Thầy introduces us to two nuns who were victims of war, and who now practice to reduce their fear on behalf of everyone. The practice of mindfulness begins with returning to the breath and to our steps to establish a sense of safety and security. By not closing our eyes to suffering, we get in touch with the First Noble Truth, allowing for transformation and healing. The Sangha functions not as a collection of individuals but as an organism where every member is a cell, and decisions are made through the collective, through the wisdom of Sangha eyes — an orchestra without a conductor.

Mindful breathing is a tool for healing both physiological and psychological distress. Speaking openly from his own experience, Thầy shares how he suffered a severe depression during the war—compounded by the loss of his mother, the deaths of colleagues, and the frustration of seeing the Buddhist hierarchy resist renewal. It was the practice of mindful breathing alone that healed him, and his faith in the Dharma remained intact throughout.

Every deep, mindful breath renews billions of blood cells with oxygen, supporting the healthy cells so they can embrace those that are not healthy. Establishing oneself in the present moment allows one to get in touch with the miracles of life. This shift from worrying about the future or regretting the past enables the work of transformation, as seen in the story of a man given three weeks to live who, through learning to live fully in the present moment, survived another fifteen years and took the Dharma name True Life.

Only two years after his mother’s death did Thầy touch the insight that she had never truly died—an insight that came not through striving but naturally, like a fruit ripening, while walking among tea plants in moonlight. Through all these difficulties, Thầy’s bodhicitta—his deep desire to help living beings—never wavered.

The practice of the Three Touchings of the Earth facilitates deep reconciliation. Thầy shares on the first two:

1. The first touching: recognising the presence of all ancestors within oneself. We are a continuation of our parents and all our ancestors, carrying their wisdom and their shortcomings. Understanding this allows for forgiveness and the transformation of negative habit energies.
2. The second touching: recognising all living beings and bodhisattvas in the present moment. This practice of non-discrimination fosters reconciliation between nations and individuals.

Through these practices, we realise the insight of interbeing (tương tắc or pratītya samutpāda). Just as mitochondria live within our cells in symbiosis, we cannot be by ourselves alone; to be is to inter-be with the entire cosmos.

This is the eighth talk in a series of thirteen given during The Eyes of The Buddha, twenty-one-day retreat in the year 2000. Thay offered this talk at the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. France.