Language

Watch this talk

Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

The title, description and transcript may contain inaccuracies.

Afternoon Dharma Talk

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 21, 2002 · Bao Guo Temple, China · Audio Only
Feedback

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.

read more

Part of the following collection

161 videos
250h 41m

Recently Added Talks

Curated by Jonas Czech
Previous Talk November 21, 2002
1h 58m

Baoguo Temple - Morning Dharma Talk

Next Talk November 22, 2002
2h 18m

Morning Dharma Talk