We are at Deer Park Monastery during the retreat for Vietnamese speakers on September 15, 2007. Today we have a Question and Answer session.

1. Does “Let the Buddha breathe, let the Buddha walk” mean that when we are lazy, we just sit up and practice breathing, or do we have to try to bring out the Buddha nature within us to do those things?
2. How can we generate understanding, healing, and reconciliation within the divided Vietnamese community so that we can live happily in our families as well as in society?
3. Please, Thay, speak so that a husband, who listens to Dharma talks but still claims that “only heaven understands,” can understand and listen to his wife a little more?
4. How can I convince my husband and children to take refuge and go to the temple when they believe that they are practicing all the time and have contributed a lot to charity?
5. How can I resolve the situation to everyone’s satisfaction when I want to separate from my husband, who has another wife and children in Vietnam, but he refuses and falls ill?
6. How can I explain to my mother so she does not oppose my sitting meditation, given that she is obsessed with the fact that my father used to meditate and then suffered from mental illness?
7. How can I accept the sudden passing of my spouse and find an answer for a group of friends in the same situation?
8. How can I forgive and have some sisterly affection for an unfilial younger brother who often takes money and threatens our parents, so that my mother does not suffer because of him?
9. What way or what words should I use to resolve the conflict between my wife and my mother when I am stuck in the middle?
10. Why did the thought of becoming a monastic, which I had since childhood, suddenly disappear when attending the retreat, and is there any Dharma door to help young people addicted to video games return to mindfulness?
11. If I have managed to write the letter, but when I go home I have to face my father directly and his sentimental phone calls, how can I be able to speak and listen?

We are at Lower Hamlet on the 14th day of the 12th lunar month, 2004, preparing for the Pavarana ceremony to end the Autumn Retreat. Thay compares this year’s retreat with last year’s at Deer Park, shares a story about washing forgotten bowls with love and nonself, and prepares the spirit for the upcoming trip to Vietnam.

1. Report on the status of articles for the “Plum Village Newsletter” and how articles are selected based on quality?
2. What is the situation regarding practice and study, the harmony of Upper Hamlet, and the preparation of personnel for the Vietnam trip?
3. The combination of energy between the sisters of New Hamlet and Lower Hamlet during the past retreat, and the reorganization of personnel when the New Hamlet sisters return?
4. How to face the feeling of emptiness and not knowing what to expect or contribute to the upcoming Vietnam trip when everything seems like a fog?
5. The mood of the sisters when having to part with Lower Hamlet to return to New Hamlet, and the spirit of the new caretaking team?
6. Can you speak precisely and clearly about the seven Buddhas of the past?
7. Why don’t New Hamlet and Lower Hamlet stay together after the delegation leaves so that traveling during winter consumes less energy?
8. How can an elder sister teach the younger ones when seeing irresponsible acts like leaving leftover food or not cleaning up, so that the situation improves without nourishing irritation?
9. Is it possible to continue practicing with the Sangha after disrobing and returning to one’s family?
10. How to maintain the practice while staying at home and requesting supporting energy from the delegation in Vietnam?
11. How to distinguish between contributing true insight and wisdom versus being meddlesome in meetings, and are thoughts in history true realization or just theory?
12. Why can’t there be a model like “Farm Zen” for brothers who feel tired of interacting with retreatants, so they can retreat to do manual labor while still contributing to the Sangha?
13. When sitting in meditation and the breath becomes so deep and light that it seems like breathing has stopped, should one just maintain that awareness or continue following the breath?
14. How to handle the emotion of wanting to go with the Sangha to Vietnam while having to practice dwelling happily in the present moment here?
15. Is it possible to send recordings of Dharma talks and the atmosphere of practice from Vietnam back to the brothers and sisters at home to provide more energy?

A cell of the body now is no longer a cell of 70, 71 years ago, containing the suffering and insight that have passed. All smiles, tears, joys, sorrows, and mindfulness enter into every cell and into the cosmos, because “the all is contained in the one.” Ms. Margaret Brazier, a law professor at Manchester University, asked the question: “If a clone was allowed to develop as a normal child. Who would be responsible for her welfare? Who would be her parents? How would she cope psychologically and socially?” If we allow the creation of a biological body, we need to look deeply to see who is responsible for the well-being, suffering, and resolving the psycho-social issues for that child. In the Sutras, the Buddha taught about worlds where birth does not occur through sexual intercourse, asexual reproduction. From that, the idea of Immaculate Conception arises, visualizing the mother carrying the pregnancy like carrying a diamond, a holy manifestation body like the Virgin Mary or Queen Maya.

The desire to see oneself continue in a separate biological body is like an attachment to the self, because all children being born are identical and need to go through suffering to attain insight. Recalling the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha had to call back all manifestation bodies from worlds everywhere to open the door of the Many Treasures Buddha’s stupa and the door of the Ultimate Dimension. When we realize that we have countless manifestation bodies in the past, present, and future, we transcend birth and death and the view of self. Each student is a manifestation body who has received the insight, the Dharma doors, and the heart transmitted from generations of Buddhas and ancestral teachers.

When massaging the teacher’s head, if there is mindfulness, then the teacher’s head, the Grandfather Teacher’s head, the heads of the ancestral teachers, and the head of the Buddha will enter into the disciple’s head, becoming deathless; otherwise, that head can only become soil. The practice is called the practice of happiness, cherishing every moment so as not to waste the heritage of the generations. There are times one feels like Ananda or Katyayana to read and reinterpret the sutras to clarify the Buddha’s intention. Books like The Miracle of Mindfulness and The Essentials of Walking Meditation are also manifestation bodies, nourishing the spiritual life of adults and sustaining orphan children.

Viewed from the moon, the Earth is very beautiful, a green paradise with streams, pine trees, and living beings, but it is suffering from wounds caused by humans. The 21st century is likened to a hill starting in the year 2000, reaching its peak in 2050, and ending in 2100, a hill that humans need to climb with happiness and love in order to protect Mother Earth. To prepare for this century, we are required to establish spaces for spiritual practice in eight specific places:

1. In the home, there must be a breathing room to renew and reconcile.
2. A local garden for families to practice walking meditation and sitting in stillness.
3. Schools need a breathing room for teachers and students to handle sadness and anger.
4. Hospitals need a meditation hall for patients and relatives to reduce fear and anxiety.
5. City halls need a breathing room to solve social problems with clarity.
6. The National Assembly needs a place for representatives to calm their minds and argue less.
7. Prisons must have a meditation hall and people who know how to love and care for inmates.
8. The Presidential Palace needs a meditation hall for the cabinet to calm their minds before discussing national affairs.

When voting, citizens need to apply the principle of selecting trustworthy representatives, requiring candidates to be transparent about their family happiness, their capacity to listen, and their use of loving speech, rather than just making promises about action programs. In personal practice, sitting meditation is an opportunity to rest and be truly present 100% for oneself. The practice of calling the names of our beloved ones, calling the name of the Buddha, or natural phenomena like the sun, the moon, or cherry blossoms helps establish a deep connection and nourishes mindfulness. The example of climbing 1,080 steps at Mount Wutai shows that combining every step with the breath and calling names brings peace and joy, without fatigue.

To heal the wounds in our body and mind, we need to learn from the wounded deer that knows how to find a quiet place to lie down, rest, and fast in order to heal itself. In difficult relationships, the first principle is unconditional acceptance and changing oneself before demanding that the other person change. The story of the wife finding a biscuit tin containing old love letters proves that the seeds of happiness are still there; they only need to be watered to restore the capacity for using loving speech and reconciliation. Regarding the role of the intermediary, one needs to practice deep listening to the suffering of each side without taking sides, and then communicate this so that both sides can understand and love each other more.

The Earth is a living and miraculous organism, a gift offered by life that contrasts with the coldness of the moon. Adults confess to the younger generations their responsibility for the destruction and wars of the past century, and invite children to draw the planet while answering two crucial questions: how not to repeat the mistakes of the twentieth century, and how to heal the wounds of the Earth. Living the present moment with responsibility makes it possible to transform the past and prepare for the future, for our ancestors are always alive within us. Loneliness is not dissolved by running away, but by returning to one’s own territory, composed of five rivers: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

Meditation consists of sitting on the bank of these rivers to embrace our pain and examine our wrong perceptions of happiness with the energy of mindfulness (smrti). This energy carries within it concentration (samadhi) and leads to insight (vipasyana), revealing the nature of inter-being, where the flower contains the sun and the clouds. To act rightly, we must cultivate three faculties symbolized by Bodhisattvas:

1. The eye of Manjushri for deep looking and understanding, the source of compassion.
2. The ear of Avalokiteshvara for compassionate listening, the only remedy capable of restoring communication and relieving the suffering of others.
3. The hand of Samantabhadra for action.

The image of the Bodhisattva with a thousand arms, where each hand contains an eye, teaches us that action must never be blind, but always guided by understanding and love, starting with oneself.

Layman Tam Minh Le Dinh Tham was an outstanding physician and Buddhist scholar, a person capable of finding happiness in every moment, whether ascending the Dharma seat to teach sutras or sitting to play Chinese chess with children. True happiness comes from an open heart and mindfulness, not being caught in a single object or external conditions. Conversely, poetry and society often associate happiness with illusions or standards such as “families of equal standing,” “no college degree, no marriage,” or the dream of “his hammock going first, her hammock following behind.” Poems by Bang Ba Lan, Nguyen Binh with “Flowers and Wine,” or Xuan Dieu with “Distance” show that romantic love often contains despair, imagination used to forget suffering, and deep loneliness where “you are you, and I am still me” between two universes full of secrets that cannot be communicated.

For love not to lead to a hell of suffering but to bring happiness, we need to cultivate the substance of loving-kindness and compassion, discover ourselves to dissolve loneliness, and practice happiness through offering. The Buddha speaks of three kinds of offering, and through looking deeply we see a fourth gift that is very necessary for young people:

1. The gift of material resources: offering money and material things.
2. The gift of Dharma: offering methods to lessen suffering.
3. The gift of non-fear: offering non-fear.
4. Space: offering freedom and an ideal so that the person we love can move freely like a bird flying into the sky.

The manifestation of a Buddha is a great auspicious sign, bringing freshness and peace. We have the capacity to make the Buddha be born in every day, every hour, and every minute of our daily life through mindful breathing and smiling. The Buddha is a living reality present for us twenty-four hours a day right in our heart, not a reality that has entered into extinction or only exists when we enter the Buddha hall. We do not need to go to India or climb Vulture Peak to touch this precious presence. In the book The Miracle of Mindfulness, washing dishes or washing a carrot in mindfulness is exactly bathing the baby Buddha; every bowl is a baby Buddha.

The Buddha is the most beautiful flower in the garden of humanity, but he blooms for all species, including:

1. Humans
2. Animals
3. Plants
4. Minerals

The birth of the Buddha brings happiness and safety to all species. On the day of the Buddha’s Birthday, in places like Hue or Sri Lanka, people eat vegetarian, do not kill, and offer food to anyone in need, so that no one goes hungry. One person was born who created a miracle of compassion and understanding lasting more than 2,600 years. The practitioner continues this career by nourishing the energy of mindfulness, making the Buddha continue to be born within themselves in order to offer joy to society and all species.

Walking meditation is as important as Sitting Meditation; it helps blood circulation, prevents numb legs, and allows us to get in touch with the freshness of nature. In Plum Village, we have listening meditation, speaking meditation, Touching the Earth, breathing meditation, walking meditation, Eating Meditation, and tea meditation. We need determination to practice in every step we take to tame the “monkey mind and wild horse,” transforming the wild horse in our mind into a tame one. We need to invest 100% of our body and mind into each step to cause a refreshing breeze to rise and a lotus flower to bloom (Step by step the refreshing breeze rises, Step by step the lotus blooms). When walking, coordinate your breathing with the number of steps; if you are carried away by the ghost of forgetfulness, use your breathing or take refuge in a person walking solidly to return.

Walking meditation complements Sitting Meditation, helping us embrace our pain and suffering like a mother holding her baby with the energy of mindfulness. We can ask for supporting mindfulness from a Dharma friend to become more solid. We should not complain and turn others into garbage bins; instead, we must store up the firewood of happiness for the winters of our life. Every day is a gift of 24 brand new hours; we need to walk in mindfulness instead of wandering around in suffering. The story of Angulimala reminds us about stopping: The Buddha has stopped his wandering; it is only living beings who have not yet stopped.

We do not need to jostle to buy plane tickets to India to find the Buddha, because we can hold the Buddha’s hand and practice walking meditation right in the present moment using the substance of mindfulness. The Buddha is pristine love; to find the Buddha is to find oneself. Besides walking meditation, Touching the Earth is also an important practice for repentance and for helping afflictions and karmic obstacles fall away. There are different ways to practice:

1. One step, one prostration.
2. Three steps, one prostration.
3. Seven steps, one prostration.

Christmas and New Year are opportunities to practice going home, yet the true home is available in the here and now. A wave looking deeply into herself realizes she is made of water and all other waves, and thus she is never cut off. Similarly, the trees, the blue sky, and the people around us are our home. Jesus and Buddha are not merely ideas but realities that serve as our home. In Buddhism, a human being possesses three bodies: the physical body, the Dharma body (Dharmakaya), and the Buddha body. The story of the monk Vakkali illustrates that the physical body is not the most important thing; by touching the Dharma body—the body of the teaching—one finds peace and transcends the fear of birth and death.

God and Nirvana are the ground of being, to which notions of being and non-being, or person and non-person, cannot be applied. Looking deeply into the evolution of species reveals that in former times we have been rocks, trees, and animals, and these elements remain within us today. Meditation is the act of being still to realize we are already home. Jesus practiced meditation on the mountain to nourish the Holy Spirit, just as mindfulness nourishes Buddhahood. Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha is the practice of going home to the island of self. Mindful breathing serves as the vehicle to return to this home, where ancestors and future generations are also present.

Faith is a living thing that must grow, nourished by understanding (Tuệ) and experience rather than notions. Knowledge can be an obstacle (sở tri chướng), and one must be willing to let go of current understandings to reach higher ones, akin to climbing a ladder. Master Linji’s teaching to “kill the Buddha” emphasizes releasing rigid concepts to advance on the spiritual path. The practice involves cultivating the five powers (Ngũ lực):

1. Faith (Tín)
2. Diligence (Tấn)
3. Mindfulness (Niệm)
4. Concentration (Định)
5. Insight (Tuệ)

The body and the mind are likened to a deep ocean with undercurrents, sea monsters, and storms. If we do not practice mindfulness and the precepts to hold the steering oar firmly, we can easily be drowned by three great waves rising from the ocean of the mind:

1. The wave of doubt: Doubts about our beloved ones, our teacher, the Dharma door, and the Sangha make us lose our happiness and drift in suffering.
2. The wave of anger: Small irritations, if not recognized and transformed but instead repressed (refoulement), will create a violent explosion later on (le retour du refoulé).
3. The wave of craving: Desires for sensual pleasures, fame, or material possessions cause us to lose our peace and prevent us from enjoying the joys of the present moment.

The core principle of practice is guarding the six senses by monitoring the types of nutriments entering the territory of body and mind:

• Sensory impressions: Everything that the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind bring into the body (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects).
• Consciousness as food: The nutriments that our consciousness consumes daily through television programs, magazines, or the content of conversations.
  To practice is to have mindfulness to know whether we are nourishing our consciousness with healthy or toxic nutriments. Practice sessions such as chanting, sitting meditation, and walking meditation must truly be “meditation joy as food,” bringing joy and nourishment to body and mind, rather than being performed like a machine or a parrot.

During practice, when tired, we should only focus on nourishing ourselves with deep and slow in-breaths and out-breaths; only when we are fresh and sharp should we use the sword of understanding to look deeply and cut through the block of ignorance. By taking refuge in the Sangha and cultivating powerful mindfulness, the practitioner will naturally no longer feel attracted to unwholesome cultural products or temptations to violate the precepts, thereby protecting their life and their spiritual practice.

The session takes place in the New Hamlet on July 21, 1999, focusing on questions concerning the practice of walking, breathing, sitting, eating, and transforming suffering.

1. Why do you like children so much?
2. When confronted with a problem of death, why is there something rather than nothing, and what is the purpose of living: to eat vegetables or to get enlightenment?
3. What should be done when large groups of people, no matter how friendly and open, cause feelings of discomfort, nervousness, and a lack of personal space?
4. In order to develop the quality of mindfulness, how can efforts be made without creating tension, and what is meant by right effort?
5. Could you elaborate on the statement that if one is not ready to become a monk right now in this instant, then one will never be ready?
6. When seeing someone mistreat a child, and smiling with gentleness to the child and parent seems the only option, how is it possible to act otherwise?
7. Is it possible that for many, means to practice have been found here that were not found in their roots, despite the instruction to return to them?

When the Buddha returned to Kapilavastu, Rahula was only seven or eight years old. Instructed by his mother Yasodhara to ask for his inheritance, Rahula ran after the Buddha, held his hand, and felt that walking beside his father was very refreshing. The Buddha took Rahula back to the Nigrodha Grove and had him ordained as a novice monk, wearing a small robe cut and sewn by Brother Sariputra. King Suddhodana suffered greatly, comparing the pain to a knife cutting through the skin, into the flesh, reaching the bone, and piercing the marrow. The Buddha taught Rahula not to tell lies using the image of a basin of water used for washing feet. When Rahula was 20 years old, the Buddha taught him a lesson on patience, advising Rahula to practice like the four great elements:

1. Earth: accepts everything, clean or dirty, like feces, urine, or perfume, without anger or pride, and has the capacity to transform garbage into flowers and fruits.
2. Water: receives, cleanses, and transforms everything, whether it is a fragrant robe or a dirty robe.
3. Fire: burns everything, clean or dirty.
4. Air: blows everything away.

To handle the pain when betrayed by others, we need to make our heart grow larger, like a river embracing a handful of salt. To make the heart grow large, we need to practice the method of understanding through three points:

1. My heart is still small, so I suffer.
2. The other person also suffers; because they have so many toxins within them, they make others suffer.
3. I must practice to bring happiness to myself and to others.

Love is a matter of practice, not of enjoyment like eating ice cream or drinking Coca-Cola. Every day, we should write in a notebook and practice two things: in the morning, offer joy to others; in the afternoon, help relieve others’ suffering.

Taking refuge in the Sangha is a basic practice and the way out of difficulties. The essence of Sangha is harmony, represented by the Vietnamese word Hòa, which means peace, togetherness, and concord. To enter a Sangha is to learn and practice the Six Harmonies, or Lục Hòa Kính, where Kính signifies the necessary spirit of reverence and mutual respect. True happiness and love cannot exist without this respect, which must be present in every word, act, and thought.

The Six Harmonies are:

1. Thân hòa đồng trụ: Harmony of the body. This involves offering one’s true physical presence to the community. Whether for walking meditation or meals, being physically present allows the Sangha to be seen and touched. Even when tired or weak, allowing the Sangha to embrace and transport the body brings healing and energy.
2. Khẩu hòa vô tránh: Harmony of speech. Speech is used to build the Sangha, avoiding words that cause discord or damage. Skillfulness in communication is cultivated to tell the truth without causing harm, sometimes relying on other brothers or sisters to speak if one lacks the necessary skill.
3. Ý hòa đồng duyệt: Harmony of ideas. Attachment to personal ideas is abandoned in favor of combining the ideas of the Sangha. Surrendering individual notions to the collective wisdom brings joy (duyệt) and prevents the suffering that comes from imposing one’s own way.
4. Giới hòa đồng tu: Sharing the same precepts. The Mindfulness Trainings serve as the teacher and unite the community. Practicing the same trainings protects the individual, the family, and society.
5. Kiến hòa đồng giải: Sharing knowledge and insight. Members share skills, experiences, and understanding, remaining permeable to one another rather than acting as separate islands. Leadership, like the elder bird in a flock, is recognized naturally through experience and presence rather than elections.
6. Lợi hòa đồng quân: Sharing material benefits equally. The community shares the environment, facilities, and any financial gains, such as royalties from collective works, ensuring equal distribution and care for all members.

Sangha life is realized by behaving like a river or a flock of birds, moving together in safety. Embracing the Sangha as one’s body and life releases suffering and fulfills the practice of taking refuge.

The Sangha is gathered at the New Hamlet on March 16, 2000 for a question and answer session.

1. In the context of your teaching, what is the definition of the word practice?
2. How can one stop eating unwholesome foods loved by the ancestors when their strength within oneself is greater than the intention to abstain?
3. How can one reconcile living things fully and observing oneself living them without creating too much tension or confinement?
4. How can one apply compassion, deep listening, and loving speech in a business governed by an economic logic of profit?
5. How can one practice as a family, especially regarding questions about death, without living in a practice center?
6. How should one raise children, and is it necessary to use severe measures with a small child who gets too angry?
7. How can one overcome shyness and keep one’s spontaneity in the presence of one’s teacher while still respecting fine manners?
8. How can one cultivate freedom and equanimity in the face of the habit energy of snacking which goes against the precepts?
9. What can a child do when the parents’ conduct, focused on money and ignorance, cannot serve as an example?

The eighth part of the liturgy is the invocation, distinguishing between two terms: tổ sư is a Sino-Vietnamese term referring to ancestral teachers, while sư tổ is a pure Vietnamese term carrying a familiar nuance like family. Each person has two families: a blood family and a spiritual family. Our soul and every cell contain what the ancestors have transmitted, including the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and ancestral teachers. The practitioner is aware that a tree has roots and water has a source, vowing to receive, preserve, and cultivate the spiritual heritage consisting of three substances:

1. Insight
2. Compassion
3. Peace and happiness

Continuing the aspiration to help living beings by transforming suffering within oneself and helping people of the present time. It is necessary to recognize the new sufferings of the era to open up appropriate Dharma doors applicable to all fields such as economy, politics, culture, and education. Practicing dwelling happily in the present moment helps one live peacefully right in the present, nourishing the two substances of solidity and freedom. The Sangha looks upon one another as brothers and sisters in one family, using loving speech and listening to nourish brotherhood and sisterhood, while accepting the Dharma door of Shining the Light to recognize strengths and weaknesses.

The ninth part is the praise of the ancestral teachers through a chant recalling the story of holding up the flower and understanding the meaning at the Vulture Peak assembly. Zen here is understood as the practice of the three trainings (precepts, concentration, insight) encompassing all schools, leading to dwelling happily in the present moment and making the true Dharma shine brighter than before.

The mudra of peace is introduced as a seal made with the hand, specifically the thumb pressing on the ring finger. This gesture, combined with breathing in to calm and breathing out to smile, helps neutralize the energy of war and anger within. For the energy of peace to be strong, body, speech, and mind must be in oneness. This practice is applied to daily activities, such as eating and walking. During community meals, one touches the food deeply—recognizing it as an ambassador of the cosmos—rather than eating one’s worries, projects, or fear. Walking meditation is the practice of arrival in the here and the now, restoring human sovereignty and freedom. The verses used for walking are: “I have arrived, I am home,” “In the here, in the now,” “I feel solid, I feel free,” and “In the ultimate I dwell.”

The Four Noble Truths are explored through the lens of interbeing, confirming that the existence of ill-being also confirms the existence of well-being. The truths are identified as: ill-being (the effect), origination (the cause, or the ignoble Eightfold Path), cessation (the presence of well-being), and the path (the Noble Eightfold Path). Traditional teachings describe three kinds of suffering (Tam khổ):

1. Dukkha-dukkhatā (Khổ khổ) - the suffering found in oppressive or disagreeable things.
2. Vipariṇāma-dukkhatā (Hoại khổ) - the suffering of change, where pleasant things disintegrate.
3. Saṃskāra-dukkhatā (Hành khổ) - the suffering of formations, where all phenomena are seen as suffering due to impermanence.
   However, impermanence should also be viewed positively, as it allows for growth, healing, and life itself.

To fully understand Buddhist teachings, one must perceive two dimensions of reality: the historical dimension and the ultimate dimension. The historical dimension contains birth, death, and relative truths, likened to waves that rise and fall. The ultimate dimension is the reality of no birth and no death, likened to the water itself. While relative relief is found in the historical dimension, the greatest relief and non-fear are found by touching the ultimate. A sixteen-word gatha illustrates this transition: “All formations are impermanent; they are things that undergo birth and death. Once birth and death is removed, this kind of peace is really happiness.”

The question of life’s purpose is based on the notion of a separate self, but nothing can be by itself alone; everything must inter-be. A sunflower cannot exist without non-flower elements like sunshine, clouds, and water; similarly, the sun is a second heart outside the body. Time and space are not separate entities, just as an electron can be here and there simultaneously. The teaching of apranihita, or aimlessness, reveals that we are already what we want to become. Nirvana is not something to run after but is our true nature, just as a wave is already water and does not need to die to become water. There is no attainment because everything is already done.

Ancestors are not abstract ideas but are present in every cell of the body, containing all their wisdom and suffering. The body and consciousness are one reality, namarupa, much like a “wavicle” in physics is both a wave and a particle. Recognizing a deceased loved one requires the insight of impermanence and interbeing; they are not lost but continue in different forms. To find happiness, one must remove notions, including the idea of happiness itself. Regarding sexuality, the focus is on handling and channeling energy rather than suppression. Silence is not just the absence of noise but the silencing of thinking, allowing one to touch life deeply. Even noise, like helicopters or snoring, can be used as a bell of mindfulness.

True love has the capacity to transform and heal, accepting the unlovable through understanding their suffering. The Buddha teaches that true love consists of four elements:

1. Maitri: loving kindness, the willingness and capacity to offer joy.
2. Karuna: compassion, the energy that removes pain.
3. Joy: the presence of happiness for both the lover and the beloved.
4. Upeksha: equanimity, non-discrimination, and freedom.

In true love, the distinction between the lover and the loved one disappears, just as the right hand takes care of the left hand without discrimination, or a grain of salt becomes one with the ocean to understand its salinity. To understand is to become one with the object of perception.

Negative habit energies reside not only in our consciousness but in every cell of the body. Addictions to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco exist in each cell, meaning the mind is in the body and the body is in the mind. We possess a tendency to run toward the future, believing happiness is impossible in the here and now. This habit energy, often transmitted through generations of ancestors, keeps us in a state of constant struggle and tension, even during sleep. Recognizing and smiling to this energy allows the body to relax and heal, liberating both ourselves and our ancestors simultaneously. The Pure Land is available in every moment, but only when we are capable of establishing ourselves fully in the present.

Awakening, or satori, is not abstract but a daily practice of waking up to the specific reality of the present moment, such as realizing one is rushing while brushing teeth or drinking tea. This daily awareness leads to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, the highest, true awakening. By stopping and establishing oneself in the here and now for even a few minutes, transformation and healing become possible. One can call upon the healthy cells transmitted by ancestors for support, as the Buddha and the capacity for healing are inherent within.

The secret of healing lies in the capacity to give up the struggle and allow oneself to be free from pressure. This is illustrated by the experience of Sister Dam Nguyen, whose cancer came to a standstill when she ceased struggling and fully enjoyed the Dharma and Sangha. Ultimately, reality is not caught in the extremes of permanence or annihilation, nor being and non-being. There is no creation or destruction, only manifestation when conditions are sufficient. Form cannot manifest without consciousness, and consciousness cannot manifest without form; the body contains feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. This follows the principle: “This is because that is.”

To meditate means to look deeply to see that we are not just inside of our body, but also outside, continued by our thought, speech, and action. We are like a cloud that has become rain and sees itself in the cornfield and river. If a thought of anger or discrimination was produced in the past, the practice is to go back to the present moment and determine to produce a thought of inclusiveness and forgiveness. This thought has the power to neutralize the past and heal the world. The fourth element of the noble path is Right Livelihood, engaging in a job that does not do harm to humans and nature, and provides opportunities to practice Right Thinking, Right Speech, and Right Action.

The next element is Right Diligence, which functions as an art rather than requiring muscles. It involves managing the seeds (bija) in store consciousness and mental formations (citta samskara) in mind consciousness. The practice involves four aspects:

1. Doing our best not to give negative seeds like anger and craving a chance to manifest, which requires practicing Right Consumption regarding media and conversation.
2. If a negative mental formation manifests, helping it go back to the store consciousness as soon as possible. This is “peg changing” or “CD changing,” where a positive seed is invited up to replace the negative one.
3. Finding ways to help wholesome seeds like enlightenment, compassion, joy, and forgiveness to manifest.
4. When a good seed has manifested, trying to keep it there as long as possible.

Right Mindfulness allows us to know what is going on in the realm of thinking, speaking, and acting. Right Concentration helps us to get insight more quickly. The concentration of impermanence must be maintained day and night (samadhi), allowing us to see that nothing stays the same. When we touch the nature of impermanence in ourselves and others, anger vanishes. The three concentrations, or three doors of liberation, are:

1. Emptiness – nothing can be by itself alone; everything inter-is and is empty of a separate self.
2. Signlessness – not being caught by the appearance or form, recognizing that we cannot pass from being into non-being.
3. Aimlessness (apranihita) – not running after something, realizing you are already what you want to become and that there is nowhere to go.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are the path of love and happiness, reflecting the teaching of the Buddha. They are described as the Noble Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths leading to the cessation of suffering. Happiness cannot exist without suffering; without the mud, no lotus flower can grow. The first noble truth is the presence of ill-being, the mud, while the second noble truth is the ignoble path that leads to this ill-being. Looking deeply into the nature of suffering reveals its roots, allowing understanding and compassion to be born. This is the non-dualistic way of looking at reality; mud and lotus inter-are, just as the left and right sides of a marker inter-are.

