[Three sounds of the bell]

Good morning dear friends, good morning dear community. Today is the fourteenth of April in the year 2009, and we are at the Từ Nghiêm pagoda in Plum Village.

For the breathing, I suggest the two-three rhythm. In terms of seconds, or in terms of walking meditation. That means your inhalation can last two seconds and your exhalation can last three seconds. That is the minimum. If you have a clock that goes tick, tock, tick, tock, you can place it near you and listen to the clock while you breathe.

You focus on the sound and your breathing. If you are well concentrated on this, you can stop the thinking. You have become the breathing. We do not think, we are. And in that moment, you are your breath. The sound of the clock can help us. It is like a friend.

And you can do the same during walking meditation. You can follow the two-three, two-three rhythm. Two steps for the inhalation and three steps for the exhalation. We can start with two-three. And if we pay attention to our lungs, we will be able to satisfy our lungs, the needs of our lungs. And this can transform into the three-five rhythm. Even with the clock, three seconds, five seconds. Three seconds for the inhalation and five seconds for the exhalation. Usually, our exhalation is longer than our inhalation.

The minimum is three-four. But three-five works very well for me. You can also start with the three-five rhythm. One, two, three, as inhalation. One, two, three,