Sramanerikas.
6. Upasakas.
7. Upasikas.

The success of each individual is the success of the Three Jewels. There is no need to wait until tomorrow; right during dinner this evening, each person can build happiness with harmonious thoughts, loving speech, and gentle gestures.

The sound of the bell serves as a call to return to the true home and the safe island of mindfulness, where afflictions dissolve and the flower of peace blooms. Mindfulness is the energy of holiness, defined as the capacity to be fully present and alive in the moment. This presence allows for the transformation of anxiety and sorrow into a state of calm and stability.

The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment is a foundational text in Chinese Buddhism, particularly within the Chan and Huayan schools, and has been the subject of 12 extensive historical commentaries. It features a dialogue between the Buddha and 12 Bodhisattvas regarding the path to Buddhahood. The essence of the teaching is summarized in two lines:

1. Using the illusory to relinquish the illusory.
2. Realizing that which is an illusion is itself awakening.
   By recognizing the impermanent nature of the world, practitioners can change affliction into wisdom and anger into compassion.

Applying these teachings to daily life involves looking deeply into the nature of suffering to find the way out. Mindful breathing is used to restore essential qualities through four specific visualizations:

1. Flower: to restore freshness.
2. Mountain: to restore solidity.
3. Still water: to restore calm and reflect things as they truly are.
4. Space: to feel free from all afflictions.
   Complete enlightenment is already within each person, revealing itself whenever one touches the seeds of peace and love through the breath.

The conflict between religions and civilizations creates an urgent need for a message of peace in society, economics, and politics. Anger and fear are two mental formations that make us and those around us suffer. The book Anger and the book Fear address how to transform these negative energies through the practice of mindfulness and mindful consumption so as not to nourish the energy of violence. In love, instead of rushing to commit, young people need time to understand each other and prioritize the cultivation of knowledge and virtue to preserve mutual respect.

To protect the sacredness of the practice center, the family, and the community, we need to practice the five precepts:

1. Not killing.
2. Not stealing.
3. Not engaging in sexual misconduct, preserving respect for the body and soul when there is not yet a lifelong commitment to live together.
4. Not lying and causing division, using loving speech to convey the truth skillfully to help others easily receive it.
5. Not consuming toxic products such as alcohol, drugs, and television programs, books, and magazines that cause violence and despair.

Consciousness includes 51 mental formations lying in the store consciousness, which contains all the good and bad seeds from our ancestors in every cell. To practice mindfulness is to use the energy of awakening to recognize and embrace our sorrows, just like a gentle mother comforting her crying baby. When facing someone we hate, look deeply into their suffering from childhood to give rise to compassion, or write down their lovely qualities on a piece of paper to read whenever we are frustrated. Instead of using the energy of hatred to change society, we need to nourish love and compassion to keep our minds clear. The Vietnamese Zen tradition is closely connected to Patriarch Tang Hoi, the founding patriarch who established Kien So Temple and transmitted the first bhikshu precepts in China in the third century.

Freedom can be achieved right in the present moment, no matter where we are, even in a prison environment. The practice of simple methods helps to transform suffering, anger, and irritation, bringing lightness and happiness. In a social context facing violence caused by racial discrimination, religious discrimination, and the urges of sexual desire, the practice of compassion for oneself and those around us is the key factor to alleviate suffering. When looking at ourselves in the light of the teaching of dependent co-arising, we see our place in the universe and society in order to practice successfully.

The Dharma door of rectification of names, or calling things by their true names, is an important practice to establish order and peace in relationships. This is expressed through four aspects:

1. Quân quân: a king must truly be a king, fulfilling the duties and character of a king.
2. Thần thần: a minister must truly be a minister.
3. Phụ phụ: a father must truly be a father.
4. Tử tử: a child must truly be a child.

In language and culture, every individual exists in relation to others rather than as an independent reality. The complete acceptance of our position and that of others, whether as a Dharma brother, Dharma sister, or younger Dharma sibling, will open the door of love and transformation.

The relationship between a teacher and a disciple – who is both a child and a younger sibling – is nourished by actual experience and practice rather than just through books. The image of a banana tree with its large leaves receiving sunlight to nourish the trunk and the young, rolled-up leaves is a lesson on interbeing. Every step and mindful breathing of an individual has the effect of nourishing the whole Sangha and serving as a refuge for others. All manifestations of nature such as a cloud, the moon, or plants and trees are the Dharmakaya giving Dharma talks unceasingly, teaching the path of practice and creating happiness.

The Nhat Binh robe is not just a type of robe but a symbol of the aspiration and state of mind of a monastic. This is the unsurpassed robe, the most beautiful robe because it represents the ideal and liberation. When wearing this robe and shaving their head, the monastic becomes a symbol of the Three Jewels. When a lay friend bows deeply, they do not bow to the ego of the monastic but to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha through that form. The monastic needs to practice sitting majestically, following their breathing, and looking deeply so that the ego does not inflate in the face of reverence, avoiding falling into arrogance which ruins the path of practice. Thay recalls the story of the four flamboyant trees in Key West to emphasize that the robe and the shaved head are daily reminders of the monastic ideal.

Bodhicitta (the mind of awakening) is the fundamental energy, the mass of fire in the heart that helps the monastic overcome difficulties and to transform craving, anger, and ignorance. As long as there is a powerful bodhicitta, the monastic is worthy of wearing the unsurpassed robe of the field of merit. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, bodhicitta is compared to six images:

1. A seed that brings forth all wholesome dharmas.
2. The great earth, solid and deep, with the capacity to contain and protect.
3. Pure water that washes away defilements and afflictions.
4. A great wind that shatters stagnation, creating circulation in the mind and in human relationships.
5. A fierce fire that burns away attachments to views, prejudices, and wrong views.
6. The sun that shines brightly, bringing warmth and a source of joy.

Love in the spiritual path is made of the substance of bodhicitta, understanding, and the ideal, different from love made of the substance of sensual desire. The monastic needs to be nourished by the love between teacher and student, brotherhood and sisterhood, and the complete acceptance of the precepts and fine manners. The practice of fine manners, such as knocking on the door or bowing even when no one is present, helps build faith in the tradition and binds the love among fellow practitioners. When receiving the robe, the monastic recites: “How beautiful is the robe of liberation, the miraculous robe of the field of merit; I bow my head to receive it, vowing to wear it lifetime after lifetime.” Bodhicitta is the very source of milk that nourishes the monastic to grow up in happiness and freedom throughout their life.

