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Public Talk - World at Peace
Let us look deeply into a flower and see that its very being depends on non-flower elements—the sunshine, the cloud, the earth, the gardener, our consciousness. In the same way, we are each a “formation”—a coming-together of fifty-one mental formations, from anger and despair to understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and so on. Every one of these “guests” wants to be heard; if they speak all at once, there is no peace. Through mindful breathing, mindful walking and other everyday practices, we generate the energy of mindfulness, which brings concentration and insight. With this energy we learn:
- to recognize each mental formation as it arises (anger, fear, joy, compassion…),
- to embrace it tenderly (e.g. mindfulness of anger),
- to invite wholesome seeds to the surface and let unwholesome ones return to sleep,
- and to nurture those positive seeds by selective watering.
Mindfulness, concentration, and insight are the three treasures that allow us to be present, to touch the wonders of life—whether washing our hands, brushing our teeth or breathing with a bell. They also equip us to practice deep listening and gentle speech, beginning with our own suffering and extending outward to family, community and even nations. Thay offers a concrete proposal: on the national level, convene forums of compassionate listening to address injustice and despair at home; on the international level, create a “parliament for peace” where people trained in reconciliation invite all parties to share their stories, remove wrong perceptions and transform the “garbage” of conflict into the “lotus” of peace.
