We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
Mindfulness: The Path to Our True Home
Mindfulness is always mindful of something: mindful breathing, mindful drinking tea, mindful washing dishes, mindful walking, mindful brushing teeth. Mindfulness helps us to know what is happening in our body, feelings, emotions, perceptions, and what is happening around us. Mindfulness is a holy energy that has the power to heal. Mindfulness is the energy of the Buddha.
The energy of mindfulness brings the energy of concentration. When you are mindful of something, you are somehow concentrated on it. When you are mindful of your breathing, you are concentrated on your breathing and you are not thinking about something else. When mindfulness and concentration are there, insight is also there. Insight is a kind of right view, understanding, and awakening. When you breathe in, you know you are alive. You know your ancestors are still alive in you. That is an insight. That is already an awakening. Insight liberates you from confusion, anger, and despair.
Mindfulness, concentration, and insight are the heart of meditation practice. We practice mindfulness of breathing together with mindfulness of suffering. We breathe in and recognize there is suffering in us. Many of us think it is not pleasant to get in touch with our suffering and do not want to do that. We are afraid that we will be overwhelmed by the suffering within us. That is why we always want to run away from ourselves and the suffering within ourselves by consumption, like watching TV or driving somewhere.
Our practice is to go home and take care of the suffering inside of us and to transform it. With mindful breathing, we have the energy we need to recognize and embrace the suffering within us like a mother holding her baby tenderly.
Thay introduces the practice of mindful breathing, listening to the bell, mindful walking, and eating meditation to help us cultivate mindfulness, concentration, and insight. The practice of listening to the bell can be very deep and very powerful. When we listen to the bell, we breathe in and recite this gatha:
I listen, I listen.
This wonderful sound of the bell brings me back to my true home.
My true home is not located in space and time. My true home is the here and now. What you have longed for is in the present moment, including peace, happiness, the Pureland of the Buddha, or the Kingdom of God.
We can invite every cell in our body to listen to the bell, deep listening. The sound of the bell, the present moment, the awakening can penetrate into every cell in us. Our ancestors are in every cell of our body. When we invite all our cells to listen to the bell, all our ancestors are invited at the same time. We and all our ancestors are listening to the bell. Breathing in, calming. Breathing in, smiling. Instead of saying “I listen, I listen”, we can say “we listen, we listen”. All our cells, all our ancestors – blood ancestors and spiritual ancestors.
Suppose there is a little wave on the surface of the ocean, being caught in the notion of coming up and going down, being there and not being there, birth and death. If the wave is being caught in these notions, she is scared. If the wave breathes in and touches the ultimate dimension, she knows that she is water. The moment she realizes that she is water, she is no longer afraid. She enjoys going up and going down. The notions of being and non-being, beginning and ending, coming and going do not bother her anymore, because she knows that she is water. Our nature is the nature of no-birth and no-death. If we can touch this nature, we are in the Kingdom of God.
Today we explore mindfulness of suffering and compassion. We listen to the monastics invoke the name of Avalokiteshvara to help relieve the suffering in ourselves and in the world. Following the chant, Thay leads the sangha through a few mindful movements. The bell helps us return to our true home. Our true home is not located in space or time but it is in the present moment.
Note: this description was automatically sourced from existing YouTube descriptions and other sources. Please ‘Suggest Edit’ if it’s incorrect.