Noel is a time for family reunion, just like Tết in Vietnam, evoking the longing for a true home—a place of warmth, love, and peace. Both Jesus Christ and Siddhartha were born into wealth, but could not find a true home, so they set out in search of it. In the West, there is a saying, “there is nothing like home,” but many people, even while living with their families or in their own country, do not feel “at home” because of the absence of love and fulfillment (la plénitude).

The Buddha taught that our true home is right in the present moment, it is the island within (Attadīpa)—a safe place that contains our spiritual ancestors, the light of the Dharma, and solid peace. Each breath, each mindful step is both the path and the destination:
There is no way home.
Home is the way.
With mindfulness and concentration, we can “go home” instantly, without having to cross space or time.

List of some special terms
1 true home
2 the island within (Attadīpa)
3 fulfillment/la plénitude
4 there is no way home / home is the way
5 mindfulness and concentration

Applying two breathing exercises to stop and receive happiness
Practice the S breath (Stop) by breathing in and reciting, “I stop,” breathing out and reciting, “I do not chase after anything anymore,” in order to dwell peacefully in the present moment; this breath opens the body and mind, helping us to stop running after desires and attachments. Next, practice the H breath (Happiness) by breathing in and reciting, “Happiness is permeating my body,” breathing out and reciting, “Happiness is permeating my mind,” allowing the energy of happiness to penetrate and heal both body and mind.

Connecting with interbeing and upholding the precepts
Breathing in, invite the Buddha, your blood and spiritual ancestors to breathe in with you; breathing out, invite them to sit with you—manifesting the secret of interbeing, non-duality, and opening up insight. Regarding the third precept (mindfulness of sexual energy), follow the declaration of the Buddha Maitreya:

1. Clearly recognize that sexual desire is not love, and only engage in intimacy when there is true love and long-term commitment
2. Do not allow the seed of sexual misconduct to be watered by films, books, the internet, and so on
3. If you have made a mistake, confess, contemplate the suffering, practice touching the earth repentance, and ask for support from your teacher and elder brothers and sisters to help transform
   The essence is to cultivate brotherhood and sisterhood with the four roots—loving kindness, compassion, joy, and inclusiveness—relying on the solidity of the sangha to maintain celibacy and diligent practice.

The whole body of the lion is only gold; outside of gold, one cannot find the form of the lion, so it is called signless. The signs of arising–ceasing, being–nonbeing, beautiful–ugly are only creations of the mind; in reality, there is only gold. When we recognize the arising of the lion, it is the arising of gold; since gold is by nature neither increasing nor decreasing, it is called unborn, that is, undying. Therefore, there is no need to search for gold outside of oneself; the lion–gold does not need to be fabricated further, so it is called non-doing.

The Avatamsaka (Flower Ornament) teaching presents ten wondrous gates, among which the first two mysterious gates are:

1. The Gate of Simultaneous and Complete Correspondence
   • Gold and lion simultaneously establish each other, are perfect and respond to each other; that is, one is all, all is one.
2. The Gate of All Storehouses, Pure and Mixed, Fully Endowed with Virtues
   • Each faculty (eye, ear…) contains the whole body of the lion; at the same time, each itself is already complete, that is, all is contained in one, one contains all.

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (The Practice of Opening the Lotus of a Thousand Petals) is a series of Dharma talks in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses found in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” (Daily Chanting Book of the Zen Monastery), 2000 edition. Today, the book has newer versions with a few additional chants, but all the essential sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this series of Dharma talks, we can gain a deeper and more thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in our daily practice as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999. Due to technological limitations at that time, the sound and image quality may not be very clear. We ask for your understanding.

Dear community,

“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (The Practice of Opening the Lotus of a Thousand Petals) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of the sutras, chants, and verses found in the 2000 edition of the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” (Daily Chanting Book of the Zen Monastery). Currently, this book has newer versions with a few additional chants, but all the essential sutras and main chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we can gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in the daily practice sessions as presented in the book. These Dharma talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999; due to technological limitations at that time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear, and we hope for your understanding.

