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Present Moment, Wonderful Moment: Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Gathas
Thầy focuses on the eleventh exercise —concentrating the mind—and the twelfth exercise—liberating the mind—of the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
He begins with the beautiful, simple, and iconic Plum Village meditation which is based on the Ānāpānasati Sutta:
In, Out. Deep, Slow. Calm, Ease. Smile, Release. Present Moment, Wonderful Moment.
Thầy analyzes each line in detail, encouraging us to use the meditation in our daily lives because it teaches us how to be truly alive; fully present—body and mind connected. The meditation, which he asks us to “learn my heart,” helps us “set up the conditions for happiness.“ Thầy then describes true happiness, including the happiness of just sitting and enjoying our breathing.
Thầy explains that the goal of practice is not merely to find temporary relief, but to achieve transformation at the base (āśraya-parāvṛtti). This deep emancipation is only possible when we obtain insight through the two wings of meditation: śamatha (stopping, calming, and concentrating) and vipaśyanā (deep looking). Thầy suggests a practical exercise of placing a “stop” sign in our home to remind us to stand still and practice mindful breathing until we truly realize the art of stopping.
Thầy clarifies that this transformation can be achieved in two ways:
- Directly, by inviting a seed of suffering to manifest so it can be embraced by mindfulness and transformed through deep looking and the light of insight.
- Indirectly, by watering the seeds of an opposite nature, such as joy, compassion, and peace, within ourselves and others.
These practices can be undertaken individually or with the support of a Sangha to help seeds of affliction disintegrate naturally.
Thầy says, “We all have received positive seeds from our parents, our ancestors, but we also have received negative seeds from our ancestors, our parents. And we have to practice.” He then details the importance of reconciliation and describes how to reconcile. He says, “Peace is only possible with that knowledge and with that reconciliation.”
Because the community will enjoy Formal Lunch together after the Dharma talk, Thầy ends with a discussion on mindful eating.
This is the seventh talk in a series given during The Path of Emancipation, twenty-one-day retreat in the year 1998. Thay offered this talk at St. Michael’s College, Burlington, Vermont, in the United States.
These teachings later appear in the book The Path of Emancipation.