We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
The Treatise on Nirvana by Nagarjuna
Nirvana is not “being” because all conditioned dharmas bear the mark of aging and death, decay that is inescapable. If we call Nirvana “being,” it becomes conditioned, no longer an unconditioned dharma. Nirvana is not named as being; it transcends all conventional notions of “being” and “non-being,” and is an absolute state of peace, untouched by birth and death.
There are two kinds of dharmas:
- Conditioned dharmas – formed by the coming together of conditions, subject to arising and ceasing, to decay (for example, a table)
- Unconditioned dharmas – not formed by the coming together of conditions, not subject to arising and ceasing, not dependent (Nirvana is Asamskrta, unconditioned)
In 1976, in Singapore, I initiated the “Let Blood Flow, Soften the Heart” program to save Vietnamese boat people:
- secretly chartering the Leap Dal, Roland, and The Saigon 200 ships to deliver food, water, and bring people ashore
- destroying the boats after rescue to avoid pursuit, bringing people to the French embassy to process asylum procedures
- when expelled by the police, I practiced walking meditation and sitting meditation to keep my mind at peace, and asked Ambassador Philip Gaso to intervene, which allowed me to stay for ten more days
This engaged action is the embodiment of Engaged Buddhism, from saving refugees to establishing the School of Youth for Social Service, clinics, and filial piety bridges in war zones, building the sangha as a common boat that keeps hope alive for so many people amidst the ocean of suffering.