The Prajñā Pāramitā Sutra teaches us to practice prajñā in order to transform the seeds of fear and attachment that lie deep in our subconscious. The fear of nothingness (abhāva) arises because we are caught in the notions of birth and death, being and non-being, and from there we cling to a false self. The wisdom of Prajñā opens the way for us to see that there is nothing to attain, no enlightenment to chase after (the fifth gāthā on non-attainment), and to realize the emptiness of the five skandhas in order to liberate ourselves from all suffering (the sixth gāthā on non-abiding). Practicing mindful walking, mindful breathing, or being present with each small task is the key that helps us clearly see the illusory, magical nature—like the tricks of a magician—and awaken to the emptiness of all phenomena.

When we look deeply into the five skandhas, we realize there is no separate self, no self-nature, only assemblies of interdependent conditions—interbeing, neither one nor many. Body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are all illusions, not worthy of our long-term investment; letting go of both being and non-being, we find true freedom, no longer fearing nothingness or being caught in existence. The seed of insight already lies within us like an egg that needs warmth to hatch into the bird of wisdom, carrying us beyond the cycle of samsāra and suffering.

According to the Prajñā Pāramitā Sutra, the five skandhas are:

• Form (body)
• Feelings (sensations)
• Perceptions
• Mental formations
• Consciousness

Giving the speaker a space when listening is the essential method for receiving the Prajñā Hṛdaya Sūtra and any teaching. Instead of bringing in your own opinions and preconceptions for comparison, your consciousness must faire le vide—that is:

• create an inner space, free from prejudice or comparison
• silently receive, like a patient coming to a doctor, sincerely asking to be shown the imbalances in body and mind in order to heal oneself

The Prajñā Hṛdaya Sūtra (which appeared about 100 years before Christ, Sūtra number 229 in the Taishō Tripiṭaka) is the first document of the Prajñā literature, consisting of both verse (Gāthā) and prose sections. The main purpose of the Mahāyāna movement through this sūtra is presented as follows:

1. The Mahāyāna ideal: The Bodhisattva practices not only for themselves but “for the world, to remove obstacles and afflictions, to give rise to pure faith in nirvāṇa.”
2. Dedication of merit: Every new Dharma door, every skillful means to teach and liberate beings, all originate from the supreme power of the Tathāgata, just as all the rivers of India flow from Lake Anavatapta, guarded by the Nāga King.
3. The first thunderclap: “the wondrous object cannot be grasped, there is no attainment, no Bodhi” signals the teaching of non-attainment and non-abiding, followed by the theory of the emptiness of the five skandhas (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness), helping the Bodhisattva to be “utterly unattached, without abiding anywhere,” for self-awakening and awakening others.

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh provides detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses from the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book (2000). The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the essential sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999; due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book from 2000. The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions from the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997-1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

Dear community,

“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (The Practice of Opening the Thousand-Petaled Lotus) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses from the 2000 edition of the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” (Zen Monastery Chanting Book). The book now has newer versions with a few additional chants, but all the essential sutras and main chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we are able to deeply understand the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999, so due to technological limitations at that time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

First is the practice of the second body during the spring retreat:

1. Today or tomorrow, each practitioner must choose and diligently care for a new second body, based on the experience of previous retreats, in order to deepen this Dharma door.
2. At the end of the retreat (in May), each practitioner must write a detailed report on: how they have helped their second body; what benefits they themselves have received; what difficulties have been overcome; and how the second body has also overcome difficulties.
3. The practice should not be superficial, but should aim at deep and direct realization.

Second is the method of Sangha meetings to enhance the quality of gatherings:

• Organize Dharma discussions that are brief, filled with ease, joy, and smiles, without tension; everyone contributes to bring the meeting immediately back to the main topic.
• The facilitator must guide with loving speech, invite the bell when needed to cool down tension, just like the abbot inviting the bell for “compassionate discussion.”
• Before each meeting, recite the Invocation for Sangha Meetings, which includes a vow to practice deep listening, loving speech, pausing when tension arises, and immediately making repentance to restore an atmosphere of harmony and mutual understanding.
• Appoint a mindfulness keeper responsible for recognizing and “releasing” tension; anyone feeling tension has the right to stand up and report it.