Nobility comes from noble living, specifically the practice of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and not from birth. This relies on the wisdom of non-discrimination, Nirvikalpajnana. Like the right hand caring for the left hand without pride or a demand for justice, true happiness arises when there is no discrimination between the helper and the helped. The Noble Path begins with Right View, which is primarily the absence of all views. Buddhism is made only of non-Buddhist elements, just as a rose is made of non-rose elements like clouds, sunshine, minerals, and consciousness. To be is to inter-be.

Right View transcends the notions of sameness and otherness, birth and death, and being and non-being. A cloud does not come from nothing and cannot die; it only changes form. Similarly, a human being is a continuation. Karma is the triple action produced every day:

1. Thinking
2. Speaking
3. Acting

These three aspects ensure a beautiful continuation beyond the disintegration of the body. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are concrete methods to cultivate understanding and love, offering the Kingdom of God in the here and now.

Kaludayi invites the Buddha to return to Kapilavastu, where the Buddha and three hundred monks settle in the Nigrodha Grove. During an alms round, King Suddhodana is upset to see his son begging in the streets, viewing it as beneath their warrior tradition. The Buddha explains that he belongs to the race of monks and that begging is a practice of the Dharma, used to cultivate equanimity, humility, and to restore human dignity without discrimination. Reconciled, the King invites the Buddha to the palace. Lady Yasodhara instructs young Rahula to ask his father for his heritage. The Buddha leads Rahula back to the monastery, where the family reunites with tears of joy.

Nanda, the Buddha’s half-brother, is led to the monastery and ordained, despite his engagement to a beautiful lady. Rahula also asks to become a monk. Being too young for full precepts, he is ordained by Sariputra as a crow-chasing novice. King Suddhodana, grieving the loss of his lineage, tells the Buddha that the separation between father and son is like a knife that cuts through the skin, gets into the flesh, hits the bone, and strikes the marrow. The Buddha comforts his father, explaining that Nanda and Rahula are practicing to realize peace, joy, and to become better human beings.

Inspired by the Buddha, six Sakyan nobles decide to renounce the world: Anuruddha, Bhaddiya, Bhagu, Kimbila, Devadatta, and Ananda. They leave with the barber Upali, giving him their jewelry. Upali, realizing that possessing such treasure brings only fear and anxiety, decides to become a monk as well. The princes request that Upali be ordained first so he becomes their senior in the Dharma, helping them cultivate humility. Later, the Venerable Bhaddiya exclaims Oh my happiness! twice during meditation. He explains that as a governor guarded by soldiers, he lived in fear, but now, having no possessions and sleeping in the forest, he is completely free of anxiety.

The session takes place in the Upper Hamlet during the Winter Retreat on January 9, 2000.

1. Why does a risk or accident happen to me and not to others, or why am I abused in the family while my siblings are not?
2. Just as a lotus needs mud to grow, how can a human find the appropriate environment to develop harmoniously and transform suffering?
3. If someone wrongs me and wants to make peace without acknowledging their actions or making reparations, how far should I go in making peace?
4. When trying to help someone who is suffering, how can one take care of one’s own needs without causing more suffering or feeling anxious?
5. How can one identify wholesome elements versus grasping in a relationship with a brother or sister, and practice so as not to feed the feeling of attachment?
6. How can the practice help one be less egoistic and focused on personal needs, and more sensitive to the needs of others?
7. How does one respond to the idea that the Middle Way is “lukewarm” or sleepy, when the practice actually makes one feel more awake and alive?
8. How can a child invite their mother to sit in meditation if her legs hurt, stop her from scolding, and how does one deal with homesickness?

We begin with a reference to a recent Dharma discussion regarding relationship difficulties, metaphorically referred to as the problem concerning Angelina and David.

1. Why does Angelina have to leave David and endure the pain involved in doing so?
2. Is expressing anger towards others a healthy step out of depression before reaching the stage of embracing and transforming it?
3. What is real forgiveness when a partner leaves with a best friend in a painful way?
4. How can one help realize that a relationship which looks polite and correct on the surface actually reflects a deep, hidden anger?
5. Does Buddhism teach that being born poor is the result of doing something bad in previous lives?
6. How can one maintain clarity on the decision to leave an unhealthy relationship when there is a strong yearning to go back despite the lack of trust?
7. How is suffering overcome when there is a perception that a teacher has abandoned or forgotten the student in the past?
8. What is the appropriate response when a partner commits to a shared spiritual path but then changes their mind and leaves?
9. Is it useful and possible to practice twenty-four hours a day while being a wife and a mother of four children?
10. How should one handle the situation when witnessing someone beat a child in a supermarket or on the street?
11. How is it possible to get in contact with a son who does not answer a smile and has an incapacity to talk?
12. Why does one go to a partner in the first place and what benefit is received from them?

After 15 years of drifting, Thuy Kieu fell into a state of ultimate suffering called hitting the bottom and sought death, but was saved by Giac Duyen. Giac Duyen symbolizes the conditions of awakening; she is the one who gave birth to Kieu a second time, called rebirth. Although Kieu wished to commit her whole life to the Three Jewels and nature because she was accustomed to the monastic way of life, her family still forced her to return in the name of filial piety and love. Kieu offered three reasons to ask to stay:

1. The happiness of reuniting with the family is already enough.
2. She is being nourished by a way of life that is pure and liberated.
3. The debt of gratitude for her rebirth owed to Elder Sister Giac Duyen is too great to leave behind.

Finally, Kieu accepted a wedding in form only, on the condition of maintaining her chastity. On the wedding night, she composed ten verses to express noble love (True love), advising Kim Trong to transform worldly affection into spiritual friendship. Kim Trong understood deeply, respected Kieu as a heroine, and both became soulmates. When the family sought Giac Duyen to express their gratitude, the Nun had departed like a drifting cloud or a crane, demonstrating the absolute freedom of a practitioner whom no money or fame can bind.

Inner transformation completely changed Kieu’s art. In the work, Kieu played the lute a total of four times:

1. The first time for Kim Trong, the gut-wrenching sound caused pain to the listener.
2. The second time at Hoan Thu’s house, the sound was like weeping and lamenting, making Thuc Sinh shed tears.
3. The third time at Ho Ton Hien’s banquet, the sound was full of tragic winds and sorrowful rains, like blood dripping from the five fingertips.
4. The last time for Kim Trong after the reunion, the sound became warm, joyful, and liberated.
   Through this, listeners are advised to select wholesome music to water the seeds of happiness, avoiding those kinds of music that cause sorrow and gut-wrenching pain.

We need to recognize that the positive seeds, talents, and insights within ourselves have been transmitted by our ancestors, grandparents, parents, and teachers. This acknowledgment helps us not to be proud of a separate self, while also not falling into an inferiority complex or seeking value outside like the destitute son looking for a treasure. For monastics, when receiving reverence, one must be careful to avoid nourishing arrogance. Besides the four traditional offerings, reverence becomes the fifth item, creating a list of offerings to be mindful of:

1. Robes
2. Medicine
3. Food
4. Bedding
5. Reverence

Suffering and happiness, the negative and the positive, are likened to garbage and flowers; they rely on each other to manifest in the spirit of non-duality. The practitioner acts as a gardener, not afraid of the garbage (suffering, pain, and irritation) but using it as compost to nourish the flowers. We need to maintain faith in the capacity to transform garbage into flowers, believing in our Buddha nature or the fundamental truth, goodness, and beauty within us. This faith is also a scientific trust in the body’s capacity for self-healing and self-regulation, and most importantly, trust in the collective insight of the Sangha to transcend the narrow views of the individual.

Beginners need to take refuge in the Sangha and the teacher to wear away worldly habit energies, rather than rushing to criticize the fine manners or methods of practice based on their own separate understanding. Through the practice of mindfulness in every step, speech, and action, we protect our energy and receive the spiritual heritage from our teacher, the one who gives birth to our Dharma body. The greatest success of a practitioner lies not in external achievements but in the capacity to nourish Bodhicitta and maintain firm faith in the Three Jewels.

With 191 days remaining until the year 2000, during the Plum Village delegation’s trip comprising 182 practitioners in China, the image of a novice monk sweeping leaves while listening to a cassette tape at Bailin Temple opens up a discussion on how to practice mindfulness. Sweeping the courtyard, cooking rice, or washing dishes is just as sacred as sitting meditation or chanting if we invest 100% of our mind into it, instead of dividing our attention with entertainment or running away from reality. The secret of meditation is “One thing at a time,” investing our full attention into every step or action in the present moment to get in touch with the wonders of life, just like the story of Zen Master Zhaozhou pointing to the cypress tree in the courtyard to lead his disciples out of the realm of conceptual thinking.

The concept of Living Zen needs to be expressed through the substance of continuous practice in all daily activities rather than just being theory, meeting the modern person’s need to stop and smile. The history of the Zen school records the development from the dialogues of patriarchs like Bodhidharma and the Sixth Patriarch Huineng to the formation of koans (public cases), huatou, and hymning the gongan. Works such as the Blue Cliff Record emerged; however, getting lost in esoteric literature instead of facing actual suffering was criticized by Zen masters like Phat Nhat, and this was also the reason why the Thao Duong Zen school in Vietnam did not last long.

Famous huatou such as “The ten thousand dharmas return to the One, where does the One return to?” or “Who is reciting the Buddha’s name?” all revolve around the theme of Who and need to be nourished by a daily life of mindfulness. In Plum Village, koans are unlocked using the basic keys of the Buddha’s teachings to resolve real suffering:

1. The key of impermanence
2. The key of nonself
3. The key of interbeing

The Sutra on the Land of Ultimate Bliss teaches that the Pure Land is a matter of fact in the here and the now, not just for the future or the West. Peace and happiness are possible in this very moment, even amidst elements of pain and sorrow. The body and consciousness are a garden; while some trees may be dying, others remain vigorous and beautiful. Visiting and tending to this garden daily allows for the enjoyment of what is refreshing and healing. Taking good care of this garden is a daily practice for one’s own nourishment and for the offering to others.

Sitting creates stability and solidity, helping to transform the habit energy that constantly pushes one to run and act. The Sangha acts as a boat; while a small pebble sinks in the river, a rock placed on a boat will not. Surrendering to the Sangha prevents sinking in sorrow and fear. Weakness is woven into the strength of the body, following the principle of Oriental medicine where the five organs support each other: tâm (heart), can (liver), tỳ (digestive system), phế (lungs), and thận (kidney). Trusting the body and the ancestors present in every cell allows the work of healing and transformation to take place.

To help the body heal, one must learn to rest, much like wounded animals in the forest who find a quiet place to lie down. Walking meditation is a practice of stopping the running toward other conditions of happiness, arriving home in the here and the now. Suffering plays an important role in identifying happiness, acting as organic waste that becomes compost to nourish flowers. By embracing pain with mindfulness, elements of compassion and joy manifest. Building a Sangha is building a Pure Land, creating a safe place where safety, joy, and freedom are possible.

The precious lotus blooms on the seat of enlightenment, light radiating in the ten directions; the Sangha with one mind pays respects to the Three Jewels, the Bodhisattvas, Noble Ones, and Ancestral Teachers, while simultaneously looking deeply into the Prajñāpāramitā to see that the five skandhas are empty of a separate self. The ceremony focuses on offering support to the lay practitioner Pham Thu in the moment of shaving the head to ordain, bowing in gratitude to parents, teachers, friends, and all living beings, and performing the ritual of shaving off the hair to vow to cut off all afflictions and help the world.

The Ten Novice Precepts are the great gateway admitting the ordained into the Sangha, serving as the foundation for the higher precepts later on, including:

1. Not to kill living beings, not to condone killing.
2. Not to take as private possession money and property not created by oneself.
3. Not to violate the chastity of others.
4. Not to lie, use words that cause division, spread untrue news, or criticize things one is not sure of.
5. Not to drink alcohol or use narcotics.
6. Not to use cosmetics such as perfume, powder, and jewelry.
7. Not to lose oneself in attachment to singing, television, movies, video games, and gambling.
8. Not to live in luxurious and extravagant material conditions.
9. Not to eat outside of the Sangha’s meal times and not to consume meat.
10. Not to accumulate money or use money to enrich oneself personally.

After receiving the precepts, the ordinand becomes a member of the Sangha with the Dharma name Tâm Hương Sơn, Dharma title Chân Pháp Ấn, belonging to the 43rd generation of the Linji lineage and the 9th generation of the Lieu Quan school. Next is the ceremony of transmitting the man y (sanghati), the miraculous robe of the field of merit, and the ritual of Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels: taking refuge in the Buddha, the one who shows the way; taking refuge in the Dharma, the path of love and understanding; taking refuge in the Sangha, the community of those who vow to live a life of awakening.

“The Practice of the Blooming of a Thousand-Petalled Lotus” is a series of Dharma talks delivered by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh during the years 1997–1999, offering a detailed commentary on the sutras, chants, and repentance verses found in the book Chanting from the Heart (Year 2000 edition). These talks help the listener gain a deeper understanding of the essential sutras and chants used in daily liturgy; although the book was later supplemented with several new chants, the core content remains unchanged.

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

“The Practice of the Blooming of a Thousand-Petaled Lotus” is a series of Dharma talks delivered by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from 1997 to 1999, offering detailed teachings on the sutras, chants, and repentance texts from the Daily Chanting of the Zen School (2000). The book has now been updated with a new edition that includes several additional chants, but the essential sutras and chants remain the same. Through these Dharma talks, listeners can understand more thoroughly the content of the sutras and chants used in daily liturgy sessions; due to the recording conditions at that time, the audio and visual quality are limited.

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

Nourishment and healing are the two elements sought at a practice center, and they inter-are; proper nourishment leads to natural healing, and effective healing requires good nourishment. Those without significant suffering come to enjoy the Sangha and receive nourishment to strengthen their body and consciousness, creating a solid base to resist the negative invasions of daily life. Those who suffer deeply come for healing and to learn methods to calm down, yet this therapy must be accompanied by nourishment to be long-lasting and effective.

It is a wrong perception to believe that everyone else is joyful and problem-free except for oneself. It is not necessary to wait until all negative things vanish or for perfect health to be peaceful, happy, and helpful; it depends on the way of looking and living in peace with the imperfections in the body and consciousness. We are often the person who makes ourselves suffer the most, not the situation or other people, because we do not know how to handle our fear, jealousy, and despair.

Instead of relying solely on external doctors or teachers, one must see the healer and the Buddha within. The Buddha is the capacity to be mindful in the here and now. The practice involves addressing this internal presence by saying, “Dear Buddha, I suffer.” The Buddha replies, “Show me your suffering,” and you respond, “Here is my suffering.” This can be done by talking in silence or writing a letter to the Buddha to identify and express the pain. Looking deeply into the nature of suffering reveals its roots, which often stem from a lack of understanding of reality.

The formula “Form is emptiness” is the heart of the Heart Sutra, in which Form is the body, living matter, and also inanimate matter. Form is an aggregation of causes and conditions, called a formation, manifesting based on the principle of interdependent co-arising. Looking deeply into this aggregation, we do not see a core, a substance, or any element that is unchanging or permanent. Form is a conventional designation, conventional names like self and dharma used for the convenience of life, but its nature is Emptiness (Empty of a permanent entity).

The nature of Form is the Middle Way, transcending four pairs of opposing concepts, totaling eight “no’s” called the Eight Negations:

1. No birth and no death.
2. No coming and no going.
3. No same and no different.
4. No being and no non-being.

The reality of all things is Interbeing, meaning nothing can be by itself alone; this relies on that to arise. Form is also signlessness, transcending all deceptive signs of perception, just as H2O can manifest as snow, clouds, or ice, but its nature remains H2O. From that insight, the practitioner attains aimlessness (Apranihita), no longer running after any object, including enlightenment, realizing that they are already what they want to become. Heaven or the Pure Land is not a place without death or suffering, but a place where there is love, Great Wisdom (Maha Prajna), and Great Compassion (Maha Karuna).

Happiness is an art and a practice. In walking meditation, improving the quality of steps brings peace and joy; if steps are solid and free, the Kingdom of God is present. Both hell and the Kingdom come from within. Listening to the bell allows for stopping talking and thinking to enjoy deep breathing. Families and communities can invite the bell three times in the morning and evening to offer moments of peace. Even in political settings, such as the Indian Parliament or Capitol Hill, practicing mindful breathing and walking helps calm the mind and improve the quality of work. Mindfulness and concentration cannot be bought but must be generated through practice.

The Sutra on Mindful Breathing provides detailed instructions for healing and transformation. The fifth exercise is to breathe and bring in a feeling of joy, and the sixth exercise is to breathe to bring about a feeling of happiness. These feelings are born from the capacity to release and let go of worries about the future, regrets about the past, and rigid ideas about what is essential for happiness. Happiness also arises from mindfulness of the refreshing conditions already available in the present moment, and through concentration which improves the quality of happiness.

To enable joy, one must address tension. The fourth exercise is releasing tension and pain in the body (Kaya samskara). This follows the third exercise of becoming aware of the whole body, bringing the mind home. The first exercise is simply identifying the in-breath and out-breath, while the second exercise is following the breath all the way through. Regarding pain in the realm of feelings, the seventh exercise is to be mindful of the painful feeling. Instead of covering pain via consumption, one embraces it tenderly like a mother holding a baby. For beginners, the collective energy of the Sangha acts as a boat, keeping the heavy rocks of suffering afloat. The eighth exercise is calming the feeling, or mental formation.

The practice generates the energy of mindfulness and concentration, enabling the recognition and transformation of pain and sorrow. When drinking tea or eating breakfast, the mind and body unite to be fully present in the here and the now, free from the past, future, and projects. By looking mindfully at a piece of toast, one sees the cloud, sunshine, soil, and farmer, realizing that the whole cosmos has come together to provide nourishment. Eating with this awareness makes freedom possible, while the collective energy of the Sangha supports individual practice like a formation of birds flying together.

Noble Silence is observed as a powerful, eloquent energy that allows for full investment in breathing and walking. Mindful walking serves as a way to arrive in the present moment, the only time life is available. Whether practicing slow walking with one step per breath to arrive one hundred percent, or using a rhythm of steps such as 2-3, the walk should be pleasant and healing. This solidity and freedom allow the Kingdom of God or the Pure Land to manifest immediately; like a wave that is already water, there is no need to search outside, for the Kingdom is within.

Listening to the Dharma is akin to rain penetrating the soil of the heart, touching existing seeds of wisdom and compassion without the interference of the intellect. Meditation is not an extraordinary or magical pursuit but the simple application of awareness to prevent the consciousness from scattering. Real meditation extends beyond the sitting hall into daily tasks; cleaning the toilet or brushing teeth with full presence and without rushing constitutes the true practice, transforming the energy of awareness into concentration and understanding.

Buddhism was transmitted to Vietnam around the first century of the Common Era by Indian merchants trading spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. For the first 1,400 years, the Vietnamese called the Buddha “Bụt,” meaning the Awakened One, the one who knows how to dwell in the present moment. The Buddha is not a god but a human being who found the path of liberation from suffering, and everyone possesses Buddha nature to practice and become an awakened person. The energy that maintains this awakening is mindfulness, which helps unite body and mind so that we can be truly present and touch the wonders of life.

An important practice is drstādharma sukhavihāra (dwelling happily in the present moment), which means living in peace and happiness right here and now, instead of looking for happiness in the future or getting lost in the past. The story of Angulimala is a great lesson on stopping. When Angulimala demanded that he stop, the Buddha replied: “I stopped a long time ago. It is you who have not stopped.” This stopping means ceasing to create suffering and unwholesome actions, allowing us to recognize the conditions for happiness that are already available—such as our clear eyes or a healthy heart—in order to nourish and heal our body and mind.

To practice stopping and returning to our true home in the present moment, pebble meditation is introduced with four steps corresponding to four pebbles:

1. I have arrived, I am home.
2. In the here, in the now.
3. Solid, free.
4. Returning, taking refuge.

Applying meditation to daily activities such as washing dishes, cooking, or driving helps transform these times into nourishing moments worth living. Practitioners, especially parents and mentors, need to know how to nourish and heal themselves in order to effectively care for and sustain the joy of practice for their children and young community members.

Paramita means perfection or crossing over to the other shore, moving from the shore of suffering and anger to the shore of well-being. This crossing is best done together, supporting partners and children rather than viewing suffering as an individual problem. To facilitate this, families should establish a Breathing Room, a sacred territory of peace where one takes refuge to restore stability. Entering this room involves mindful walking and bowing to a flower, signaling to the household that one is taking care of their anger. Another Dharma door is the “cake in the refrigerator,” a phrase used by children to break the tension of parental conflict, creating a pretext to practice mindful breathing together.

Vīrya represents continued practice, growth, and transformation, ensuring the fire of practice remains lit. Understanding consciousness involves recognizing the store consciousness (ālayavijñāna) and mind consciousness (manovijñāna). The practice of vīrya regarding the fifty-one categories of seeds is threefold: preventing negative seeds from manifesting in the mind consciousness; if they do manifest, helping them return to the store consciousness quickly; and inviting positive seeds to manifest and remain in the mind consciousness as long as possible. This selective watering transforms the base of consciousness. The six paramitas inter-are, meaning to practice one deeply involves practicing all six:

1. Dana (giving)
2. Prajna (insight)
3. Sila (precepts or Mindfulness Trainings)
4. Dhyana (meditation)
5. Ksanti (inclusiveness)
6. Vīrya (continued practice)

Mastering these leads to avaivartika, a state of no setback. Addressing the inability to love oneself requires seeing that the self is made of non-self elements and that love is a concrete practice of mindful consumption and resting. Regarding social justice, acting with anger clouds lucidity, whereas compassion provides the strength to act without destroying. By looking deeply, one sees the conditions that create suffering—illustrated by the meditation on the sea pirate—allowing one to fight the negative seeds within a person rather than the person themselves.

Thirty thousand people gathered in Hiroshima to commemorate the anniversary of the atomic bomb, demanding the destruction of nuclear weapons and promising, “We shall not do it again.” Although nations still possess the power to destroy humanity, the soil of Plum Village—once a site of fighting between Germans and French—has been transformed into a land of peace through fifteen years of walking meditation and reconciliation. Representatives from Japan, America, Vietnam, France, and Germany practice Hugging Meditation to heal the deep wounds of their ancestors and nations, breathing in to acknowledge the suffering and breathing out to promise never to repeat such destruction.

The teaching of the six paramitas offers the means to cross over to the shore of well-being, non-fear, and solidity:

1. Dana Paramita, the practice of giving.
2. Prajna Paramita, the practice of understanding.
3. Sila Paramita, the practice of mindfulness training.
4. Dhyana Paramita, the practice of meditation, of calming and looking deeply.
5. Patience.
6. Diligence.

The practice of Plum Village is the practice of arriving, stopping the running of the “monkey mind” to find the true home within the Island of Self. The bell of mindfulness serves as the voice of the beloved calling one back to the present moment. Meditation consists of Samatha (stopping, calming, and embracing the suffering child within) and Vipasyana (looking deeply to attain liberating insight). Mindfulness is the energy that makes one truly present, whether drinking water or closing a door. This practice is cultivated through the gatha: “I have arrived, I am home” (stopping), “In the here and the now” (touching life), “I am solid, I am free” (cultivating stability and freedom from afflictions), and “In the ultimate, I dwell.” By touching the present moment deeply, one touches the ultimate dimension, realizing that while the wave undergoes birth and death, the water remains free from all fear.

“Sowing peace and harvesting happiness” begins with bringing peace to the body. Mindful breathing and walking act as links to bring the mind back to the body, uniting them to establish presence in the here and now. This energy of mindfulness allows one to recognize and embrace pain, sorrow, and fear tenderly, like a mother holding a baby. Tension accumulated over years prevents peace, so the art of deep relaxation involves visiting the body with mindfulness to release stress. One may visit the eyes, heart, or liver, smiling to them with compassion to aid their recovery. Humans have lost the capacity to rest, unlike a wounded animal in the forest that knows to lie down and do nothing to restore itself; the body has the power to self-heal if allowed to rest.

Mindful walking releases tension in feelings and the body. Coordinating breath with steps, one walks as a free person, arriving in the present moment where the Kingdom of God or the Pure Land of the Buddha is available. The mantra “I have arrived, I am home” signifies true arrival in the here and now, ending the need to run. The practice continues with “In the here, in the now,” and “I am solid, I am free,” cultivating solidity in the present and freedom from past regrets or future anxieties.

Action, or Karma, is one’s continuation and consists of three aspects:

1. Thinking: Producing thoughts of compassion, understanding, and non-discrimination, known as Right Thinking.
2. Speaking: Practicing Right Speech that is healing and comforting, avoiding discrimination and hate.
3. Acting: Physical Right Action that has the power to protect, save, and bring harmony.

Nothing is born and nothing dies; like a cloud transforming into rain rather than passing into non-being, humans continue through these actions. Finally, mindful eating allows for deep contact with the cosmos. Seeing a piece of bread as an ambassador of the universe containing sunshine and earth, or peeling an orange with total awareness, turns a meal into a moment of happiness and insight.

The orange represents the five elements of form, feelings, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Consciousness acts as the soil containing all seeds, including the wholesome seeds of mindfulness, concentration, insight, and Buddha nature, as well as negative seeds like anger and fear. Practice consists of watering the good seeds so they manifest as mental formations, of which there are fifty-one categories. Wrong perceptions can bring about pain, sorrow, and despair, so it is necessary to ask “Am I sure?” to avoid being fooled by them. To protect against wrong perceptions, there are three kinds of concentration known as the Three Doors of Liberation:

1. Emptiness: To be empty means to be empty of a separate existence. A flower is full of the cosmos—sunshine, clouds, and soil—but is empty of a separate self because it is made entirely of non-flower elements. Similarly, a father and son inter-are; the father is fully present in every cell of the son, just as all ancestors are present within us.
2. Signlessness (animitta): A sign is an appearance. This concentration helps one recognize that nothing passes from being into non-being, just as a cloud does not die but becomes rain. The nature of reality is no birth and no death. We continue through our karma, or actions, which consist of three aspects: thinking, speaking, and physical action. Right thinking, right speech, and right action ensure a beautiful continuation.
3. Aimlessness (apranihita): There is no need to run after objects like diplomas or jobs to become someone else. You are already what you want to become and the Kingdom of God is already available in the present moment. This insight allows one to stop running and enjoy simply being.

Compassionate listening helps others suffer less, but it requires more than just silence; resistance or defensiveness acts like a wall. Mindfulness practice provides the opportunity to look deeply, seeing the suffering in others to allow compassion to arise. This compassion protects the listener from anger, embodying the role of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. When witnessing someone hurting others, use skillful means to help directly or indirectly, showing better ways to handle situations while believing in their nature of awakening. Regarding difficult work environments, one might look for another job or write a letter using the language of loving kindness, stating facts of suffering without blame. If “watering flowers” is rejected in a relationship, it may be because “garbage” was also watered; practice selective watering and apologize for past unskillfulness. The Third Mindfulness Training distinguishes sexual desire from true love.

Meditation on death allows one to cherish every moment and enjoy being alive. The deepest meditation is on no birth and no death. Like a cloud that transforms into rain or snow but never passes from being into non-being, our true nature is no birth and no death. Nirvana is this state, and birth and death are merely notions. A day with twenty-four hours is enough when living fully. The Diamond Sutra teaches that lifespan is just an idea; time to enjoy is always available if one is free from worries. The present moment is made of the past and the future. When well-established in the present, the past becomes an object of inquiry and the future is prepared for, without being pulled away by sorrow or fear.

To address a wandering mind, cultivate the capacity to enjoy doing nothing. Make sitting and walking meditation interesting by touching the wonders of life or practicing the fifth mantra: inviting one’s mother to breathe with one’s lungs. Civil disobedience is a possibility for peace and justice if other steps fail, but requires careful preparation to ensure the intention is not to cause harm.

The session takes place on June 24, 1999, in the New Hamlet, where questions concerning past Dharma talks and the Mindfulness Trainings are addressed.

1. How is long-term commitment and explicit sexual misconduct understood regarding the Third Mindfulness Training?
2. If fear comes from the mind but an explosion comes from outside, how is the source of suffering distinguished?
3. Does practicing mindful manners cause a loss of personality by adopting a specific style?
4. How can residents know what is happening in the world in order to bring global suffering into the Second Touching of the Earth?
5. Is it necessary to keep in touch with news of violence and war via newspapers or visitors in order to touch the suffering of the world?
6. How can the peace found at a retreat be maintained when returning to a busy and consuming life where practice dissipates?
7. How can the understanding of feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness as being organic in nature be deepened?
8. How is progress made on the spiritual path when there is intolerance and high expectation placed upon oneself?

