Peace is the absence of fear and anger, yet seeds of anger, fear and despair lie hidden in our consciousness. Mindfulness—practised through mindful breathing, mindful walking and mindful smiling—is the agent of transformation. By generating the energy of mindfulness, we learn to recognize and embrace these seeds “like a mother embracing her baby,” bringing immediate relief and opening the way to insight and healing.

Mindfulness serves three functions:

1. Recognize what is present, positive or negative.
2. Embrace it tenderly and touch its deeper layers.
3. Look deeply into its true nature, seeing the roots of fear and anger.
   Like an organic gardener transforming compost into flowers, we learn to handle our inner “garbage” (craving, anger, fear, despair) and nourish peace, joy and loving-kindness.

At Plum Village, groups of Israelis and Palestinians spend seven, eight or nine days of sitting, silent walking, mindful eating and compassionate listening, then practise gentle speech to dissolve collective suspicion and anger. A Californian couple completed a six-day retreat of deep listening and loving speech to transform years of tension and restore communication. Thich Nhat Hanh proposes applying the same path to nations—beginning with America forming a “parliament for deep listening” to heal its own wounds, then engaging perceived enemies with compassionate listening and loving speech rather than violence.