Questions and Answers

Thich Nhat Hanh · August 3, 2000 · New Hamlet, Plum Village, France · Audio Only Not yet reviewed

The sangha is gathered at the New Hamlet on August 3, 2000, for a question and answer session.

We begin with questions from the children:

When we open our heart and feel a lot of joy and then a lot of sadness, how can we balance these feelings?
How can a child avoid being scolded and remain a good child?
Why do the monks and nuns wear brown clothes?
What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Followed by questions from the adults:

If we are all part of a circle of life, how do we draw the line between which beings it is alright to kill for food and which beings we shouldn’t?
Why do we feel sad and unable to be happy when we open our heart and feel the suffering of others, and what can we do?
If we stick to a practice we have learned and find wonderful, does this knowledge become an obstacle?
How can a wife restore communication and handle anger and loneliness in a marriage where her husband has stopped talking to her?
What is the role of passion in a loving relationship, and how can we deal with passion making us less mindful?
How can we transform the anxiety and fear of dying?
How can someone recognize and transform the fear that makes them walk the streets for hours to avoid returning to their small, noisy apartment?
What is the difference between creation and manifestation?

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Curated by Jonas Czech

Previous Talk August 2, 2000

Cultivating Mindfulness Through Breathing and Smiling

Next Talk August 4, 2000

Touching No-Birth and No-Death

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Transcript

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Opening the question and answer time with children’s questions first

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When we open our heart and feel a lot of joy and then a lot of sadness, how do we balance?

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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How do you do in order not to be scolded all the time and always be a good child?

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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Why do you and the monks and nuns have brown clothes?

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What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

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If we all inter-are, how do we draw the line between beings it is all right to kill for food and beings we should not kill?

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Why do I feel so sad when I open my heart to the suffering of others, and how is it possible to keep joy and compassion?

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If I find one teaching wonderful and want to follow it, does that become knowledge as an obstacle?

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My husband and I can no longer communicate, and I feel sad, lonely, and confused. What should I do?

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What is the role of passion in a loving relationship?

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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I’m afraid of dying. How can I transform this fear?

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Sangha Member

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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I live in a small noisy apartment, I fear going home, and I cannot meet this deep fear. What can I do?

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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What is the difference between “You are not a creation, you are a manifestation”?

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Sangha Member

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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