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Bonn Public Lecture

Thich Nhat Hanh · May 29, 1993 · Bonn, Germany · Audio Only
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To be happy is to know that you are happy. Conditions for happiness are available in the here and now, such as the feeling of well-being, the state of having no toothache, and possessing good eyesight. Peace education involves learning to touch the peace, happiness, and joy available in the present moment. Being alive is the greatest of all miracles, yet many live in forgetfulness. Mindfulness is the energy that helps one touch what is truly happening in the present moment, allowing access to the refreshing and healing wonders of life. It is the energy of being present to live and to love; the most precious gift one can offer to a beloved is true presence, enveloping them with this energy.

The Buddha offered specific exercises for this practice. Breathing in, one becomes aware of the heart; breathing out, one smiles to the heart. This touch of mindfulness brings comfort and understanding to the heart, which works hard day and night to preserve well-being. Similarly, one can breathe in and be aware of the liver, smiling to it to understand its suffering from consumption habits. This practice extends to the environment: breathing in, one becomes aware of the trees and rivers; breathing out, one smiles to them. Trees are lungs existing outside the body, and taking care of the peace outside is taking care of the peace inside.

Love, fear, and suffering are of an organic nature; love can transform into hatred, and hatred back into love, much like garbage transforms into compost and back into flowers. Mindfulness acts as a mother holding a crying baby, embracing the energy of anger with tenderness rather than fighting it. This practice relies on non-duality and non-violence, recognizing that fighting anger is fighting oneself. By keeping mindfulness alive, one looks deeply into the roots of anger, often discovering wrong perceptions and the seed of anger within oneself. Recognizing that the other person also suffers and needs help transforms anger into compassion. One practices touching peace to be nourished and transforming war to handle despair and anxiety.

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