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Retreat for Young People and Buddhist Youth Association – Bang Pagoda (3)
Today, Thay presents the concept of formation (Sanskrit: Samskara, English: formation) in Buddhism: every phenomenon is a formation, the result of the coming together of many conditions. For example, a flower or a cloud is a formation, and according to the Tathagata’s words, “all formations are impermanent” – that is, all formations are impermanent, from bodily formations (the hand, the eye) to mental formations (sadness, anger, love). In our practice, we must take care of both bodily formations (relaxation, breathing, refraining from alcohol and drugs…) and mental formations, distinguishing between positive mental formations – such as love and joy – and negative mental formations – such as anger and despair. Each negative mental formation can lie dormant as a seed in the store consciousness, but will sprout when watered; therefore, we need to learn to recognize, take care of, and transform them in time.
To nourish wholesome mental formations and deal with unwholesome ones, the Buddha taught:
- The method of changing the peg (or changing the CD): when a mental formation of anger or despair arises, replace it with a better mental formation (love, forgiveness…)
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The Four Right Efforts, four principles for dealing with mental formations:
• Do not let unwholesome mental formations be watered
• When they arise, change the peg right away
• Water the seeds of wholesome mental formations so they can arise
• Keep wholesome mental formations alive as long as possible - Mindfulness – the energy to recognize all phenomena in the present moment (breathing, walking, washing dishes… with full awareness) – helps us embrace and transform sadness and anger, just as a mother holds and soothes her baby, bringing relief after just a few minutes.
Along with practicing mindful breathing and mindfulness, each young person is encouraged to receive and keep the Five Mindfulness Trainings – the miraculous medicine for happiness and mental safety:
- Protecting the lives of all beings and the environment
- Sharing time and material resources with those in need, eliminating corruption
- No sexual misconduct, preserving family happiness and protecting children
- Loving speech and deep listening to restore true communication
- Consuming mindfully, refusing toxic products (greed, hatred, delusion…)
A noteworthy statistic: every day in France, 33 young people commit suicide (about 17,000 per year), the deep cause being not knowing how to recognize and transform the mental formation of despair. With the Dharma door of abdominal breathing – sitting firmly, paying attention to the rising and falling of the abdomen with deep breathing – together with the Four Right Efforts and daily mindfulness, each person can master their emotions, maintain peace, share this method with family, students, and friends, and help build a healthy, compassionate society.