The section on Protecting and Transforming reminds us to practice guarding the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind) to recognize and transform craving, anger, ignorance, pride, etc., into insight. The chant consists of four verses:

• Recognizing beginningless birth and death, renewing our life through repentance and vowing to uphold the precepts established by the Buddha.
• Praising the radiant wisdom like the sun and moon, and boundless compassion that saves all beings.
• Taking refuge in the Three Jewels, crossing the ocean of suffering with the boat of compassion and the torch of wisdom, practicing listening, contemplating, and practicing in the light of right view (the Four Noble Truths or the Four Nutriments).
• Each step enters the Pure Land, each look sees the Dharma body; contemplating body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind, guarding the six gates of the city, transforming old habit energies so that the garden of insight blooms with a hundred flowers.

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book from 2000. The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions from the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997-1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

The Discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, in Pali called Satipatthana Sutta, is a bedside manual for meditation practitioners, transmitted through three recensions (Pali, Sarvāstivāda, and Mahāsāṅghika) from three schools spanning nearly 2,000 years. This sutra identifies four objects of mindfulness:

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

The practice of mindfulness of the body begins with the breath (in-out, long-short, whole body, calming), followed by the four postures of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, and all daily activities (walking, standing, lying, sitting; putting on the robe, eating, working). Next is body scanning, recognizing the 32 parts of the body (hair, body hair, nails, etc., urine), the four elements (earth, water, fire, air) or six elements (adding space and consciousness), and the contemplation of nine stages of a decaying corpse—observing the body’s dissolution from a bloated corpse to a pile of bones. Constant contemplation of the arising and passing away of the body is the foundation that leads to diligence, clarity, and liberation from suffering.

The Sutra of the Eight Realizations of Great Beings, translated by Master An Thế Cao at the beginning of the 3rd century in Luoyang, is based on the Eight Mindfulnesses Sutra in the Ekottarāgama (volume 37, sutra 6) and the Aṅguttaranikāya (8.30). It has been rendered into the Mahayana tradition with skillful language, adding terms such as Bodhisattva, Mahayana, and Dharma body. The original Āgama text only lists eight terms (non-desire, knowing enough, seclusion, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom, non-argumentation), while Master An Thế Cao’s translation preserves the full content and also adds four new points on non-discriminative giving, generating the Mahayana mind, eloquence, and non-argumentation.

List of the eight realizations in the Sutra of the Eight Realizations of Great Beings (according to Master An Thế Cao’s translation):

• 1 – Mindfulness, Concentration, Wisdom: contemplating impermanence, suffering, non-self, and emptiness in order to give rise to mindfulness, concentration, and insight
• 2 – Non-Desire: the more desires, the more suffering; with few desires, body and mind are at ease
• 3 – Knowing Enough: knowing what is enough, being content in poverty while maintaining the Way, “only insight is our career”
• 4 – Diligence: diligently practicing the Way, transforming afflictions, subduing the four kinds of Māras, escaping the prison of the five aggregates and the three realms
• 5 – Broad Learning & Eloquence: learning widely to transform delusion, develop insight, attain eloquence in teaching without engaging in idle debate
• 6 – Giving & Non-Discrimination: giving equally to those we dislike and those we love, letting go of past wrongs, not hating evil people
• 7 – Seclusion: in the world but not of the world, living in the world without being stained by worldly pleasures; the three robes and alms bowl are Dharma instruments
• 8 – Mahayana Mind: birth and death are like a house on fire; generating the Mahayana mind to universally save all beings, taking on suffering in order to bring everyone to great joy

The Universal Door Chapter, also known as the Sutra on the Power of Avalokiteshvara, is the 25th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, translated by Master Kumarajiva in the early 5th century. The term Universal Door means a gate that opens everywhere, like toutes directions on a signpost; Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit is translated as Quan Thế Âm (here also referred to as Quán Tự Tại), meaning the Bodhisattva who listens to the cries of the world. They manifest in all forms—male, female, monastic, layperson—to respond skillfully and rescue beings according to conditions, and their vow is “to respond skillfully in all directions.”

