Thầy teaches that there is a place within us we can go back to whenever we feel lost or assaulted, to restore our peace, our clarity, and our compassion: the island within. He recalls returning to his hut in a wood in France one windy afternoon, closing the doors and windows, lighting the lamp, and making a fire, and he invites us to close the six doors of the senses, including the mind, on days when things do not go well. This is the teaching the Buddha gave in the last months of his life, so that his disciples would see that the teacher is inside.

Thầy explains that it is not by thinking that we produce insight: store consciousness is like the garden, and mind consciousness is like the gardener. He shows how mindful breathing and walking—from the office to the parking lot, in the car, at the airport—bring us home to the here and the now, where the Kingdom of God is available. “I think, therefore I am not there,” he says. Drinking tea, washing dishes, even brushing our teeth can be moments of freedom. They need no extra time, only the courage to turn off our telephone now and then.

Thầy describes what a Sangha practices together in a retreat: recognizing the body, releasing tension, generating joy and happiness, and embracing pain until understanding and compassion are born and communication is restored. He offers the image of the cells of the body, each nourishing itself and communicating with the others, and sees Congress as such a body, each member able to cultivate clarity, compassion, and courage and to share their practice with colleagues and constituents. Happiness, he reminds them, does not depend only on economic development.

After the talk, Thầy answers three questions from the audience:

• How can we bridge the communication divide in Congress?
• What do you think of the demonstrations around the world?
• What is the first step to invite members of Congress to be more mindful?

Thầy suggests the first step may be for a few who know the practice to propose simple things: a bell of mindfulness when anger is in the air, and a short reading at the start of each session inviting compassionate listening and loving speech.

This is the second talk in a series of three given during Path Towards Peace retreat for members of the United States Congress, in the year 2011. Thầy offered this talk at the United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC, United States of America.