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The Goodness of Suffering
Insights of the Diamond Sutra: Letting Go of Notions and Understanding the Essential Interbeing Relationship Between Suffering and Happiness
Thay presents the insights from the Diamond Sutra, a scripture that is used extensively in the school of meditation called Zen or Chan Buddhism. As the full title of the sutra suggests, it is like a diamond that can cut through all illusions and bring us to the other shore. This sutra proposes that we need to remove four ideas that we have, which are the causes of much suffering in ourselves: the notions of self, man, living being, and lifespan. These four ideas perpetuate all sorts of problems, suffering, and fear in ourselves; therefore, the sutra encourages us to meditate on these four notions to discover the insight of interbeing. We all hold a strong belief in being separate from others, from nature, and that we have a beginning and an end. But looking deeply into these four wrong notions, we will discover that we are never born and we will never die; that as human beings we are made of non-human elements like minerals, plants, and animals; and that the self is made only of non-self elements. The Diamond Sutra is considered the most ancient text on the teaching of deep ecology, and if we put into practice its advice, transformation and healing will be possible for ourselves and the world.
This talk was given on a Day of Mindfulness during the spring retreat in 2012. Thay offered this talk at the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.
Part of the following collection
The Four Dharma Seals and the Four Reliances