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The Middle Way - Lecture 01
New Hamlet in winter, ten minutes before entering the meditation hall becomes a profound practice of living deeply, as cold drops of water fall like snow, touching the forehead, eyes, and cheeks three times, each for about ten to fifteen seconds, all filled with happiness. Dwelling fully in the present moment, not thinking about the Dharma talk or the next activity, when drying off with a yellow towel, there is again the serene inner smile. Walking mindfully on the grassy yard, aware of each sparkling dewdrop, the connection between ourselves and the snow on the Himalayas, the clouds in the sky, and this body that is seventy percent water, all become an endless circle of being. The poem “Thề Non Nước” by Tản Đà reminds us that mountain and water always meet, there is no true separation. Ten minutes can be hurried or profound depending on how we use them, and thanks to the Sangha—like when observing a young monk eating mindfully—we learn to live fully each simplest moment.
Practice offering each moment: a smile to greet “Ambassador Carrot,” a mindful step, a conscious breath, a compassionate gaze—all are priceless gifts to the Sangha and to life. The orange tree offers its leaves, branches, flowers, and fruit without expecting anything in return, becoming a symbol of the practitioner: every word, every look, every breath, every step is the fruit of practice offered to the teacher, to brothers and sisters, and to life. Recognizing that we have countless treasures—dewdrops, flowers, shining stars—to give and to receive, we ask ourselves whether ten minutes is much or little, and silently question whether we manage or let them slip away in haste.
Beginning to study the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, the chapter on Dependent Origination, with the teaching of causes and conditions in the Mahayana Sutras:
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four kinds of conditions give rise to all phenomena
- primary condition (cause)
- immediately preceding condition (uninterrupted condition)
- object condition (object of perception)
- dominant condition (supporting the other conditions)
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the eight “nots” (Eight Negations) regarding dependent origination
- not born, not destroyed
- not permanent, not annihilated
- not one, not different
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not coming, not going
This teaching is to extinguish all conceptual speculation, leading to deep understanding of the unborn nature of all phenomena, transcending all dualities, and living peacefully in the truth of impermanence and non-self.