Last talk of the Fall Retreat

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 17, 2011 · Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France · Audio Only Not yet reviewed

The Winter Retreat offers an opportunity to deepen practice through mindful breathing, walking, and sitting. The cultivation of peace begins with making the breath deeper and more harmonious, which helps release tension and pain in the body. This practice leads to the development of four essential qualities:

Peace: Cultivated through mindful breathing to calm the body and feelings.
Clarity: The removal of wrong perceptions to see things as they are.
Compassion: Born from understanding, allowing for the acceptance of oneself and others.
Courage: The energy needed to make decisions and cut through afflictions like craving and anger.

True happiness is found not in fame or wealth, but in the presence of these four virtues and the cultivation of brotherhood and sisterhood. Within a true Sangha, individuals find the freedom to express themselves and trust one another, creating a nourishing environment for transformation and healing. Happiness is also found in having a clear path—the eight right practices of mindfulness, concentration, and insight—which leads to the relief of suffering for oneself and others.

The practice of Touching the Earth recognizes the planet as a bodhisattva and the mother of all Buddhas. By touching the ground during walking meditation, the duality of matter and spirit is transcended, recognizing that every speck of dust contains the cosmos. During the retreat, the Sangha will study two specific texts:

The Paramārthagāthā, or verses on the Absolute Truth.
Quán sở duyên duyên luận, a study on the objects of consciousness.
These teachings support the realization that the nature of all things is interbeing, where the one contains the all.

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Protecting Mother Earth

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The Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice

Transcript

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Entering the Winter Retreat with Peace

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True Happiness in the Sangha

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Sharing Transformation and Preparing the Retreat

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Earth as Bodhisattva

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Walking the Boundary of Interbeing

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