Thầy explores the true nature of the Buddha on this special Vesak celebration day, asking: “Who is the Buddha? Is he still alive? Is he a human being, or is he a god?” He explains that if we’re familiar with how the Buddha came to his understanding and compassion, we can come to that same understanding and compassion. He did this—and we can do this—by looking deeply into the nature of our suffering, including the suffering that has been passed down to us by our ancestors.

The way out of suffering—duḥkha, ill-being—is described in the Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth states that suffering exists. The Second Noble Truth states that the cause of any kind of ill-being can be known to us. The Third Noble Truth states that there is a path that leads to the end of suffering, and the Fourth Noble Truth is that path—the practice—which involves ceasing to feed the suffering. Each of us is a buddha-to-be who has only to practice to realize our buddha-nature and transform our suffering into healing.

The Buddha never stopped practicing even after his enlightenment because it’s essential to generate understanding and compassion ceaselessly to address the suffering in the world. The Buddha is made of non-buddha elements, just as we are. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, all beings—including mineral beings—have buddha-nature. There is no discrimination between matter and spirit because they’re two aspects of the same thing. Similarly, mind is made of body, and body is made of mind. When we recognize interbeing, we see that the Earth is a bodhisattva, a buddha, and just as a cloud can be found in our cup of tea, we see that the historical Buddha continues in the Sangha and the Dharma.

Thầy next responds to questions from Sangha members:

• How can we handle our habit energy when we notice irritation accumulating in our daily life?
• How can we heal the violence surrounding us, and how can we practice compassion for those who suffer without taking on their suffering?

He concludes the talk by discussing preparations for upcoming retreats, introducing some proposals for the thirty-year anniversary of Plum Village, including that the community sit quietly together in complete silence for eight minutes before every Dharma talk to generate a collective energy of healing and peace.

This talk was given on Vesak Day during the Spring Retreat in the year 2012. Thầy offered this retreat at the New Hamlet, Plum Village, France.