“Living Tradition of Buddhist Meditation Practice” (TTSĐCTTĐB) is a series of Dharma talks given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh between 1994 and 1997. Through these talks, we are guided on a historical journey of Buddhist meditation practice from India to Vietnam and China. We will discover that Buddhism was transmitted from India to Vietnam hundreds of years before it reached China, contrary to common belief. Additionally, we will learn about the distinguished and profound Zen masters of Vietnam who are seldom mentioned. This is a long and fascinating journey, offering many new insights and practical methods for practice.

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TTSĐCTTĐB stands for “The Living Tradition of Buddhist Meditation Practice,” a series of Dharma talks given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh during the years 1994-1997. Through this series, we will be guided by the Zen Master on a historical journey of Buddhist meditation practice from India to Vietnam and China. We will discover that Buddhism was transmitted from India to Vietnam about 300 years before it reached China and continued to spread to China, contrary to the common belief that it came to Vietnam from China. We will also learn about the outstanding and profound Zen masters of our nation who are rarely mentioned. This is a long and interesting journey.

Please forgive the first 2 minutes of the clip being missing the video part. Excerpt from the Dharma talk on November 24, 1994, by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

TTSĐCTTĐB, abbreviated from “The Living Tradition of Buddhist Meditation,” is a series of Dharma talks given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh between 1994 and 1997. Through this series, the Zen Master guides us on a historical journey of Buddhist meditation from India to Vietnam and China. We will discover that Buddhism was transmitted from India to Vietnam about 300 years before it reached China and continued to spread to China, contrary to the common belief that it came from China to Vietnam. We will also learn about the distinguished and profound Zen Masters of our nation who are rarely mentioned. This is a long and fascinating journey of practice.

Body and mind in harmony create the sacred temple of the spirit; if mindfulness is lacking, that temple becomes desolate. Practicing sitting meditation is to bring the mind back to the body, the body back to the mind, so that we can truly be present in the here and now, nourishing concentration—stable dwelling, the opposite of dispersion. The quality of our sitting depends on ourselves: sitting well is like a mountain, solid and stable; sitting not yet well is like sitting in a dark cave, drifting in the cycle of birth and death. We only need a tree root, an empty house, or a meditation hall, Mount Ta Cu, the sangha, and the right moment, and we already have enough conditions to dwell peacefully in meditation.

Mindful breathing is the means that brings us back to the temple of our body, where we are truly present in the here and now. In the Anapanasati Sutra, the Buddha taught four exemplary kinds of breath. We recognize clearly each breath as follows and maintain mindfulness throughout the in-breath and out-breath without interruption:

• breathing in long
• breathing out long
• breathing in short
• breathing out short
  The continuous flow of the breath is like the sound of a violin, unbroken between the pulling and pushing of the bow, creating the foundation for concentration and the joy of meditation.

All daily activities—sitting, walking, standing, eating, washing dishes, washing clothes—are opportunities to practice mindfulness, keeping body and mind in harmony in the present moment. In the sangha, we nourish mindfulness together and build a common temple that does not become an empty, soulless place. Each mindful step, each slow, gentle movement is a brick that builds a solid sangha, a place where we always find a peaceful refuge.

The breath related to feeling is presented as one-fourth of the Dharma door of the Anapanasati Sutra; feeling is one of the 51 mental formations and is the second aggregate among the five aggregates, together with form, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The practice is to recognize the body as an “impermanent physiological river,” to nourish joy and then happiness with the conditions that are already present: healthy eyes, a liver that enjoys chocolate, the protection of the sangha. When joy is present, concentration comes naturally; without joy, concentration is weak. The Buddha advises us to generate pleasant feelings with the breath: breathing in and breathing out with joy, then transforming it into calm happiness, which is very different from the unstable state of being “so excited.”

The practice gradually moves through four breaths related to feeling: awareness of joy, awareness of happiness, awareness of mental formations, calming mental formations. Feeling is contemplated like a mother holding her child: breathing in, we touch the painful feeling; breathing out, we embrace it, and the pain is soothed. When wholesome happiness is brought into awareness, it grows; if happiness contains toxins, mindfulness helps us to stop. Most of our life is neutral feeling—neither pleasant nor unpleasant; when the light of mindfulness shines on it, neutral feeling transforms into happiness, like realizing “not having a toothache” is suddenly a source of joy. Walking meditation, sitting meditation, washing the dishes, cooking rice—all are opportunities to record the conditions for joy and happiness, enriching our store of feelings.

• Lists that cannot be omitted when mentioning specific numbers
  • the five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness
  • the three kinds of feeling: pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling, neutral feeling
  • the four parts of the 16 breaths: body, feelings, mind, objects of mind

The Buddha, with his boundless compassion, placed awareness of joy and happiness first so that we have enough energy to look deeply into suffering; in this way, true happiness and insight are revealed in every breath.