Although the two hands have distinct functions, they are always in harmony, sharing suffering and happiness together, never jealous of or blaming one another. Just like two olive trees growing from the same root; though they appear to be two, in reality, they are one. Brothers and sisters or loved ones are also like two arms of the same body; happiness is not an individual matter. Continuing the lesson on the Five Skandhas, the first section of the tangerine is form, which is the body. To practice is to use the energy of mindfulness to recognize, smile to, and take care of each part:

1. Two eyes, jewels that help us see the Kingdom of God in forms and colors.
2. The heart, the foundation of peace that needs to be apologized to and loved.
3. The liver, an organ that needs to be listened to before it is too late.
4. The whole body, from the hair on the head to the soles of the feet.

The second section of the tangerine is feelings, a river of feelings flowing day and night with three types: pleasant feelings, unpleasant feelings, and neutral feelings. Thanks to mindfulness, the practitioner recognizes the true nature of feelings, turning neutral feelings into pleasant feelings (such as being aware of the happiness of having a non-toothache) or transforming unpleasant feelings instead of suppressing them. Consciousness consists of store consciousness (the storehouse) and mind consciousness (the living room); when a seed of feeling manifests, we need to invite the seed of mindfulness up to embrace it. To avoid tragedies caused by wrong perceptions (perception) and pride, like in the story of the young man Truong and the lady of Nam Xuong, the practitioner needs to let go of pride, restore communication, and use the fourth mantra: “I am suffering, please help me.”

To invite the bell to sound, the Bell Master prepares by bowing to the bell as a Bodhisattva and reciting a specific gatha: Body, speech, and mind in perfect oneness. I send my heart along with the sound of this bell. May all of you who listen to me awaken from your forgetfulness. And transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow. A “waking up” half-sound is produced first, allowing listeners time to prepare, followed by the full sound. Listeners practice three deep in-breaths and out-breaths, silently reciting: I listen, I listen. This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home. This true home is the here and the now.

The practice of mindful breathing allows one to return to the “island of self” (Atta Dipa), a teaching given by the Buddha shortly before his passing in Vaishali. Taking refuge is not seeking something outside, but finding the Three Jewels within:

1. The Buddha is the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
2. The Dharma is the practice of mindful breathing that brings harmony and peace.
3. The Sangha is the five skandhas operating in harmony.

The five skandhas, or aggregates, are: body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Mindfulness acts like sunshine embracing vegetation, naturally improving the quality of breathing and soothing the body and feelings. This energy helps embrace pain and sorrow like a mother holding a baby. For beginners, the collective energy of a Sangha is like a boat that keeps heavy rocks from sinking, supporting the practitioner in handling suffering.

Wrong perceptions are the root of fear, anger, terrorism, and relationship difficulties. To resolve conflict and avoid acting on wrong perceptions, one should wait before reacting and use the three sentences of reconciliation:

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

When breathing in, the abdomen rises, and when breathing out, it falls. Mindful breathing is a tool to take care of oneself during anger, sadness, or conflict. The sound of the bell is the voice of the Buddha calling us home to the heart. Upon hearing it, thinking and talking cease to enjoy breathing and smiling. To invite the bell, the hand is held like a lotus with the bell as the jewel in its heart. After breathing deeply three times, the bell is woken up, invited to sound, and followed by three more deep breaths.

The practice of living happily in the present moment, dristadharma sukhavihari, uses mindfulness to return the mind to the here and now. Breath acts as a bridge, creating the oneness of body and mind. This practice cultivates the six functions of mindfulness:

1. True presence of self – Being truly present allows for touching life.
2. Presence of the other – Acknowledging the presence of the other, whether a flower or a loved one, is the foundation of love.
3. Nourishing – Touching the wonders of life provides nourishment and healing.
4. Calm down the suffering – Mindfulness embraces pain and anger like a mother holding a baby, acting on the non-dualistic principle that anger is also oneself.
5. Looking deeply – Focusing attention to discover the nature of suffering.
6. Insight – Bringing transformation and healing.

Consciousness consists of store consciousness, where seeds of suffering and happiness reside, and mind consciousness. When negative seeds manifest, the energy of mindfulness is generated to embrace them without violence, requiring time like cooking potatoes. If pain becomes overwhelming, the Sangha, a community of brothers and sisters, provides the necessary support to survive difficult moments and continue the practice.

Shakyamuni Buddha is a teacher who helps us take care of the living, transforming pain and suffering through the energy of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of what is going on in the body, feelings, and perceptions, allowing one to be truly present for loved ones and to encounter life deeply. The character for mindfulness, niem, is made of “now” and “mind,” signifying the mind returning to the present moment. As the past is gone and the future is not yet here, life is available only in the present; to take care of the future, one must take good care of the present.

The first aspect of practice is learning to stop, illustrated by the story of the bandit Angulimala who could not stop running even when physically halting. Mindful breathing is the primary method for stopping the non-stop thinking that plagues daily life. It is not a struggle or gymnastics, but a practice of mere recognition, following the length of the breath like watching an airplane cross the sky. This practice unites body and mind, creating the oneness of body and mind where healing and wonder become available.

Four exercises are presented to cultivate this energy:

1. In, Out – Simply recognizing the in-breath as in-breath and out-breath as out-breath.
2. Deep, Slow – Noticing the breath naturally becoming deeper and slower.
3. Calm, Ease – Feeling calm within and feeling at ease.
4. Smile, Release – Smiling to relax facial muscles and releasing worries or projects.

These exercises apply to sitting meditation, which should be enjoyed like a lotus flower rather than a struggle, and walking meditation. In walking meditation, breath is coordinated with steps—such as two steps for an in-breath and three for an out-breath—bringing attention to the soles of the feet to arrive in the present moment with every step. Sitting instructions emphasize finding a comfortable position, keeping the back straight like a wall, and observing the natural movement of the abdomen.

Contemplating the interdependent nature (arising based on other conditions) is the key to transform delusion into insight. Manifestation Only teachings propose three natures: the imagined nature (created by the mind, erroneous), the interdependent nature (dependent co-arising), and the fulfilled nature (true nature, Nirvana). Using the two keys of impermanence and nonself to look deeply into things helps us touch reality, giving rise to great compassion and forgiveness, like the spirit in the poem “Recommendation.” Enlightenment and delusion, flowers and garbage inter-are; one cannot abandon samsāra to seek Nirvana or run away from birth and death, but must find the deathless right in the midst of birth and death.

The practice of contemplation requires the energy of mindfulness, found in the Five Powers: the power of faith, the power of diligence, the power of mindfulness, the power of concentration, and the power of insight. Relying on mindful breathing to water the seeds of awakening in store consciousness helps the flower of Right View bloom in the realm of mind consciousness. The path of eight right practices (Noble Eightfold Path) includes: Right View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Diligence, Right Livelihood, Right Concentration, and Right Mindfulness.

Like sunshine shining upon and nourishing vegetation, mindfulness, when lit up, has the capacity to transform every mental formation without the need to suppress or chase them away. There are three methods to deal with seeds of suffering: sowing and watering seeds of happiness, recognizing when seeds of suffering manifest, and actively inviting them up for dialogue when the power of mindfulness is steady. The five contemplations to transform fear include: I am of the nature to grow old, I am of the nature to get sick, I am of the nature to die, I must be separated from everyone and everything I cherish, and only my karma goes with me.

Lesson 23 introduces the domain of the Sixth Consciousness (Manovijnana). Unlike the five sense consciousnesses which rely on physical organs like the eye or ear, the Sixth Consciousness relies on the Seventh Consciousness (Manas) as its base and takes dharma as its object. Consciousness arises when the sense base contacts the object, acting as contributing conditions rather than the primary cause, which remains the seeds within Store Consciousness. The scope of this consciousness is vast, permeating the three natures: wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate.

Lesson 24 details the three modes of cognition (pramana):

1. Direct Perception (pratyaksa): Direct knowledge without reasoning. This can be true or false (a semblance of direct perception), such as mistaking a rope for a snake.
2. Inference (anumana): Knowledge derived through reasoning and deduction. This can also be true or false (a semblance of inference), like incorrectly deducing the presence of a car behind a wall based on smoke and sound.
3. Wrong Perception (apramana): A mode often associated with the Seventh Consciousness.
   Suffering frequently arises from false perceptions and the tendency to view the world through the lens of past images, stereotypes, and internal seeds rather than reality itself; perception is often merely recollection.

The Sixth Consciousness contacts three realms of perception:

1. The Nature Realm: Reality in itself, which does not depend on the mind.
2. The Image-with-Substance Realm: Perceptions where the object exists but is colored by the observer’s internal seeds and feelings.
3. The Mere-Image Realm: Purely mental images, such as those in dreams or visualization, dependent solely on the perceiving subject.
   This consciousness corresponds to all fifty-one mental formations, encompassing universal, particular, wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate types. It acts as the root of bodily and verbal actions, possessing deliberation but lacking continuity. Functioning as a gardener who sows and waters seeds in the soil of Store Consciousness, it creates leading karma to determine direction and completing karma to bring actions to fruition.

The capacity for understanding, peace, and happiness is inherent in everyone; the role of a teacher or Sangha is not to give these qualities but to help rediscover them. Using the image of a cloud, the teaching illustrates that a cloud need not envy the snow or the ocean, for it already contains them. By looking deeply, one realizes that nothing is lost or obtained, leading to non-fear even in the face of sickness or death. This aligns with the notion of Aimlessness (Apranihita), which encourages stopping the search for external validation or future goals. Happiness is found by freeing oneself from rigid concepts of beauty and happiness, accepting oneself as is, and touching the peace available in the present moment.

The Three Dharma Seals are impermanence, nonself, and nirvana. Impermanence is not merely a philosophy but a practice of looking deeply and living in the samadhi of impermanence. It is a positive aspect of reality that makes growth, healing, and transformation possible. Nonself, viewed from the angle of space, reveals that nothing possesses an absolute self and everything is composed of non-self elements. Nirvana is the extinction of all concepts, including the notions of permanence, impermanence, self, and nonself. Like the taste of a kiwi or the silence after an argument, Nirvana is an experience of peace free from the “market of concepts.” Reality has two dimensions:

• The Historical Dimension: Characterized by birth, death, beginning, and end, illustrated by the wave.
• The Ultimate Dimension: Characterized by no birth and no death, illustrated by the water.

By touching the ultimate dimension in daily activities, such as walking or eating, one transcends fear and suffering. The talk introduces the Fifty Verses on Manifestation Only (Ngũ thập duy biểu tụng). The term Vijnapti (Manifestation) is preferred over Vijnana (Consciousness) to emphasize the aspect of manifestation. Consciousness manifests as Vijnaptirupa (manifested form) and Avijnaptirupa (non-manifested form), such as the energy of precepts or internal knots of suffering. Consciousness manifests into two parts: the subject of knowing and the object of knowing. The Fifty Verses are derived from several key texts and figures:

• Thirty Verses on Manifestation Only (Vijnaptimatra Karika) by Vasubandhu.
• Summary of the Great Vehicle (Mahayana Samgraha Sastra) by Asanga.
• Verses on the Structure of the Eight Consciousnesses (Bát Thức Quy Củ Tụng) and Demonstration of Consciousness Only (Cheng Weishi Lun) by Xuan Zang.
• Commentary by Sthiramati.
• The logic and epistemology of Dignaga.
• The Flower Garland teachings of Fazang.

A mantra is a sentence pronounced with all your heart, body, and mind, requiring full mindfulness and concentration to have an effect. Practicing mindful breathing helps produce true presence, allowing one to recognize the wonderful things available in the here and now. There are five mantras discussed:

1. Darling, I am here for you – offering your true presence is the most precious gift for a beloved one.
2. Darling, I know you are there and I am so happy – recognizing and embracing the presence of another makes them bloom like a flower.
3. Darling, I know you suffer. That is why I am here for you – offering presence and relief when noticing the other person is not happy.
4. Darling, I suffer. Please help – used when one is suffering and needs support.
5. This moment is a happy moment – pronounced when fully mindful of the conditions for happiness available in the present.

Consciousness consists of at least two layers: mind consciousness and store consciousness. Store consciousness holds seeds (bija) of both happiness and suffering, such as anger, fear, and jealousy. When touched by consumption or conversation, these seeds manifest in mind consciousness as mental formations. To renew relationships that have become sour, the practice of “flower watering” or selective watering is used. This involves recognizing positive seeds in the other person and avoiding the watering of negative seeds. A peace treaty can be signed where partners promise to water only the good seeds in each other. Loving speech and deep listening are used to reconcile, admitting one’s own lack of understanding and asking the other to share their suffering to correct wrong perceptions.

These practices apply to political conflicts and terrorism, which are founded on wrong perceptions that cannot be removed by violence. Peace negotiations should begin with practicing breathing, walking, and eating together to recognize shared humanity before engaging in compassionate listening. Brother Phap An provides an update on the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB), detailing renovations and plans to build a meditation hall to heal the building’s energy by adding a perpendicular axis. This hall will allow for larger gatherings and the training of monastic and lay Dharma teachers.

A fruitful relationship is one where people are happy on both sides. If we make another suffer, it is due to unskillfulness rather than intention, and we must ask for help to understand their suffering and our own. Understanding oneself is crucial for understanding another person; happiness and suffering are no longer individual matters. Meditation offers the time to look deeply, recognizing difficulties within to suffer less. In Buddhism, Dharmakaya means Dharma body, which is simply one’s spiritual practice. A robust Dharma body allows for taking care of oneself and others, growing solid through the support of the Sangha.

Mindful walking generates the energy of peace, joy, and healing. We walk not just for ourselves, but for all blood and spiritual ancestors within us. This practice is the living Dharma, which makes a Sangha authentic. A true Sangha contains the living Dharma, the collective energy of mindfulness and concentration. With the Sanghakaya (Sangha body), we nourish our Dharma body and Buddha body. Establishing a local Sangha allows practice to continue long after a retreat.

The Sutra on Mindful Breathing offers specific exercises to master the art of recognizing the breath, body, and feelings. The first eight exercises are:

1. Identify the in-breath and out-breath.
2. Follow the in-breath or out-breath all the way through.
3. Become aware of the whole body.
4. Release the tension in the body.
5. Produce a feeling of joy.
6. Produce a feeling of happiness.
7. Become aware of the painful feeling.
8. Release the tension and bring relief to the painful feeling.

There is a difference between joy and happiness; joy contains hope and excitement, like seeing water in a desert, while happiness is the actual drinking of the water. A good practitioner uses mindfulness to bring in moments of joy and happiness to be strong enough to handle pain. Strengthening the Dharma body ensures we can take care of ourselves, our relationships, and the world.

Walking is practiced as a free person, not caught by regret concerning the past, fear and anxieties concerning the future, or anger and despair. Mindfulness of breathing acts as a bridge connecting body and mind, allowing them to come together naturally without effort. By paying attention to the in-breath and out-breath, the energy of mindfulness is generated, leading to concentration and insight which liberates. This practice purifies and heals the body, embracing pain and sorrow to bring relief and transformation.

The energy of mindfulness helps in at least two ways:

1. Being established in the present moment to touch refreshing and healing elements for nourishment.
2. Recognizing and tenderly embracing pain, fear, and anger to bring relief and transformation.

Daily activities such as brushing teeth, washing dishes, and eating are performed mindfully to generate freedom and joy. Looking into a piece of bread reveals the cosmos—sunshine, clouds, the earth, and the farmer. Walking meditation utilizes the words I have arrived as a realization, not a declaration, and I am home to touch the wonders of life. A rhythm of steps is used, such as two steps for the in-breath and three for the out-breath, eventually extending to rhythms like 3-5, 4-6, or 6-9.

The sound of the bell is an invitation to stop struggling and return to the breath. The Buddha’s Fire Sermon teaches that the whole world is on fire; the eyes are on fire, the object of the eyes are on fire, and the eye consciousness is on fire. To extinguish this fire of the senses, the mantra This moment is a happy moment is practiced. Mindfulness acts as a mirror to see oneself clearly, turning into the energy of concentration and wisdom. Noble silence is observed to heal the wounded body and mind, stopping the rush of social exchange to embrace the fire within.

Inviting the bell begins with bowing, silently reciting the gatha “Body, speech, and mind held in perfect oneness, I send my heart along with the sound of the bell,” waking up the bell, and then inviting it to sound. The waking sound must be strong enough, or crisp like a rice cracker if it is the seven sounds announcing to the community. Regarding the Eight Gurudharmas, this was an open door for women to enter the Sangha in that historical context, reflecting the sibling relationship in an Eastern family: the male plays the role of the elder brother, the female plays the role of the younger sibling. The spirit of the Eight Gurudharmas needs to be transformed to suit the times and avoid forms of discrimination.

The Shikshamana precepts lie between the Sramanerika and Bhikshuni precepts, practicing the first four precepts which correspond to the four Parajikas: killing, stealing, sexual activity, and lying. In the ordination ceremony, the female Karma Master stands up to pose questions such as: Have you received the female mendicant precepts? Are you a woman? Are you a government official, a servant, or in debt? The Uposatha day is a day for nourishing purity (increasing purity) and living closely together (dwelling near). The day of reciting the precepts is only postponed when there are obstacles such as the police not permitting it, robbers, floods, house fires, wild beasts, someone being seriously ill, or a division in the Sangha.

Chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra, “The Supernatural Powers of the Tathagata,” speaks of the capacity to act based on lifespan, with the image of the tongue covering the three-thousand-great-thousand worlds symbolizing speaking the truth, and the light from the pores being mindfulness. Chapter 22, “Entrustment,” is the entrusting of the responsibility to transmit the truth, where the Buddha thanks the transformation bodies. Chapter 23 speaks of Bodhisattva Medicine King, whose past life was Bodhisattva Seen with Joy by All Living Beings, who realized the action dimension through faith and gratitude. The Bodhisattva manifested all physical forms and burned his body as an offering to demonstrate non-attachment to the physical form, bringing the light of enlightenment to shine throughout eighty billion Ganges-sands of worlds.

Paying attention to the in-breath brings the mind back to the body, acting as a bridge to the here and the now. Established in the present, we are no longer pulled to the past or future and can recognize the many conditions of happiness already available. Mindfulness allows us to be happy right away, whether sitting, walking, or eating. In Plum Village, a mantra is used to remind us of this: “This moment is a happy moment.” This can be practiced during dinner with family, while brushing teeth, taking a shower, or preparing breakfast, doing everything mindfully to make freedom and joy possible.

Happiness is recognized against the background of suffering; without mud, there can be no lotus. The Buddha’s first Dharma talk addressed the Four Noble Truths:

1. Suffering is real.
2. The roots and cause of suffering.
3. The cessation of suffering, which is the possibility of happiness.
4. The path leading to the cessation of suffering.

We cannot be by ourselves alone; we must inter-be with everything else. A rose is made entirely of non-rose elements, such as sunshine, clouds, rain, soil, minerals, the gardener, time, space, and consciousness. Similarly, happiness is made of non-happiness elements. The Kingdom of God is defined not as a place without suffering, but as a place with plenty of understanding and compassion, which are born from looking deeply into the nature of suffering.

Brother Phap Trien, meaning True Opening up of the Dharma, introduces a song titled “For Life,” written for brothers and sisters in Vietnam. Integrating hip hop elements to update the music of Plum Village, the song conveys the message that no matter where you are, where you have been, or what you have gone through, the community is always there for you.

Encounters with a young boy in Taipei and a girl in Germany serve as a reminder that teachers and disciples recognize each other across many lives. These meetings raise the question of where we come from and where we go. The Buddha is the Tathagata, the one who comes from Suchness—ultimate reality—and returns to Suchness. Since ultimate reality is right here and now, there is no need for transportation; there is no coming and no going. Similarly, Jesus comes from the Father and returns to the Father, yet remains accessible in the present moment.

Birth is simply a new manifestation, not a beginning from nothing, and death is the end of a manifestation, not a cessation of being. Our true nature is the nature of no birth and no death. The Lotus Sutra confirms that everyone possesses buddhata, or Buddha nature. This nature is inherent not only in humans but also in animals, vegetables, and minerals. Looking deeply reveals that we continue to be rocks, clouds, and deer in the present moment. Buddha nature is not a result of evolution but manifests whenever conditions are sufficient.

Practice should lead to freedom from fear and grief, but one must be careful not to become a victim of rituals. Forms of practice, such as walking meditation or eating in silence, must generate joy, peace, and serenity rather than being imposed as hardship. A prisoner practicing mindful walking offers a true silent Dharma talk, often more profound than those caught in the business of religion. True freedom is found when one can outwardly maintain the form of holding a begging bowl while inwardly throwing it into the air and rolling in the grass, remaining entirely free from the ritual itself.

The Vinaya Pitaka of the Tamrashatiya school is divided into five major parts. The first part is Pārājika, meaning Defeat, to be discarded, no longer of use. Bhikshus have four precepts, and Bhikshunis have eight precepts. The four Pārājika precepts include: first, sexual intercourse; second, stealing; third, killing a human being; and fourth, lying that one has attained the Way. Violating these leads to automatic expulsion from the Sangha. Next are the 13 Sanghādisesa precepts, translated as Sangha-remainder; these offenses can be transformed with the support of the Sangha through the practice of repentance, a period of probation (parivāsa), and six days of mānatta.

The structure of the Pratimoksha continues with 2 indefinite rules (aniyata), 30 rules of forfeiture and confession (nissaggiya pācittiya), 92 rules of expiation (Tamrashatiya) or 90 rules (Dharmaguptaka), 4 rules of confession (pāṭidesanīya), 75 training rules (sekhiya), and 7 rules for settling disputes (adhikaraṇasamatha). In total, the Tamrashatiya school has 227 precepts for monks and 311 for nuns; the Dharmaguptaka school has 250 precepts for monks and 348 for nuns. The Uposatha ceremony to recite the precepts is held twice a month within the sīmā boundary. Those absent due to illness must send their consent (chandam dātum) and send their purity (pārisuddhi dātum).

The Sangha consists of the sevenfold community: first, the community of Bhikshus; second, the community of Bhikshunis; third, the community of Shikshamanas; fourth, the community of Shramaneras (novice monks); fifth, the community of Shramanerikas (novice nuns); sixth, the community of Upasakas (laymen); and seventh, the community of Upasikas (laywomen). The practice of the precepts has two aspects: Stopping (refraining) and Acting (doing), expressed through the Three Sets of Pure Precepts:

1. The Precepts of Restraint.
2. The Precepts of Good Dharmas.
3. The Precepts of Benefiting Sentient Beings.

The essence of the practice is Precepts, Concentration, and Insight, in which mindfulness is the substance of the Precepts.

Có bốn loại sa môn: thứ nhất là hình phục sa môn chỉ có hình thức; thứ hai là uy nghi khi cuống sa môn có dáng dấp bên ngoài nhưng không có chánh niệm; thứ ba là tham cầu danh văn sa môn chạy theo danh lợi; và thứ tư là thật hành sa môn thực sự thực tập theo lời Bụt dạy. Vị sa môn đích thực không còn tham tiếc sự sống hay tài lợi, thấy các pháp là không và vô tướng nên không kẹt vào sắc hay cõi vô sắc. Họ không vì niết bàn mà tu phạm hạnh, huống hồ là vì ba cõi, tự nương tựa nơi mình chứ không nương vào kẻ khác hay âm thanh, ngôn thuyết. Người học nhiều kinh điển mà không chuyển hóa được tham sân si thì giống như người chết khát trên dòng sông pháp, hay thầy thuốc mang nhiều thuốc mà không chữa được bệnh mình.

Người tu sĩ phạm giới mà thọ nhận cúng dường giống như thây chết mang đồ trang sức. Kinh Bảo Tích nêu ra bốn hạng thầy tu bề ngoài giữ giới nhưng bên trong phạm giới:

1. Hạng giữ giới trọn vẹn nhưng âm thầm tin tưởng ở sự có mặt của một cái ngã.
2. Hạng tụng và thực tập giới chu đáo nhưng tin ở sự có mặt của một nhân.
3. Hạng thực tập giới nhưng bị kẹt vào khái niệm về chúng sanh.
4. Hạng thực tập khổ hạnh và tin rằng có một cái sở đắc.

Người trì giới chân chính không thấy có ngã và ngã sở, không có tác và phi tác, vượt thoát ý niệm về thường và đoạn. Khi nghe giáo lý thâm diệu này, 500 vị khất sĩ đã bỏ đi vì không tín giải được. Bụt hóa hiện hai vị tỳ kheo đi theo để giáo hóa, chỉ ra rằng niết bàn là sự chấm dứt tham, sân, si, mà bản chất của chúng là bất sinh. Hành giả không nên dùng ý niệm để diệt trừ ý niệm, giống như dùng hai thanh gỗ cọ xát tạo ra lửa tuệ giác thiêu đốt cả hai. Vị Bồ tát thực tập kinh này cần giữ tâm vô tướng, sử dụng con thuyền chánh pháp vững mạnh với những tấm ván công đức và đinh chánh niệm để đưa chúng sanh qua biển sinh tử.

Summarizing the insight into the Buddha as a human being, a teacher, a father, a friend, a poet, and a social organizer. The Buddha’s educational method is like that of a horse trainer with three ways: gentle, strong, or both gentle and strong; if these fail, then “kill” (expel from the Sangha) so as not to spoil the community, yet still maintaining compassion without killing the good seeds. Human beings have two elements: nature and culture. Sexual needs must be transformed, not suppressed or repressed. Methods to deal with this include: viewing women as mothers, sisters, or younger sisters; contemplating impermanence and nonself; and most importantly, guarding the six sense organs. Physiological energy needs to be transformed into constructive energy and service through work, meditation practice, and study to accomplish the career of liberation, just as Mahatma Gandhi preserved his spiritual energy for the struggle.

Studying the Vinaya Pitaka and the distinction between Sila (moral precepts) and Vinaya (rules of conduct for the Sangha). The main Vinaya codes analyzed include:

1. The Vinaya of the Tamrasatiya school, consisting of three parts: Suttavibhanga (divided into Mahavibhanga and Bhikkhuni Vibhanga); Khandhaka (22 chapters divided into Mahavagga with 10 chapters and Cullavagga with 12 chapters); and Parivara (19 chapters).
2. The Ten Recitations Vinaya of the Sarvastivada school, consisting of 61 fascicles with ten recitations: rules for bhikshus, seven dharmas, eight dharmas, miscellaneous recitations, rules for bhikshunis, Ekottara, Upali’s questions, and Vinaya recitation (related to Matrika).
3. The Four-Part Vinaya of the Dharmagupta school, consisting of 60 fascicles divided into six parts: bhikshu rules, bhikshuni rules, 20 khandhakas, collection of Vinaya dharmas, settlement of disputes, and Ekottara Vinaya.
4. The Mahasanghika Vinaya of the Mahasanghika school, consisting of 40 volumes.
5. The Five-Part Vinaya of the Mahisasaka school, consisting of 30 fascicles divided into five parts: bhikshu rules, bhikshuni rules, nine methods regarding ordination, seven ways to settle disputes and karma, and eight dharmas regarding schism in the Sangha.
6. The Mulasarvastivada Vinaya.

In Tang Dynasty China, Vinaya Master Daoxuan of the Mount Zhongnan school devoted his energy to expounding and selecting the Four-Part Vinaya as the foundation because it suited the capacity of the people, greatly influencing the tradition of practice and study in Vietnam to this day.

Impermanence is of three kinds: instantaneous impermanence is the transformation in every moment necessary for life; periodic impermanence is the change through stages such as birth, old age, sickness, and death; and impermanence as an unexpected accident. The Buddha taught us to accept impermanence in order to live mindfully in the present moment, to cherish what we have, and to transform suffering. Contemplating impermanence helps us see the nature of nonself, thereby transcending birth and death and no longer being afraid of death.

The talk covers Sutras 41 through 70. Sutra 41 divides the ten actions into three groups: bodily actions comprising killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; verbal actions comprising lying, exaggeration, divisive speech, and abusive speech; and mental actions comprising craving, anger, and ignorance. Sutra 43 outlines five practices to develop insight: precepts, study, discussion, stopping, and looking deeply. Sutras 45 and 46 speak of four methods of practice regarding suffering and happiness in the present and the future. Sutra 55 mentions the Five Contemplations before eating: food is a gift of the earth and sky; vowing to live worthily; preventing unwholesome habits; regarding food as medicine; and eating to realize the path of practice.

Sutra 56 affirms that mental action is the most fundamental. Sutra 57 classifies four kinds of karma: dark action with dark fruit, bright action with bright fruit, action that is both dark and bright, and action that is neither dark nor bright. Sutra 61 uses the images of a basin of water and a mirror to teach about honesty and self-reflection. Sutra 62 guides the contemplation on the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Sutra 63 uses the example of a poisoned arrow to emphasize the practice of liberation instead of getting lost in metaphysical questions. Sutra 70 lists seven types of persons: one liberated in both ways, one liberated by wisdom, a body-witness, one attained to view, one liberated by faith, one following the Dharma, and one following faith.

The manifestation of Avalokiteshvara in Vietnam often takes the form of a woman with real historical compassion and filial piety, such as Guan Yin Thi Kinh or Guan Yin Dieu Thien. The spirit of Engaged Buddhism emphasizes “Filial piety in the heart, benevolence in the first thought”; practicing is not about escaping the world but finding joy and life to help parents and society, because each person is the continuation of their ancestors. Every step in walking meditation, every breath, and every mindful meal is to nourish the teachers and parents who are present within oneself.