In the verse section of the sutra, the listener receives Avalokiteshvara’s vow through important gathas:

• hearing the name, seeing the image with mindfulness, one is liberated from suffering in the three realms
• invoking the power of Avalokiteshvara transforms a pit of fire into a lotus pond, ocean storms cannot drown, swords, prisons, enemies… all dissolve
• five contemplations (quán) and five kinds of sounds help with deep looking and continuous, doubtless mindfulness:
  1. True contemplation – looking deeply into reality
  2. Pure contemplation – recognizing clarity and purity
  3. Vast and great wisdom contemplation – skillful means according to conditions
  4. Compassionate contemplation – a heart of compassion as boundless as thunder
  5. Loving-kindness contemplation – a gentle, loving heart like clouds offering cool shade
• wondrous sound, Avalokiteshvara sound, Brahma sound, Sound of the Rising Tide, sound surpassing the world – five marvelous, noble, majestic sounds, transcending worldly noise, to be contemplated and remembered often.
  Finally, “eyes of compassion looking at the world” (gazing at all beings with loving eyes) is the essence of Avalokiteshvara: an ocean of boundless merit that causes practitioners always to join our palms in reverence and take refuge.

Dear community,
The series “Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (The Practice of the Thousand-Petaled Lotus) features Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses from the 2000 edition of the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” (Daily Chanting Book). Although newer versions of the book include some additional chants, all the essential sutras and main chants remain unchanged. Through these Dharma talks, listeners gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

Dear friends,

“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (The Practice of the Thousand-Petaled Lotus Blossom) is a series of Dharma talks in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers detailed explanations of the sutras, chants, and verses found in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” (Daily Chanting Book of the Zen Monastery), 2000 edition. Today, this book has newer versions with a few additional chants, but all the essential sutras and main chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we can gain a deeper and more thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in our daily practice sessions as presented in the book. These Dharma talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999. Due to the technological limitations of that time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear. We ask for your understanding.

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses from the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book (2000). The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the essential sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999; due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

The sixth vow is to invite the Bodhisattva to turn the Dharma wheel, the sixth is to request the turning of the Dharma wheel. The seventh vow is to invite the Buddha to remain in the world, not to enter Nirvana too soon. The eighth vow is to always follow the Buddha to learn, that is, to always approach the Buddha for learning; the ninth vow is to always accord with sentient beings, which means to always accommodate and satisfy the needs of sentient beings in order to lead them to enlightenment; the tenth vow is to universally share the merit, using all virtues and wholesome roots to dedicate to sentient beings and to the Buddha path. The passage from the Avatamsaka Sutra, Prajna translation (Taiso 293), shows: “I follow all Thus Come Ones to learn,” “make offerings to Buddhas of the past and also to the Buddhas of the present in the ten directions,” and “for all sentient beings, using speech to expound the Dharma, encourage the cultivation of pure Paramitas, and never forget or lose the Bodhi Mind.” The Universal Worthy’s Chapter on Practices and Vows also describes rejoicing in and repenting of all wholesome roots, dedicating the merit to sentient beings and to the Buddha path, along with the principle that “form and nature in the Dharma realm, the two truths interpenetrate and respond in samadhi,” affirming that merit is boundless like space, like sentient beings, afflictions, karmic retribution, and the power of vows—without holding anything back.

Venerable Shariputra presented five methods to extinguish anger, illustrated by metaphors of lakes:

• 1. Unlovely actions but lovely speech—look to the speech to dissolve resentment.
• 2. Unlovely speech but lovely actions—seek the “clear water beneath the scum and debris.”
• 3. Both actions and speech are unlovely but there is still a little goodness—water the hidden seeds of goodness.
• 4. All three karmas are unlovely—give rise to great compassion, help the hopeless as one would help a sick person on a long journey.
• 5. All three karmas are lovely but jealousy still arises—enjoy the “truly beautiful lake” without letting afflictions invade.

