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Sutra on the Enjoyment of the Ultimate Dimension 7
Since the 1930s in China, the concept of “Humanistic Buddhism” has appeared—Buddhadharma present in everyday life—and in Vietnam it has been called “Engaged Buddhism.” After the August Revolution of 1945, the Duc Duc Buddhist Study Group and the Buddhist journal “Liberation” were established with the mission to research and apply the Buddhadharma to the new way of life. In the past decade, at Plum Village, I have shifted to using the term “applied Buddhism,” considering Buddhist studies as “applied metaphysics” that can be taught at universities but is primarily a practice. The European Institute of Applied Buddhism has been established, and soon the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism will follow, together with Plum Village and its affiliated centers such as Maison de l’Inspir and Blue Cliff Monastery, all sharing the same stream of bringing the Buddhadharma into daily life in a practical way.
During the five-day retreats organized in England, Germany, France, the United States, and Indonesia, the content does not delve deeply into theory but focuses on transmitting applied Buddhism through concrete practices. The book “Creating True Peace” was born after a year of compilation, serving as a textbook of practical ethics, guiding:
- the first four exercises of the Discourse on Mindful Breathing—using the breath to return to the body, release tension, and relieve pain
- the practice of generating the energy of mindfulness to recognize, embrace, and lighten the suffering in the heart
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reciting the name of the Bodhisattva three times—the first time to touch one’s own suffering, the second to open the heart to the suffering of those around, and the third to embrace the suffering of the world
These methods help build peace in the body, feelings, mind, and authentic communication, while also demonstrating “nirvana in the present moment”—the “present moment nirvana”—without having to wait for the future or another realm to experience it.