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Embracing Liberation and Interconnectedness: The Bamboo of Life's Challenges
This title has been reviewed for accuracy.
Discovering Our Connectedness and the Ultimate Dimension of Truth
Thầy begins by sharing a secret he learned about his mother and her perseverance in waiting to marry someone she loved. He then tells another story about the challenges of marrying someone we love and the catastrophe of being connected with someone we don’t love. He points out how important it is to acknowledge our spiritual and blood ancestors. We can feel all our ancestors within us as we practice. If we do everything while remembering we’re in the presence of God—i.e., being mindful—we honor our ancestors and enjoy our life in the moment. The first of the three prostrations allows us to be aware of and accept everyone—including our ancestors and descendants. In the second prostration, we connect with people who suffer, and we can also connect with bodhisattvas. The third prostration allows us to sense that we aren’t a separate self but are connected with everything. We must be aware of both relative truth, saṃvṛti-satya, and absolute truth, paramārtha-satya. In this way, we become aware of the ultimate dimension. Thầy concludes the talk by describing how the practice of mindful breathing can bring us to the present moment.
This is the last of fifteen talks given during the Summer Opening retreat, in 1995. Thầy offered this talk at the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.