True love can either help us grow on our spiritual path or disrupt us by causing suffering. The Samiddhi Sutta explores this through a dialogue between a young monk and a goddess. The goddess questions why a young man would abandon worldly pleasures to seek happiness in a distant future. Her inquiry contains two primary notions: first, that happiness lies in indulging in sensual pleasure, and second, that spiritual practice requires sacrificing present joy for a future reward. Samiddhi clarifies that he has not abandoned the present moment, but has instead given up untimely pleasures for the deepest pleasure of the here and now. This teaching highlights that the Dharma is defined by three characteristics:

1. Sāndṛṣṭika: dealing directly with the present moment, embracing and transforming suffering while touching the wonders of life for healing.
2. Akālika: transcending time, meaning the Dharma is effective immediately and is lovely in the beginning, middle, and end.
3. Ehipassika: inviting everyone to come and see for themselves, offering a direct experience of the truth.

Happiness is often mistakenly sought through five kinds of sensual desire: fame, profit, sex, overeating, and oversleeping. These objects are like a hook with bait or a bare bone that provides no nutrition; they lead to a path of death and the destruction of the body, mind, and environment. To find liberation, one must understand the four gāthās offered by the Buddha:

1. “Beings produce wrong perceptions concerning objects of desire. That is why they are caught in desire. Because they do not know what desire really is, they proceed on the path to death.”
2. “When you know the true nature of desire, the desiring mind will not be born. When there is no desire and no perception based on it, at that time no one is able to tempt you.”
3. “If you think you are greater, less than, or equal, you cause dissension. When those three complexes have ended, nothing can agitate your mind.”
4. “Putting an end to craving, name, form, and removing pride, your knots are all untied. Extinguishing anger, internal knots, and seeking, you are liberated in all worlds, in this life and in lives to come.”

Thực chất của niết bàn và thực chất của sinh tử không có gì sai khác. Ý niệm chạy trốn sinh tử để đi tìm niết bàn là một sai lầm, bởi niết bàn được tìm thấy ngay trong sinh tử khi nhìn bằng con mắt trí tuệ. Các quan điểm hay chủ thuyết triết học thường nương vào ý niệm về niết bàn, quá khứ và vị lai để đặt ra 14 phạm trù tư tưởng mà thực tại không thể chứa đựng:

1. Thế gian là thường.
2. Thế gian là vô thường.
3. Thế gian vừa thường vừa vô thường.
4. Thế gian không thường cũng không vô thường.
5. Thế giới hữu biên.
6. Thế giới vô biên.
7. Thế giới vừa hữu biên vừa vô biên.
8. Thế giới không hữu biên cũng không vô biên.
9. Sau khi chết, Như Lai còn tồn tại.
10. Sau khi chết, Như Lai không tồn tại.
11. Sau khi chết, Như Lai vừa tồn tại vừa không tồn tại.
12. Sau khi chết, Như Lai không tồn tại cũng không không tồn tại.
13. Thọ mạng và thân thể là một.
14. Thọ mạng và thân thể là khác nhau.

Việc mải mê tìm lời giải cho những câu hỏi siêu hình cũng giống như người bị trúng tên độc nhưng từ chối chữa trị để hỏi về danh tính, dòng giống kẻ bắn cung; người đó sẽ chết trước khi được cứu. Vì các pháp đều không, không có tự tánh, nên các thuộc tính như hữu biên hay vô biên, thường hay vô thường, một hay khác đều không thể áp đặt. Khi bản chất của vạn vật là không, việc tranh luận về các phạm trù này trở nên vô ích và làm lãng phí thời gian tu tập để chuyển hóa khổ đau.

Thực tại là bất khả đắc, không thể nắm bắt bằng các phạm trù tư tưởng hay hý luận. Sự im lặng của Bụt trước những câu hỏi về ngã hay vô ngã là để tránh cho người hỏi bị kẹt vào những lý thuyết suông. Bài giảng kết thúc với việc hướng dẫn tổ chức các khóa tu hạnh phúc cho người xuất gia và tại gia, cùng kế hoạch trồng 2.000 cây frênes và chênes tại Xóm Hạ để tái tạo rừng tự nhiên, tạo ra những con đường thiền hành và nơi ngồi tĩnh tâm trong tương lai.

The ideal person in Buddhism is represented by three figures:

1. The Arhat in Original Buddhism.
2. The Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism.
3. The businessless person in Linji Zen.
   The distinction between the traditions is essentially an attitude rather than a teaching, because the practice of non-self is fundamental. When we can let go of the notion of self, and there is no longer discrimination between self and other, then the Arhat is also the Bodhisattva. The businessless person is someone who has stopped, who no longer runs after, grasps, or seeks any object, whether it is the Buddha, the Patriarchs, Nirvana, the Three Bodies, or the Pure Land. This is the person with nothing more to learn, who does not need to seek insight on the outside because they have touched the truth already present within themselves.

Sutras and teachings are only skillful means, a finger pointing to the moon or a raft to cross the river; if we get caught in words and concepts, they will become dry bones or a dangerous trap. All notions about the Buddha, the Patriarchs, or ourselves are ghosts that need to be destroyed so that reality itself can manifest. “If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha” means to destroy the Buddha-ghost – the limited images of the Buddha in our minds – so as not to be pulled away from the present moment. Teachings and constructs such as the Three Bodies, the Three Jewels, Nirvana, and the Three Dharma Seals are skillful means to lead us into the world of reality, but if we get caught in them, we will fall into the trap of the ancients.

A true practitioner of the Way does not strive exhaustingly or punish their body and mind, but only needs to stop to see that they are already water, are already Nirvana, and find their true home in every step, breath, or the act of eating, putting on clothes, drinking water, or going to the toilet. The words of the Patriarch have the capacity to destroy, untie, and heal, helping to end the seeking and begging for merit on the outside in order to discover that we are a reality of wonder right here and right now. This teaching is very much in accordance with the spirit of the teaching of non-attainment.

