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Nam Pu Tuo

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 17, 2002 · Hainan, China · Audio Only
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Arriving in the West in 1966 to call for a stop to the war, a life of exile led to sharing the Dharma to aid peacemaking. To effectively share Buddhism with Westerners and the younger generation, the teaching and practice required renewal. The Three Refuges and Five Precepts were adapted over fifteen years to appeal to intellectuals and youth, focusing on practical application to transform suffering rather than creating scholars or focusing on devotion. The core teachings offered include the Three Refuges, the Five Precepts, the Sutra on Mindful Breathing, and the Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Mahayana texts such as the Lotus Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the Vimalakirti Sutra are utilized alongside the teaching of Consciousness Only to understand the mind.

Several Dharma doors are utilized to open the practice to the West: the Dharma door of psychology, the practice to protect the ecology, the practice of peace between individuals, ethnic groups, and nations, and the practice of equality between men and women. Consequently, monastic training should include Buddhism, psychology, science, and civilizations, alongside languages. The practice offered is that of mindfulness, establishing oneself in the here and the now through mindful breathing, drinking, and walking. This allows for the realization of the Pure Land in the present moment. The Pure Land is defined not as a place without suffering, but a place where there is understanding (Prajna) and compassion (Karuna); without the mud of suffering, the lotus of compassion cannot grow.

The energy of mindfulness has two functions: the first is to help us be in the here and the now to touch refreshing and nourishing elements, and the second is to help recognize, embrace, and transform afflictions. Regarding mistakes, practitioners have the right to make them, but must learn from them, a process referred to as Beginning Anew. To address restlessness or drowsiness during meditation, one must learn to sit in a relaxing way to enjoy the breathing, or choose an interesting subject for meditation, such as a block of affliction like despair or anger.

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