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The True Buddhist
– The first Dharma talk in Vietnamese during the North American tour of the Plum Village Sangha has just concluded after the retreat at the YMCA in the Rocky Mountain area, with more than 900 practitioners, among whom about 500 people took refuge and received the Five Mindfulness Trainings. This was followed by a retreat for 800 practitioners in Vancouver, with 600 people making commitments, a public talk in Denver that attracted about 2,200 people, as well as a calligraphy exhibition and a dialogue with David Suzuki. There were also programs for children and teenagers, and the journey continued with another Dharma talk and a Vietnamese-language retreat at Deer Park Monastery in California, though the main language used during this trip was English.
– From the story of the elderly couple in Huế—the simple joy of the old lady preparing tea for her husband every morning, and the truth, however painful, that still needs to be acknowledged—to the teachings on mindfulness and the Dharma body, the talk emphasized the practice through breathing and mindful steps:
- The fifth and sixth breath exercises generate joy and happiness, the seventh and eighth help to transform suffering—altogether, there are 16 breathing exercises according to the Anapanasati Sutta.
- Using the sound of the bell—large for sitting meditation, small to remind us to “stop talking, return to the breath”—whether in the monastery or at home, all help to generate the energy of mindfulness, to cradle our pain as a mother cradles her child, and to create an environment for transmitting spiritual values to children and disciples.