Today is the 14th of June, 2014, and we are in the Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, during our twenty-one-day retreat. Today we have a session of questions and answers. Those of us who have a question are invited to come up here and sit close to Thầy and take turns to sit on that chair and ask our question. And we know that a good question can benefit many people. And a good question is a question that has to do with our practice, our suffering, our happiness, our experience, our practice. And we know that a good question does not need to be very long. That is why we should ask the question of our heart, that question that has been there for a long time. This is the moment. And the young people are encouraged to come and ask their questions. Please.

In the traditional Plum Village, before you ask the question, you breathe in and out three times with the sound of the bell and the whole congregation breathes with you. Are you ready, young man? Have you breathed in and out three times? Good.

With all the suffering in the world, how do we reduce the suffering of others without making them more angry at us when we're trying to help them?

Our friend is asking, with all the suffering in the world, how do we reduce the suffering of others without making them angry at us when we are trying to help them?

We should be fresh, smiling, loving, before we can do something meaningful and helpful. Without that, nothing can be done in order to help the world to suffer less. So remember, we should be fresh, smiling, loving, patient, and compassionate. And in order to be like that, we have to practice every day. We have to practice breathing, walking, sitting, looking deeply, so that we can have compassion in our heart. With compassion in our heart, we are fresh. We don't suffer. And we can help people. That's what we should remember. Do anything to have compassion to be born in your heart. And do everything to preserve compassion in your heart. That is the basic practice. Thank you for the question.