This 38-minute excerpt from a Dharma talk given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on April 13, 2000, in Plum Village, France, is titled “How to Practice When Feeling Down or Anxious.” Thay speaks about two ways to practice mindfulness amid the vicissitudes of our inner weather.

The first way is “changing the peg,” drawn from the tenth mindful-breathing exercise in the Discourse on Mindful Breathing, which helps gladden the mind.

The second way, the one Thay himself practiced, is to “just leave it there.” Instead of trying to change the channel, we allow the feeling to be, recognizing that the fervent wish to immediately replace it can sometimes do more harm than good.

Throughout the talk Thay uses the Vietnamese word “tâm,” which means both “heart” and “mind.” In Buddhist psychology, mind and heart are often described by the single word “citta.”

Original Vietnamese title: “Thực tập thế nào khi buồn chán, lo âu – Trích Pháp thoại Sư Ông 13/04/2000.”

“Feelings come and go
like clouds in a windy sky.
Conscious breathing
is my anchor.”

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