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Simultaneous Correspondence
“The career of a practitioner is not a personal matter,” but is to transform oneself and to build a strong Sangha in order to “help liberate the world on a larger scale.” The Sangha – “our own body” – has continued for more than 2,500 years without interruption; practitioners are invited to “see the Sangha as their own body,” so that “worries, sadness, anger, jealousy, and fear” become lighter. The image of “climbing the hill of the 21st century,” with the stage of 50 years (until 2050), is presented as a collective journey: hoping to reach the summit where “the world will no longer have war.” The 90-day Rains Retreat is to nourish happiness and brotherhood, “transforming the Sangha into the Dharma, into a raft to carry many people across the ocean of suffering.”
Two basic trainings for novice monks and nuns:
- “The Heart of the Buddha” – “the essence of the basic teachings,” which must be completed, otherwise “you will be indebted to your teacher and the Sangha.”
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“The Practice of Opening the Thousand-Petaled Lotus” – one year, to clarify the texts of the Daily Chanting Book of the Zen Monastery.
In addition, one must study “Stepping Into Freedom” (Phat Tuc Sieu Phuong) in order to “enter the realm of ease, freedom, and non-attachment.”
“The needs of the times”:
• Compile a “Dharma book for teenagers” to help those aged 12–20 overcome suffering and reconcile with their families.
• Establish “The European Institute of Applied Buddhism” in Germany: retreats of 21 days to 3 months, granting the degree of “Master of Buddhist Studies and Practice,” with an emphasis on “Practice.”
• Create books and Dharma songs for children aged 5–9.
All of this work is “to continue the career of the Tathagata,” requiring “daily practice” – walking meditation, mindful breathing, working meditation – so that “the thousand-petaled lotus may bloom in our hearts” and to bring “the Dharma as a raft of rescue” everywhere.
