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Brotherhood and the Happiness of Monastic Life at Plum Village
Cherishing brotherhood as “the most precious capital”: Without salary, without personal bank accounts, the monastics at Plum Village nourish each other with brotherhood “like the breath, a living practice.” Happiness increases or decreases according to the depth of brotherhood, and we need to ask ourselves about the difficulties in building it, to contemplate for half an hour each day, then write briefly and send it in to share together.
Root teacher and the responsibility to transform habit energies: Every month, one must observe the progress of one’s root student or root sister; if there is no transformation, one must find new methods and call upon the support of the community. Old habits—“the well-worn path in the mind”—can only be transformed by daily diligent practice, mindfulness in each step, and concrete methods; willpower alone is not enough without continuous monitoring and support.
Contemplating wounds and practicing compassion: Many difficulties with elder brothers and sisters arise from childhood wounds; we need to “bring the inner child out of the past” with mindfulness and compassion, to recognize “subjective perceptions” and practice so that each step, each action is an opportunity to create new habit energies. When we ourselves are healthier, we will have enough courage to inquire and help our elder brothers transform their wounds, so that brotherhood grows stronger and happiness increases.