Do not go seeking in words and letters, which only makes the mind more agitated, the intellect more exhausted, and the lungs gasp useless cold air. Instead of studying sutras and commentaries to get degrees without being able to transform afflictions, we only need to see in a single moment that dependently co-arising phenomena are unborn. The word no-birth represents the eight negations:

1. no birth
2. no death
3. no being
4. no non-being
5. no coming
6. no going
7. not one
8. not many.
   When we see the unborn nature of all things, we can touch the Buddha in a cloud, a pebble, and in ourselves without needing to pass through the ten grounds from the first ground to the tenth ground like hired laborers with an inferiority complex. We can be a Buddha instantly in the present moment through each leisurely, peaceful step, without needing to strive in our practice or procrastinate as the days and months pass by.

Instead of using the words dependent co-arising or dependent origination, we should use the word dependent manifestation to see that all things do not pass from non-being into being, but are merely a manifestation from a hidden state to a revealed one. Vijnapti is manifestation, avijnapti is non-manifestation, and vijnapti-matra is Manifestation-only, meaning there is only manifestation and no creation, as in the poem “You are not created but only manifested.” The ultimate truth of the path is not to use reasoning to conquer others with an Asura state of mind that always wants to be number one. Verbal teachings are merely skillful means to guide people into categories:

• The Three Vehicles: Hearer Vehicle, Solitary Realizer Vehicle, and Buddha Vehicle.
• The Five Natures: the determinate nature of Bodhisattvas, the determinate nature of Solitary Realizers, the determinate nature of Hearers, the indeterminate nature of the Three Vehicles, and sentient beings without the nature of enlightenment.

The perfect and sudden teaching does not need to pass through stages or the 53 consultations of the youth Sudhana. When the mind is no longer wrongly used to seek or accumulate knowledge, the sun of insight will naturally shine. Nirvana is precisely the absence of concepts of birth and death, coming and going, being and non-being; it is that very thing present right here and right now. Encountering a spiritual friend is as rare as the blooming of the udumbara flower, so we should rely on them to inherit insight and peacefulness instead of getting caught in emotional attachments or the material comforts of food and clothing, fame and profit. “The great ocean never accepts a corpse,” therefore each person must make their own effort to become a dynamic living being in the world of enlightenment.

The practice of Touching the Earth is the reverse process of filling up with gas; it is an opportunity to faire le vide, to make oneself empty by letting go of knowledge, fame, degrees, and even complexes. When the five parts of the body touch the earth and the hands are open, the practitioner lets go of the self to become a Dharma instrument of wonder, no longer caught in reverence or material gain. Happiness in the Sangha depends on the capacity to entrust one’s life like a drop of water merging into the river, instead of holding onto personal demands or the seeds of resentment from the past.

The theses from 42 to 48 in the Samayabhedoparacanacakra affirm that the nature of the mind is originally pure and luminous, and afflictions are only guests. Latent tendencies are blocks of afflictions lying asleep, which are neither mind nor mental formations and have no object, unlike entanglements which are bindings and drives which are propulsions. Phenomena are divided into five categories:

1. Form phenomena
2. Mind phenomena
3. Mental formation phenomena
4. Phenomena not associated with the mind
5. Unconditioned phenomena

Regarding cognition, the 12 bases include:

1. Eye base
2. Ear base
3. Nose base
4. Tongue base
5. Body base
6. Mind base
7. Form base
8. Sound base
9. Smell base
10. Taste base
11. Touch base
12. Dharma base

Among them, the dharma base is not an object that consciousness can apprehend. The past and the future do not have a true entity, at the same time there is no existence of an intermediate body, and a person who has attained the fruit of stream-entry has the capacity to attain the power of concentration.

The American Dream of wealth and freedom is not enough to bring true happiness, as many successful people still live in anxiety, violence, and hatred. In the United States, the number of people in prison is greater than the number of full-time farmers. Instead, the dream of brotherhood and compassion is the path that helps people live without fear, embracing all species and the Earth. The three mottos of France, including liberty, equality, and fraternity, also reflect this ideal. This practice is based on the four elements of the Four Immeasurable Minds:

1. Maitri (Loving-kindness): bringing joy and happiness to others.
2. Karuna (Compassion): helping others overcome suffering.
3. Mudita (Joy): rejoicing and being happy with the joy of others.
4. Upeksha (Equanimity): having no discrimination.

Unifying people’s hearts through brotherhood is an art that was successfully practiced by kings such as Ashoka, Ly Thai To, and Tran Nhan Tong. King Tran Nhan Tong, after passing the throne to Tran Anh Tong, became a monastic, studied under Tue Trung Thuong Si, and traveled to encourage the people to practice the teachings of the Ten Wholesome Actions, while also marrying Princess Huyen Tran to King Che Man to build peace. In daily life, building a Sangha and generating brotherhood through actions such as walking, standing, speaking, smiling, cooking, or washing the dishes are opportunities to nourish happiness and eradicate corruption and the collapse of ideals.

Sectarian history records that in the year 140 after nirvana, Buddhism divided into the Sthaviravada and the Mahasanghika schools. Around the year 200 after nirvana, the Vātsīputrīya or Sammatiya school appeared, advocating for a self called Pudgala. Among the 254,000 monastics in India during the time of Master Xuanzang, up to 66,000 followed this school because their reasoning about a subject of practice and receiver of karmic retribution was very sharp. They used the image of fire and wood (the burning and the burnable) to explain that the self is neither identical to nor separate from the skandhas (not the skandhas, but also not non-skandhas), while quoting the Buddha’s words: “O bhikkhus, there is one person whose appearance in the world brings benefit to countless others in humanity. Who is that person? That person is the World-Honored Buddha.” This view was later refuted by great minds like Master Nagarjuna in the Mulamadhyamakakarika and Master Vasubandhu in the Abhidharmakosha. To prove the existence of the person, the Vātsīputrīya school relied on:

• The Five Skandhas: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.
• The Twelve Ayatanas: the six sense organs and the six sense objects.
• The Eighteen Dhatus: the six sense organs, the six sense objects, and the six consciousnesses.
• The Eight Types of Noble Persons: path of Stream-Entry, fruit of Stream-Entry, path of Once-Returning, fruit of Once-Returning, path of Non-Returning, fruit of Non-Returning, path of Arhatship, and fruit of Arhatship.