Finally, there is the chant “May the day be peaceful, may the night be peaceful” (Auspiciousness), praying for the Triple Gem’s protection, for the four types of birth (womb, egg, moisture, transformation) to be born in the Pure Land, for beings in the three realms to be reborn on lotus thrones, for numberless hungry ghosts to attain the Three Virtuous Stages, for all sentient beings to reach the Ten Grounds, praising the countenance of Shakyamuni as radiant as the moon and sun, universally shining light, permeated with joyful letting go and loving kindness.

When reciting the refuge, our mind must have the energy of peace and happiness, because we are clearly seeing the path, the place of refuge; that is, we are going upward (toward happiness, toward love), not going downward (toward suffering, toward pain). The secret of the practice is to maintain that awareness: every step, no matter how small, carries Boston or New York depending on the direction, just as on the path of practice, each moment contains awakening or delusion depending on where the mind is directed. When chanting “Buddham saranam gacchami, Dhammam saranam gacchami, Sangham saranam gacchami” three times (the Threefold Refuge), we need to recognize the three levels of taking refuge:

• First time: clearly seeing the act of taking refuge – the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha are external places of refuge;
• Second time: clearly seeing the result of taking refuge – we have a bright and beautiful direction, a Dharma door of transformation illuminated by the Sangha;
• Third time: clearly seeing the inner reality – the nature of awakening, Dharma nature, and Sangha nature manifest together in our own being, and we give rise to the aspiration to open the bodhi heart and build the fourfold community, embracing and transforming all beings.

In the “Universal Worthy’s Practices and Vows” chapter (Avatamsaka Sutra, Chapter 36), wisdom eye – practice – vow are expressed through the ten great vows:

1. with body, speech, and mind purified, to respectfully bow to countless Buddhas;
2. to praise the ocean of virtues of the Thus Come One with an ocean of sound;
3. to make offerings of the finest flowers, music, incense, lamps, and canopies;
4. to repent of all karmic obstacles created by beginningless greed, hatred, and ignorance;
5. to rejoice in the merits of all beings – those still learning, those beyond learning, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas;
6. to invite all Buddhas to turn the Dharma wheel to liberate the world, and to encourage the Buddhas to remain in the world;
7. (… and continuing to) vow to build the fourfold community – monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen – to embrace, protect, guide, and transform all beings.

Dear community,

“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (The Practice of Opening the Thousand-Petaled Lotus) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers detailed explanations of the sutras, chants, and verses found in the 2000 edition of the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” (Daily Chanting Book of the Zen Monastery). In recent years, this book has been updated with several new chants, but all the essential sutras and main chants have been preserved. Through this series of Dharma talks, we are able to deeply understand the sutras and chants used in our daily practice as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997 and 1999. Due to technological limitations at that time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear. We ask for your understanding.

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

Dear community,
“Cultivating the Thousand-Petaled Lotus” (CPNĐSNC) is a series of Dharma talks in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Chanting from the Heart” (Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn) book (2000 edition). The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions as presented in the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master from 1997 to 1999, so due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear. Thank you for your understanding.

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

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book from 2000. The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions from the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997-1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

The body form is not truly the body form, therefore it is truly the body form; if we can see the non-form nature of all forms, that is to see the Tathagata, and when we see the Tathagata, the Tathagata also sees us. This is the dialectical spirit of the Diamond Sutra, which is completely contrary to formal logic (A is only A), so that:

• A is not A, therefore it is the true A
• Seeing non-form in form is to see the Tathagata (“If you see all forms as non-form, you see the Tathagata”)

The World-Honored One affirms that even five hundred years later, there will still be those who keep the precepts, cultivate merit, and have good seeds to give rise to deep faith, even though this teaching may sound meaningless, nonsense. Those who can give rise to faith even for a single moment upon hearing the words about the four notions of self, person, living being, and lifespan (and two more: dharma – non-dharma; form – non-form) will be seen by the Tathagata and receive immeasurable merit.

