On July 21, 2012, Thich Nhat Hanh delivered a 98-minute dharma talk at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, during the Summer Opening Retreat. This talk, the eleventh of the series and the first of the third week, addresses how we often turn to consumption to relieve our suffering. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that mindfulness and concentration can help us embrace our sorrow with tenderness, leading to relief. He emphasizes the healing power of silence and the joy of being alive, providing instructions for walking meditation and discussing the practices of “I have arrived. I am home,” mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

The talk includes a mindfulness exercise of listening to the Avalokiteshvara chant, which helps stop our thinking and allows the sound to penetrate our body. Thich Nhat Hanh explores the concepts of the Buddha body, the real Buddha, the real Sangha, and the Dharma. He explains that freedom is the foundation of peace, and that peace and joy are always possible with practice. The practice of Bhumisparsha, or touching the earth, is highlighted as a method to heal oneself and the earth through walking meditation.

Thich Nhat Hanh stresses the importance of returning to the present moment to encounter life, describing the present moment as our true home and the kingdom of God. He discusses the practice of mindfulness in everyday activities, such as mindful telephone use, and emphasizes that mindfulness is always mindfulness of something, serving as the source of happiness. He references the Anguttara Nikaya, stating that cultivating the mind brings happiness, while neglecting it leads to suffering.

The talk also covers the need for a spiritual dimension in life, the concept of the dharma body (Dharmakaya), and the story of monk Vakkali. Thich Nhat Hanh explains that not only the Buddha has the Buddha body, but all of us possess it as well. He speaks about the original sangha of the Buddha and the “wake up” young sangha, which aims to bring mindfulness practice to young people, especially in schools. The mindfulness practice is described as bringing the mind back to the present moment, encapsulated in the Chinese character for mindfulness (念).

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