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
Monastic Retreat at Kim Son Monastery
When we enter the temple and engage in practice, it is not to seek degrees or to wear Buddhist knowledge as an ornament, but to practice—that is, to train—in order to transform body and mind, bringing about true peace and happiness. The precepts are re-understood as mindfulness trainings, just as one who tames a wild elephant or a wild horse must use a chain and gentle methods to train them. In the monastery, the precepts and the monastic code of conduct are the “chain” that binds us to let go of old habitual patterns, so that we may gradually attain true freedom—freedom from being driven by craving, anger, and ignorance.
To practice only the form without the content is “form-only practice”—it only resembles the outer form but does not bring about any transformation. On the other hand, to practice with both form and content will move those around us, serving both as a mirror and as a seed of awakening. Every hour of sitting meditation, every time we hear the bell, every chanting session is a precious opportunity to bring the practice into daily life: to stop, to return to the breath, to maintain the mind in the here and now, to look deeply into our suffering in order to untangle it.
For example, in the Heart Sutra, just a few lines—“form is not different from emptiness… no birth, no death…”—are diamond swords that cut through our own delusion. When chanting, we need to dwell 100% in concentration so that the words of the sutra penetrate body and mind, rather than being absent or chasing after form. The success of our practice is not measured by time or titles, but by the degree of transformation, freedom, and happiness that increases in each moment of practice.