The history of the division of Buddhist schools took place about 200 to 300 years after the Buddha passed away, with the formation of schools such as the Dharmaguptaka, Tāmraparṇīya, Pudgalavāda, and Sarvāstivādins. The Majjhima Nikaya in the Pali Canon contains 152 sutras, while the Madhyama Agama in the Chinese Canon contains 222 sutras, and only 96 sutras correspond between the two. The sutras analyzed include the Discourse on Perception (distinguishing cognition and direct knowledge), the Discourse on the Water-Purifying Brahmin (purifying the mind instead of bathing in the river), and the Honeyball Sutra (the teaching is sweet like a honey cake).

The content of the sutras addresses several groups of specific practice methods:

1. The Discourse on All the Taints teaches six methods to transform afflictions (asavas): 1. restraining, 2. using, 3. enduring, 4. avoiding, 5. removing, and 6. cultivating.
2. The Shorter Discourse on the Lion’s Roar speaks of the four attachments (upadana): 1. attachment to sense desires, 2. attachment to views, 3. attachment to rites and rituals, and 4. attachment to the doctrine of self.
3. The Discourse on Mental Impurities outlines five thorns in the mind that need to be removed: doubt in the Buddha, doubt in the Dharma, doubt in the Sangha, doubt in the training precepts, and anger towards fellow practitioners.
4. The Discourse on the Removal of Distracting Thoughts offers five ways to transform unwholesome thinking: 1. replacing it with a wholesome thought (like replacing a peg), 2. contemplating the bad consequences, 3. not paying attention to the environment where it arises, 4. tracing the root of the mental formation, and 5. using the mind to suppress the mind (this method is noted as not being in accord with the spirit of the Buddha’s teaching in the Mahasaccaka Sutra).

The Sakkapanha Sutta (Sakka’s Questions) tells the story of the God Sakka and a musician singing love songs before the Buddha. Through this story and the image of a nun craving fish sauce on her deathbed, the talk analyzes the psychology of the practitioner: if one does not find peace and joy in the true Dharma, one easily regrets worldly sensual pleasures. To transform craving, anger, and ignorance, it is necessary to practice mindfulness and guard the six sense organs. The Mahasatipatthana Sutta (The Great Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness) is the sole way to enter the path, teaching the contemplation of four domains:

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

The Payasi Sutta illustrates the Buddha’s method of skillful means, accepting the listener to guide them gradually; the way insight is expressed is more important than mere opinion. The Aggañña Sutta explains social origins and the misconception regarding the four castes:

1. Brahmins
2. Kshatriyas
3. Vaishyas
4. Shudras
   The Sigalovada Sutta teaches the meaning of prostrating to the six directions:
5. The East (parents)
6. The South (teachers)
7. The West (wife and children)
8. The North (friends)
9. The Nadir (employees/servants)
10. The Zenith (monastics)

The Sangiti Sutta and Dasuttara Sutta, delivered by Sariputta, use the numerical method from one to ten to help practitioners memorize the teachings. The Three Heaps Sutra outlines three paths to choose from:

1. Evil destinies (paths of suffering)
2. Good destinies (paths of peace and joy)
3. Nirvana (complete liberation)
   Finally, the Record of the World Sutra explains cosmology, the formation of the world, the heavenly realms, and the hells.

When living in a sangha, every daily action is not to serve the individual “self,” but to bring joy and success to the community, moving from the will to get to the will to give, thereby practicing non-self. Success is not for the ego, but for the ideal, for humanity, clearly expressed in the four paths of human life:

1. The path of desire
2. The path of success
3. The path of service
4. The path of renunciation

In the spirit of Engaged Buddhism, renunciation is not turning away from life, but a step leading to great happiness, originating from dwelling happily in the present moment—being aware of each breath, each step, each bite of food, in order to recognize impermanence without attachment. Alongside this is the practice of “an ma pháp”—massaging the body to circulate the blood and massaging the mind to release fear, hatred, and despair—supported by the sangha when coming into contact with suffering. The sixteen methods of therapeutic breathing, from calming the mind to releasing, help us to recognize, embrace, and transform all afflictions.

In the practice of Buddhism, there is no distinction between means and ends; means are ends in themselves. Walking to the meditation hall or raking leaves are not merely tasks to be completed but opportunities to be fully present, making every movement an act of enlightenment and art. Habit energy often compels us to run toward the future, believing happiness is not possible in the here and now, but training helps cultivate the capacity to live every moment deeply. Stability and solidity are the grounds for happiness, and these are established through mindful daily actions like washing dishes or tending to the garden.

Attachment to rules and rituals, known as Giới cấm thủ, hinders true practice. Silence during walking or bowing are not rigid rules but methods to invest one hundred percent of oneself into the action. The Ten Novice Precepts are not restrictions but protections for freedom and beauty. Within the fifty-one categories of mental formations, two wholesome states are essential for progress:

• Tàm: The sense of shame regarding oneself when realizing one is not practicing despite having favorable conditions.
• Quý: The sense of shame felt in the presence of another person, such as a teacher or fellow practitioner, who is practicing well.
  These formations act as adornments that encourage evaluation and transformation.

Transformation often happens unconsciously through the support of the environment, just as white chrysanthemums may turn violet by reflecting their surroundings. Trusting the Sangha allows one to be embraced and transported by the collective energy, healing the genetic and spiritual heritage within. Seniority is practiced not as a hierarchy of power but as respect for the transmission of the Dharma through generations. Sitting meditation is a time to enjoy doing nothing, keeping the spinal column upright yet relaxed, using the breath to harmonize body and mind, and generating joy and happiness.

Tổ Tăng Hội là sơ tổ của Thiền tông Việt Nam, dòng thiền của ngài được đại diện bởi thiền sư Lôi Hà Trạch vào thế kỷ thứ 13 trước khi nhập vào dòng thiền Trúc Lâm. Sinh ra vào thập niên đầu thế kỷ thứ 3 với cha là người Khương Cư và mẹ là người Giao Châu, ngài mồ côi năm 10 tuổi và xuất gia tại Luy Lâu. Sư di Tăng Hội thông thạo kinh Phật tiếng Phạn, chữ Hán, Nho học, Lão học cùng các môn khoa học như thiên văn và địa lý.

Năm 247, ngài sang Giang Nam, thuyết phục vua Ngô Tôn Quyền xây dựng chùa Kiến Sơ và tổ chức giới đàn đầu tiên cho người bản xứ xuất gia. Phương pháp truyền giới được áp dụng cần hội đồng 10 người, bao gồm:

1. Tam sư: Hòa thượng (Upadhyaya), Yết ma (Sangha Karma) và Giáo thọ (Dharma Acarya).
2. Bảy vị tôn chứng.

Tăng Hội không chỉ là tổ sư thiền tông Việt Nam mà còn có thể xem là sơ tổ thiền tông Trung Hoa, dù ít được học giả nhắc đến về phương diện thiền tập. Buổi lễ kỷ niệm kết thúc bằng lời nguyện noi gương các bậc tổ sư: Ca Diếp, A Nan, Long Thọ, Đề Bà, Vô Trước, Thế Thân, Tăng Hội, Đạt Ma, Huệ Khả, Tăng Xán, Đạo Tín, Hoằng Nhẫn, Huệ Năng, Lâm Tế và Liễu Quán.

The session takes place on June 21, 2001, in the Dharma Nectar Temple.

1. When a feeling of space, vacuum, and lifelessness keeps coming up, should one try to control it through visualization or just let the practice take care of it over time?
2. Is it a problem to believe in both creation and manifestation, rather than seeing the statement “You are not a creation, you are a manifestation” as a duality?
3. How can one find and take care of the wounded child when there is joy and happiness, given that enjoyment sometimes feels like being carried away rather than being truly present?
4. How does one deal with the hesitation to ask for help and support from the Sangha when there is a feeling of being a poisonous gift or that asking for help implies asking for something in return?

Plum Village is preparing for the Summer Retreat, followed by a Dharma teaching tour in the United States and a month-long trip to China. Previously, in London and Germany, retreats and Dharma talks took place, including an interview with the BBC regarding the current world situation and an event with approximately 6,000 attendees at the Protestant Church Congress. The teaching content emphasized the Three Dharma Seals, presented as keys to open the door of liberation and as methods of practice rather than merely doctrines describing reality:

1. Impermanence
2. Nonself
3. Nirvana

Through the “Dharma play” method, practitioners are guided to look deeply into the nature of the object of their love or hatred through practical questions: Who are you? Where have you come from? Why have you accepted my suffering as your own suffering? Why have you agreed to accept my happiness as your own happiness? And where will you go in the future? At the same time, the definition of the Kingdom of God or the Pure Land is clarified as a place where understanding and love exist right in the present moment. Suffering is a necessary condition to generate understanding and love, helping human beings not to surrender themselves to the enemies of fear, violence, and craving.

An important teaching that needs to be restored to heal the modern illnesses of stress and depression is dwelling happily in the present moment (drstadharmasukhavihara). The present dharma is what can be seen, touched, and contacted directly in the present moment, sukha is happiness, and vihara is dwelling or living. Besides that, the medicine of having few desires and knowing one has enough helps people escape the pressure of the two negative energies of craving and fear, thereby finding a direction and a true ideal of life instead of running after distant conditions of happiness.

Cần đóng bớt cửa sổ giao tiếp bên ngoài để giữ gìn năng lượng ấm áp bên trong dùng cho việc tu học. Sự tu học là quá trình tự độ, mình phải thành công trong việc tự lo cho mình trước khi có thể độ tha, giúp người trầm luân. Cụ dạy rất rõ hai điều kiện căn bản:

1. Phải bớt sự giao tiếp bên ngoài lại để giữ lấy năng lượng.
2. Với năng lượng đó, cầu Bụt, thầy và tăng thân yểm trợ để tu học cho tinh tấn thành công.

“Trông người lại ngẫm đến ta” là phương pháp tìm ra hình ảnh đích thực, hay mặt mũi xưa nay. Những người xung quanh là tấm gương phản chiếu; nhìn phản ứng của họ để thấy được chính mình thay vì trách móc. Tình cảm nếu đi đôi với từ bi hỷ xả, đưa mình tới mục tiêu tu học là tốt; nếu làm mất thì giờ và năng lượng thì là “dây oan”. Cần chọn thiện tri thức, những người vững chãi như cây tùng để nương tựa. Trong việc chọn lựa giữa “gác vàng” (đạo đức) và “bụi hồng” (thế gian), phải quyết đoán chọn ánh đạo vàng để dồn năng lượng về một phía phục vụ lý tưởng, giúp đạt được “công tư hai lẽ đều xong”.

Học Phật là để chuyển hóa nghiệp lực, những gia tài của tổ tiên và dòng họ, làm cho nhẹ nhàng và giải thoát. Về thời gian tu tập cho vững chãi, câu “Năm nay là một, nữa thì năm năm” chỉ định rõ cần tối thiểu sáu năm nương tựa tăng thân. Phải thực tập lòng biết ơn đối với gia đình, đất nước và tam bảo để nuôi dưỡng hạnh phúc. Cuối cùng, hãy để bản thân tự nhiên như “phong sương được vẽ thiên nhiên”, giữ vững sức mạnh tâm linh trước những thăng trầm và mở lòng lắng nghe “tiếng huyền” - pháp âm từ tất cả mọi người, kể cả những người tu sau mình.

Quẻ số 3 với câu “Nâu sồng từ trở màu thiền. Mặn khen nét bút càng nhìn càng tươi” đề cập đến chiếc áo màu nâu mang hương vị thiền tập và nếp sống đơn giản. Xóm Hạ trở lại thành một tu viện, càng nhìn càng thấy tươi mới, đẹp đẽ và có sự hòa hợp. Vị trụ trì có thời gian thảnh thơi để nhìn kỹ từng cá nhân trong Tăng thân, trân quý tài năng và sự tươi mát của họ qua thực tập tưới tẩm hạt giống tốt, đôi khi có thể khen ngợi nhiều hơn mức bình thường (mặn khen).

Về việc cân bằng thực phẩm, quẻ số 138 “Tấm thân rầy đã nhẹ nhàng. Lòng đây, lòng đấy chưa từng hay sao” chỉ ra rằng cơ thể đã có sự nhẹ nhàng và không nên phân biệt quá mạnh về thức ăn trong tâm. Cần tin tưởng vào cơ thể và tuệ giác của Tăng thân, vì tàng thức có khả năng chấp nhận và tiêu hóa thức ăn được dọn lên. Đối với ý nguyện mở khóa tu, quẻ số 22 “Bốn bề bát ngát xa trông. Khỏi rừng lau đã tới sân Phật đường” cho thấy có nhiều cách để đi tới mục đích và cần im lặng vượt qua những chướng ngại (rừng lau) để đến nơi có ánh sáng và sự bảo hộ.

Các hướng dẫn thực tập khác bao gồm:

1. Về sức khỏe, quẻ số 50 “Tiếng sen sẽ động giấc hòe, nhạc vàng đâu đã tiếng nghe gần gần” khuyên nên lắng nghe cơ thể, thực tập đi thiền hành nhẹ nhàng (tiếng sen) và ngồi cho thẳng để đánh thức giấc ngủ (giấc hòe), tiếp nhận pháp âm (nhạc vàng).
2. Về niềm tin, quẻ số 87 “Trời đông vừa rạng ngàn dâu” nhắc về duyên xưa hay bồ đề tâm năm cũ là điều có thể thực hiện được để đạt tới an lạc.
3. Về mục đích cuộc đời, quẻ số 61 “Lấy tình thâm trả nghĩa thâm. Một lời quyết hẳn muôn phần kính thêm” nhắc nhở dùng tình thương sâu sắc (tình thâm) để đền đáp công ơn, nhận ra mình là sự tiếp nối của tổ tiên và nuôi dưỡng thế hệ sau.
4. Đối với sự phân vân, quẻ số 145 “Nghĩ đi nghĩ lại quanh co. Tấm son gột rửa bao giờ cho phai” nhắn nhủ đừng suy nghĩ vòng vo mà hãy tin vào tấm lòng son sắt (tấm son) và bồ đề tâm đã được gieo trồng.

Peace is possible in our body and in our mind. The mind goes back to the body to help release tension and pain through the practice of mindful breathing and mindful walking. The first exercise offered by the Buddha in the Sutra on Mindful Breathing is to become aware of the existence of the body. The third exercise is to allow the tension in the body to be released for total relaxation. This can be practiced in the sitting or lying position, becoming aware of the rising and falling of the abdomen. In daily life, red lights, computer bells, and telephone rings serve as reminders to stop, breathe, and release tension.

Mindful walking helps release tension by touching the ground mindfully, as if kissing the earth with the feet. Bringing the mind down to the soles of the feet establishes one in the present moment, making the Pure Land of the Buddha or the Kingdom of God manifest. Every step brings you home, making solidity and freedom possible. When a painful feeling arises, the energy of mindfulness and concentration is generated to recognize and embrace the feeling tenderly, like a mother holding a baby. This practice of non-violence calms the pain, allowing one to look deeply into its nature and find the root cause. Insight and understanding act as a sword to cut off major afflictions like fear, anger, and despair.

Sister Chan Khong shares that Thich Nhat Hanh’s calligraphy supports children in poor areas of Vietnam. The teaching “human beings are not our enemies” emphasizes that only wrong perceptions are enemies. Questions are answered regarding feelings of powerlessness, breathing techniques, and the nature of spirit. The Holy Spirit is described as mindfulness, a feeling of completeness when body and thoughts come together.

Looking into a glass of tea reveals its journey from the river, the rain, and the clouds. A cloud does not die; it transforms into rain, snow, or ice, but it never becomes nothing. Similarly, a person contains their parents and all ancestors within them; removing these elements leaves no self behind. A river is made of non-river elements, just as a flower is made of non-flower elements like soil, rain, and sunshine. Meditation involves looking deeply to see these sources and recognizing that ancestors are present in every cell, sharing in happiness and suffering.

To answer where we go when we die, we must first know where we are going in the present moment. We continue through our actions, known in Sanskrit as Karma. There are three aspects of action:

1. Thinking - Right Thinking brings health and helps the world.
2. Speech - Right Speech brings healing, forgiveness, and compassion.
3. Bodily action - the physical acts committed by the body.

Jean-Paul Sartre noted that “man is the sum of all his action.” These actions bring about retribution, which has two aspects: the main retribution consisting of the five skandhas (body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness), and the environment (Y báo). We are not only our body but also our environment.

Action is categorized as individual action (biệt nghiệp) and collective action (cộng nghiệp). These are inseparable, much like the left and right sides of a marker; the individual relies on the collective to be, and vice versa. Past wrong actions can be transformed in the present moment, as the nature of thought is non-local; a thought of compassion today can neutralize a past thought of anger. Ultimately, reality is of the nature of no birth and no death. Birth is not coming from nothing into something, but a moment of continuation. Like an orange tree producing blossoms and fruit, human beings continue through their thinking, speaking, and acting. Living according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings ensures a beautiful continuation.

Life begins in the womb, a “palace of the child” where there is no fear and no desire, only comfort. The mother breathes, eats, and drinks for the baby through the umbilical cord, and her happiness and mindfulness directly nourish the child. Birth cuts this physical link, introducing the struggle to breathe and the sensation of being entirely helpless. This moment births the original fear of dying and the original desire for someone to provide care. Although we grow into adults, this helpless child remains alive within us; the search for a partner is often a continuation of the desire for a substitute parent to provide safety. Meditation reveals that while the physical cord is cut, invisible umbilical cords continue to link us to the sun, the river, the forest, and the farmer, without whom survival is impossible.

To transform the original fear, one must take the time to talk to the wounded, helpless child inside. By assuming the role of the adult self, we reassure the child that we now have strong hands and feet, are no longer vulnerable, and can protect ourselves. True security does not come from another person, but from taking refuge in the Three Jewels:

• The Buddha: The energy of mindfulness and the inherent capacity to understand and love.
• The Dharma: The living practice of mindful breathing and walking that calms the body and releases tension.
• The Sangha: The harmony of the five skandhas: body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

The Buddha taught that one should not take refuge outside of oneself but return to the Island of Self (Attadipa). This is practiced through a specific gatha: “Buddha is my mindfulness, shining near and shining far. Dharma is my mindful breathing. Sangha is my five skandhas.” When the five skandhas operate in harmony through the energy of the living Dharma, fear and despair are transformed. This practice is concretely expressed through the Five Mindfulness Trainings, which represent the path of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path, serving as a contribution to a global ethic.

The Kingdom of God and the Pure Land of the Buddha are the same, and they must contain mud, for without mud, lotus flowers cannot grow. Similarly, without suffering, one cannot cultivate the flowers of understanding and compassion. Love is predicated on understanding; if one does not understand another’s suffering, they cannot love them. Consequently, the Pure Land is not a place devoid of suffering, but a place where one learns to understand and love. A good practitioner knows how to generate moments of peace and joy, but also how to handle the mud of sorrow, fear, and anger, using the energy of mindfulness to recognize and embrace these feelings rather than running away.

The Pure Land is a collective creation, a Sangha, which is a community that lives according to the living Dharma. This living Dharma is the energy of mindfulness generated through daily actions like breathing, walking, and eating. The Buddha is a human being, and humans and Buddhas are not separate entities. To sustain the practice and continue the Buddha in daily life, a local Sangha is essential. This support helps practitioners face the First Noble Truth, the existence of suffering, and the Second Noble Truth, understanding how suffering has come to be through specific nutriments. Understanding the nature of suffering unlocks the Fourth Noble Truth, the path of transformation and healing known as the Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right View - Transcending dualistic thinking to see that happiness and suffering are not individual matters but that the happiness of both parties inter-are.
2. Right Thinking - Producing thoughts of compassion and non-discrimination.
3. Right Speech - Speaking without discrimination or hate.
4. Right Action - Acts that protect and save rather than harm.
5. Right Livelihood.
6. Right Mindfulness.
7. Right Concentration.

The path is concretely represented by the Five Mindfulness Trainings:

1. Protecting Life - Based on the insight of interbeing and non-dualism.
2. True Happiness - Realizing happiness comes from understanding and love, not wealth, power, fame, or sex.
3. True Love - Distinct from sexual desire, incorporating karuna (compassion), joy, and upekkha (inclusiveness).
4. Restoring Communication - Using deep listening and loving speech to remove wrong perceptions.
5. Right Consumption - Consuming only what brings peace and health, cutting off sources of anger and despair.

Walking meditation is practiced to enjoy every step, serving as an end in itself rather than a means to arrive elsewhere. Like an artist enjoying the masterpiece they are creating, there is no need to strive or fight; if there is suffering while sitting or walking, it is not being done correctly. Insight obtained through mindfulness and concentration reveals that life and all its wonders are already available in the here and the now. The Kingdom of God and the Pure Land of the Buddha are within and around us, and the appointment with life is found only in the present moment. To miss the present is to miss this appointment.

Mindfulness is the key to unlocking this kingdom, a capacity known as Buddha nature. Breathing in brings the mind back to the body, waking it from forgetfulness and distraction. Once the mind returns, it may recognize tension and pain. The third exercise on mindful breathing is to be aware of the whole body, followed by the fourth exercise: releasing the tension in the body. This practice allows for deep total relaxation, reducing pain and preventing illness caused by accumulated tension.

To aid in arriving one hundred percent in the here and the now, a specific gatha is used during walking meditation:

• I have arrived, I am home — This is a realization, not a thought, signifying the return to the true home in the present moment.
• In the here, in the now — Establishing oneself firmly where life is happening.
• I am solid, I am free — Recognizing the stability and freedom gained by not being pulled by the past or future.
• In the ultimate I dwell — Touching the dimension of reality that transcends time and space.

Nirvana is the realm of no birth and no death, no coming and no going. Using the image of a wave and water, the wave represents the historical dimension with a beginning and end, while the water represents the ultimate dimension. The wave does not need to look for water; it is water in the here and the now. By touching this ultimate dimension, fear and anger can no longer carry us away.

With the energy of mindfulness and concentration, peace is created within and around us. Being fully present in the here and now allows contact with refreshing and healing elements, while also embracing and transforming pain and sorrow. Mindfulness is generated through daily actions like breathing, walking, eating, and brushing teeth. Practicing together as a Sangha provides a powerful collective energy, similar to a formation of birds, making practice easier. Mindfulness brings the energy of concentration, leading to insight. Recognizing the miracle of being alive is an insight that liberates from forgetfulness and brings joy. The three energies of mindfulness, concentration, and insight are generated by the practitioner to bring peace to daily life.

To cultivate love, understanding, and stillness, one must learn to stop and take one breath and one step at a time. The retreat is viewed as a necklace of pearls, where each activity—sitting, silent eating, Dharma talks, and walking—is a pearl connected by the string of practice. Simplicity is key; letting go of external distractions allows the mind to take refuge in the present moment.

Specific practices support this cultivation:

• The Sound of the Bell: Stopping all activity to return to breathing, allowing the sound to penetrate every cell and help the body rest.
• Sitting Meditation: Establishing a solid, upright posture to touch the seed of solidity, focusing on the abdomen or nostrils, and gently returning to the breath when thinking arises.
• Walking Meditation: Walking without rushing, practicing “100%” walking by not talking, feeling the feet on the earth, and relaxing the body within the collective energy.
• Eating Meditation: Maintaining silence, reciting the Five Contemplations, chewing slowly to feel the food rather than chewing worries, and appreciating the food in the present moment.
• Noble Silence: A practice from the evening’s last activity until after breakfast, creating space for reflection and feeling oneself.

We re-learn how to walk, how to breathe, and how to eat in such a way that peace, joy, and freedom become possible. The obstacle that prevents us from celebrating life is the past, which is only a ghost or an image stored in the store consciousness. We let ourselves slip into this movie theater to relive the suffering, such as having been mistreated or abused. The proposed method is to anchor ourselves in the present moment with the help of mindful breathing. We must ask ourselves: “Do I really have a problem right now?” If the answer is no, then we do not have a problem at all, because the past and the future are unreal things.

It is necessary to speak to the wounded child within us, who feels vulnerable and unprotected. We must dialogue with him or her, recognize their emotion, and assure them that we have become adults, capable of defending ourselves, thus exposing the original fear to the light of mindfulness. To train ourselves to live in the present moment, we can use poems or gathas. It is proposed to choose three of them, for example for turning on the water tap, and to integrate the practice into daily life, such as when turning on the computer or driving.

When facing another person who has created difficulties for us, fear dissipates thanks to insight. Just as we know how to handle gas or electricity safely despite their capacity to kill us, understanding that the other person suffers and does not know how to handle their suffering protects us. Seeing this, we are armed with understanding and compassion, which allows us to no longer suffer because of that person and to be motivated by the desire to help them.

Intellectually we know the wonders of life are available, like the blue sky and green hills, but energies of worry and anger often prevent us from touching the Kingdom of God. Mindfulness helps recognize and transform these blocks, stopping the habit energy of running to the future for happiness. If we cannot be happy now, we will never be happy, as the future is made of the present. By writing down conditions of happiness, we discover we have many, such as eyes that see a paradise of forms and colors, or a heart that functions normally. The Buddha taught drista Dharma sukha vihara, living happily in the present moment. We are not forbidden to plan, but we must not be carried away by fear of the future or regret of the past. Establishing ourselves in the present allows us to change the past; by realizing an ancestor like a grandmother is in every cell of our body, we can breathe, smile, and apologize to her within, healing old wounds.

Mindfulness and concentration are equivalent to the Holy Spirit; where they exist, there is understanding, compassion, and healing. The Kingdom of God must contain suffering, for without mud, there is no lotus; suffering is necessary to cultivate the understanding and compassion required for love. To love a son or daughter, a parent must understand their suffering and use loving speech. Compassionate listening has one purpose: to help the other empty their heart. Even if the other person speaks with blame or wrong perceptions, one listens without interrupting, protected by the energy of compassion. When anger arises, do not say or do anything, but return to the self to embrace the anger tenderly like a mother holding a baby. Anger is often born from wrong perceptions, which are the ground of fear and despair.

To reconcile with a loved one when suffering, write down three sentences:

1. “My dear friend, I suffer and I want you to know it.”
2. “I am doing my best.”
3. “Please help me.”
   Writing the third sentence helps overcome pride, recognizing that in true love, there is no separation of suffering. This practice can transform a situation in less than 24 hours. Finally, walking meditation is an art of living deeply, arriving in the here and the now with every step, perhaps using a rhythm of two steps for the in-breath and three for the out-breath. One may invite ancestors, the Buddha, or Jesus Christ to walk with them. This practice has universal value, echoing the Gospel of St. Matthew to not worry about tomorrow, and is offered not as a religion, but as an art of living.

Sutra 121, The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness, teaches about emptiness through the process of transforming perception from the perception of the village to the perception of the forest, the perception of earth, the Realm of Infinite Space, the Realm of Infinite Consciousness, the Realm of Nothingness, to the Realm of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, seeing that this is present because that is absent in order to transcend attachment to conditioned dharmas. Sutra 125 uses the example that a practitioner needs precepts just as a wild elephant needs to be staked to be tamed; seeking liberation without the Noble Eightfold Path is as futile as four things: pressing sand from the Ganges to get oil, milking a cow’s horn, churning cold water to make butter, and rubbing two wet sticks together to make fire. Sutra 129 uses the image of a blind turtle surfacing once every hundred years and encountering a log with a hole floating in the ocean to speak of the difficulty of obtaining a human body. Sutra 130 mentions four divine messengers warning humans of the need to practice: a crying newborn baby, an old person, a sick person, and a dead person.

The theme of The One Who Knows the Better Way to Live Alone (Bhaddekaratta) is emphasized through Sutras 131, 132, 133, and 134, defining living alone as dwelling in the present moment, not pursuing the past, and not losing oneself in the future, in order to attain solidity and freedom. Sutra 135 defines karma as one’s inheritance, womb, kinsman, and refuge, consisting of two types: inferior karma and superior karma. Sutra 140 teaches about the eighteen mental examinations consisting of six of joy, six of grief, and six of equanimity, and the four foundations:

1. The foundation of wisdom.
2. The foundation of truth.
3. The foundation of generosity.
4. The foundation of peace.

Sutra 128 teaches the “changing the peg” method to transform minor defilements in meditation. Sutra 141 advises taking refuge in Sariputta as a birth mother and Moggallana as a foster mother. Sutra 142 discusses generosity as an investment for humanity, in which making offerings to virtuous people brings greater benefit.

In 1946, during the French war, a young, pale French soldier demanded rice from the temple. Looking deeply reveals that this soldier, like the novices killed, was a victim of war. There is no hatred, only the possibility of reconciliation. War is destructive, and looking deeply offers better ways to solve conflicts than violence. Each cell of the body contains the totality of the body and all ancestors, a truth reflected in the technique of cloning where the one contains the all. When breathing or walking mindfully, all ancestors breathe and walk at the same time. The physical body is impermanent, but the Dharma body remains.

Mindfulness helps to touch the beauty within and around, making the practitioner more beautiful. When sitting or walking in beauty, loneliness vanishes and the environment becomes a Sangha. A story is shared of a woman plagued by fear and insomnia who found safety through the image of a child, Bao Tich, practicing belly breathing with support. The practice of touching joy is crucial; without joy, gratitude and concentration are impossible. Children can be helped to touch the wonders of the present moment, such as the birds, the moon, and the sky, and simple acts like answering the telephone can become bells of mindfulness.

