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
No Rising Spring, the Dharma Body Manifests
Today is the 240th day of the Spring Retreat 1999 at New Hamlet, Tu Nghiem Monastery—the last spring of the twentieth century. Every morning, the teacher lights incense and reminds us that spring does not only begin in March or April, but the eternal spring is always present, latent even within the winter. That is the unsurpassable spring, inviting us to live each day, each hour fully in the happiness of the present moment, for if we cannot see the joy in this very moment, it will be difficult to truly cherish the future.
Next, the teacher explains verses and poems that connect spring with the wondrous ontological ground of all phenomena:
- The Lotus Sutra: “All dharmas from the very beginning abide in the mark of nirvana—no birth, no death.”
- The Zen master adds a poem: “When spring comes, a hundred flowers bloom, the golden oriole sings atop the willow.”
- Two other lines: “Purple bamboo, yellow flowers are not outside the world; white clouds, bright moon reveal the whole truth.” Purple bamboo, yellow flowers, white clouds, and the bright moon are manifestations of the Dharma body.
- The poem “Dahlia” by Quach Thoai: the wild flower “smiles its wondrous smile,” faintly hearing the eternal song, evoking reverence before the Dharma body.
Through poetry and music, we learn to touch birds, flowers, trees, and streams as manifestations of the wondrous Dharma body, helping to nourish the insight of no birth, no death, to transcend sorrow, and to live peacefully and freely in each moment.