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Dharma Eyes and the Three Doors of Liberation
If the sky is clear on Sunday night, sitting meditation to enjoy the moon begins at 9:30 PM on the deck around Thay’s hut (bring a cushion and something warm), and any flute players are welcome. To celebrate Plum Village’s twentieth anniversary, two retreats are planned:
- A seven-day French-speaking retreat in April for psychotherapists and those interested in Buddhist deep psychology (Vijñaptimātratā), featuring Dharma discussions, total relaxation, “touching the earth,” sitting and walking meditation, and mindful meals, with participants invited to submit personal challenges in advance.
- A twenty-one-day English-speaking retreat called “The Hand of the Buddha” from June 1 to June 21.
Thay explores three kinds of “eyes”:
- Flesh eyes (nhục nhãn), which perceive the world of forms and colors;
- Divine eyes (thiên nhãn), extended by practice or technology to see far and small;
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Dharma eyes, transmitted by the Buddha and teachers, which perceive impermanence, non-self, and interbeing, enable forgiveness and prevent suffering—and when fully matured become Buddha eyes.
He illustrates the bodhisattva with many arms—each hand bearing an “eye”—to show how compassion and understanding (Manjushri’s eye) inform skillful action (Samantabhadra’s hands). Cultivating Dharma eyes in every hand ensures our actions alleviate rather than create suffering.
He then presents the three doors of liberation—concentrations leading to insight and freedom:
• Śūnyatā (emptiness)
• Animitta (signlessness), seeing the cloud in the rain and vice versa, transcending grief and loss
• Apraṇihita (aimlessness), recognizing we are already what we seek—nirvana, Buddhahood, the kingdom of God—and learning to “stop running,” to rest in the here and now.