The role of religions in healing society and bringing peace and happiness is a practical topic, not only for Buddhists but for the international community. Today’s society is facing social ills such as suicide, drugs, crime, and the collapse of the family structure due to a lack of communication. These negativities have infiltrated the temple in the form of corruption, and the struggle for power and status. To contribute to society, religion needs to carry out an internal purification of body, speech, and mind. Religion without ethics will lead to bankruptcy and cause harm, especially when caught in fanaticism or using corrupt means to develop.

Ethics and spirituality are the foundation for the strength of a dynasty or an organization. King Tran Thai Tong, at the age of 20, knew how to practice to transform personal suffering and political upheavals, implementing a path of non-violence and reconciling with his family. The three children of An Sinh Vuong Tran Lieu used ethics to support the country instead of seeking revenge, including:

1. Hung Ninh Vuong Tran Quoc Tung (Tue Trung Thuong Si).
2. Empress Nguyen Thanh Thien Cam.
3. General Tran Hung Dao.
   King Ashoka also succeeded in uniting people’s hearts by receiving and observing the Five Mindfulness Trainings and practicing the precept of not killing. Politicians and businesspeople alike need a lifestyle of living simply to keep the Way to deal with the virus of corruption, which is a national crisis that can collapse both the Sangha and the government.

The temple needs to play a role of spiritual leadership by building brotherhood and sisterhood and true happiness. The Abbot Sangha model is proposed as a core community at centers such as 1. Tu Hieu, 2. Prajñā, 3. Phap Van. The members of this sangha vow to let go of all personal comforts, including:

1. Private money.
2. Private bank accounts.
3. Private televisions.
4. Private vehicles.
5. Private telephones.
6. Private computers.
7. Private email addresses.
8. Private eating and drinking.
   Renewing the tradition and training young intellectuals to become Dharma teachers capable of untangling inner tensions and restoring communication in the family is an urgent need to respond to modern society.

Dharma teachers are expanding retreats in many countries including Israel, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, and Vietnam. In the current context, there are two Jewish Dharma teachers and the support of several other monastics. A monastic after five years can become a teacher, reaching the state of five Rains Retreats independent of a teacher and having enough vital energy to guide others. The work Dharma Dust and Yellow Plum Blossoms has also just been published in Vietnam. In Munich, a charity center is run by three Dharma teachers who formerly resided at Plum Village, including Kanga, Hanga, and another teacher. The Kirchentag convention in Germany attracted 400,000 people, bringing insight to young people through Dharma talks and walking meditation.

Today consists of two Dharma talks: the first is a report by Sister Chan Khong on the Sangha’s activities in Germany, and the second is by Thay. The retreat in Berlin was organized in the format of a half-retreat from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM for five consecutive days, including Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The practice focused on the four truths:

1. Recognizing that we have suffering.
2. Knowing there is a path out of suffering.
3. Finding the cause of suffering.
4. Practicing that path.

The four hours of practice each evening included guided meditation, chanting, a Dharma talk, eating in mindfulness, walking meditation, lying down meditation, and Touching the Earth. The Dharma door of Beginning Anew was practiced through inviting the bell, how to hold the bell inviter, how to bow, how to practice chanting, and how to recite the mindfulness trainings to clear up entanglements within the Sangha. The talk also addressed three issues raised by a female bishop, including embracing anger, the presence of God in the practice, and the role of women. The practice helps to transform the fear of birth and death, while also incorporating fundraising from the sale of calligraphy in German and Italian to support poor children.

The Sangha is a mother carrying both monastic and lay babies within her body, providing nourishment through Dharma milk (pháp nhũ). Just as an expectant mother is mindful of what she eats, thinks, and watches to avoid feeding her baby toxins like violence or despair, the Sangha must practice self-purification. This process involves the Five Mindfulness Trainings to transform the self and society, ensuring that the next generation grows into instruments of the Dharma. Fathers also support this by treating the mother with gentleness and love, recognizing the baby as their own continuation.

Purification occurs in three realms:

1. Thought
2. Speech
3. Action
   These three aspects constitute karma. To ensure these actions are pure, one must cultivate Right View, which serves as the foundation for the Noble Eightfold Path. The elements discussed include:
4. Right View (or Right Understanding)
5. Right Thinking
6. Right Speech
7. Right Action
   Right View is rooted in the wisdom of impermanence and interbeing, removing the wrong perceptions of a separate self that lead to discrimination and cruelty. By practicing meditation, individuals and collective bodies like parliaments can remove wrong perceptions, replacing anger and fear with deep listening and compassionate communication.

A practical method for examining the purity of one’s mind is through the writing of letters. By observing which thoughts are censored and which are expressed, one can identify the roots of craving, jealousy, or ignorance. Every letter written in anger or love becomes an object of meditation to see if it aligns with the wisdom of non-discrimination. Mindfulness acts as the light that recognizes each thought, speech, and bodily movement, allowing for the gradual elimination of wrong views and the attainment of liberation from suffering, hatred, and despair.

Suffering in the family often manifests as disharmony, anger, deadlock, and separation. To transform this situation, we need to practice the Four Noble Truths (The Four Wondrous Truths):

1. The Truth of Suffering: Recognizing and calling by name the suffering that is truly present.
2. The Origin of Suffering: Looking deeply into the causes and the ways in which the suffering has been created.
3. The Cessation of Suffering: The absence of suffering and the capacity to restore happiness.
4. The Path: The concrete path of practice to transform and escape suffering.

Everyone has good seeds such as love and happiness, and negative seeds such as anger and despair. Instead of covering up our loneliness with toxic entertainment products like violent movies or video games, we need to practice selective watering. This includes the commitment not to water the negative seeds in our loved ones and in ourselves, while actively recognizing and watering the positive seeds every day. Communication is restored through the practice of listening with the heart and using loving speech so as not to cause further brokenness or water the garbage in each other’s hearts.

The only path to protect happiness is to practice the Five Precepts (The Five Mindfulness Trainings):

1. Protecting life.
2. Protecting integrity, not stealing.
3. Protecting family happiness, no sexual misconduct.
4. Speaking and listening in mindfulness so as not to water bad seeds.
5. Consuming in mindfulness to prevent toxins from entering the body and mind.
   The mission of the Buddhist Youth Family is to successfully practice these within the organization, and from there, to intervene and help the blood families as well as the school environments of each member. When practicing walking meditation, we can call the name of our loved one as we breathe in, and promise to help them suffer less as we breathe out, as a way to nourish our Buddha nature.

