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Dharma Talk - Pháp Thoai Tổi

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 12, 2001 · China · Audio Only
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The best kind of incense is the incense of precepts, the incense of concentration, and the incense of insight. The one who bows and the one who is bowed to are both by nature empty, meaning they are empty of a separate self. A flower is made only of non-flower elements, including the cloud, sunshine, soil, minerals, the farmer, and compost; without these, the flower cannot exist. Similarly, the Buddha is made of non-Buddha elements, such as suffering and affliction, just as a lotus requires mud to grow. This insight applies to Jesus Christ, who is made of non-Jesus elements like God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary. The nature of reality is no birth and no death. A sheet of paper does not come from nothing but is a continuation of trees and rain, just as a cloud does not die but transforms into rain or ice cream.

The Buddha and Jesus are fully present in the here and the now, available to those who can see their new manifestations. A true Buddhist is a continuation of the Buddha, embodying freedom, mindfulness, and concentration, and must be ready to abandon views and knowledge to reach higher understanding. This non-duality extends to family, as parents are fully present in every cell of one’s body. Reconciling with a parent is reconciling with oneself. The emptiness of transmission consists of three elements:

  1. The transmitter
  2. The object that has been transmitted
  3. The receiver of the transmission

The transmitter and the receiver are one, and happiness is not an individual matter. Love and compassion are made of the substance of understanding (Prajna). Without understanding the suffering and difficulties of another, love can become a prison. To practice true love, one must practice deep listening and ask: “Do you think I understand you enough?” and “Does my love make you suffer?” Understanding suffering is the foundation of love (Maitri) and compassion (Karuna).

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