Thầy discusses the Sutra on Mindful Breathing—being aware of our in-breath and our out-breath as a method to become mindful. The first exercise of mindful breathing is to identify our in-breath and out-breath. The second step is to follow our breath to cultivate concentration. The third step is to recognize our body and unify it with our mind to achieve presence in the here and the now. The fourth step of mindful breathing is to release the tension in our body. We pay attention to every part of our body and send it tender energy. In this way, we can heal our body.

The fifth step of mindful breathing is to generate joy, which arises when we let go of our idea of happiness. The practice of concentration and mindfulness help us to release, to let go. Mindfulness means living in the present moment. The sixth exercise of mindfulness is to generate a feeling of happiness, which is a calmer emotion than joy, a sense of ease without the excitement associated with joy. The seventh step of mindful breathing is learning how to handle painful emotions. We do this by recognizing and embracing the emotion, not running away from it. We must tend to our painful emotion like a mother comforting her crying baby. If the energy of a painful emotion comes up, we can use the energy of mindfulness to embrace it and get relief. The Sangha can help us strengthen our mindfulness.

We must teach our young people how to handle strong emotions through mindfulness training and practice.

This is the second talk in a series of five given during the Awakening the Heart retreat in the year 2011. Thầy offered this talk at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.