The Path of Ten Wholesome Actions is the path of ten types of right action, comprising ten precepts divided into three groups:

1. The three precepts of the body are not killing, not stealing, and not engaging in sexual misconduct.
2. The four precepts of speech are not speaking falsely (lying), not speaking frivolously (embellishing), not speaking with a double tongue (speaking with two tongues), and not speaking harshly (speaking cruel words).
3. The three precepts of the mind are not craving, not being angry, and not being deluded.
   Among these, the karma of speech plays an important role because words can cause suffering or create happiness. The practice of Right Speech requires skillfulness to speak the truth with compassion, combined with the practice of deep listening in order to deeply understand the pain and suffering of others, thereby bringing about reconciliation in the family and society.

Meta-ethics poses fundamental questions about the semantics and ontological ground of the concepts of good, evil, right, and wrong. In order not to be caught in words or conventional designations, the tradition of Buddhist psychology proposes the contemplation of the Four Inquiries, consisting of four methods of investigation:

1. Name (designation).
2. Meaning or Thing (the actual object).
3. Self-nature (essence).
4. Designation (the establishment of names).
   Through this, the practitioner recognizes the non-duality of Buddha and living beings, seeing the Buddha right in their breath and steps, rather than as a separate reality outside of living beings. All phenomena are conventional designations that rely on one another to manifest, just as a sitting mat is made of non-sitting mat elements.

The nature of all things is emptiness (śūnyatā), transcending pairs of opposites such as being and non-being, birth and death. In Eastern thought, the Dao is considered the mother of heaven and earth, silent and traveling everywhere without tiring. With the insight of non-discriminatory wisdom, the subject and object of cognition rely on each other to manifest together, like the view that heaven and earth are born together with me, and all things and I are one. The Zen spirit of not relying on words and letters helps the practitioner approach the truth without being caught in language, using wisdom to see self-nature and attain true liberation from the labyrinths of words.

“The Practice of the Blooming of a Thousand-Petaled Lotus” is a series of Dharma talks by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explaining in detail the sutras, chants, and repentance texts in the Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book (2000 edition). Although the book currently has updated editions with a few new chants added, all the essential sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this series of Dharma talks, listeners can understand more deeply the content of the daily practice sessions. These talks were given between 1997 and 1999, so the audio and visual quality is limited.

Note: This description was automatically retrieved from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest a change’ if it is inaccurate.

The human person is composed of five elements: body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. This is a garden containing both flowers and garbage. Because love, hate, suffering, and happiness are of an organic nature, garbage can be transformed into compost to nourish the flowers of understanding and compassion. Our consciousness consists of two levels: Store Consciousness, which preserves wholesome and unwholesome seeds (les semences), and Mind Consciousness, where these seeds manifest as mental formations.

Mindfulness is the energy that helps us go home to the present moment to touch the wonders of life and recognize what is happening. It has two functions:

1. Helping us go home to the present moment to touch life deeply.
2. Helping us be aware of what is going on in the present moment.

When the seed of anger manifests, we use mindfulness to recognize and embrace it tenderly, like a mother holding a baby. To transform anger, we must look deeply into its roots, which are often wrong perceptions. The practice of Mindful Consumption is crucial to prevent watering seeds of anger through violent films, books, or conversations.

To restore communication, we may use a peace note containing three sentences:

1. Darling, I suffer, I am angry at you, and I want you to know it.
2. I am doing my best.
3. Please help me.

Through Compassionate Listening and Loving Speech, we help others empty their hearts and dissolve internal formations or knots. Practicing Beginning Anew weekly helps couples and friends undo these formations before they crystallize. By looking deeply, we realize our ancestors are alive in every cell of our body and touch the nature of No Birth, No Death. Just as a cloud never dies but transforms into rain, we transcend fear by realizing that nothing ever becomes nothing. The three kinds of energy—Mindfulness, Concentration, and Insight—are capable of transforming the whole situation.

Every plant, flower, and insect encountered during walking meditation is an element of the Pure Land and a healing agent. Just as oriental medicine recognizes the medicinal power in all vegetation, a practitioner looks at everything as an element of enlightenment. Food itself is a medicine, chánh sự lương dược, vị liệu hình khô, which heals the disease of lacking nutrition. The Pure Land is not a distant notion but a land free from the poisons of:

• craving
• anger
• hatred
• fear
• jealousy

Building a Sangha is the crucial work of creating a mini Pure Land for protection, nourishment, and healing. This is achieved through the practice of Right Speech and Loving Speech, which protects us from the destructive talk that causes suffering. A strong community can embrace those carrying heavy negative karma, known as đới nghiệp vãng sinh, providing the tolerance needed for transformation. The capacity to be happy is a virtue that must increase daily through simple acts like taking morning tea, walking with the Sangha, and sitting with stability.

Buddhism is the practice of waking up in the present moment. Without mindfulness, one remains imprisoned in sorrow and anger, even in a peaceful environment. Like the character Kieu, who lived without peace and sat without stability, ở không an ổn, ngồi không vững vàng, we can become slaves to our own afflictions. To reorient toward the Pure Land is to recognize that “autumn is a season where every leaf is a flower” and that:

• Here is the Pure Land, the Pure Land is here.
• The Buddha is a ripening leaf.
• The Dharma is a floating cloud.
• The Sangha body is everywhere.
• My homeland is right here.

Today is May 24, 1997, and we are on our last day of the retreat in our question and answer period.

1. We have meditated on the nature of no birth and no death of the sheet of paper, but how about a human being and the soul?
2. What does it mean for Jews to get back into their Judaism and tradition, and how deeply are you urging this recognition of a way of life that makes specific demands?
3. What can a woman with breast cancer do to suffer less from the fear and worries caused by her mother dying of the same illness?
4. If life is an ocean and a continuation of transformations, why try to go on living instead of dying?
5. What can be done about the negative emotions, prejudices, and political atmosphere in Israel, drawing from the experience of the work done in Vietnam?
6. Is eating slowly easier for thin people, and what should a large person do if they feel that eating slowly is killing them?
7. How can one feel compassion for a father who has consistently raped his daughter?
8. Is there any way to break the conditioning of one’s environment and family in order to maintain a mindful, balanced state of mind while living in Israel?
9. What is your advice for raising children in modern times when parents work and children watch many hours of television?
10. How can we deal with the hurts and wounds each side carries toward the other so that we can leave this retreat in peace?
11. Why have you not mentioned God and God’s consciousness during this teaching?

