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Buddhist Youth Family Retreat 02
Buddhism was transmitted to Vietnam around the first century of the Common Era by Indian merchants trading spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. For the first 1,400 years, the Vietnamese called the Buddha “Bụt,” meaning the Awakened One, the one who knows how to dwell in the present moment. The Buddha is not a god but a human being who found the path of liberation from suffering, and everyone possesses Buddha nature to practice and become an awakened person. The energy that maintains this awakening is mindfulness, which helps unite body and mind so that we can be truly present and touch the wonders of life.
An important practice is drstādharma sukhavihāra (dwelling happily in the present moment), which means living in peace and happiness right here and now, instead of looking for happiness in the future or getting lost in the past. The story of Angulimala is a great lesson on stopping. When Angulimala demanded that he stop, the Buddha replied: “I stopped a long time ago. It is you who have not stopped.” This stopping means ceasing to create suffering and unwholesome actions, allowing us to recognize the conditions for happiness that are already available—such as our clear eyes or a healthy heart—in order to nourish and heal our body and mind.
To practice stopping and returning to our true home in the present moment, pebble meditation is introduced with four steps corresponding to four pebbles:
- I have arrived, I am home.
- In the here, in the now.
- Solid, free.
- Returning, taking refuge.
Applying meditation to daily activities such as washing dishes, cooking, or driving helps transform these times into nourishing moments worth living. Practitioners, especially parents and mentors, need to know how to nourish and heal themselves in order to effectively care for and sustain the joy of practice for their children and young community members.