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Third Dharma Talk, Nottingham Retreat
Henry, a mathematics professor, discovered compassion during a Plum Village retreat. After five or six weeks back home, he gave up fishing—no longer wanting to hook fish “playing…like children”—and instead brought mindfulness into his university teaching. Each ten minutes a student would clap to replace the bell of mindfulness, and teacher and students would breathe in, out three times, smile, and deepen concentration. Soon the whole school adopted this practice, improving focus, calmness, and kindness. Henry documented his story in a book available in French, English, and Vietnamese.
Buddhist teaching describes three layers of consciousness:
- store consciousness – like a basement where we hide what we don’t need
- mind consciousness – like a living room we want to keep beautiful
-
mind base (manas) – always seeking pleasure but ignoring:
a) the danger of pleasure seeking
b) the law of moderation
c) the goodness of suffering
Five aggregates (skandhas) define our person:
• form
• feelings
• perceptions
• mental formations
• consciousness
When fear, anger, or despair emerge, mindfulness and concentration allow us to recognize and embrace them—“giving your pain…a bath of mindfulness.” Habit energies—patterns that make us react the same way—are met by returning to mindful breathing (“Dear habit energy, I know you… but here is my mindful breathing”). Right Thinking (acceptance, compassion, insight), Right Speech (loving, hopeful communication), and Right Action (protecting and helping) can heal ourselves and the world. Wrong thinking is the root of violence and terrorism; only through deep listening and loving speech can we uproot misunderstanding and restore harmony.