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara represents love and the capacity to listen deeply, helping to alleviate suffering and remove wrong perceptions that create fear and suspicion. The practice of compassionate listening and mindful breathing helps the body to relax, healing aches and pains and to transform the resentments in our hearts. When dwelling in the present moment, we recognize the countless conditions for happiness that are already present, realizing the state of Happiness in the Present Moment instead of running after the future.

Engaged Buddhism is a practice that is not confined to the meditation hall but enters into life through social service activities, helping to nourish compassion and solidity. The history of Vietnamese Buddhism bears the mark of Zen Master Tang Hoi, the first patriarch of the Zen tradition who combined the essence of the Southern and Northern traditions in the third century. Restoring the name Bụt instead of Phật helps awaken the national identity and closeness in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, while emphasizing the role of Buddhist psychology in watering the seeds of love and understanding.

Through looking deeply into the nature of reality, we can transcend the pairs of opposite notions to touch the nature of nirvana:

1. Birth
2. Death
3. Going
4. Coming
5. Same
6. Different
7. Being
8. Non-being

This contemplation helps us recognize the no-birth and no-death nature of all things, seeing the continuation of our parents and ancestors right in every cell of our body. When attaining this insight, we can transcend all anxiety and fear, and build a solid spiritual foundation to preserve the precious heritage of our ancestors.

Master Khương Tăng Hội, the first meditation teacher of Vietnam, began his practice as an eleven-year-old boy eight hundred years after the first lotus flower bloomed on Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain. Eighteen centuries later, his light continues to shine through the practice of mindful breathing and the six pāramitās. In seeking relief from suffering, there are two distinct paths:

1. Minor relief, which provides enough balance to survive and continue life.
2. Greatest relief, which is obtained through prajñāpāramitā and leads to total liberation from fear, craving, and worries.
   This insight allows one to go deeper into the nature of being and ill-being, recognizing that suffering requires food to survive. We often feed our own despair and anxiety through our daily way of living, creating a dualistic struggle where we try to run from the very things we are inviting in.

To obtain the greatest relief, one must stop running and return to the kingdom of the five skandhas:

1. Body
2. Feelings
3. Perceptions
4. Mental formations
5. Consciousness
   Our consciousness can be intoxicated by various poisons that act as cancers within us, such as craving, anger, doubt, fear, and jealousy. The root of these toxins is avidyā, or ignorance, which leads to grasping at objects of love, hate, and fear. By practicing deep looking, we see that these elements have no self-nature (svabhāva-śūnyatā), much like the layers of a banana tree or an onion.

The Buddha acts as a physician and friend, encouraging us to identify our suffering by its true name and discover its roots. This requires the energy of mindfulness and concentration to embrace our internal pain rather than seeking quick, often toxic, external fixes. Through the study of the Heart Sutra and the practice of looking deeply into the five skandhas, emptiness becomes a practical medicine rather than a philosophical concept. By identifying the toxic nutrients we consume—whether through food, conversations, books, or films—we can stop feeding our suffering and achieve true transformation.

Awareness of the origins of merchandise and the reality of child labor reveals a global tragedy where children work in factories or scavenge in garbage heaps. Getting in touch with this suffering is the practice of the First Noble Truth. By recognizing the real suffering in the world, one can stop suffering over the small things created for oneself and find liberation from personal traps. Social injustice is present everywhere, and the Sangha remains in touch with this reality through humanitarian programs for refugees, the elderly, and orphans.

During the war in Vietnam, the effort to sponsor ten thousand orphans demonstrated how looking deeply at a child in need dissolves discrimination between the helper and the helped. When one becomes the child through mindful breathing, compassion is born, watering the whole being and providing the nourishment necessary for true happiness. This work for social justice is guided by intelligence and the desire to relieve suffering. Institutional violence occurs when society is organized to maintain a status quo that denies others a chance to escape chronic poverty.

To break this cycle, the door of awareness must be opened within the family and school. Practicing being in touch with reality—such as ensuring an undernourished child has a glass of milk—transforms meaningless suffering into a life of meaning. Even those with wealth, fame, and power suffer deeply; they are encouraged to practice like Anāthapiṇḍika to transform their resources into instruments of compassion. This practice of non-violence is a core element of the Second Mindfulness Training.

Lễ truyền đăng cho sáu hay bảy vị giáo thọ mới, chọn lọc từ chín vị giáo thọ tập sự, là một dịp thực tập vô ngã nơi các đương sự có thể tự đề cử mình với con mắt khách quan của tăng thân. Trở thành giáo thọ không phải là đạt được một chức vị mà là bắt đầu một quá trình thực tập lâu dài, bởi một vị giáo thọ giỏi phải dạy bằng thân giáo, tức là dạy bằng chính đời sống, cách ăn, mặc, đi, đứng và tiếp xử. Pháp mà người ta có thể thấy được quan trọng hơn cái pháp chỉ để nghe.

Trong giáo lý Nhiếp Đại Thừa Luận, sự hiện hữu của thức A-lại-da là điều kiện tất yếu để thiết lập ý niệm về sinh tạp nhiễm và quá trình kết sinh tương tục. Thế giới được chia thành ba cõi:

1. Dục giới: cõi không có định, còn gọi là phi đẳng dẫn địa.
2. Sắc giới: cõi có định, gồm bốn tầng thiền là sơ thiền, nhị thiền, tam thiền và tứ thiền.
3. Vô sắc giới: cõi có định, gồm bốn định không là không vô biên xứ, thức vô biên xứ, vô sở hữu xứ và phi tưởng phi phi tưởng xứ.
   Tầng thiền đầu tiên bao gồm năm yếu tố:
4. Tầm: sự hướng tâm ban đầu.
5. Từ: sự duy trì tư duy sâu.
6. Hỷ: niềm vui do buông bỏ (ly sinh hỷ).
7. Lạc: hạnh phúc do định sinh ra (định sinh lạc).
8. Tâm nhất cảnh: sự chuyên chú vào một đối tượng.