The five-year-old child is still alive within, holding vulnerability and fragility. Life is like a diagram of Yin and Yang; in the side of happiness, there is a seed of suffering, and in suffering, a seed of happiness. Mindfulness, concentration, and insight allow for the purification of the past by seeing these seeds. The practice involves breathing in and smiling with compassion to the five-year-old child within. This extends to seeing one’s father and mother as five-year-old children, acknowledging their fragility and suffering. Liberating oneself involves liberating parents simultaneously, as the practitioner is their continuation.

To understand where a beloved one goes after death, one must look deeply into the nature of reality, much like asking a flame where it has come from and where it has gone. The flame, like a cloud transforming into rain, has not come from anywhere and goes nowhere; it only manifests when conditions are sufficient. This deep looking leads to the Three Doors of Liberation. The first door is shunyata, emptiness. A flower is made entirely of non-flower elements such as sunshine, clouds, and soil; it is full of the cosmos but empty of a separate self. Similarly, a person is a continuation of their parents and ancestors, made of non-self elements. To be is to inter-be.

The second door is animitta, signlessness, which is the ability to recognize the presence of a beloved one beyond their form or appearance. The Diamond Sutra encourages the removal of four specific notions to touch the ultimate dimension:

1. The notion of Self: Understanding that the self is made only of non-self elements allows one to use the word “self” freely without being caught by it.
2. The notion of Man: Humans are made of non-human elements like animals, vegetables, and minerals; protecting these elements is necessary to protect humanity.
3. The notion of Living Beings: The distinction between animate and inanimate is vague, as even a stone contains consciousness and the cosmos.
4. The notion of Lifespan: Birth and death are merely points of continuation and transformation, not a beginning from nothing or an end into nothingness.

The third door is apranihita, aimlessness, the practice of not running after anything, including enlightenment. Just as a wave does not need to run to look for water because it is already water, one does not need to run to find the ultimate, as the nature of no birth and no death is already present. One is not a creation but a manifestation. The talk concludes with a discussion on the Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Three Refuges as concrete ways to live deeply, renew one’s own spiritual tradition, and generate understanding and compassion.

We begin with questions from the children and young people:

1. What is so interesting about your life?
2. Why do you like to write?
3. How can a Christian practice Buddhism?
4. When did you want to become a monk?
5. What was I before I was a seed, where was I, what was I doing, and who was I playing with?
6. What emotions or feelings drove you to become a monk?
7. How did the tradition of shaving monks and nuns’ heads start?

Followed by questions from adults and teenagers:

1. How did the idea of Engaged Buddhism manifest itself and get started in Vietnam?
2. What do you think about gathering people to march on Washington D.C. to mindfully persuade the president to take a different approach to the conflict between America and Afghanistan?
3. Can the community meet to form a practical, specific commitment to make a parliament of deep listening happen soon?
4. How can I send love to an uncle who sexually abused me when I have tremendous fear?
5. Considering the historical aspects of Judaism regarding defense and survival, is there ever a time to fight?
6. How do we help children with limited abilities due to disability or illness, and how do we help the parents and caregivers trying to take care of them?
7. Is this comfort worth the poisoning of the earth and ourselves when we could still hear you without all this?

Mindfulness acts as sunshine embracing vegetation, allowing the in-breath and out-breath to become harmonious, deep, and peaceful. This energy enables one to embrace pain, sorrow, and fear tenderly, like a mother holding a child, and acts as a boat that carries the rocks of suffering so they do not sink, supported by the collective energy of the Sangha. The practice relies on the Sutra on Mindful Breathing, beginning with the first four exercises focused on the body: recognizing the in-breath and out-breath, following the breath, becoming aware of the physical body, and calming the body to release stress. The next four exercises concern feelings:

1. Generating a feeling of joy.
2. Generating a feeling of happiness.
3. Recognizing painful feelings.
4. Calming the feeling and bringing relief.

Compassion is born on the ground of understanding and insight (prajñā), which are cultivated through mindfulness (smṛti) and concentration (samādhi). Wrong perceptions are identified as the foundation of violence and terrorism, which can only be removed through the practice of deep, compassionate listening and loving speech. Drawing on the transformation witnessed between Palestinian and Israeli groups practicing together, a proposal is outlined for America to listen to the suffering within its own borders through a council of sages, and to establish a “Parliament of Peace” to listen to the suffering of other nations. Political leaders are urged to use the language of truth and interbeing to remove wrong perceptions and ensure mutual safety, rather than responding to violence with violence.

During mindful eating, food is recognized as an ambassador from the cosmos, containing the earth, sky, and hard work of farmers. The talk concludes with a Question and Answer session addressing the “non-man” elements of minerals and vegetables within humans, the necessity of having space inside oneself like the moon, and the speaker’s history with Martin Luther King Jr. Further answers explore the transformation of trauma for Vietnam veterans, the definition of enlightenment as concrete mindfulness in daily activities, and advice for a military officer on maintaining awareness as the “flame on the candle” within the system.

In the light of interbeing, the present is made of non-present elements like the past and the future; the past is always available and can be transformed by touching the present moment deeply. Our genetic and spiritual ancestors are alive in every cell of our body and our consciousness, and touching them allows for the healing of old wounds. It is necessary to come home to oneself to reign responsibly over our vast territory composed of five elements: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Instead of running away from our pain through consumption or distraction, we must use conscious breathing to go home, recognize, and embrace our suffering.

The practice of Beginning Anew allows us to determine not to repeat negative actions, supported by the Five Mindfulness Trainings, particularly the fifth on mindful consumption and the fourth on listening. To see clearly into oneself, the practice of Shining Light invites the Sangha or a loved one to help us recognize our qualities and weaknesses, fostering the establishment of a peace treaty. Like the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, deep listening consists of keeping compassion alive with only one purpose: to offer the other person a chance to express themselves so they can suffer less. This compassion, born from understanding the causes of suffering, protects us from irritation and allows for transformation and healing.

We begin with questions from the children during the last Dharma talk of the summer retreat:

1. When people are aggressive or irritating, how does one act not to be violent towards them?
2. How is it possible to write so many books and keep coming up with new ideas?
3. Why do monks and nuns have to shave their heads?
4. Why must breakfast be eaten so early?
5. How is it possible to manage to stay so calm?
6. How does one stop when feeling annoyed?

Followed by questions from the adults:

1. What is the reason for being born and what is the purpose of life?
2. When feeling resentment and lacking the stability to face a situation of misunderstanding and anger, how can the resulting internal conflict be handled?
3. Why does one seem to bring out the worst in people who are otherwise seen as good and compassionate, and why do they seem to dislike one so much?
4. How does one love without attachment, desiring freedom for the beloved, and letting go without causing suffering?
5. How does one deal with letting go, suffering, and impermanence when facing the loss of a beloved person, or the eventual passing of the teacher?
6. When intolerance and judgment arise because Sangha members do not respect silence or the practice, should one open their heart to become tolerant?

It is April 21, 2001, for a question and answer session.

• Is it better to show the reality of the violence in the world to children, such as in a documentary on North Korea, or is it better to protect them?
• What are the criteria for saying that a Sangha is in harmony when there are problems or clashes to resolve?
• What is your position regarding homosexuality, parents of homosexuals, and the use of condoms among young people?
• How far should one go in the practice of the Second Mindfulness Training regarding exploitation and social injustice, in connection with the energy of engagement felt in the book “Fragrant Palm Leaves”?
• How can we apply letting go without allowing other people to be exploited afterwards in a professional setting?
• If we are made of non-self, why is the great meditation question “Who am I?”, particularly in the context of adoption and the search for one’s origins?
• How can one protect oneself from the suffering of others when volunteering to care for the elderly or vulnerable, so as not to return home exhausted?
• What meaning do you give to the word “information” when you say that every cell in our body contains all the information?
• Is it necessary to use the word “Right” before “Mindfulness,” or is the term “Mindfulness” sufficient on its own?
• What chooses the object of mindfulness? Can concentration prevent one from being present? And how do we distinguish an insight from a simple thought?
• A testimony of gratitude from a practitioner who overcame the loss of her son and her husband’s disability thanks to taking refuge and insight.
• What should one do when one wants to love and be loved but no one wants our company, or when one links happiness to the feeling of being important?
• What method of practice can help a mother and her suicidal daughter, knowing that the mother suffered domestic violence and depression during her pregnancy?
• What is your opinion on homosexual couples who wish to raise a child together?
• Does a child raised by a loving homosexual couple suffer repercussions compared to a child raised by a heterosexual couple?

1. In the case of anger, what can we do to help someone who suffers and makes others suffer, and how can we intervene to help both the person suffering and the one causing suffering when we see someone torturing or beating their child or their wife?
2. How can I help my sister when she has just lost her child?

The most appreciated questions are those concerning the practice.

1. A friend has not understood the notion of nonself?
2. How can we help a young woman suffering from a serious illness, who is in immense suffering at the thought of leaving her children without her mother’s love and without her body to offer them her tenderness?
3. Why does China accept Thay’s visit, and is it Tibetan Buddhist?
4. What can be said about indifference regarding the suffering occurring around us, such as walking past a person begging without even noticing?
5. If we love, we are attached; is love therefore something that goes against the insight into impermanence and nonself?

We are at Deer Park Monastery in the Ocean of Peace Meditation Hall, during the “Mindfulness is the Source of Happiness” retreat on September 26, 2009. The Question and Answer session begins with a sharing on the text of the revised Five Mindfulness Trainings, considered the insight of the Buddha regarding a global spiritual ethic capable of bringing about healing and transformation.

1. When we think, do we create karma?
2. When are sexual relations acceptable?
3. When we have suffering or sickness, is prayer effective?

We are at Bat Nha Monastery on the last day of the retreat for young people with the theme “Listen to understand, look deeply to love” on April 27, 2008. This is an opportunity to ask questions of the heart regarding one’s suffering and difficulties.

We begin with a question about meditation practice:

1. Is there any way to stop the phenomenon of muscle tension behind the ear running down to the shoulder and heating up, causing distraction during sitting meditation?

Next are questions about the Buddhist Youth Family and social issues:

2. How can current concerns about the Buddhist Youth Family be renewed, and how can the organization return to its true ideal substance?
3. How can young people regain trust and restore communication when witnessing moral breakdowns in the family and at school?
4. What advice should be given when a female friend who is a Buddhist has been sexually abused by a monk, leading to suffering and a loss of faith in the practice?
5. How can we resolve the conflict between dwelling happily in the present moment and thinking about the future or past to generate new ideas, and why not use information technology to spread what is good?

Then there are questions about monastic life and spirituality:

6. How can I communicate with my father when he opposes my ordination and torments my mother every time he receives a letter I send home?
7. How can a young monastic maintain their Bodhicitta, not retrogress, and not be pulled away by the five sensual desires, especially lust and drowsiness when studying sutras?
8. What should be done to have peace of mind when fulfilling the last wishes of the deceased, such as killing or burning votive paper, violates the Five Mindfulness Trainings?

Finally, a cluster of questions from young people regarding education, love, and career:

9. Does Thay have any way to help apply the Dharma in schools so that teachers suffer less and the social environment has fewer social ills?
10. Please give some advice to young people who often withdraw into a dark corner, do not want to share, and do not want to participate in life?
11. What is affinity, how do we know when it comes, and what must we do to suffer less when affinity has not yet arrived or never arrives?
12. How can one escape the impasse and feel that life is meaningful when, after achieving a position, one ambitiously seeks a higher position with jealousy?

We are in the Upper Hamlet during the Autumn Retreat, day 42 (November 2, 2004). Thay begins with the image of the oak tree and the century plant producing seeds for continuation, comparing it to monastics generating seeds of mindfulness, concentration, and insight to transmit to the future, emphasizing the spirit of nonself and the common career of the Sangha.

We begin with questions from the community:

1. Thay teaches that practicing is practicing for one’s whole family and lineage, but how should we understand the saying “whoever practices attains, whoever eats gets full”?
2. How can a Sister let go of her anger when I have tried to reconcile and asked for help, but she still rejects my friendly gestures?
3. How should we live in accordance with the spirit of the elder brothers, and how should the sisters down there live in accordance with the spirit of the younger ones, so that later we can live in greater harmony and closeness?
4. What about the phenomenon where I sleep very well at night, but people in the room say I scream, laugh, and cry, and does it affect my health?
5. How do I practice letting go of my own views and accepting the insight of others to work together without dominating or taking away the space of a younger sibling when I have more experience and want to help?
6. How can Elder Brothers and Sisters work harmoniously and play with the younger ones while still maintaining respect, without being seen as bossy or losing their dignity, and is a hierarchy needed to maintain that respect?
7. What are the regulations regarding younger siblings visiting a Bhikshu who has left the community and is living at a lay friend’s house near the Village, and regarding organizing a party when that teacher comes to visit while the community is observing the retreat boundaries?
8. What is true hope, given that hope is usually based on an image of the future, and when hope is lost, people fall into despair?
9. Since the trip to Vietnam could not happen, does Thay plan to extend the retreat by another 3 months to make it a 6-month autumn retreat so we can learn more?
10. What is the boundary between joking and speaking ill when talking about a brother or sister who is not present, even if there is no negative intention?
11. How can one perceive the compassion of a monastic who does not have a good appearance or compassionate features, and whose daily gestures are very unpleasant?

Thay invites those who wish to ask a question to come and sit on the chair to ask a real question that will help the Sangha.

• Is mindfulness enough to heal the deep wounds of depression, or is it necessary to seek help through psychological therapy?
• How can we bring harmony into our family when we are the only one practicing and our partner is not interested at all?
• How can a psychotherapist practice to take care of themselves and not be overwhelmed by the suffering of their patients?
• How can one transform persistent anger toward a father who caused a lot of harm during childhood in order to reconcile?
• How can we handle difficult communication or a relationship where the other person closes off or becomes hostile despite the practice of loving speech and personal transformation?
• How can we reconcile the acceptance of what is with the responsibility to change things regarding the problems of the world?
• How can one contribute to building a sincere Sangha free from personal interests and ego?
• What are the criteria to ensure a Sangha does not become a discriminatory tribe, and should one move away from a chaotic environment in order to practice?
• What is right sexual conduct when one is not in a couple, and is it possible to have sexuality without long-term commitment?
• How can we deal with physical pain when the idea that happiness is found in the present moment is perceived as a provocation?
• What is the right balance between the need to protect one’s senses from negative consumption and the responsibility to look deeply into the causes of suffering in the world?
• What is the impact of the diligent practice of mindfulness on the natural phenomenon of dreaming at night?

This Q&A session took place during a retreat for monastics, after the community had to move from Kim Son Monastery to Duc Vien Temple due to a natural disaster. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh introduces and invites the Venerable Elders to share their experiences of practice and study with the assembly.

1. What constitutes a truly correct and courageous aspiration to ordain?
2. How can one nourish and sustain inspiration for the practice on the long path when sitting meditation no longer generates as much inspiration as it did in the beginning?
3. What is the current situation of Buddhism in the homeland, and what attitude and methods should be prepared to propagate the Dharma smoothly if one returns to Vietnam?
4. When there are not many opportunities for novice duties and manual service as in the tradition, how should young monastics in the West practice in order to accumulate merit?
5. What helped you keep your mind firm to continue the practice when witnessing many Dharma brothers and sisters losing their aspiration or being forced to give up the practice during the difficult periods of the country?
6. What are the differences and distinctive characteristics of the Plum Village practice method compared to the traditional methods of the Vietnamese Buddhist Ancestral Teachers?
7. How can one cultivate virtue, transform greed, anger, and delusion, and keep the Bodhicitta solid; and have the Venerables ever wavered in the face of afflictions?

This Q&A session took place on the evening of September 25, 2002, during a retreat for monastics, part of Thay’s teaching tour in the United States.

1. In the context of the current machinery of practice organization causing the aspiration to transcend the world to be sidetracked into rituals, and the situation of a divided church, could Thay please outline a direction to build an organization and a correct path for monastics and lay practitioners?
2. Given the reality that young monastics upon graduation are swept into the machinery of rituals or become absorbed in external studies while neglecting the practice, could Thay offer a direction to resolve the conflict between studying, doing Buddha work, and the need for true practice?
3. How can one resolve the feeling of confusion when seeing that shouldering Buddha work, legal constraints, and the expectations of lay practitioners cause one to lose their practice, while secular degrees do not bring practical benefits to the spiritual life?

The poem “The plum blossoms have already bloomed at the edge of the forest” reminds us of the karmic affinity between teacher and student over many lifetimes, when the teacher goes looking for the disciple who is still wandering in a faraway land to bring him back to the ancient mountain. Listening to sutras and enjoying the chanting melodies in the meditation school, such as those in the Daily Chanting from the Meditation School, helps the soul become calm, waters wholesome seeds, and transforms suffering and pain; this is viewed as a method of music therapy.

The Noble Eightfold Path is the path of eight right practices, divided into two parts: intake (input) and offering (output):

1. Right Diligence
2. Right Mindfulness
3. Right Concentration
4. Right View
5. Right Thinking
6. Right Speech
7. Right Action
8. Right Livelihood

Right Mindfulness is the heart of the practice, helping the practitioner know what they are doing and thinking within the realms of the body, feelings, perceptions, and mental formations. Perceptions are often erroneous, like seeing the light of a star that has already extinguished or the story of the shadow on the wall of the Lady of Nam Xuong, so we need to practice “even if you are sure, check again.” The Fourth Mindfulness Training on deep listening and loving speech is the only method to restore communication and defuse the bomb of hatred, as seen in the story of the successful reconciliation of a German couple in Oldenburg. The basic sutras supporting the practice include the Satipatthana Sutta (Transformation and Healing), the Anapanasati Sutta (Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing), and Buddhist psychology with the 51 mental formations. Invoking the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is to awaken the Bodhisattva within and return to our own mind.

We are at Deer Park Monastery on the fourth day of the retreat for Vietnamese people on September 7, 2002.

1. As a Buddhist, what should be our attitude towards the current situation and the war on terror?
2. Is it correct to think that homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people are not good, while heterosexual people are better?
3. Please, Thay, give me a Dharma door to overcome my pride and apologize to my husband and family for my past unskillfulness and mistakes?
4. How can we resolve the conflict when parents show concern by asking where their children go and who they are in touch with, but the children get annoyed and think their parents do not trust them?
5. How can we express our filial piety to grandparents and parents who have passed away, and is inviting monks and nuns to chant for their liberation and release injustices effective?
6. How can we transform extremism and hatred within the community into collective happiness?
7. Please, Thay, show me a path to have the courage and mindfulness to help my daughter, who is lost in the internet and online friends, come back to the family?

Thực tập sử dụng năng lượng chánh niệm để chạm vào và nhận diện sự hiện diện của trái tim. Khi thở vào, ý thức về trái tim; khi thở ra, mỉm cười với trái tim để xoa dịu nỗi đau và nuôi dưỡng niềm vui. Bối cảnh bài giảng ghi lại chuyến đi tại vùng núi Bayern, miền Nam nước Đức, nơi có đỉnh núi cao 2.980 mét tuyết phủ quanh năm và hồ của vua với loài thông đặc biệt rụng lá vàng vào mùa thu.

Hình ảnh sóng và nước minh họa cho hai chiều kích của sự sống. Sóng đại diện cho chiều kích lịch sử với sự sinh, diệt, cao, thấp và đẹp hay không đẹp. Nước đại diện cho chiều kích tuyệt đối, không sinh không diệt, tương tức với Niết bàn. Thông qua chánh niệm, hành giả có thể chạm vào chiều kích tuyệt đối ngay trong hiện tại. Sự tương tức còn thể hiện qua hơi thở giữa người và cây cối, trao đổi khí oxy và carbon dioxide để nuôi dưỡng sự sống.

Khả năng biến giây phút hiện tại thành giây phút đẹp nhất cuộc đời hay biến mảnh đất đang đi thành Tịnh độ hoàn toàn phụ thuộc vào cách nhìn và thực hành của mỗi người. Kết thúc là nghi thức đảnh lễ tri ân và quay về nương tựa:

1. Cha mẹ, sư trưởng và các bậc thiện tri thức.
2. Tam Bảo thường trụ mười phương.
3. Mọi loài chúng sinh, cây cỏ và đất đá.
4. Tăng đoàn, đoàn thể nguyện sống cuộc đời tỉnh thức.

The Sangha is gathered in the Upper Hamlet, in the Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, on April 14, 2010.

1. How can we educate adolescents in a blended family who are caught up in the consumer society and react negatively to meditation?
2. For an alter-globalization activist feeling great aversion toward the capitalist system, how can one act without suffering excessively, and is it possible to have compassion for a system?
3. In a couple’s life, how do we handle love and letting go, tell the other person that we do not feel they are present, and should we save the relationship at any cost?
4. Do animals, plants, and minerals have a soul, and are they aware of inter-being?
5. Facing the political conflicts in Thailand, how can a journalist remain neutral when every statement risks being interpreted as taking sides?
6. What are the concrete ways to handle sexual energy according to the Mindfulness Trainings, and how can we support each other in this practice within the Sangha?
7. What does the Order of Interbeing represent in Europe today, and what paths should be followed so that a study group on the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings can flourish harmoniously?
8. What are the keys to loving oneself and having confidence in oneself as well as in life?
9. When one does not have children, what is the view on cellular transmission, and of whom does one become the ancestor?
10. Is working for the army, even in a security role, compatible with the practice of the Five Mindfulness Trainings and Right Livelihood?
11. How can we plan for the future while remaining in the present moment, find Right View in a job involving suffering, and accept the present when a loved one is dying?
12. Since fusion relationships create suffering, can you elaborate on the concepts of inter-being and personal identity?
13. How can I support a friend who is suffering from anxiety while caring for her mother at the end of life, while protecting myself from this suffering?

We are at Bang A Temple during a retreat for young people with the theme “Sowing seeds of compassion, protecting Mother Earth” on May 3, 2008. This is a Question and Answer session where retreatants ask questions from the heart regarding their suffering and real-life concerns.

1. How can I resolve the conflict between returning to my hometown to take care of my aging parents but not being able to use my university degree, or going far away to find a job but not being able to fulfill my filial duties?
2. What should a son do when standing between his parents and social prejudices that do not accept his girlfriend’s past on one side, and the woman he loves on the other?
3. Is feeling indifferent towards love happiness or a form of suffering that needs to be transformed?
4. How can I regain peace and clarity after going through an emotional crisis that led to extreme psychological stress, even though I have turned to Yoga?
5. Can two people of different religions come together and be happy when the other person’s family is very religious and opposes it?
6. How do the health and immune system of children born to mothers who are long-term vegetarians differ from those whose mothers eat meat?
7. If a mother eats clean meat without toxic chemicals, how will the child’s health compare to the child of a vegetarian mother?
8. If a young person is determined to ordain and practice as a monastic without their parents’ consent, does that violate filial piety, and does ordination depend on physiognomy?
9. How can I persuade my family and colleagues to accept my desire to ordain when I am currently a university lecturer with a stable career and under pressure to start a family?
10. What are the conditions for ordination, and what difficulties or differences does the monastic life have compared to that of a lay friend?
11. How can I recognize and overcome fear and feelings of helplessness regarding subjects I do not like or constantly fail at despite trying my best?
12. How can I practice walking meditation fully and free myself from the suffering and loss when my mind always remembers a loved one who has passed away?
13. Is consulting dates and ages to decide on marriage according to Vietnamese customs truly correct and necessary?

The sound of the Great Bell resounds, dissolving pain and suffering, calling back the dawn and the spring. The image of the Buddha sitting peacefully on the grass in a Buddhist magazine awakened a desire for peace and freshness in the heart of a nine-year-old boy. During a picnic to Mount Na, the boy looked for a hermit but found a natural well in the forest instead. The well water was more delicious than any other kind of water; drinking it satisfied all thirst, and he believed the hermit had transformed himself into the well. Monastic life is an investment that brings happiness to oneself and society, helping the practitioner become a solid spiritual pillar for their family.

Many young people with high degrees have chosen this path to find peace, replacing the restlessness in their hearts. When practicing Touching the Earth, five parts of the body touch the ground—the two knees, two hands, and the forehead—helping to let go of sorrow and pain and connect with Mother Earth. The poem “I Have Been Looking for You, World Honored One” describes the journey of seeking truth, goodness, and beauty, which are always present in everyone’s heart. To cultivate the quality of happiness, one needs to attend retreats to learn and practice the Dharma doors:

1. Touching the Earth.
2. Lying Meditation.
3. Sitting Meditation.
4. Tea Meditation.
5. Walking Meditation.
6. Beginning Anew.
7. Mastering Anger.

Without mindfulness and concentration, everything seen is an illusion, whether one is awake, sleeping, or sitting in meditation. Mindfulness acts like sunshine, melting the fog and dew so that reality can reveal itself. Breathing in and out to become fully present is the first step; otherwise, daily life—the rice eaten, the tea drunk, and the people encountered—remains a long dream. Organizing a daily session of walking meditation allows for walking in reality, touching the ground with every step. This reveals the wonders of life and makes the Pure Land available in the present moment, rather than waiting for the future.

Practicing together as a community makes the path easier. When the bell sounds, it is the voice of the Buddha calling for a return to the here and now. Everyone agrees to stop talking and breathe mindfully at least three times, generating a powerful collective energy. A good nun is a happy nun; regardless of how hard one studies, without happiness, the practice is not correct. Loving speech and deep listening are essential to restore communication and improve sisterhood. If relationships do not improve, the way of chanting, sitting, eating, and working must be changed, just as a farmer changes fertilizer to ensure a good crop.

Every fortnight after the recitation of the precepts, the community should sit together with tea to discuss how to increase the quality of life in the nunnery. Everyone looks deeply to find the reasons for any lack of harmony, speaking out and noting down the issues to agree on new practices. To ensure progress and nourishment from the joy of practice, the community asks:

1. Are we a happy Sangha?
2. If we are not happy, what are the causes of our unhappiness?
3. How can we transform and remove these causes?

The practice begins with four prostrations to the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Kshitigarbha, allowing their energy to penetrate the body for transformation and healing. Using the image of a pot of tea, the body is likened to the pot while the tea flows out into the world. The best part of a person is not the residue remaining in the body, but the thoughts, speech, and actions offered to the world. One must look with the eyes of signlessness to see the continuation of a person outside of their physical form, just as a cloud continues as rain or snow. Rebirth happens in every moment of daily life, not just after death.

A tangerine with five sections represents the five skandhas. The first section is form. The Nian Shen Jing (Sutra on Contemplation of the Body) teaches mindfulness of the body in four positions: standing, walking, sitting, and lying. Like a farmer recognizing different seeds, one scans the body with the ray of mindfulness to release tension. The second section represents the river of feelings, which can be pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, or mixed. When a strong emotion arises, it is like a storm shaking a tree; one must focus attention on the Dan Tian (the trunk) rather than the brain (the branches) and practice deep belly breathing. Mindfulness acts as a mother holding a crying baby, embracing the emotion tenderly rather than fighting it.

To transform anger, one follows specific steps: say and do nothing, return to breathing, and communicate within twenty-four hours. This communication involves three sentences: “I am angry. I suffer. And I want you to know it,” “I am trying my best to practice according to the teaching of the Buddha in order to transform my anger,” and “Please help me.” The story of Mr. and Mrs. Truong illustrates the danger of pride and wrong perceptions. A husband’s belief that his wife’s shadow on the wall was a secret lover leads to tragedy, highlighting the necessity of seeking help and clarifying perceptions to avoid unnecessary suffering.

To meet the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, one must utilize the eyes of signlessness. Signlessness is one of the three doors of liberation, the others being emptiness and aimlessness. Perception is often based on signs, such as the form of a cloud. If attached to this sign, one suffers when the cloud transforms into rain, believing the cloud has died. However, with the eyes of signlessness, the cloud is recognized in its new forms of rain, snow, or tea. This insight applies to loved ones and the Buddha; one must release attachment to specific forms, such as the figure under the Bodhi tree, to meet the Buddha in the here and now. As the Diamond Sutra states, seeing the non-sign in the sign allows one to see the Tathagata.

A grain of corn planted in soil transforms into a plant, yet the grain has not died; it is present in the plant and the new seeds it produces. Similarly, ancestors and parents are fully present in every cell of the body, a fact supported by science and the Avatamsaka Sutra. The spiritual ancestor, the Buddha, is also present in every cell as the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. This energy is cultivated through the Sutra on Mindfulness of Breathing, found in the Pali Canon and corresponding to the Chinese Sa-Ahan sutras 803, 810, and 815. Through practice, one’s hand becomes the hand of the Buddha, capable of touching and healing.

The nature of no birth and no death is illustrated by a flame, which comes from nowhere and goes nowhere, manifesting only when conditions are sufficient. Regarding rebirth, a candle offers light, heat, and fragrance. Similarly, human beings continuously offer three sources of energy, which constitute Karma:

1. Thought
2. Speech
3. Physical action

These energies determine one’s continuation. By generating Right Thinking, Right Speech, and Right Action, one ensures a positive direction in the present moment and the future. The Buddha was reborn continuously during his lifetime through his practice and disciples. We are our continuation, and through the eyes of signlessness, it is clear that a human being never dies but only takes up new forms of manifestation.

