We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
Superficial Perception, the Cause of All Suffering
Meditation is life lived in depth, with joy, peace, and love:
– To breathe, to walk, to sit, to have breakfast calmly and with a smile, this is already meditation.
– Deep looking reveals, in a piece of bread, the wheat field, the sun, the rain, the clouds; in the lotus flower, the mud, the sun, the clouds; in a tiny corn seed, the knowledge, talent, and experience of generations.
Perception is always a co-arising of subject and object, from one flame to another, from one image to another. Wherever there is perception, there is illusion:
– To believe that the sky is blue, that the sea has its own color, that the sun here and now is the same as before, is to be mistaken.
– The merchant, convinced that his burned son was dead, refused to open the door when the child returned: his wrong perception deprived him of the truth.
To transform suffering and division begins with the practice of deep looking and loving speech, with three key sentences:
- “I suffer and I want you to know it.”
- “I am doing my best, I am practicing.”
-
“Please help me.”
To listen deeply without judging, to help recognize and correct wrong perceptions, prevents hatred, violence, and terrorism.
