When the river no longer chased impermanent clouds, she went home to herself and heard her own suffering. In deep contemplation she realised “she is made only of clouds,” discovering that “the clouds are in her,” and so attained non-obtention: nothing to obtain, for what she wanted to become she already was. Free of attachment, she greeted every cloud with joy, embodying arrival in the here and now.

Sister Annabel has served this area for more than ten years, helping build the Sangha in New England. Thầy asked her to return to Europe to co-found the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Germany, offering courses such as:

1. preparation for young people about to marry
2. support for those who have just lost a beloved one
   …plus dozens of other courses taught in English, German, French, and more.

Nāgārjuna’s verse offers three terms for touching reality:

1. emptiness (śūnyatā)—everything is “empty” only of a separate self
2. conventional designation (prajñapti)—names like “flower,” “president,” or “house” exist only by the non-flower, non-president, non-house elements that come together
3. the Middle Path (Madhyamaka)—transcending all opposites (no birth/no death, no being/no non-being, no coming/no going, no sameness/no otherness) so that “thanks to emptiness, everything is possible.”

Suppose you take one kernel of corn and you see in it “the sunshine, the cloud, the blue sky, the rain, even the snow, the soil, the minerals in the soil, the fertilizer, the farmer, the time, the space, our consciousness”—everything is in the kernel. If you plant that kernel in the damp soil, in ten days it will sprout two or three new leaves. Just as the young plant of corn is the continuation of the kernel, we are the continuation of our father and our mother. Yet we often cannot see our parents in ourselves, and we may get angry at them as if they were “totally different persons.” Meditation reconnects us: breathing in peacefully, our father and mother in us feel light and peaceful, and we practice not for ourselves alone but for our ancestors as well.

Buddhist meditation has two elements:

1. samatha—calming, concentrating (let the Buddha breathe, let the Buddha walk; I enjoy the breathing, I enjoy the walking)
2. vipaśyanā—deep looking into the truth of no-self.

“Buddha is the breathing. Buddha is the walking. I am the breathing. I am the walking.” There is only the breathing, only the walking; there is no breather or walker separate from the act. Self, father, son, house, flower—each is a conventional designation (prajñapti) arising from elements coming together. Touching the insight of non-discrimination (no-sameness, no-otherness) frees us from fear, anger, jealousy, and the illusion of a separate self, and brings peace and joy into every act of walking, drinking tea, brushing teeth, or making breakfast.

Five fingers and their French names:
• thumb
• index
• middle (majeur)
• ring finger
• pinky (auriculaire)

Thich Nhat Hanh welcomes the Sangha to a morning Q&A session divided into three groups—children first, then teenagers, and finally adults—and explains that a good question arises from the heart, touches our happiness, suffering, or practice, need not be long, and may be submitted in writing; participants are invited to sit around Thay, signal readiness with the sound of a bell, then breathe together before asking.

Children’s questions:

1. What should I do when other children tease me?
2. When you were young, what did you like about the Buddhist monks that made you decide you wanted to become one?

Teenagers’ question:

3. “The joy I feel when walking, breathing, or chanting with mindful concentration is not the joy I feel when eating rich food or indulging in comforts—what are the types of joy and what are their natures?”

Adults’ questions:

4. How do you give all those long Dharma talks and speeches without getting scared?
5. What inspired you to write books?
6. How do you deal with and overcome fear?
7. How can I reconcile working for environmental and social justice in New York City—with its speed and need to move people and protect community gardens—while holding mindful practice?
8. How do I honor the suffering of the boat people and feel peace and happiness as well?
9. Once a being passes away, does its knowledge go to waste?
10. For people who are adopted and don’t know their parents or who have traumatic relationships with them, how can they connect with their parents in meditation?
11. How can I help others access their true self as a life coach when the ultimate teaching is that there is no self?
12. What advice do you have for parents who want to raise their children to be more mindful and compassionate?