“Dwell nowhere and give rise to that mind” points clearly to the path of the Bodhisattva who gives rise to the unsurpassed, perfectly enlightened mind: not clinging to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; not caught in pairs of opposing notions (being – non-being; birth – death; one – many; self – non-self; dharma – non-dharma; form – non-form). Even the Dharma is like a raft to be let go of, how much more so non-dharma. Practicing correctly is to walk in the light, to see clearly the dependent arising nature of all dharmas, to transcend discriminative attachment and realize perfect ultimate truth.

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book from 2000. The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions from the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997-1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

The practical question of Subhuti is: upon what should a good man or good woman who wishes to accomplish the highest aspiration rely, and how should they regulate their mind? Before this, Subhuti observed that the World-Honored One is truly rare, for he always protects, remembers, and entrusts the great work to the Bodhisattvas. A true Bodhisattva needs two essential elements:

• Bodhicitta—the great aspiration to help all beings cross over to the shore of liberation
• Non-discriminative wisdom or the wisdom of equality—the wisdom that pierces through individualism, seeing oneself in the other and the other in oneself, making no distinction between person and person, person and animal, person and plant, person and earth or stone

In the Diamond Sutra, the World-Honored One teaches that to attain non-discriminative wisdom, the Bodhisattva must transcend the four basic notions, that is, not be caught in the following four ideas:

1. the notion of self (the idea of a separate self)
2. the notion of person (the idea of a separate human being)
3. the notion of living being (the idea of a separate life form)
4. the notion of lifespan (the idea of a being’s birth and death)

When these four notions are transformed, the Bodhisattva’s practice of giving—and all the six paramitas—truly becomes action free from form, not based on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma, thus maintaining the insight of non-discrimination in daily life.

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book from 2000. The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions from the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997-1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

Dear community,
“Công phu nở đoá sen ngàn cánh” (CPNĐSNC) is a Dharma talk series in which Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gives detailed explanations of sutras, chants, and verses in the “Nhật Tụng Thiền Môn” book from 2000. The book now has newer versions with some additional chants, but all the main sutras and chants remain unchanged. Through this Dharma talk series, we gain a thorough understanding of the sutras and chants used in daily practice sessions from the book. These talks were given by the Zen Master between 1997-1999, and due to technological limitations at the time, the audio and video quality may not be very clear.

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

The “Gate of Emancipation by Non-attachment” begins with contemplating the interdependent, interconnected, and co-arising nature of all things—looking into our own body to see our father, mother, air, earth, sky, children, and grandchildren… from there, we can transcend the prison of the separate self. Next, the “Gate of Emancipation by Signlessness” helps us not to be deceived by appearances, but to see the signless nature hidden within them. In the Diamond Sutra, there are four notions that we need to contemplate deeply:

1. The notion of self—seeing that the self is made entirely of non-self elements, so the idea of a separate self dissolves
2. The notion of person—seeing the non-human elements within every human being
3. The notion of living beings—seeing the insentient (non-living) elements within every sentient being
4. The notion of lifespan—seeing that there is neither birth nor death, that we are always dwelling in nirvana

The “Gate of Emancipation by Aimlessness,” or “wishlessness,” is the capacity to stop, not to chase after any further projects, and to recognize that we are already nirvana in this very moment. When we practice aimlessness, we smile and embrace the manifestation of sunlight, the sound of rain, our breath, a meal, a mindful step… without considering them merely as means to some distant goal. From this:

• we have happiness right in the present moment, even if body and mind are not yet as we wish
• we do not let worries and suffering overwhelm us, but maintain peace to serve our loved ones and society
• each day of 24 hours is a gift from the earth and sky, fully received when the mind is aimless, bringing the nirvana of the present moment right where we are living