Breathing in and out allows one to touch life, seeing father, mother, teacher, and Shakyamuni Buddha alive in every cell of the body. Walking meditation is a method to touch the Pure Land in the here and the now, generating energy of peace and joy that nourishes the Sangha and visitors. Reality is observed through the lens of “neither the same nor different.” Just as a seventy-six-year-old is not the same as the seventeen-year-old novice monk, nor an entirely different person, the nature of existence is a continuation. This is illustrated by a grain of corn reproducing into thousands, or a flame that comes from nowhere and goes nowhere, manifesting only when conditions are favorable.

Looking deeply into a sheet of paper reveals the tree, cloud, sunshine, and earth; without these non-paper elements, the paper cannot exist. The paper has never been born, but is a continuation of these elements, and when burned, it transforms into smoke, heat, and ash rather than becoming nothing. This teaching of no birth and no death is central to the story of the dying lay disciple Anathapindika. The Venerable Sariputra guides him to practice the recollection of the Three Jewels to restore balance, followed by a meditation on the six sense organs—eyes, nose, ear, tongue, body, and mind—to stop identifying with a particular form. Finally, meditating on the nature of no coming and no going brings Anathapindika to tears of gratitude.

Nirvana is the removal of eight kinds of notions that obscure ultimate reality: birth and death, coming and going, same and different, being and non-being. Understanding reality requires transcending these concepts to touch Suchness. In the context of karma, actions bring retributions that can be immediate or delayed, individual or collective. Regarding the First Precept, it is impossible to practice non-killing perfectly as even boiling vegetables involves the death of living creatures; the purpose is to cultivate compassion and move in the direction of non-killing. Ultimately, one must distinguish between conventional truth, used for practical purposes, and ultimate truth, which offers total liberation.

The teaching of the Pure Land in the here and now reveals that it is possible to live in the Pure Land in the present moment without waiting for the disintegration of the body. True nature is already Amitabha, and the Pure Land is found in the heart. Most people are lost in sorrow concerning the past or fear concerning the future, but returning to the present moment allows one to touch the wonders of life. Mindful breathing and mindful walking help generate the energy of mindfulness and concentration, enabling one to embrace suffering and transform affliction. The sound of the bell is the voice of the Buddha calling us back to the present; upon hearing it, thinking and talking stop to enjoy breathing with the gatha: “I listen, I listen. This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.”

“I have arrived, I am home” is a practice of arriving in the here and the now, the true home. This creates a mobile Pure Land available in marketplaces, airports, and railway stations. Zen and Pure Land practice converge as Nianfo, the invocation of the name of the Buddha, generates mindfulness. The Buddha is made of the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight, and can be touched when looking deeply at a flower, the blue sky, or a tree. Daily activities such as offering incense, answering the telephone, prostrating, drinking tea, and cooking become sessions of practice. Mindfulness in the four positions of the body—sitting, walking, and lying down—makes a practitioner beautiful like an orange tree offering the flowers and fruit of understanding and compassion.

The immediate aim of practice is to build brotherhood and sisterhood, generating joy and happiness. Buddhist theory, such as Vijnanavada or the teachings of the Avatamsaka and Lotus Sutras, must be applied to daily life to transform suffering. Regarding monastic life, one must prepare carefully and possess 100% determination. For walking meditation, the breath and steps serve as objects of attention to prevent dispersion. In sitting meditation, which is nourishing, choosing an interesting subject, such as the nature of one’s own fear or anger, maintains concentration and alertness.

To transform suffering and heal, the energy of mindfulness and concentration is required. When anger manifests, one should not say or do anything, but return to breathing and embrace the anger tenderly. If verbal communication is difficult, a note should be written to the other person within twenty-four hours containing three sentences: “Dear one, I am very angry, I suffer, and I want you to know it”; “I am trying my best in order to take care of my anger”; and “Please help me.” This practice allows for the restoration of communication and harmony.

The Buddha teaches meditation on death to understand life. While there are six destinations—gods, man, Ashura, hell, animals, and hungry ghosts—rebirth occurs in every moment of daily life through the three kinds of karma: thought, speech, and physical action. Using the imagery of a corn seed sprouting or a cloud transforming into rain, the nature of reality is revealed as no birth and no death; nothing dies, it only transforms. We continue through our children and our actions. The Sutra of the Forty-Two Chapters states life lasts only in one in-breath or out-breath.

Suffering is essential for cultivating understanding and compassion; without it, spiritual growth is impossible. The Pure Land is defined not as a place without suffering, but as a place filled with understanding and compassion, found right here on Earth. Walking meditation establishes one in the here and the now to touch the wonders of life. The practice involves coordinating steps with breathing using specific phrases: “I have arrived, I am home” to signify dwelling in the present moment, followed by “I am solid, I am free,” and “In the Pure Land I walk, in the Pure Land I dwell.”

Research from the Mind Body Institute at Harvard confirms that concentrating the mind—through meditation, chanting, or prayer—naturally releases elements that favor healing and transformation. This energy of mindfulness and concentration resides as seeds within the store consciousness of every person, not just Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. While the Medicine Buddha possesses powerful energy, ordinary beings must generate their own mindfulness to allow this external energy to penetrate, much like a radio requires a battery to capture broadcast waves. Sustained practice, rather than brief moments, is necessary to calm suffering and facilitate healing.

Specific methods generate this energy. Touching the Earth involves slow prostrations where one breathes in and out three times, allowing the energy of Avalokiteshvara to embrace the practitioner. Walking meditation requires investing one hundred percent of the body and mind into every step to attain solidity and freedom from past regrets and future worries. Mindful eating utilizes the Five Contemplations, focusing attention on the food and the Sangha without talking or thinking. The Sutra on the Contemplation of the Body in the Body offers a method of scanning the body with the ray of mindfulness, similar to a farmer sorting seeds or a medical scanner. By breathing in and becoming aware of specific organs like the eyes, lungs, liver, or heart, and breathing out to smile at them, one recognizes their function and promises to protect them from the effects of forgetfulness.

The body possesses a natural power to heal itself, observed in how animals rest when wounded, yet humans have lost this capacity due to stress and anxiety. Returning to the here and now allows one to touch the refreshing and healing elements of life, recognizing the conditions of happiness already present. This energy transforms internal afflictions like anger and fear, and restores communication in relationships through the practices of compassionate listening and loving speech. By training in mindfulness, one develops the capacity to listen without irritation, helping others suffer less and reconciling with family members, a practice that has proven effective in renewing the teaching for younger generations and Western cultures.

Instead of a portable telephone, a portable Pure Land can be carried everywhere, allowing for peace at railway stations, airports, and markets. This requires the energy of mindfulness and concentration; without them, the Pure Land disappears. Daily activities such as cooking, washing dishes, sweeping, and washing clothes serve as opportunities to generate this energy. By slowing down, the kitchen becomes a meditation hall and eating becomes a time of practice. The Pure Land is not a place to go after death but is available in the here and now, residing in the heart and mind.

Practitioners are visualized as a burning candle, offering light, heat, and fragrance through thought, speech, and physical action. Mindfulness distinguishes right thinking—characterized by impermanence and no self—from unwholesome thinking rooted in anger or jealousy. It ensures speech manifests understanding and compassion rather than violence, and that physical actions protect life. By offering right thought, right speech, and right physical action, the Pure Land is created in the present moment.

To maintain wholesome thoughts, one can use mindful breathing to invite them back like a dear friend, or use the method of changing the peg or “changing the CD” to replace unwholesome thoughts. Regarding the present moment, it is a reality to be touched rather than a concept to be grasped. Good and bad inter-are like the flower and the garbage; the mud is necessary to produce the lotus. Rather than getting lost in speculation or dualistic choices, the focus should remain on concrete methods to transform suffering and renew the teaching for the younger generation.

Buddhism must be renewed to fit the mentality of the young generation, ensuring they feel a link with the teaching and practice. In the West, the Dharma door of psychology is opened rather than devotion. Understanding Vijnanavada, the doctrine of Mind Only, allows the teaching to be presented in a way that is easily understood and accepted. The Fifty Verses serve as a base for this teaching, published as Transformation at the Base (Ashrayaparavritti), where i means the foundation and chuyen means to transform. There is an urgent need for about 300 more monastics to serve as agents for transformation.

Restoring communication involves the practice of loving speech and compassionate listening. Compassionate listening provides relief by giving the other person a chance to express all pain and sorrow. Mindful breathing is essential to maintain the intention of helping the other suffer less, preventing irritation or anger from destroying compassion. One must train to become like Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of deep listening.

The other person is your garden, and you are the gardener. If lettuce does not grow well, one should not blame the lettuce but learn the art of growing. Love is a flower that will turn into garbage if not fed properly; however, an organic gardener can transform garbage back into flowers. To restore balance, write down happy memories and positive qualities to water the seeds of happiness that have been covered by suffering. This practice belongs to the Fourth Mindfulness Training and is valid for individuals as well as nations.

The name Nam Hua Temple evokes the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, who is present not only in China but in many countries throughout the world. To pronounce the sentence “Taking refuge in myself” is to think of the Patriarch, who advised taking refuge in the Buddha and Dharma within, rather than only outside. Offering incense to the Buddha is not merely offering sandalwood, but offering the incense of the heart. This incense is made of five parts: Precept, Concentration, Insight, Liberation, and the Understanding coming from Liberation.

Westerners receiving the Three Refuges and Five Precepts receive the teaching, spirit, and energy of the Sixth Patriarch. The best incense to offer is made of precepts, concentration, and insight. Practicing the Five Precepts—not killing, not stealing, not having inappropriate sexual relationship, not drinking alcohol, and not lying—brings peace and happiness to the individual, family, and society. Chinese Buddhism is a cultural heritage for the world, and renewing its teaching and practice allows the young generation to put these teachings into daily practice.

Practicing the Fourth Precept restores communication between family members and groups through listening deeply and using loving speech. Applying the teaching of Master Huineng improves the quality of happiness within oneself and society. The Sixth Patriarch has millions of children and grandchildren globally, and renewing the practice of Buddhism allows for continued service to the spiritual life of the world.

In relationships, damaging words and actions are often driven by habit energy, a force transmitted by parents and ancestors that pushes us to repeat mistakes despite our goodwill. The problem is not to change the partner but to transform this energy. Rather than fighting or suppressing it, the practice involves simple recognition: generating mindfulness through breathing and walking to acknowledge the energy and smile to it. One may sign a treaty with family members, asking them to offer reminders when this energy emerges, allowing loved ones to become co-practitioners.

Meditation relies on the insight of non-duality, where negative and positive energies do not fight. Mindfulness embraces habit energy tenderly, just as a mother holds a suffering baby. Anger and despair are organic, like garbage that can be transformed into flowers; without the mud, the lotus cannot grow. Affliction is the very ground where the flower of enlightenment blooms.

Restoring communication requires compassionate listening and loving speech. A person filled with suffering is like a bomb ready to explode, often feeling boycotted when others avoid them. By listening with the sole purpose of giving the other a chance to empty their heart, one helps diffuse this bomb. Even if speech is full of wrong perceptions and blame, one listens with compassion, waiting for a later time to correct perceptions in small doses, like medicine. As beginners may lack the strength to hold deep suffering alone, building a Sangha or community of practitioners is essential to sustain the practice and restore harmony in families and society.

In the sitting position, the body is totally relaxed without fighting. Attention is brought to the in-breath to feel alive, and the out-breath to smile to life. There are about three hundred muscles on the face that become tense due to worries, and smiling helps these muscles and the nervous system relax. Breathing in brings the mind home to the body, realizing the oneness of body and mind in just five or seven seconds. While the mind often wanders to the past, future, or projects, the here and the now is the address of life. The first exercise is simply feeling alive while breathing in and smiling to life while breathing out, a practice applicable while driving, cooking, or brushing teeth.

Walking meditation involves walking peacefully like a Buddha, kissing the earth with the feet to heal oneself and the earth. Buddhist meditation consists of two elements: stopping and looking deeply. Stopping allows one to touch the wonders of the present moment, while looking deeply leads to understanding the true nature of reality and liberating oneself from suffering. Meditation is a process of self-understanding, as the true person is made of five elements called five skandhas:

1. Form
2. Feelings
3. Perceptions
4. Mental formations
5. Consciousness

Mindfulness has at least two functions: to help get in touch with the positive elements of life for nourishment and healing, and to recognize and embrace pain and sorrow to calm and transform them. The body has a natural capacity for self-healing, similar to an injured animal in the forest that rests to recover, yet humans often lose this capacity by running and not allowing the body to rest. A farmer opening a bag of seeds recognizes a mung bean, a kidney bean, and a green bean; similarly, the practitioner scans the body to recognize its thirty-six parts. The practice of mindful walking utilizes specific verses to stop thinking and dwell in the Pure Land or the Kingdom of God here and now:

• I have arrived, I am home (In the here, in the now)
• I am solid, I am free (Solid means the past and future cannot pull one away; Free means not being a slave to the past or future)
• In the Pure Land, I dwell

Sangha building is a primary subject of study, as building a happy community is often more difficult than delivering beautiful Dharma talks. The Buddha himself was an excellent Sangha builder, establishing a community of 1,250 monks in the first year with the aid of talented disciples like the three Kasyapa brothers, Sariputra, and Moggallana. In any group, talented builders must be discovered to help combine the insights of everyone into a collective insight. This process relies on deep listening and loving speech, ensuring that every member, including novices, contributes their “gold” to the community. Conflicting ideas are viewed as thesis and antithesis, which are not rejected but combined into a synthesis that encompasses the truth found in every perspective.

To implement this, the community listens to all ideas, records them, and creates a collective decision. An executive council is elected to carry out these decisions, functioning like a government that is supported but not interfered with. This council is re-elected every six months to allow others to develop their talents, while the Abbot or Abbess focuses on caring for individual happiness. This structure reflects the democratic spirit found in primitive Buddhism and the procedure of Sangha Karma.

During a dialogue with the community, sisters express challenges regarding the pressure to memorize the Vinaya, emotional instability, and deep suffering arising from past experiences that makes living with others difficult. To address individual suffering and isolation, the Sangha is advised to organize regular sessions to sit and listen to each other without making any remarks or commentaries. This practice of non-judgmental listening allows for the circulation of communication and understanding, essential for a harmonious and happy Sangha.

Walking meditation is the core practice for transforming a monastery into a Pure Land, allowing every step to be nourishing and healing. In the “Saha world,” people run constantly, driven by the belief that happiness is only possible in the future. However, in the Buddha Land, one walks with peace and joy, making a lotus flower bloom with each step. If the habit energy of running is too strong, one cannot enjoy the present moment, and even upon rebirth in the Pure Land, one would need to be educated by Bodhisattvas on how to walk and sit peacefully to preserve the land’s beauty.

The teaching of Xian fa le zhu—living happily in the present moment—emphasizes that Nirvana and the Pure Land are found in the here and the now. To practice this, coordinate the breath with steps. When breathing in, take two steps and say, “I have arrived.” When breathing out, take two steps and say, “I am home.” This signifies arriving in the Buddha Land and stopping the running. Zen Buddhism is made of two elements: stopping (samatha) and looking deeply; without stopping, one cannot have the insight to look deeply.

A short gatha is used to deepen this concentration:

• I have arrived, I am home
• In the here, in the now
• I am solid, I am free
• In the Buddha land, I dwell

“In the here, in the now” is the precise address of all Buddhas. “Solid and free” means being established in the present, not pulled by the past or future. This practice can be applied anywhere, inviting parents, teachers, and the Buddha to walk within you, using the Buddha’s feet to walk in the Pure Land today.

The meeting highlights the strengthening relationship between Chinese and European Buddhism, recalling a previous visit to Plum Village that included bowing in the Main Shrine and visiting a Bordeaux wine factory. A report is given regarding the delegation’s presence in the United States during the September 11 attacks. In response to the tragedy, a scheduled talk in Berkeley was changed to “Responding to Violence, Practicing Compassion,” attended by over 4,000 people. The teaching emphasized that responding to violence with violence only brings more violence. To resolve conflict, one must listen to the suffering of others, including those within the country who feel discriminated against, such as followers of Islam and black people, as well as understanding the suffering of those who attacked.

Coinciding with the attacks, the book Anger was published and immediately became a bestseller, leading to interviews with approximately twenty television and radio stations reaching millions. The message conveyed through the media was to practice mindful breathing to calm down and avoid actions that cause harm. Religion is presented as a force that can serve peace and national stability through inclusiveness and tolerance, rather than fanaticism. The spiritual dimension is crucial for society, as happiness cannot be obtained solely by wealth and power.

Requests are made to the Religious Bureau to allow the publication of translated books that act as messengers of peace and reconciliation. A proposal is also submitted to organize meditation sessions for young monks and nuns, introducing practices used in Europe and America to help laypeople resolve family conflicts and overcome despair. The Chinese government reiterates its stance against all forms of terrorism while hoping innocent people are not harmed, and expresses support for the continued exchange between Chinese and European Buddhism to promote world peace and human progress.

Lighting candle for victims of war in Sarajevo

To resolve difficulties in communication with family members, one must learn the practice of breathing mindfully, looking deeply, and listening deeply. It is not necessary to learn a lot; simply utilizing the words releasing and smiling while breathing in and out allows for the taking care of anger. When anger arises, do not say or do anything; instead, breathe until the anger subsides. This practice can be done indoors or in nature, ensuring that even when facing cruel words, one remains capable of breathing, releasing, and smiling to begin the work of reconciliation.

Sincere apology involves admitting responsibility for another’s suffering and asking for help to recognize shortcomings. Communication is often difficult because the door to the other person’s heart is shut. Understanding is the foundation of love; without understanding, love is impossible, even if the intention is there. Forcing what one thinks is good on another, like the strong smell of the durian fruit, causes suffering rather than happiness. To cultivate understanding, one must practice looking deeply (Vipasyana) into the other person.

Mindfulness establishes presence in the here and the now, which is the first condition for love. Without being truly present, one cannot love or communicate with what is in front of them. The most precious gift to offer a loved one is true presence. This is practiced by breathing in and out three times to ensure presence, looking into the eyes of the beloved, and using the mantra: “Darling, I know you are there, and I am happy.” Another mantra to learn by heart is: “Dear friends, I am there for you.”

Mindful breathing is introduced through a song that establishes awareness of the in-breath and out-breath, restoring freshness and solidity through three specific visualizations:

1. Breathing in, I see myself as a flower; breathing out, I feel fresh.
2. Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain; breathing out, I feel solid.
3. Breathing in, I see myself as space; breathing out, I feel free.
   Instructions are given to find six pebbles to be used for pebble meditation.

Drinking tea requires 100% presence, uniting body and mind to truly encounter life in the present moment. Often, we offer only a fraction of our presence, lost in the past or future, missing the jewels of life such as the blue sky or the presence of a loved one. Mindfulness is the energy that helps recognize habit energy—the negative patterns transmitted from ancestors that push us to act without autonomy. By recognizing this energy, smiling to it, and returning to the breath, sovereignty over the body and mind is regained.

Walking meditation is practiced with the insight that we have already arrived. Whether climbing a staircase or walking to a bus station, every step is taken with the solidity and freedom of the Buddha, using the gatha “I have arrived, I am home.” The true home is the present moment. Mindfulness reveals the Buddha nature inherent in everyone; when eyes, ears, and hands are used with mindfulness, they become the eyes, ears, and hands of the Buddha. The talk concludes with the instruction to practice Noble Silence and the contemplation: “Breathing in, I know I am alive; breathing out, I smile to life.”

The practice of precepts is the practice of mindfulness itself, born from an awareness of the suffering in the world. By maintaining mindfulness, one protects oneself, family, and all living beings, ensuring that the energy of compassion and loving kindness continues to fuel the work of helping others. Mindfulness restores the deep unity of body and mind, allowing one to touch the wisdom of ancestors and future generations in the present moment. This practice extends beyond sitting meditation into daily actions, such as walking or using water, transforming superficial perceptions into a deep realization of non-self and collective responsibility.

In the face of violence and loss, such as the murder of friends or the actions of sea pirates, the precepts act as a guiding torch. Anger is transformed into compassion by recognizing that without favorable conditions and support, anyone could commit such acts. This understanding of collective karma shifts the focus from hatred to removing misunderstanding. The Fourteen Precepts of the Order of Interbeing serve as a guideline for living deeply and ethically:

1. Do not be idolatrous or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology.
2. Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth.
3. Do not force others, including children, by any means to adopt your views.
4. Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering.
5. Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry; live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those in need.
6. Do not maintain anger or hatred; learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness.
7. Do not lose yourself in dispersion or in your surroundings; practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment.
8. Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break; make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts.
9. Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people; have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice.
10. Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party.
11. Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.
12. Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.
13. Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering.
14. Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies for the realization of the Way. Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. Be aware of future suffering in sexual relationships. Respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world.

Regular recitation of these precepts within a Sangha fosters collective wisdom and continuous improvement. Social work is most effective when it empowers the poor to help themselves, such as supporting teachers and building simple schools in remote areas, rather than focusing solely on expensive infrastructure.

There is the practice of inviting the bell and the practice of listening to the bell. In the Buddhist circle, the term “inviting the bell” is used rather than “hitting the bell.” Before inviting the bell to sound, body, mind, and speech must be purified. This involves bowing to the bell and breathing in and out three times, thinking of nothing else except the in-breath and out-breath. A specific gatha can be recited while looking at the bell:

1. Body, speech, and mind in perfect oneness.
2. I send my heart along with the sound of this bell.
3. I wish that everyone who listens to this sound will wake up.
4. And transcend all anxieties and sorrow.

If the poem is not remembered, mindful breathing is sufficient to become a bell master. The bell is first woken up with a small sound so as not to surprise those around, followed by the full sound. Upon hearing the bell, all talking, thinking, and doing must stop, as the sound is the voice of the Buddha calling us back. Listening deeply involves taking one in-breath and one out-breath. When breathing in, recite: “I listen, I listen to the bell.” When breathing out, recite: “This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.”

The true home is the Pure Land, the land of the Buddha located in the heart, offering peace and protection. Returning to this home provides the protection of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. This practice creates a powerful atmosphere of peace and tranquility. If joy is felt during the practice, a smile signifies presence in the Pure Land. This practice can be applied to other sounds, such as a telephone ring, treating it as the voice of the Buddha without discrimination.

Arriving in the West in 1966 to call for a stop to the war, a life of exile led to sharing the Dharma to aid peacemaking. To effectively share Buddhism with Westerners and the younger generation, the teaching and practice required renewal. The Three Refuges and Five Precepts were adapted over fifteen years to appeal to intellectuals and youth, focusing on practical application to transform suffering rather than creating scholars or focusing on devotion. The core teachings offered include the Three Refuges, the Five Precepts, the Sutra on Mindful Breathing, and the Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Mahayana texts such as the Lotus Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the Vimalakirti Sutra are utilized alongside the teaching of Consciousness Only to understand the mind.

Several Dharma doors are utilized to open the practice to the West: the Dharma door of psychology, the practice to protect the ecology, the practice of peace between individuals, ethnic groups, and nations, and the practice of equality between men and women. Consequently, monastic training should include Buddhism, psychology, science, and civilizations, alongside languages. The practice offered is that of mindfulness, establishing oneself in the here and the now through mindful breathing, drinking, and walking. This allows for the realization of the Pure Land in the present moment. The Pure Land is defined not as a place without suffering, but a place where there is understanding (Prajna) and compassion (Karuna); without the mud of suffering, the lotus of compassion cannot grow.

The energy of mindfulness has two functions: the first is to help us be in the here and the now to touch refreshing and nourishing elements, and the second is to help recognize, embrace, and transform afflictions. Regarding mistakes, practitioners have the right to make them, but must learn from them, a process referred to as Beginning Anew. To address restlessness or drowsiness during meditation, one must learn to sit in a relaxing way to enjoy the breathing, or choose an interesting subject for meditation, such as a block of affliction like despair or anger.

The practice of meditation is likened to gardening, where every monastic is an orange tree expected to produce flowers and fruits. These flowers and fruits are the capacity of understanding and compassion. One does not need to become a Buddha to offer these; even a novice practicing for a few days can generate them by listening deeply and not allowing prejudices to block understanding. If a brother is unkind, looking deeply reveals he may be suffering physically or emotionally, leading to compassion rather than anger. Daily practice involves waking up with the intention to produce these flowers, and reviewing the day before sleep to see if one has succeeded. A monk or nun becomes beautiful through the application of mindful manners, sitting like the Buddha at the foot of the bodhi tree, and walking with attention on every step.

The orange represents the human person, divided into five sections corresponding to the five skandhas. The first section is Form, the body (rupa). The Sutra on Mindful Breathing offers sixteen exercises, the first four of which concern the body. The third exercise is being aware of the body (niệm thân), embracing it with the energy of mindfulness. The fourth exercise is calming and relaxing the body, allowing it to recover and heal. The second section of the orange represents Feelings. There are three kinds of feelings: painful (Khổ thọ), pleasant (Lạc thọ), and neutral (Xả thọ). The next set of breathing exercises concerns feelings:

5. Generating a feeling of joy.
6. Generating a feeling of happiness.
7. Becoming aware of any feeling present, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
8. Embracing and calming the unpleasant feeling.

Joy and happiness are necessary food for the practitioner. When negative emotions like anger arise, the energy of mindfulness is generated to embrace and transform them. The fourth section of the orange represents Mental Formations (samskara). There are fifty-one mental formations in total, including feeling and perception; the remaining forty-nine are represented by this section. The fifth section is Consciousness, the ground of all manifestation, containing the seeds of all fifty-one mental formations. When a seed, such as anger, manifests from Store Consciousness into Mind Consciousness, the seed of mindfulness is invited up to embrace it. The body contains the mind and the mind contains the body; every cell contains the presence of all ancestors and the store consciousness.

A Day of Mindfulness is a practice to enjoy every moment of daily life, where sitting, walking, breathing, and drinking tea are done in mindfulness. When the mind is fully present with the body, drinking tea becomes a deep spiritual experience and breathing in reveals that being alive is the greatest of all miracles. Life is available only in the present moment, yet many are caught in regret concerning the past or fear about the future. To return to the present is to touch the Kingdom of God, or the Pure Land of the Buddha, which is available in the here and the now. The Kingdom is now or never, and includes the blue sky, beautiful hills, flowers, birds, and all of us; the only requirement is to make oneself available to it.

Walking meditation helps resist the tendency to run, using the words “I have arrived, I am home” to stop running and “solid, free” to establish solidity against regret and freedom from uncertainty. The miracle is not to walk on thin air or water, but to walk on earth. Mindfulness is the energy that brings us home to the here and the now, applied to all activities:

• Mindfulness of drinking
• Mindfulness of breathing
• Mindfulness of walking
• Mindfulness of brushing teeth
• Mindfulness of watering flowers
• Mindfulness of driving

During meals, a piece of bread is recognized as the body of the cosmos, containing sunshine, rain, the earth, and the farmer. The greatest gift offered to a beloved one is true presence, embodied in the mantras: “Darling, I am really here for you” and “Darling, I know you are there and I am very happy.” To love someone is to recognize that they are there; to be loved means to be recognized as existing. The collective energy of a group helps recognize and embrace suffering tenderly. This energy is directed toward the history of Waldbröl, where a hospice for the mentally ill operated until 1938. Patients were transferred, subjected to forced sterilization, or given euthanasia, described as unworthy of living. Walking meditation is practiced to recognize this injustice, asking the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Jesus Christ to transfer merits for their release, while allowing compassion and forgiveness to be born for those who caused the suffering.

The body of precepts, called Śīlakāya, is a protective energy that manifests the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha through our actions, speech, and thoughts. To touch reality, it is necessary not to be a victim of concepts, such as Descartes’ error stating “I think, therefore I am,” because there is no thinker separate from the thought. By looking deeply into the Five Skandhas—form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness—we perceive only a succession of ephemeral manifestations, kshanas, proving that there is action but no actor, and that the self is an illusion.

It is impossible to pass from being into non-being, just as a cloud does not die but becomes rain; we must therefore reject both nihilism and eternalism. “To be” actually means “to become,” and our true continuation manifests through the three forms of karma:

1. Thought, a powerful energy that determines our future.
2. Speech, which must be cultivated to express brotherhood and compassion.
3. Bodily action, which allows us to serve and help others.

To produce Right Thinking, we must acquire Right View, which transcends the notions of being, non-being, birth, and death to touch Suchness and Nirvana, the extinction of notions. This wisdom allows us to transform suffering into compassion, for example by seeing a difficult employer as a suffering person who needs help rather than punishment. Finally, the practice of walking meditation allows us to regain our sovereignty and to live as a free person in every moment.

Human beings are subject to many wrong perceptions, creating suffering for themselves and others by viewing the impermanent as permanent and the non-self as having a self. Even visual certainties are often illusions; for instance, we never see the sun in the present moment, but only an image from eight minutes ago. To transcend this ignorance (Avidya), one must go beyond intellectual understanding and maintain the samadhi of impermanence and non-self. The character for perception (tưởng) is composed of “mind” and “sign,” and liberation requires breaking through signs of birth, death, coming, and going.

The fourth skandha is samskara, or mental formations. There are fifty-one mental formations, including wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate types. A practitioner learns to recognize specific formations like anger or jealousy as they manifest, greeting them as old friends. Right Mindfulness is a vital mental formation that acts like sunshine; it shines upon and penetrates other formations, nourishing the good and transforming the negative.

