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Embracing the Buddha Within: Mindfulness, Compassion, and the Path to Liberation
This title has been reviewed for accuracy.
Thay teaches how to connect with the Buddha within, with the practice of Flower Fresh, Mountain Solid, Water Reflecting, and Space Free to nurture freshness, solidity, peace, and freedom. Regular meditation and mindful breathing strengthen this connection, acknowledging the Buddha within with gratitude. The practice of mindfulness, embracing our painful feelings and physical pain, and smiling to them, allows healing. Thay talks about the practice of dealing with strong emotions using belly breathing and visualizing a tree standing in a storm. He touches on the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths and the Four Nutriments. Looking deeply at suffering with mindfulness and concentration, we will see how it has come to be and how to alleviate it. We are advised to look at how our consumption contributes to our ill-being. Thay ends with the teaching of the Buddha on true love and the practice of danapāramitā (giving) and prajñāpāramitā (understanding). True love encompasses four elements: maitrī (bringing happiness), karuṇā (alleviating suffering), muditā (joy), and upekṣā (freedom). Your true presence and your understanding are two precious gifts you can offer to someone you love.
This is the fourth talk in a series of five given during the Pain, Love and Happiness retreat, in the year 1997. Thay offered this talk at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the United States.