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Thanksgiving Day
The practice of gratitude is a mindfulness Dharma door that brings immediate happiness: when we are grateful for our two eyes, we recognize the wondrous beauty of the four seasons and the universe. Gratitude to our parents is the first among the four great gratitudes, but our life also depends on air, water, fire, earth, and all sentient and non-sentient beings, so our gratitude must be extended to all. When eating rice, contemplating that the food is a gift of the earth, the sky, and the labor of people, gratitude (“Thanksgiving”) and happiness arise. The second gratitude is to teachers, the third is to friends—spiritual friends who help us grow. Mindfulness brings happiness, so we no longer complain or blame, and “as long as we are grateful, we are still happy.”
Practicing mindful breathing and mindfulness is a tool to generate joy (hỷ) and happiness (lạc) from four sources: letting go (ly), mindfulness (niệm), concentration (định), and insight (tuệ), with eight corresponding breaths. When a strong emotion arises, we “take refuge” like the base of a tree in a storm: breathing mindfully with the belly (in-breath, the belly rises; out-breath, the belly falls), not thinking, in order to embrace and transform our pain. In the current situation, with about 33 young people in France committing suicide every day, it is necessary to establish a “compassionate line” to listen and help those in despair. In the upcoming meeting, the following Dharma teachers who have been nominated need to discuss this matter immediately:
- Chân Tú Nghiêm
- Chân Tín Nghiêm
- Chân Lương Nghiêm
- Chân Đức Nguyên
- Chân Anh Nghiêm
- Chân Thường Nghiêm
- Minh Tuấn
