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Before the Summer Retreat
The poem “Nhị Thập Bát Tú” consists of four lines, each with seven words, totaling twenty-eight words, and contains two special punctuation marks:
- The question mark – a symbol of inquiry into the human condition, full of wonder and uncertainty
- The exclamation mark – an expression of affirmation, a conclusion like the sound of a nail driven into a coffin, the final answer to the chain of life’s questions
Human life is always surrounded by great questions about origin, meaning, and destiny, causing “the snail to crawl, racking its brain, blood silently falling.” There are two kinds of people who do not suffer because of these questions:
- Those who are too wealthy – busy chasing after material things, having no time for self-inquiry
- Those who are too poor – using all their energy to make a living, lacking the conditions for contemplation
The Dharma cannot be attained by intellect alone, but requires the harmony of body and mind, consciousness and store consciousness, practicing mindfulness, concentration, and insight in every moment. For example, daily tasks are also Dharma practice:
- breathing in – breathing out
- sweeping the floor
- washing the pot
- picking vegetables
-
driving the car
when done with our whole being, each action becomes an opportunity to cultivate great understanding and great compassion, manifesting the truth that “there is no way to enlightenment – enlightenment is the way” (satori).