The fifth skandha is Consciousness, described as Store Consciousness (Alaya Vijnana). This acts as the soil preserving the seeds (Bija) of all fifty-one mental formations. When a negative seed manifests in Mind Consciousness, mindfulness is generated to embrace it tenderly, similar to how sunshine penetrates a lotus flower to make it bloom. This practice requires “selective watering”: actively nourishing seeds of understanding and compassion while refusing to water seeds of violence, fear, and craving through unmindful consumption of media or unskillful interactions.

In Plum Village, mindful breathing is practiced when the telephone rings. Everyone stops thinking and talking to go back to the breath for at least three sounds. If in charge of the telephone, one practices walking meditation to the phone without running. If making a call, one breathes in and out three times, making a vow to use loving speech. Mindfulness means the mind goes back to the present moment, uniting mind and body to become fully alive. This energy of concentration allows one to recognize and treasure the presence of a dear friend or family member, generating happiness from mindfulness rather than material wealth.

Like a candle offering light, heat, and fragrance, a person offers thought, speech, and physical action to the world. This output is Karma. Thinking is the foundation; if thinking is characterized by anger or fear, it is not right thinking. Right thinking has the nature of love and understanding. What is produced today as Karma-hetu (action as cause) becomes Karma-phala (action as fruit). By looking at the value of this output, one knows their future among the six destinations: the God, the Man, the Asura, Hell, Animal, and Hungry Ghost. To improve this output, one must care for their input, focusing mindfulness on wholesome objects to generate right insight.

Maha Prajna, the great understanding, reflects the insight of impermanence, non-self, and Nirvana. Looking deeply reveals that a son is the continuation of his father, with the father present in every cell; realizing this non-self transforms anger into compassion. Visualizing a beloved one 300 years from now reveals the truth of impermanence, aiding the crossing from the shore of suffering to the shore of well-being. Finally, the practice aims to touch Nirvana, the nature of no birth and no death. Like a wave realizing it is water and losing all fear of height or death, touching Nirvana removes fear, the foundation of true happiness. Right mindfulness and right concentration focus on:

1. Impermanence
2. Non-self
3. Nirvana

Chinese Buddhism serves as a foundational element for learning, drawing profit from patriarchs and modern teachers like Tai Xu. Exchanges between Western and Chinese Buddhists aim to deepen understanding and share practices, including the introduction of Chinese delegations to Europe and the training of young monks and nuns. Engaged Buddhism signifies the combination of Buddhism with society, offering a path for young intellectuals and professionals, such as doctors and engineers, to serve others. With a high level of education, monastic training can be completed in five years, focusing on organizing retreats and helping people.

Regarding Putuo Mountain, the practice of devotion, offering, and praying is very strong, and there is tremendous energy in building and organization supported by many people. However, a strong monastery is needed to reflect the real Chinese tradition of practice, offering more than just tourism and devotion. A balance must be struck where visitors can walk slowly and silently, witnessing monks practicing to inspire a spiritual atmosphere.

Buddhism should offer concrete ways to transform anger and fear, helping to restore communication and reconcile relationships, such as between father and son, or husband and wife. While practices like gong’an and huatou are for a limited number, the general public requires methods to deal with immediate suffering. Engaged Buddhism has been offered in retreats in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, proving effective for young people who are increasingly adopting Western lifestyles. Chinese Buddhism is a rich resource that can help the nation and the world, but to serve the people, it must be renewed; renewing Buddhism is even more important than rebuilding temples.

In the West, universities offer formal Buddhist studies where scholars achieve deep theoretical understanding and PhD degrees, yet often lack the practical knowledge to transform suffering. A distinction is made between academic study and the actual application of the Dharma to live a happy life. In Plum Village, the emphasis is placed heavily on practice, with a ratio of one hour of classroom study to ten hours of practice. The goal is to integrate teachings into daily life, resolving conflicts and building a monastic family where brothers and sisters live in harmony. This form of Engaged Buddhism attracts people from various religious backgrounds, including Christians and Jews, who are encouraged to maintain their roots while using Buddhist practices to reconcile with their families.

To succeed in helping people learn and practice Buddhism, two conditions must be fulfilled:

1. Living together as a happy monastic family with harmony and brotherhood, acting as a Sangha rather than individuals.
2. Teaching based on personal experience of suffering and transformation, rather than solely from books.

Happiness is available in the here and the now; one does not need to wait for the future, attain high status, or die to enter the Pure Land. By returning to the present moment through mindful breathing and walking, the wonders of life become accessible immediately. Practice must be pleasant, nourishing, and healing, acting as daily food (Thiền duyệt vi thực). Just as an orange tree offers blossoms and fruit, a practitioner offers the flowers and fruits of joy, harmony, compassion, and understanding. If meditation or daily activities cause suffering rather than nourishment, the practice is not correct.

Thay is at the Lower Hamlet, in the Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, on November 6, 2008. He reminds us that a good question benefits many people and must come from the heart, concerning our suffering, our joy, or our practice.

Here are the questions asked:

• Is there something original within oneself that does not die, or are we totally the physical and spiritual continuation of our ancestors, and what is emptiness?
• How can one have more self-confidence?
• How can one find help when petrified with terror facing an abusive and violent wife, without family or money, and afraid of falling into poverty and loneliness?
• How can we take care of suffering when we are afraid of it, when the mountain has become a volcano and the island is swept away by a hurricane?
• As a Buddhist shepherdess who sometimes has to decide the moment of an animal’s death to save it from the slaughterhouse, how should I handle this difficult act?
• How can one accept the presence in one’s cells of a biological father who physically abused his daughter, and how can one not be linked to this traumatic history?
• Is it possible to kill the enemies in one’s partner’s body, and what are the special fertilizers to water their good seeds?
• Is it right to first alleviate one’s suffering, for example with antidepressants, in order to establish a more solid practice to then look despair in the face?
• For a monk in Europe where it is the poor who beg, does it not feel like a lack sometimes not to beg with one’s bowl?
• What becomes of the being after the passage called death when one’s partner has physically departed?
• How can we integrate the teachings, such as in the Sutra on the Snake Bite, while remaining available to the other without this feeding the ego or the feeling of superiority?

Dr. Ambedkar is present in every cell of the body, and his dream of social justice and the abolishment of discrimination is achieved by practicing Dhamma to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. This Engaged Buddhism requires taking care of oneself to sustain the fight against injustice. In the Sutra on Mindful Breathing, the Buddha recommends an exercise to release tension and pain: breathing in, being aware of the whole body; breathing out, releasing the tension in the body. Relaxing the body aids the healing process and prevents sickness caused by accumulated stress.

The Sutra on Mindful Breathing also provides methods to handle emotions like irritation, anger, and despair. When these feelings manifest, one should refrain from speaking or acting to avoid damaging relationships. Instead, the energy of mindfulness is generated to recognize and embrace the painful emotion tenderly, like a mother embracing her baby. A promise can be made to loved ones to return to the breath during moments of anger rather than reacting. Harmony is further restored through the practices of deep listening and loving speech. While one has the duty to share their own suffering using gentle words without blame, it is equally important to invite others to share their difficulties.

Compassionate, deep listening involves listening without interruption, even if the other person speaks with wrong perceptions or bitterness. The sole purpose is to allow the other person to suffer less; correcting perceptions is reserved for a later time. These practices reconcile families and heal the Sangha. A divided community cannot effectively fight for social justice, making Sangha building a crucial practice. This involves training monastics and lay teachers to organize retreats and weekly days of mindfulness, ensuring the community remains strong and capable of social development.

Lá thư thứ hai gửi về Từ Hiếu và Bát Nhã khẳng định tất cả người tu tập đều là huynh đệ, không phân biệt đệ tử của thầy nào. Mục đích tu học trước hết là xây dựng tình huynh đệ, vì nó nuôi dưỡng và bảo hộ bồ đề tâm; không có tình huynh đệ thì không thể có từ bi. Người tu cần học cách bảo tồn năng lượng giống như loài vật ngủ đông (hibernation) trong bốn, năm hoặc sáu tháng mà không ăn uống. Phải biết nói “không” và tiết kiệm năng lượng về ba phương diện thân, khẩu, ý để đối phó với những đòi hỏi lớn, vì bảo vệ thầy là bảo vệ tăng thân. Các tế bào não và tủy sống cần được nuôi dưỡng bởi cerebrospinal fluid (não tủy dịch); tương tự, những vị đóng vai trò quan trọng trong tăng thân cần được ưu ái và chăm sóc đặc biệt mà không có sự kỳ thị.

Vấn đề của người tu không phải là hoàn cảnh bên ngoài mà là sự tự do trong trái tim. Tự do không phải là món quà được trao tặng mà phải tranh đấu để giành lấy ngay bây giờ và ở đây, bằng cách bám lấy Tăng thân (stick to the Sangha) và ôm ấp những khó khăn nội tâm. Đánh mất Tăng thân là tai nạn lớn nhất. Trong phần vấn đáp, các chủ đề được thảo luận bao gồm:

1. Cân bằng giữa công việc và sự thực tập bằng cách lắng nghe cơ thể biết dừng lại đúng lúc và chia sẻ công việc với huynh đệ.
2. Khi nghe pháp thoại nên mở mắt nhìn vị giáo thọ để tiếp nhận năng lượng qua cử chỉ và cái nhìn.
3. Sự linh động trong uy nghi và giới luật (như việc ngồi tréo chân hay không), quan trọng là thái độ không cố chấp và khả năng nhập gia tùy tục.
4. Giải quyết sự khác biệt ý kiến và phong cách lãnh đạo trong Tăng thân thông qua việc mạnh dạn phát biểu trong các buổi họp để đạt tới kiến hòa đồng giải.

We are at Deer Park Monastery during the 2004 Winter Retreat, in a Question and Answer session for monastics.

1. How do we educate younger siblings who, after ordination, no longer listen and do not know how to cherish what they have attained as they did when they were aspirants?
2. Why must we discriminate and get caught in the two terms Patriarchal Zen and Tathagata Zen?
3. How can we avoid being intimidated by the large number of senior venerables coming from other places?
4. How can we hang out with young people without losing ourselves and without losing the young people?
5. How do we resolve emotional attachments and the desire for special treatment from the person helping us in our practice?
6. How can we overcome shyness and difficulty when trying to approach others according to the Sangha’s expectations without feeling unnatural?
7. How can meetings have the same sincere sharing and contribution as in the Shining the Light sessions?
8. How can older monastics not feel sad when the Sangha no longer accepts people over 50 for ordination?
9. How can we practice dwelling alone when we have to deal with too much work, organize many retreats, and are surrounded by many voices?
10. How can we have more private time for ourselves, more Lazy Days, and do more sitting meditation?
11. How do we transform the mental formation of “standing on this mountain looking at the other” and being carried away by the crowd?
12. How do we practice non-fear?

Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha is a daily practice of generating mindfulness, concentration, and insight. These energies exist within, serving as the “island of self” (Atta dipa), a safe refuge when worldly supports like houses, jobs, and family prove impermanent. To overcome fear, one must recognize it and practice the remembrances: being of the nature to die, to get sick, to grow old, to release everyone and everything cherished, and that one only brings the fruits of their actions with them. Understanding the roots of fear brings the energy of non-fear, the foundation of true happiness.

The nature of reality is no birth and no death; these are merely notions that do not apply to reality. A cloud does not die but transforms into rain, snow, or ice; it is a moment of continuation rather than destruction. Similarly, a sheet of paper contains trees, sunshine, and the earth, and burning it only transforms it into smoke and heat. A wave may be described as high or low, beginning or ending, but its true nature is water. Realizing one is water removes the fear of rising and falling. This insight, the teaching of the Heart Sutra, allows one to ride the waves of birth and death freely without suffering.

Compassion and understanding are the grounds for love and the antidote to fear. Like Anathapindika, who took refuge in compassion rather than wealth, one can remain happy even amidst loss. Deep listening and gentle speech restore communication and manifest the energy of the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin. Rebirth is a continuous process happening in every moment, much like a burning stick of incense constantly offers heat and fragrance. Karma is both individual and collective; the environment determines which genetic seeds manifest, and society shares responsibility for the happiness and suffering of the individual.

The best kind of incense is the incense of precepts, the incense of concentration, and the incense of insight. The one who bows and the one who is bowed to are both by nature empty, meaning they are empty of a separate self. A flower is made only of non-flower elements, including the cloud, sunshine, soil, minerals, the farmer, and compost; without these, the flower cannot exist. Similarly, the Buddha is made of non-Buddha elements, such as suffering and affliction, just as a lotus requires mud to grow. This insight applies to Jesus Christ, who is made of non-Jesus elements like God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary. The nature of reality is no birth and no death. A sheet of paper does not come from nothing but is a continuation of trees and rain, just as a cloud does not die but transforms into rain or ice cream.

The Buddha and Jesus are fully present in the here and the now, available to those who can see their new manifestations. A true Buddhist is a continuation of the Buddha, embodying freedom, mindfulness, and concentration, and must be ready to abandon views and knowledge to reach higher understanding. This non-duality extends to family, as parents are fully present in every cell of one’s body. Reconciling with a parent is reconciling with oneself. The emptiness of transmission consists of three elements:

1. The transmitter
2. The object that has been transmitted
3. The receiver of the transmission

The transmitter and the receiver are one, and happiness is not an individual matter. Love and compassion are made of the substance of understanding (Prajna). Without understanding the suffering and difficulties of another, love can become a prison. To practice true love, one must practice deep listening and ask: “Do you think I understand you enough?” and “Does my love make you suffer?” Understanding suffering is the foundation of love (Maitri) and compassion (Karuna).

Returning to the Nan Hua Temple, the home of the Sixth Patriarch, the delegation acknowledges the Chinese tradition as the root and trunk, while the practice in the West represents the branches and leaves. The teaching in Europe and America has been adapted to be practical, aiming to help young practitioners transform daily suffering rather than merely offering academic diplomas. Graduation is determined by the degree of understanding and the ability to handle suffering, marked by a lamp transmission ceremony. The community operates as a family, fostering brotherhood and sisterhood, with over 900 lay Sanghas established. Traditional texts and precepts have been modernized, including the translation of daily chanting and the expansion of mindful manners from twenty-four to thirty-nine chapters, covering contemporary activities like driving and using the computer.

A central insight concerns the nature of the Pure Land and the role of suffering. While the Amitabha Sutra describes a land with no suffering, true compassion and understanding require contact with suffering, just as a lotus requires mud to grow. The description of a place without suffering is understood as a skillful means, a “magic city” created to encourage practitioners, similar to the parable in the Lotus Sutra. The definition of the Pure Land is re-established not as a place devoid of pain, but as a place containing understanding and compassion, found in the here and the now.

Mindfulness and concentration allow for the touching of the Pure Land in the present moment, regardless of location. This is practiced through walking meditation, utilizing the gatha: “I have arrived, I have arrived” (in the Pure Land) and “I am home, I am home” (in the here and the now). Impermanence and non-self are insights that prevent suffering, while the boat of mindfulness and the support of the Sangha prevent sinking into the river of suffering. Understanding the nature of suffering, a practice of the First and Second Noble Truths, reveals the path to transformation for oneself, parents, and ancestors.

The Buddha is in our heart, but when the mind is occupied with anger, hatred, and jealousy, the Buddha cannot manifest. To allow the Buddha to manifest, one must learn to deal with these emotions using specific methods. The first method is mindful breathing: “Breathing in, I calm myself. Breathing out, I smile.” When strong emotions like anger or despair arise, they are like a storm shaking the branches of a tree. To remain stable, one must not stay at the level of thinking or feeling—the top of the tree—but bring attention down to the trunk, the abdomen. By focusing solely on the rising and falling of the abdomen for ten to fifteen minutes, the storm passes, and the emotion is appeased.

Walking meditation is a practice that heals pain and brings joy. Walking slowly, one coordinates steps with the breath, perhaps taking two steps while breathing in and two while breathing out, fully aware of every step. The practice is accompanied by the gatha: “I have arrived, I am home.” “I have arrived” means stopping the habit of running toward the future and returning to the present moment. “I am home” signifies dwelling in the here and now, free from regret about the past or fear of the future.

Happiness is not found in wealth, power, or fame, but is available in the present moment through the many conditions of happiness already possessed. These include the blue sky, the songs of birds, the faces of loved ones, having healthy eyes to see forms and colors, and a heart that functions normally. By recognizing these conditions, one avoids sacrificing the present for the future. When one is free from craving, anger, and despair, the Pure Land manifests in the here and the now. There is no need to wait until death; it is possible to walk in the Pure Land at this very moment.

Upon hearing the bell, stop talking and thinking to enjoy listening deeply, generating the energy of peace and compassion for healing. While many believe power lies in money, fame, weapons, or a strong army, misusing these creates suffering. True power does not destroy but brings happiness. The Buddha speaks of three kinds of power:

1. The power to cut off: Using mindfulness and concentration to detach from the energy of craving and hate, realizing these objects bring suffering rather than happiness.
2. The power to understand (Prajñā): Looking deeply into the roots of suffering within oneself and society to remove fear, anger, and despair.
3. The power to love: Responding to violence not with punishment, but with compassion, recognizing that those who cause suffering are victims of their own wrong perceptions and need help.

Corporations and business leaders can cultivate these powers to protect the environment and promote well-being. There are four categories of operation regarding success: focusing on happiness; having happiness with small profit; having profit but no happiness; and having neither happiness nor profit. Sacrificing happiness for profit destroys oneself and the world. To lead effectively, one must first take care of themselves through mindful breathing and walking to handle their own suffering. Second, they must help their partner or beloved suffer less. Third, they must listen to everyone in the corporation with compassion, organizing the business like a Sangha where brotherhood and sisterhood prevail.

The Buddha taught the businessman Anathapindika that it is possible to live happily in the present moment, as conditions for happiness are already more than enough. Running into the future for success, like the businessman Frederick who had no time for his family before dying in an accident, leads to regret. By going home to the here and the now, one touches the wonders of life already available.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s Zen method stems from the Northern tradition and the Linji lineage, while simultaneously integrating Western psychology, philosophy, and cultural thought. By absorbing nutrients from the Pali Canon and Theravada teachings, particularly the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, the practice emphasizes “dwelling in the present moment.” This is applied concretely to every aspect of life, including walking, standing, sitting, lying down, eating, and speaking. The teachings also incorporate the spirit of Mahayana classics like the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, resulting in a style that is life-oriented, popular, and modern, utilizing everyday vocabulary rather than technical terminology.

The delegation includes representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Finland, Vietnam, Canada, and Singapore. This visit marks the launch of a collection of eight books translated into Chinese, including Living Peacefully, Touching Life, and the biography of the Buddha, Old Path White Clouds. These teachings aim to address the spiritual hunger of the new generation, particularly in the West and developing Asian nations where material wealth contrasts with spiritual poverty, violence, and despair.

Addressing the fear and anger felt after the events of September 11th, the practice of mindfulness of breathing is presented as a method to calm down and look deeply into the roots of these emotions. The book Anger, published shortly before the attacks, and the subsequent book Fear, provide tools for this transformation. To practice Buddhism effectively, one must get in touch with the actual suffering of the world, which corresponds to understanding the First Noble Truth. Only by understanding the First Noble Truth can the Fourth Noble Truth, the path leading to the cessation and transformation of suffering, be offered. The practice must be one of discovering rather than imitating, offering a spiritual dimension to business and political leaders to serve families, society, the country, and the world.

Walking meditation is the practice of enjoying every step with mindfulness and concentration, bringing joy, peace, and solidity. By coordinating the breath with steps, one silently recites “I have arrived” on the in-breath and “I am home” on the out-breath, establishing oneself in the present moment where all the wonders of life are found. This practice counters the habit energy of running toward the future. The Pure Land is available in the here and now, not after death; it is a place of mindfulness, concentration, and compassion. Suffering is present in the Pure Land because without suffering, there is no chance to cultivate understanding and compassion. The First Noble Truth of suffering is absolutely necessary to understand the Fourth Noble Truth, the path leading to the cessation of suffering.

Understanding corresponds to Right View in the Eight Noble Path, which is essential for Right Thinking, Right Speech, and Right Action. A human life resembles a burning candle; every moment offers thought, speech, and action to the world. Mindfulness allows the observation of these offerings to ensure they contribute to happiness rather than suffering. Concentration on an object—whether a flower, breath, or step—leads to a breakthrough into the nature of reality. This direct experience of impermanence and non-self is distinct from mere intellectual notions. The teaching is a match used to strike the flame of insight; once the flame is born, it consumes the match.

Nirvana is the removal of all notions, including being and non-being, birth and death, coming and going. When notions are removed, the afflictions based on them cannot manifest. The Three Dharma Seals are:

1. Impermanence
2. Non-self
3. Nirvana

Addressing the Diamond Sutra, the wisdom of signlessness is illustrated by a cloud transforming into rain; the cloud does not die but changes form, and one must not be caught in appearances. True success is defined not by wealth, fame, or power, but by the success of transforming anger, despair, and jealousy. When distractions or afflictions arise during practice, they should be embraced with the tenderness of a mother caring for a crying baby, supported by the collective energy of the Sangha.

Based on a retreat for business leaders, the suffering and difficulties of the corporate world are examined through the story of Frederick and Claudia. Frederick, a successful executive, is consumed by work, competition, and responsibility, neglecting his wife and children until a fatal accident leads to his replacement within just three days. This lack of autonomy is compared to a person riding a horse who is not in control, or a runaway train; the business carries the rider away. Conversely, the Buddha’s disciple Anathapindika serves as an example of a happy, successful businessman who applied spiritual teachings to maintain family harmony and generosity, proving that one can be a Bodhisattva without becoming a monk or nun.

To achieve this happiness and transform suffering, three steps are proposed. The first step is to return to oneself and take care of oneself, learning to eat, walk, listen, and speak properly while dwelling in the present moment to touch the refreshing and healing elements of life. The second step is to take care of the family, listening to their suffering and restoring communication. The third step is to help the corporation suffer less by practicing deep listening and loving speech with employees to understand their difficulties and repair damage.

A businessman Bodhisattva must look deeply into their true motivation. If the motivation is craving for power, fame, sex, or wealth, one is not a true Bodhisattva. However, if the motivation is compassion and understanding, wealth becomes a means to help others suffer less. The company Canon is cited as an example of mindful business practice, having abolished the distinction between leaders and workers since 1943, implemented a five-day work week, and created policies based on listening to the needs of the corporation’s members.

Telephone meditation transforms the ringing sound into a bell of mindfulness, a signal to return to the true home. Upon hearing the sound, one stops thinking and working to breathe in and out three times, calming the body and mind. This practice anchors the mind in the here and the now, the only moment where life is truly available. Before making a call, a short poem or Gatha is recited to vow that words will be like flowers and gems, establishing good communication. The Pure Land is available in the present moment, requiring only a mind free from the three poisons of craving, anger, and wrong perceptions. Mindfulness acts as a resurrection, allowing one to touch the wonders of life. Looking deeply into the body reveals that parents and ancestors are fully present in every cell. Consciousness contains seeds or bijas; meditation helps water the positive seeds and transform the garbage of negative emotions back into flowers.

To cultivate love and resolve suffering, four mantras are practiced:

1. Darling, I am really here for you — offering the gift of true presence.
2. Darling, I know you are there, alive, and that makes me very happy — recognizing the existence of the beloved.
3. Darling, I know you suffer, that is why I am here for you — offering relief when the beloved is in pain.
4. Darling, I suffer, please help — overcoming pride to ask for support when hurt by the one you love.

Compassionate listening, the practice of Guan Yin, involves listening with the sole purpose of giving the other person a chance to empty their heart. Even if speech is full of wrong perceptions, mindfulness protects the listener. When anger manifests, it should be embraced tenderly like a mother holding a crying baby. If anger persists, communication is necessary within twenty-four hours, potentially using a note to express suffering, the effort to practice, and a request for help.

Mindfulness of breathing is practiced without force or control, similar to contemplating the moon without needing to rearrange it, or embracing a child with the energy of attention. One simply breathes naturally and produces awareness of the breathing. As the Buddha taught, if breathing in a short breath, one knows they are breathing in a short breath; if breathing out a long breath, one knows they are breathing out a long breath. By respecting the breath and touching the energy of breathing with the energy of awareness, a transformation takes place naturally. The breathing becomes calmer, deeper, and more harmonious, creating peace within the body and mind.

During the practice, the breath is the sole object of mindfulness, and one should not wait for images or visions to appear. To aid concentration, attention can be focused on the rise and fall of the abdomen. The point slightly below the navel, known as Dan Diem, acts as the root or pump of the breathing, while the lungs and nose are merely branches. Focusing on this pumping action can be a pleasant and nourishing experience.

A distinction must be made between the idea of the Dharma and the living Dharma. While sutras, Abhidharma treatises, and talks may be considered Dharma, the living Dharma is expressed through one’s way of life. Even without oral teaching, the living Dharma is found in the energy of mindfulness, deep understanding, loving kindness, and compassion.

Evoking the name of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara produces the energy of healing and transformation, allowing the sound of the bell to guide the breath back to the safe island of mindfulness. A Sangha is a community of practice that carries within itself the Buddha and the Dharma. Taking refuge in the Sangha is not a declaration of faith but a practice of confidence, allowing oneself to be held by the collective energy like a drop of water in a flowing river. The first element of practice is to stop the struggle and allow oneself to just be. The Dharma is found not just in spoken words but in the sight of a sister walking with peace or a brother smiling.

The practice is not intensive but pleasant; if a step brings peace and joy, it is done correctly. During meals, there are two objects of mindfulness:

1. The Sangha around the table.
2. The food.
   Eating is a deep practice where each morsel is an ambassador from the cosmos. When looking at a piece of vegetable or an orange, one sees the sunshine, rain, and earth within it, recognizing the time taken for it to grow from a blossom to a fruit. Chewing is done without inserting projects, worries, or fear into the mouth. Silence is maintained to enjoy presence, creating a powerful, thundering silence that is nourishing.

Walking meditation involves printing peace, solidity, and freedom on the ground, similar to how a seal prints on paper with ink. This practice applies everywhere, from the meditation hall to airports and railway stations. Every mindful step is for the sake of the whole world, ancestors, and future generations. The sound of the bell serves as the voice of the Buddha inside, calling one back to the true home of the here and the now.

Peace is well-being, harmony, and calm, and it is present to some extent inside and around us. The art of touching peace is essential; without the ability to touch it, its existence offers no benefit. This practice involves mindful touching of the body, such as the eyes, heart, and liver. Acknowledging these organs reveals that they are still in good condition, which is an insight that serves as a source of joy. The Buddha advised touching thirty-six parts of the body to maintain this awareness. One must also learn to recognize and enjoy the “non-toothache,” a pleasant feeling of well-being that is often ignored until pain arises. Without the capacity to enjoy peace, one becomes bored and seeks out the “war” found in violent entertainment, watering seeds of fear and violence within.

Consciousness is described by the Sanskrit term sarvabījaka, meaning the totality of seeds, containing both seeds of suffering and seeds of happiness. The practice of peace involves refraining from watering negative seeds and actively watering good seeds daily through mindful consumption and conversation. The beating of Rodney King illustrates how the seed of fear is cultivated in police training, creating a collective consciousness of violence that leads to war. To counter this, daily activities like eating a piece of bread or walking must be done in mindfulness, bringing one back to the present moment. This is the only time life, peace, and the Kingdom of God are available. As illustrated by the story of the prisoner in Albert Camus’ L’Étranger, living without awareness of the present moment is akin to being a dead person.

To transform suffering, one must first be nourished by touching refreshing, healing elements to gain strength. Mindfulness operates in the spirit of non-duality; there is no fighting against anger or fear. Like a mother embracing a crying baby, the energy of mindfulness penetrates, calms, and transforms painful feelings, similar to sunshine entering a flower to open it. The principle of interbeing teaches that flowers are made of non-flower elements, including compost; garbage can be transformed back into flowers, and flowers can become garbage. A Buddha is not someone without garbage, but someone who has mastered the art of transformation. Therapists and practitioners require a Sangha to sustain this practice and generate the energy necessary to embrace suffering without being overwhelmed.

Number 58: I startled and I woke up from a deep dream. The mountains and the rivers have been listening with the ears of Chung Tu Ky. This refers to the story of a musician who played for nature until he found a woodcutter, Chung Tu Ky, who had the capacity to truly listen and understand his music. The practice is to awaken every moment to the reality that the world is waiting for your “music”—your mindfulness in every step and breath. Deep listening to oneself allows for the discovery of one’s highest motivation, dissolves loneliness, and enables the understanding required to love others.

Number 9 advises that true love involves embracing both the positive qualities and the weaknesses of another; one who has escaped a difficult environment can return to help others do the same. Number 164 speaks to the aspiration to deepen practice not just for oneself, but for society and the nation; this Bodhicitta must be nourished and protected within a Sangha. Number 18 reminds a practitioner to maintain the “beginner’s mind” and original vows of service. “Remembering” signifies mindfulness, and “words” refers to loving speech and deep listening. Work is a means of practice, so there is no need to hurry, but rather to enjoy every moment.