Ý thức không thể đóng vai trò kết sinh tương tục hay nắm giữ sắc căn vì nó có tính gián đoạn và cần đối tượng trần cảnh. Chỉ có thức A-lại-da, hay còn gọi là thức dị thục và thức nhất thiết chủng, mới có khả năng duy trì sự sống, chất chứa các hạt giống và làm nền tảng cho các thức khác phát khởi. Sáu thức bao gồm nhãn thức, nhĩ thức, tị thức, thiệt thức, thân thức và ý thức đều có căn sở y riêng và không có tính kiên trú. Mối quan hệ giữa thức và danh sắc là sự nương tựa lẫn nhau như hai bó lau đứng vững, nếu thiếu một trong hai thì cái kia cũng không thể tồn tại.

Building a Pure Land is the natural desire of a practitioner who has tasted the joy of the practice and wishes to share it. Like Amitābha Buddha, we create a practice center—a mini Pure Land—where a Sangha can enjoy the practice and welcome others. Entry into such a place does not require getting rid of all suffering first; one can bring their luggage of pain, provided the Sangha has the capacity to embrace and heal it. Even in the time of the Buddha, some struggled with jealousy and unhappiness, highlighting that the purpose of being in the Pure Land is to have the opportunity to practice and transform habit energies.

In the land of Sukhāvatī, the environment itself provides the teaching. The wind through the trees and the songs of birds offer the basic teachings of root Buddhism:

1. The four foundations of mindfulness
2. The four right efforts
3. The five faculties
4. The five powers or energies
5. The seven factors of enlightenment
6. The Noble Eightfold Path

Through these sounds, practitioners are reminded of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. In the morning, residents collect celestial flowers, visit other Buddha lands, and return in time for lunch and walking meditation, or phạn thực kinh hành. In Plum Village, this is mirrored by the sounds of the bell, the clock, and the telephone, which serve as calls to return to the true self and touch the wonders of life.

Amitābha means limitless light, an energy of mindfulness and compassion that radiates constantly and transforms those it touches. Every practitioner has the capacity to emit this light. By walking, sitting, and eating mindfully, we become children of the Buddha, contributing to Sangha building through our very presence. True Sangha building is not merely organizational work but the act of living mindfully so that our peace and freedom can strike others like a beam of light. A Buddha requires a strong Sangha of bodhisattvas to support the many who seek transformation and healing.

“Adorning the earth to bloom heavenly flowers” is the guidance of the practice, where the heaviness of the earth can bloom into pure heavenly flowers. In human beings, there is always a contradiction between two elements:

1. The heavy element.
2. The light element.
   Instead of turning our inner world into a battlefield between good and evil, we practice the teachings of interbeing and dependent co-arising. Like a gardener who uses garbage to make compost to nourish flowers, the practitioner recognizes the garbage of afflictions to transform it into bodhi flowers. There can be no flowers without garbage, so we practice the attitude of non-discrimination, smiling and accepting both to attain peace and joy. “Afflictions are Bodhi” is the insight that helps us see the Buddha nature contained in both human nature and animal nature.

The Three Refuges and the Five Precepts are a daily practice to find the path of protection, not a declaration of faith. The Five Precepts include:

1. Not killing.
2. Not stealing.
3. Not engaging in sexual misconduct.
4. Not lying.
5. Not consuming intoxicants.
   The Three Refuges include:
6. The Buddha is the source of the energy of mindfulness that helps us recognize what is happening in the present moment.
7. The Dharma is the method of practice, the technique to transform garbage into flowers.
8. The Sangha is taking refuge in the practicing community to have great energy and solidity.

When facing difficulties, injustice, or hatred, the practitioner needs to steer the boat in solidity by looking deeply to see whether their thoughts, speech, and actions are following the direction of compassion and understanding. If one can keep the energy of compassion in the heart instead of the desire to punish, suffering will immediately vanish. Happiness does not lie in reaching the destination or washing all the dirty dishes, but in having a clear direction. “Now that I have a path, I am no longer afraid,” we can elevate worldly heaviness into lightness and ease right in our daily lives.

The Sangha is gathered on February 20, 2000, for the final English Dharma talk concluding the winter retreat. Lay people practicing the Dharma are called upāsaka and upāsikā, meaning those who are close to the monastics, establishing a relationship where each community plays its own role based on the precepts.

1. How can one distinguish when it is a good thing to help someone and when helping might disempower them?
2. How can a monastic practice the precepts and mindful manners while remaining at one with lay people and not being separated by the robe or the role?
3. What is the proper way to ask for permission from family to become a nun, and what should be done if they do not agree?
4. How can one approach difficult brothers and sisters in the Dharma and build a Sangha from naturally available circumstances using the art of bricolage?

Nếu sinh vào cõi phi tưởng phi phi tưởng mà tâm xuất thế của cõi vô sở hữu phát hiện thì cả hai nẻo về này đáng lý bị tiêu diệt nếu không có mặt của thức A-lại-da. Tâm xuất thế không thể lấy nẻo về phi tưởng phi phi tưởng, vô sở hữu hay niết bàn làm chỗ nương tựa mà chỉ có thể nương tựa vào thức A-lại-da. Thế giới được chia thành ba cõi:

1. Cõi dục: cõi không có định.
2. Cõi sắc: cõi có định, gồm bốn tầng là sơ thiền, nhị thiền, tam thiền và tứ thiền.
3. Cõi vô sắc: gồm bốn tầng là không vô biên xứ, thức vô biên xứ, vô sở hữu xứ và phi tưởng phi phi tưởng xứ.

Sự hiện hữu của thức A-lại-da được chứng minh qua hiện tượng thân thể lạnh dần khi lâm chung. Người làm thiện thì thân thể lạnh từ trên đầu xuống, người làm ác thì lạnh từ dưới chân lên. Thức A-lại-da duy trì căn thân, đóng vai trò là chủ nhân với đặc tính “khứ hậu lai tiên, tác chủ ông”: đi sau cùng khi chết và đến trước hết khi một sinh mệnh mới tượng hình trong thai mẹ. Các thức cảm giác khác như nhãn, nhĩ, tị, thiệt, thân và ý thức đều phát hiện sau thức A-lại-da.

