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The Path to the Pure Land

Thich Nhat Hanh · October 22, 2003 · Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France
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Thầy underlies the importance of spending some time in solitude each day to nourish ourselves and to become an island unto ourselves where we can take refuge and not be carried away by strong emotions. Thầy also delves deeply into the practice of walking meditation alone as a practice to help us be in touch with the here and the now, with life itself and all the wonders of life and to be truly free, practicing aimlessness. Thầy also stresses the importance of stopping and resting to help us heal and transform and how stopping is not just stopping our bodies but also our thinking.

When talking about the practice of washing dishes as a novice, Thầy reminds us how every ordinary act can be a spiritual act, a sacred moment when we are truly mindful. Furthermore, Thầy talks about the practice of writing a love letter to reconcile with ourselves and our loved ones and also to reconcile with groups of people we might have hurt and how this love letter must be based on our compassion and understanding of the situation and of the suffering of the other group in order to be truly effective.

This is the third talk in a series of five given during the Israeli-Palestinian retreat in the year 2003. Thầy offered this talk in the Upper hamlet, Plum Village, France.

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