Number 29 asks: What joy can surpass the joy we are experiencing in this moment? It is not necessary to remember all teachings, but to understand and apply them. Doing one thing at a time in mindfulness—such as breathing or touching the earth together—is “doing it well” and brings the greatest joy. Number 105 notes that when the practice takes root and brings true nourishment, letting go of attachments becomes easy, like the breaking of dawn. Finally, Number 116 addresses the grief of losing a loved one. Through deep looking, one realizes the loved one has not ceased to exist but is present within oneself and the surroundings, just as a cloud is present in the rain.

In response to a question on how to focus practice for the benefit of self and the assembly, the one hundred and sixth oracle advises remembering the pledge to establish a cloud hermitage, where fragrance wafts from a grass bed. This hermitage is not a physical structure but the island of self and the present moment. By returning to this refuge, one avoids losing oneself in daily duties, practicing mindfulness in every minute, every second, every step, every breath, every action, and every thought. This allows the fragrance of precepts, concentration, and insight to naturally manifest in activities like cooking, sweeping, or walking.

To deepen practice, the one hundred and thirty-ninth oracle speaks of sharing the same note of a string instrument; having trusted what came before, one can trust what follows. This signifies harmonizing with the community like a symphony rather than creating a cacophony. Faith is based on experience: if the practice transformed suffering in the past, it will do so in the future. One must enter the stream of the Sangha, viewing the needs of the collective as one’s own rather than practicing as an isolated individual.

Regarding the aspiration to help young monastics live close to the Buddha’s teachings, the forty-eighth oracle suggests entrusting the body to the cloud hermitage, whereby the private burden is lifted as if a full load is poured away. This private burden represents the deep inner concern for the next generation. The cloud hermitage symbolizes the path and method found to serve this cause. By taking refuge in the Sangha and entrusting one’s life to this path, the heavy weight of anxiety is removed, replaced by the happiness of fulfilling a noble vow.

Quẻ thứ 17 được bàn giải qua câu thơ: “Nâu sồng từ trở màu thiền. Tìm đâu thì cũng biết tin rõ ràng”. Nội dung tập trung vào bốn chữ chính:

1. Nâu: màu của thiền Việt Nam, tượng trưng cho sự đạm bạc, dân dã và truyền thống dân tộc, khác với màu vàng của Theravada hay màu đen của Nhật Bản.
2. Trở: sự chuyển hóa, quay về với truyền thống cha ông và chính mình.
3. Tìm: thiền quán, tìm sự an tâm lập mạng và hạnh phúc chân thật trong lòng thực tại chứ không phải đi quanh trong không gian.
4. Tin: vượt thoát phạm vi thông tin để đạt tới niềm tin vững chãi vào pháp môn và sự tu chứng của chư tổ.

Quẻ thứ 32: “Vầng trăng vằng vặc giữa trời. Nhẹ nhàng nghiệp trước đền bồi duyên sau”. Vầng trăng tượng trưng cho lý tưởng cao đẹp, chí nguyện sâu sắc của người nam nhi, vượt lên trên những hạnh phúc thường thường như gia đình hay sự nghiệp vật chất. Con thuyền cần phải nhẹ mới đi mau và đi xa để chở ánh trăng.

Nhẹ nhàng nghiệp trước là làm cho con thuyền đời mình không còn nặng nề bởi những ưu tư, thèm khát hay ràng buộc vật chất. Sự đền bồi là hạnh phúc lớn lao khi đạt được sự thảnh thơi, biến những khổ đau quá khứ thành lợi ích. Duyên sau là cơ hội để sống cuộc đời thỏa chí nguyện, phụng sự cho đất nước và nhân loại.

The happy time of Thuy Kieu and Kim Trong was short, not even a span, lasting only from about 9 in the morning until 6 in the evening. After Kim Trong left, calamity struck Kieu’s family due to the silk seller’s false accusation. The underlings and ox-headed and horse-faced demons rushed in to bind Kieu’s father and younger brother, looting property like bluebottle flies. Kieu decided to sell herself to ransom her father for over 400 taels of gold to Ma Giam Sinh. Before leaving, Kieu entrusted her destiny to her younger sister Thuy Van, handing over keepsakes including:

1. The hairpin
2. The cloud-patterned note
3. The lute fret
4. The piece of incense

Kieu followed Ma Giam Sinh to Lam Chi, discovered she had fallen into Tu Ba’s Green Pavilion, and realized the two were birds of a feather. Because Ma Giam Sinh had taken her virginity beforehand, Tu Ba beat Kieu. Kieu attempted suicide with a knife but was lured by Tu Ba into house arrest at Ngung Bich Pavilion. Here, Kieu met So Khanh, who pretended to be a hero saving a beauty but in reality tricked Kieu into escaping only to be captured again. Beaten severely, Kieu was forced to accept receiving guests and learning the trade of pleasure.

Thuc Sinh, a merchant, became infatuated with Kieu and redeemed her from the Green Pavilion. The two lived together for half a year when Thuc Sinh’s father arrived, furious, and took the matter to the mandarin to force Kieu back to the Green Pavilion. The content analyzes the character’s psychology, the corruption of society, and Kieu’s utmost suffering through repeated humiliations, from selling herself and being deceived to having to “pour out her virgin heart.” The verses describing scenes to express inner feelings, such as the eight lines of “sadly gazing” or the six words “give” in the passage lamenting her fate, clearly depict the tragedy of the rosy-cheeked beauty.

To be happy is to know that you are happy. Conditions for happiness are available in the here and now, such as the feeling of well-being, the state of having no toothache, and possessing good eyesight. Peace education involves learning to touch the peace, happiness, and joy available in the present moment. Being alive is the greatest of all miracles, yet many live in forgetfulness. Mindfulness is the energy that helps one touch what is truly happening in the present moment, allowing access to the refreshing and healing wonders of life. It is the energy of being present to live and to love; the most precious gift one can offer to a beloved is true presence, enveloping them with this energy.

The Buddha offered specific exercises for this practice. Breathing in, one becomes aware of the heart; breathing out, one smiles to the heart. This touch of mindfulness brings comfort and understanding to the heart, which works hard day and night to preserve well-being. Similarly, one can breathe in and be aware of the liver, smiling to it to understand its suffering from consumption habits. This practice extends to the environment: breathing in, one becomes aware of the trees and rivers; breathing out, one smiles to them. Trees are lungs existing outside the body, and taking care of the peace outside is taking care of the peace inside.

Love, fear, and suffering are of an organic nature; love can transform into hatred, and hatred back into love, much like garbage transforms into compost and back into flowers. Mindfulness acts as a mother holding a crying baby, embracing the energy of anger with tenderness rather than fighting it. This practice relies on non-duality and non-violence, recognizing that fighting anger is fighting oneself. By keeping mindfulness alive, one looks deeply into the roots of anger, often discovering wrong perceptions and the seed of anger within oneself. Recognizing that the other person also suffers and needs help transforms anger into compassion. One practices touching peace to be nourished and transforming war to handle despair and anxiety.

Working in small groups allows for familiarity to grow, transforming feelings of loneliness into a sense of home where the community functions like a vast, extended Irish family. Living in close quarters requires learning to live with differences and sharing abilities. Happiness in the Sangha is illustrated through the metaphor of a Greek circle dance, where dancers stand in a circle with hands on each other’s shoulders, acting as pillars that hold up the roof of a temple.

Balance in the dance is maintained through connection; when one person feels shaky, the stability of their neighbors provides support, preventing a fall. This dynamic is a constant exchange of giving and receiving. To ensure the community does not collapse like a “One Pillar Temple” in the absence of a teacher, every practitioner must practice being a stable pillar. The circle remains open for new members to bring fresh energy, ensuring the dance continues even as individuals step back. Harmony requires the willingness to receive teaching and correct missteps, recognizing that mistakes are merely part of the learning process.

Just as the collective rhythm of farmers threshing grain helps an individual find their pace, the steady rhythm of the Sangha calms the mind and restores stability. Developing the capacity to perform—likened to learning Mendelssohn’s violin concerto—requires embracing the initial “squeaks” and unskillful sounds as an integral part of the eventual masterpiece. By choosing stable partners when off-balance and offering space for errors, the community learns to dance together with joy, transforming daily activities and meetings into a harmonious movement.

When we are at war with others, we must ask if we are already at war with ourselves, an internal conflict that drains our energy day and night. To stabilize our territory, we practice mindfulness to shed light on the five elements, or skandhas, that constitute a person: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. This practice is not hard labor or a fight; it is likened to a buffalo boy tending to a water buffalo. The buffalo represents our habit energies, and the boy represents mindfulness. We do not kill or fight the buffalo, but observe and embrace it with compassion and non-violence.

Using the image of an orange with five sections, the territory of these elements is explored.
The first section is form, the body. Touching the body reveals wonders like eyesight or the non-toothache, but also the internal war and toxins we produce.
The second section is feelings, which are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Mindfulness intensifies pleasant feelings, soothes unpleasant ones, and reveals the joy within neutral feelings.
The third section is perceptions. Wrong perceptions regarding self, birth, and death are the root of suffering, and mindfulness helps us see their true nature.
The fourth section represents the remaining forty-nine mental formations (out of fifty-one), such as anger or love.
The fifth section is consciousness, the ocean from which mental formations manifest as waves.

Consciousness consists of store consciousness (the basement) and mind consciousness (the living room). We often suppress negative seeds in the store consciousness by filling the living room with distractions, causing bad circulation in the psyche. To restore circulation, we must remove the barrier and invite fear up to be bathed in mindfulness, utilizing the five remembrances:

1. I am of the nature to grow old; I cannot escape old age.
2. I am of the nature to get sick; I cannot escape sickness.
3. I am of the nature to die; I cannot escape death.
4. Everyone that I love, everything that I cherish now, I will have to abandon them one day.
5. I am born from my own actions; it is the fruit of my actions that follow me.
   The solution to our suffering involves removing suppression and practicing mindful consumption, concretized by the Five Precepts: protecting life, social justice, sexual responsibility, mindful speech and listening, and mindful consumption to avoid ingesting toxins.

Chanting generates the energy of mindfulness to touch the suffering inside, which reflects the suffering of the world. Understanding this suffering brings compassion, which has the power to heal and transform. The name of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is chanted to focus attention on internal suffering. The sound of the bell serves as the voice of the Buddha, calling us back to our true home in the here and now. Breathing in, we listen; breathing out, the sound brings us back to the present moment where life is available. This deep listening invites all ancestors and parents present in every cell of the body to join in, allowing peace and joy to manifest.

In the five days of the retreat, we learn: to bring the mind back to the body and release tension; to recognize and embrace painful feelings or emotions; to generate a feeling of joy and happiness; to listen to our own suffering and the suffering of others to restore communication; and to transform suffering through powerful mindfulness and concentration. Noble silence is observed to aid in paying attention to every breath and step. Mindfulness is applied to daily activities like washing hands and brushing teeth, focusing entirely on the action to generate joy.

Mindful walking is a way to live deeply in every moment, using the phrases “I have arrived” and “I am home” to establish oneself in the present. The teaching of hiện pháp lạc trú, living happily in the present moment, emphasizes that conditions for happiness, such as having eyes in good condition, are already available. The Pure Land of Amita Buddha is found in the here and now, with Amita Buddha being one’s true nature. Instructions are provided for sitting meditation, maintaining three points of stability, and listening to Dharma talks like the earth receiving rain. Eating meditation is practiced as a family in noble silence, and commuters are encouraged to use traffic stops and telephone rings as bells of mindfulness.

Most of us are too busy, allowing tension and pain to accumulate, losing our beauty and freshness. It is possible to restore this beauty through mindfulness in daily activities like breathing, drinking tea, cooking, driving, and washing dishes. We do not need to set aside time for meditation; we can meditate while walking to release tension and touch Mother Earth. The practice is illustrated by four pebbles:

1. The flower represents freshness and beauty.
2. The mountain symbolizes solidity and stability, essential for happiness and reliability.
3. Still water reflects things as they truly are, helping to restore peace and avoid wrong perceptions.
4. Space represents freedom from the past, future, and projects, allowing us to touch the wonders of life in the present moment.

Self-love is the foundation for the love of another person. The first four exercises of mindful breathing help us take care of our body:

1. Aware of in-breath and out-breath: Identifying the breath stops thinking and brings the insight that we are alive, the greatest of all miracles.
2. Following the in-breath: Focusing attention all the way through improves the quality of mindfulness and concentration.
3. Aware of the body: Bringing the mind home to the body establishes us in the here and the now.
4. Release tension in the body: An act of reconciliation between mind and body.

The next exercises focus on the art of happiness and suffering:

5. Generating joy.
6. Generating happiness: Recognizing that conditions for happiness, such as having eyes in good condition or a normal heart, are already available in the here and now (drista Dharma sukha vihara).
7. Aware of pain: Recognizing and embracing painful feelings tenderly without suppression.
8. Calming the painful feeling.
   A good practitioner knows how to suffer and how to generate joy. By taking care of ourselves first, we become a source of peace and happiness, capable of offering Metta (joy) and Karuna (removing pain) to others.

The sixteen exercises of mindful breathing are divided into four sets, designed to care for the body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind. The first four exercises are to be aware of the in-breath and out-breath, to follow the breath all the way through, to become aware of the body, and to calm the body. The second set addresses feelings: generating a feeling of joy, generating the energy of happiness, being aware of painful feelings, and calming the feeling of pain. The third set deals with the mind:

9. Aware of mental formations: Recognizing any of the 51 mental formations, such as anger or mindfulness, observing them like a river.
10. Gladdening the mind: Practicing selective watering to invite good seeds from store consciousness to manifest in mind consciousness.
11. Concentrating the mind: Cultivating samadhi to make a breakthrough.
12. Liberating the mind: Utilizing the Three Doors of Liberation.

The final four exercises focus on the objects of mind. The thirteenth is contemplating impermanence, moving beyond the mere notion to a deep insight that prevents suffering in relationships. The fourteenth is contemplating non-craving, recognizing the dangers hidden in objects of desire like fame or sensual pleasure. The fifteenth is contemplating Nirvana, the extinction of the fires of affliction and the reality of no birth and no death. This relies on Right View, which transcends the notions of being and non-being; just as a cloud transforms into rain but never passes into non-being, reality is a transformation without annihilation. The sixteenth exercise is letting go of notions. The insight of interbeing helps remove these notions, revealing that a flower is made entirely of non-flower elements and a son inter-is with his father, dissolving the discrimination between self and other.

The Three Doors of Liberation are considered the cream of the teaching. Emptiness (sunyata) signifies the absence of a separate self, allowing true communication between the one bowing and the Buddha. Signlessness (animitta) removes grief and fear by recognizing that nothing dies or disappears, but only changes form. Aimlessness allows for happiness in the present moment without the need to run after anything or become someone else. This practice of no birth and no death is illustrated by the story of the dying layperson Anathapindika. Guided by Sariputta and Ananda, he practices the recollection of the Three Jewels to generate joy, and then meditates on the nature of reality—seeing he is not his body, feelings, or eyes—allowing him to pass away peacefully and freely.

Streamed live on April 9, 2013. 116-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Paragon in Bangkok, Thailand. The sangha is on the spring Asian Tour and this talk is given in English with consecutive translation into Thai.

We begin with an introduction to listening to the chant by Thich Nhat Hanh. How do we have the capacity to listen that can lead to understanding? How can we get in touch with the suffering of the other person? We hear the monastics chant the name of Avalokiteshvara at 18-minutes.

The main talk begins at 38-minutes. When we hear the bell, we stop thinking and allow our body to relax.

The theme for the talk is how to suffer less, how to create happiness in our daily lives. What is happiness? Do we have time to love and take care of our beloved ones? Do I have the capacity to love? What can we offer those who we love? To love is to be there.

Using the Sutra on the Full Awarness of Mindful Breathing to cultivate love.

Walking to arrive in the present. How should we walk? What other daily activities can we do with mindfulness? Can you see the many conditions of happiness?

Editor’s Note: the very end of the talk is cutoff in the recording. We apologize for this error.

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

April 8, 2013. A 116-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh at Mahachulalungkornrajavidyalaya University, Bangkok, concluding the 5-Day Applied Ethics Retreat of the spring Asian Tour. Spoken in English with consecutive Thai translation, the talk explores how to apply the dharma in daily life, defines Applied Buddhism and Applied Ethics, and discusses translating Buddhist teachings into secular language.

Thay addresses a question on deep listening, recounts the story of a family in deep sadness living in silence under one roof, and offers teachings on the Four Noble Truths: What is suffering? How can we live simply and build brotherhood and sisterhood? How can practicing Right View relieve suffering, and what do we mean by Right View?

He examines birth and death, being and non-being, using the images of a cloud and a flower to illustrate Interbeing, showing how these insights help us transcend such notions. Applied ethics is presented as the practice of bringing more beauty and solidity into life. Themes of Nirvana, Karma, and Sangha are woven throughout, and Thay encourages writing down every thought of compassion or understanding.

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

Live from Mahachulalungkornrajavidyalaya University near Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday, April 4, 2013, this 116-minute Dharma talk is offered by Thich Nhat Hanh, Brother Phap Dung, and Sister Tue Nghiem during the 5-Day Applied Ethics Retreat on the spring Asian Tour. The presentation is in English with consecutive translation into Thai.

Thich Nhat Hanh introduces listening to the chant and guides the movement from mindfulness of suffering to mindfulness of compassion for transformation and healing. At 14 minutes the monastics chant the name of Avalokiteshvara.

The main talk begins at 36 minutes: “Happy teachers will change the world.” Thich Nhat Hanh explores what to do when we hear the bell, how conscious breathing establishes us in the present moment and gives us the power to heal, and what walking meditation is and why we practice it.

Beginning at 60 minutes Brother Phap Dung and Sister Tue Nghiem explain the breathing practice, sitting practice, eating practice, and the practice of noble silence.

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

Mindfulness is the energy that brings the body and the mind back together, allowing one to be fully alive and present. Life is available only in the here and the now; the past is gone and the future is not yet there. By practicing mindful breathing, one stops thinking and becomes available to the wonders of life, such as a sunset or a loved one. This practice extends to daily activities like drinking, walking, and cleaning, transforming them into deep experiences. The teaching of Drishta Dharma sukha vihara signifies living happily in the present moment, recognizing that conditions for happiness are already sufficient. By touching parts of the body—such as the eyes, the heart, and the liver—with mindfulness, one generates insight and compassion, leading to healing and the cessation of harmful habits that damage well-being.

In Buddhist psychology, seeds in the store consciousness manifest as mental formations in the mind consciousness. When a seed of negative energy like anger arises, the energy of mindfulness recognizes and embraces it without fighting, acting like a mother holding a crying baby. This process relies on non-duality and non-violence, utilizing Shamatha (stopping, calming) and Vipashyana (looking deeply). One looks deeply into the nature of Dukkha (ill-being) to identify the source of nutriment that brought it about. The Four Noble Truths are: ill-being, the nature of ill-being, the removal of ill-being, and the way to remove ill-being. Just as a gardener transforms garbage into compost to nourish flowers, one can transform pain and sorrow into understanding and love. This contrasts with running after objects of craving—wealth, fame, sex, and good food—which are like a bone without meat and cannot satisfy true hunger.

To love is to offer one’s true presence, and mindfulness is the essence of this offering. There are four mantras to practice in relationships:

1. “Darling, I am here for you.”
2. “Darling, I know you are there, and I am very happy.”
3. “Darling, I know you suffer. That is why I am here for you.”
4. “Darling, I suffer so much. I don’t understand why you have done that to me. Why you have said that to me. Please help.”

The fourth mantra is essential for overcoming pride, as illustrated by the tragedy of Mr. and Mrs. Truong, where silence and wrong perception led to despair. When anger arises, one should practice mindful breathing and communicate suffering within twenty-four hours, potentially using a written note to ask for help. Taking refuge in the Sangha, the community of practice, supports this art of mindful living. The Dharma possesses three characteristics: Sanditthika (dealing with the present situation), Akalika (not a matter of time), and Ehipassiko (you can come and taste it directly).

Breathing in, one sees oneself as a five-year-old child, vulnerable, fragile, and perhaps deeply wounded. Breathing out, one smiles to this wounded child with compassion, promising to return and help them heal. This contemplation extends to seeing one’s father and mother as five-year-old children, recognizing their suffering and smiling to them with understanding. Consciousness consists of seeds, or bija. Everyone possesses a seed of anger, but also seeds of joy, happiness, forgiveness, and loving kindness. In relationships, one must be careful not to water the negative seeds of anger, fear, and jealousy in others, but instead promise to water only the positive seeds of compassion and joy.

When the seed of anger is watered, it manifests as a zone of energy. Without practice, a person can become like a bomb ready to explode, causing fear in those around them. To defuse this bomb, one turns to the practice of mindful breathing and mindful walking to generate the energy of mindfulness. This energy recognizes and embraces anger tenderly, just as a mother holds her suffering baby. The practice is not to fight or suppress anger, which is violence, but to hold it in a non-violent way based on the principle of non-duality. A Peace Treaty can be established between loved ones to maintain the practice of watering good seeds and refraining from watering seeds of suffering.

If anger persists after twenty-four hours of practice, one must communicate with the other person using three sentences:

1. Darling, I suffer and I want you to know it.
2. I am doing my best.
3. Please help me.
   Writing these down helps overcome the pride that often prevents healing and allows for the removal of wrong perceptions. For strong emotions like anger and despair, which are like a storm, one brings the mind down to the navel and focuses entirely on the rise and fall of the abdomen through deep belly breathing. Ultimately, the three energies of understanding, compassion, and mindfulness neutralize anger. Compassion is born from understanding, which is cultivated through deep listening and loving speech.

Sit like a Buddha, relax, and listen to the chanting to touch seeds of peace and compassion. Focusing on the in-breath and out-breath allows full presence in the here and the now. The Sangha is an organism and each person is a cell; practicing together generates a powerful collective energy that penetrates the body and heart to release tension, stress, pain, and sorrow. This energy can be channeled to family members who are suffering. Breathing in and out invites the Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, and one’s parents to enjoy breathing together, recognizing their presence in every cell to feel light and free.

Experience training young practitioners during the war in Vietnam reveals the necessity of maintaining the spirit of engaged Buddhism while helping victims. Three things are learned from this work. First, one must go home to the Sangha at least one day a week to practice sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful meals, and Dharma discussion to nourish the practice. Second, one should never go out alone as a social worker but always go with a group to support each other. Third, the Sila body must be kept alive by practicing the recitation of the precepts, including the Five Precepts and the fourteen precepts of the Order of Interbeing.

The seventh precept, based on the teaching of Drishta Dharma Sukha Vihara given to Anathapindika, teaches how to be happy right in the present moment. Mindfulness of breathing and walking establishes one in the here and the now to touch the wonders of life. To love means to be present. Two mantras are offered to practice this. The first mantra is: “Darling, I am really here for you.” The second mantra is: “Darling, I know that you are there, and I am so happy.” Mindfulness helps recognize and embrace anger, fear, and despair tenderly, like a mother holding her baby. Deep listening clears wrong perceptions and restores communication. Bringing harmony to the family and Sangha is essential before struggling for social justice and the eradication of discrimination, a reorganization recommended by Dr. Ambedkar.

Upon hearing the sound of the bell, telephone, or clock, all thinking and talking ceases to focus on deep breathing. Breathing in, the silent words are “Listen, listen”; breathing out, “This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.” This practice grounds oneself in the present moment, the only place life can be touched. While there is a deep desire for a safe home, many run away from the present because of internal blocks of suffering and conflict among the five elements: body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Instead of facing this internal war, people often seek escape through consumption—such as drugs, alcohol, media, and conversation—which only ingests more toxins and obscures the true home.

Happiness consists of touching the wonders of life within and around us, like picking roses amidst thorns. Specific mindfulness exercises cultivate this joy. Breathing in, one becomes aware of their eyes; breathing out, one smiles to them, recognizing them as a condition for happiness capable of seeing forms and colors. Similarly, breathing in and becoming aware of the heart, and breathing out smiling to it, fosters gratitude for its constant work. This energy of mindfulness calms and heals, allowing one to truly be present for others and offer the gift of presence to those who suffer, saying, “Darling, I know you suffer, therefore I am there for you.”

Taking refuge in the island of self, known in Pali as Attadipa Sarana, provides safety and access to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha within. However, suffering often arises from wrong perceptions and attachment to specific ideas of happiness. A tragic story of a young soldier illustrates this danger: a wrong perception regarding his son’s description of a “Daddy” who visited nightly—actually the father’s shadow on the wall—led to his wife’s suicide because pride prevented him from asking for the truth. In true love, there is no place for pride. When suffering arises, one must approach the beloved to ask and listen calmly, using breathing and walking meditation to restore calm if anger is present.

The session concludes the Autumn Retreat with a Dharma festival featuring songs, poetry, and personal insights on the practice. Reflections include the imagery of brown robes fading in the sunlight, symbolizing the warmth of a second mother and the reconnection with one’s homeland through the community. Faith is restored through contact with nature and the Sangha, transforming feelings of isolation into a state where upstream and downstream are both joyful. True happiness is explored as a self-generated security, independent of others’ emotions, and realized through giving without expectation. Daily affirmations help nourish joy and avoid the extremes of craving and aversion, with a conscious decision made every morning to choose happiness over suffering.

Experiences of impermanence reveal that while joy and sadness are transient, mindfulness allows one to be sovereign over these emotions, preventing them from dominating life. The illusion that material objects or prestige bring happiness is dismantled, replaced by the appreciation of unbought gifts like nature and the act of being there for others. Personal transformations are shared regarding healing childhood wounds and reconciling relationships with parents through dream analysis and prostrations. Resistance to practice is likened to an insect flying against a closed window pane when freedom is just an inch away; taking the step toward the unknown leads to connection and freedom.

The Three Joys (Three Refuges) are identified as:

1. Taking refuge in the Buddha, the inherent capacity to understand.
2. Taking refuge in the Dharma, the practice of stopping habit energy to look deeply and love.
3. Taking refuge in the Sangha, the support of those walking the same path.

A Dharma talk is defined not as the transmission of information, but as the offering of insight born from personal practice. Like a silkworm that eats mulberry leaves to produce silk rather than simply outputting leaves, a speaker must digest the teachings to offer something capable of transforming suffering, rather than simply regurgitating knowledge.

“I have arrived, I am home” is the practice of arrival in the here and the now, the true home where life is available. Mindfulness of presence lights up energy, making the present moment an anchor. Silence during meals is eloquent, helping one to be with food and the community. Regarding difficult decisions, the real problem is not the choice between options, but whether one can improve their way of being; without this, suffering continues regardless of the decision made. Mindfulness acts as a healer, allowing one to look deeply into the nature of suffering, hatred, anger, and fear.

The Five Wonderful Precepts are a concrete manifestation of mindful living, offering protection and leading to peace, joy, liberation, and awakening. The Five Precepts are:

1. To cultivate compassion and learn to protect the lives of people, animals, and plants.
2. To cultivate loving kindness and learn to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals, practicing generosity.
3. To cultivate responsibility and learn to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society.
4. To cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve their suffering.
5. To cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for oneself, the family, and the society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming.

Freedom and interbeing go together; just as a flower is made of non-flower elements like clouds and sunshine, it is impossible to be alone. Alienation from family, culture, and society leads to a state like hungry ghosts, starving for understanding and love. Understanding, or Prajna, is the foundation of love, known as Maitri and Karuna. True freedom is freedom from ignorance, not the license to destroy the body with alcohol or drugs, as the body belongs to ancestors and future generations. Education must descend from the head to the heart, teaching the art of being happy in the present moment. Habit energy pushes us to run away from internal conflicts through toxic consumption of media and conversation, but happiness is possible by practicing self-protection and stopping the course of destruction.

Communication is very important; if it is still there, the situation is not too bad. To keep communication alive, we must learn the practice of deep listening. You have to open your heart, get rid of your preconceived ideas, and listen with patience and compassion. This is the practice of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who listens deeply to the sound of the world. One hour of listening like that can be very helpful.

To heal difficulties with our parents, two exercises are offered. The first is: Breathing in, I see myself as a five-year-old boy. Breathing out, I smile to that boy with compassion. The second is: Breathing in, I see my father as a five-year-old boy. Breathing out, I smile to that five-year-old boy who was my father. This practice helps us to see our parents as wounded children, allowing compassion to flow from our hearts. Meditation is to look deeply in order to discover things we have not seen. Understanding brings compassion and forgiveness. The talk also includes personal stories from the monks and nuns of Plum Village about their lives and practice.

The Six Paramitas, six practices that can carry us from the shore of suffering to the shore of well-being, are also taught:

1. Đàn Ba La Mật (Dāna Pāramitā): The practice of giving.
2. Tuệ Ba La Mật (Prajñāpāramitā): The practice of understanding. To love someone, you must understand their suffering.
3. Thiền Ba La Mật (Dhyāna Pāramitā): The practice of meditation, which includes Chỉ (stopping, calming, concentrating) and Quán (looking deeply).
4. Giới Ba La Mật (Śīla Pāramitā): The practice of the precepts, such as the Five Mindfulness Trainings, which protect ourselves and our families.
5. Nhẫn Ba La Mật (Kṣānti Pāramitā): The practice of inclusiveness, the capacity to receive and transform, not suppress. It is about making our heart large like a river or the great earth.
6. Tấn Ba La Mật (Vīrya Pāramitā): The practice of diligence or continuous energy. This involves not watering the negative seeds in us and watering the positive seeds every day.