Thế gian thanh tịnh không thể thành lập nếu thiếu thức A-lại-da. Để rời bỏ cõi dục và tiến vào cõi sắc, hành giả sử dụng tâm gia hạnh qua bốn mức độ:

1. Noãn: hơi ấm của năng lượng tu tập.
2. Đỉnh: năng lượng đạt tới mức cao.
3. Nhẫn: khả năng chấp nhận và ôm lấy khó khăn.
4. Thế đệ nhất: vị trí cao nhất trong thế gian, không còn bị chìm đắm.
   Tâm gia hạnh chỉ đóng vai tăng thượng duyên, trong khi thức dị thục nhất thiết chủng mới là nhân duyên thực sự cung cấp hạt giống cho định tâm, vì các tâm định quá khứ đã bị gián đoạn và không còn tồn tại để làm chủng tử.

Sitting meditation outdoors in the fresh air of spring is an opportunity to get in touch with the manifestation of the wonders of the cosmos through the pâquerette, yellow pissenlit, and forget-me-not flowers. Each tiny flower with only five petals, like the hawthorn flower, fully represents the Dharmakaya, containing the entire cosmos and the Dharmadhatu. The nature of all things is not a creation but a manifestation, as the saying goes: “You are not a creation. You are a manifestation.” This meaning is conveyed through two poems:

1. The Epic of Avril
2. Butterflies Flying in the Yellow Mustard Garden

The reality of Christ, Shakyamuni Buddha, or each of us ourselves is a manifestation, transcending the concepts of birth, death, coming, going, being, and non-being. Getting in touch with this nature of no-birth and no-death helps the practitioner attain great peace and joy, removing ignorance and fear. Suffering does not need to be completely eliminated in order to have happiness, because suffering is the necessary material to nourish happiness, just like garbage is used to make compost for flowers.

Each step of walking meditation is a journey of discovery to meet the Bodhisattvas springing up from the earth right beneath our feet. To recognize the presence of these messengers of the Dharmakaya, the practitioner needs to use:

1. The two feet of the Buddha
2. The two eyes of the Buddha

The Sangha is an essential environment to embrace suffering and pain, and to protect the freedom of each individual. Sangha building is the answer to the impasses of modern society, creating a safe island for young people to find a path of freedom and love.

The Manifesto 2000, signed by millions including world leaders, and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence (2001-2010) provide a framework for transforming suffering. A manual for the practice of nonviolence offers practical suggestions for individuals, families, schools, and society to deal with the body and mind without violence. Central to this effort is the commitment to the six points of the manifesto, which include:

1. Respect the life and dignity of every person without discrimination or prejudice.
2. Practice active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms.
3. Put an end to exclusion.
4. Promote consumer behavior that is responsible and respect all forms of life.

Active non-violence, or avihiṃsā, means no-harming and not creating suffering for oneself or others. Violence is often an accumulated energy absorbed during childhood, creating a vicious circle of saṃsāra where victims become perpetrators. To stop this transmission, one must recognize the amount of violence within their own consciousness and abandon violent ways of dealing with the body and mind. This includes transforming physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and social violence.

Practicing inclusiveness and equanimity, or upekṣā, is the most effective way to abolish discrimination and the notion of self that lies at the base of violent behavior. Whether dealing with institutional violence in economic systems or the fear-driven violence found in social structures, the practice begins with the individual. By embracing anger and despair rather than suppressing them, and by protecting the most vulnerable, such as children and adolescents, it is possible to modify the heritage passed to future generations.

Love is an energy to be cultivated, whose nature is maitrī, loving kindness, and whose function is to offer joy and happiness. This energy manifests through the three aspects of karma:

1. Thought, which affects oneself and the environment.
2. Speech, which can sow happiness or cause suffering.
3. Physical action.
   Jean-Paul Sartre expresses this notion by saying that “man is the sum of his actions.” The foundation of love is true presence; to love, one must be there for oneself and for the other. The quality of this presence, made of freshness, solidity, and freedom, constitutes the most precious gift.

Mindfulness and breathing allow us to establish ourselves in the present moment to practice three mantras:

1. Darling, I am truly here for you.
2. Darling, I know you are there, and I am very happy.
3. Darling, I know you are suffering. That is why I am here for you.
   True love is a process of investigation based on understanding and deep looking, vipashyana. It comprises four elements: 1. Maitrī, 2. Karuna, 3. Mudita, and 4. Upeksha.

To relieve suffering, we must cultivate the compassionate listening of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, listening without judging to allow the other person to express themselves. Maintaining a living communication with oneself is essential to establish a dialogue with others. By training ourselves to generate a mindful presence and compassion, it becomes possible to transform pain and offer well-being in every moment of daily life.

This 38-minute excerpt, recorded in Plum Village, France on April 13, 2000, is Thich Nhat Hanh’s Dharma talk “How to Practice When Feeling Down or Anxious.” Thay offers two mindfulness approaches for moments of sadness or anxiety.

1. “Changing the peg”: using the tenth exercise of mindful breathing to gladden the mind.
2. Letting the mental “channel” stay as it is: allowing difficult feelings to be, because the urgent wish to replace them may cause more harm than good.

Thay repeatedly employs the Vietnamese word “tâm,” meaning both heart and mind—the Buddhist citta.

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.
Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.

The human mind has moments when it is as clear as a cloudless blue sky, but also times when it is gloomy, filled with anxiety and sorrow. When facing an unpleasant mental formation, we can practice the method of changing the peg by bringing up another, positive mental formation to replace it, similar to a carpenter replacing a rotten wooden peg or a television viewer using a remote control to change the channel. In our consciousness, there are up to 51 different channels, and this switching can be done by ourselves through the breath, sutras, poems, or with the help and watering from fellow practitioners in the Sangha.

Instead of hastily chasing away or exiling feelings of sadness, the practitioner should choose to embrace and make friends with them based on the insight of non-duality. A good gardener always knows how to keep the garbage to make compost to nourish flowers and fruits, because if there are flowers, there must be garbage. Happiness is not the complete absence of suffering; on the contrary, suffering and pain are the very materials needed for us to experience the value of peace and liberation.

The attitude of not running away helps the mind become at ease even during the stormy days of our emotions. As taught by Bhikkhuni Dieu Nhan, hastily seeking liberation from the natural course of things only makes us more bound:

1. Birth.
2. Old age.
3. Sickness.
4. Death.

When we know how to accept and smile at all mental states as a natural occurrence, we can find happiness right in the heart of our gloomy feelings without having to destroy or run away from them.