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National Teacher Ngo Dat - Taking Care of the Garden of the Mind
A young teacher named Tri Huyen patiently cared for Master Ca Ni Sac Ca for five years until the Indian master awoke and predicted that Tri Huyen would become famous, but would encounter great misfortune due to pride when sitting on the Dharma seat. This event led to a boil as large as a pomelo, causing pain for six months and forcing National Teacher Ngo Dat to leave the capital and seek out Mount Cuu Lung, following the instruction: “When you reach the foot of the mountain, look for two pine trees; follow them and you will find me.” Along the way, through many hardships, Ngo Dat was cared for and bathed by Master Ca Diep Ca, who gave him porridge and then, with a voice resonating in his mind, recounted the karmic retribution from a lie told in the past (the fourth precept), inviting him to wash the boil three times at the Stream of Liberation from Resentment. The three washings—the first causing him to faint, the second reducing the pain, and the third granting a peaceful sleep—led to complete healing and a dream of returning to original purity, symbolizing spiritual healing.
The theoretical content emphasizes the concept of internal formations (Samiujana)—the knots in the mind that give rise to suffering, including
- pleasant internal formations (such as addiction to alcohol or stimulants)
-
painful internal formations (anger, jealousy, fear)
and the method to transform them through the practice of mindfulness, including
- mindful breathing and walking meditation to recognize internal formations as soon as they arise
- watering the flowers—acknowledging and praising the positive qualities in our loved ones
- beginning anew—sitting together, expressing our mistakes, asking for guidance, and making a vow not to repeat them
- guidance offering—sincerely asking others to point out our unskillfulness so that we may grow together.