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Returning to Our True Home
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December 24, 2010. Thich Nhat Hanh gave a 58-minute dharma talk in Stillwater Meditation hall in Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat. This was the Christmas Eve talk. Thay speaks about the theme of finding a true home, drawing parallels between the journeys of Jesus and the Buddha, both of whom searched for their true homes as young men. Thay emphasizes the importance of building a sangha, a beloved community, to find one’s true home and reduce suffering. He reflects on his meeting with Martin Luther King 44 years ago, where they discussed building a loving community.
Thay explains that the sangha is like a beehive, where each member works for the well-being of the whole. He shares that his time in the West has been devoted to sangha building, and that without a sangha, one cannot do anything. He also discusses the teachings of the Buddha during his last Rains Retreat, which focused on finding our true home within ourselves—the island of oneself, where peace, freedom, solidity, and joy reside.
Thay further elaborates on the practice of mindfulness, which brings one to the present moment and helps touch the wonders of life. He draws connections between the teachings of the Buddha and Jesus Christ, suggesting that both figures can be seen as our brothers, and that nirvana or the Kingdom of God can be experienced in the here and now through mindful breathing and living.
Additionally, Thay talks about Jesus as a refugee, his own experience as a refugee from Vietnam, and our collective experience as refugees seeking a true home. Monks and nuns from Plum Village also invoke the name of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, on Christmas Eve Day, 2010, in the Dharma Cloud Temple of Plum Village, France.
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