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Public Talk - A day of mindfulness in Oakland
We are like a candle offering light, warmth, and fragrance every moment; with mindfulness we learn to see our thoughts, speech, and actions as our “light” offered to ourselves and the world. Right thinking arises from insight into impermanence, no-self, and interbeing—recognizing that clinging to a permanent “I” or seeking happiness at others’ expense is not true understanding. Happiness, security, and fear are shared; to assure our own safety and joy, we must care for others’ safety and joy.
Right thinking and right speech—loving, gentle language—go hand in hand as two factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. Thầy invites us to visualize President Bush using gentle speech to phone President Chirac, President Saddam, even Osama bin Laden, asking with compassion, “How can I help you feel safe and at ease?” Through deep listening and dialogue rather than bombs, wrong perceptions—the roots of violence and hatred—can be uprooted.
Mindful input (right mindfulness, right concentration, right understanding) produces mindful output (right thinking, right speech, right action). Thay outlines six of the Eightfold Path’s factors and touches on right livelihood—urging a shift from the weapon industry to peace-building and healing industries that offer opportunities for transformation. He calls for nationwide sessions of deep listening (even televised), local Sangha practice, and the creation of healing environments—echoed by the transformation of Plum Village’s Upper Hamlet—so that each moment of our daily life contributes to collective peace and joy.
