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Thursday Morning Dharma Talk
Two vows are established: to develop understanding to live peacefully with people, animals, and plants, and to develop compassion to protect lives. Children often practice mindfulness naturally, reminding adults to breathe and smile. The history of Siddhartha is detailed, describing his return to the five ascetics at the Deer Park who initially despised him for abandoning self-mortification. Upon witnessing his presence, they accept his teaching of the Four Noble Truths: suffering exists, suffering has causes, suffering can be uprooted, and there is a way to uproot suffering. Later, Siddhartha teaches thirty young men to stop running into the future and look for themselves in the present moment, demonstrating through flute playing that art reaches its highest level when spiritual life is at its peak.
Dwelling in the present moment allows for planning the future and learning from the past without getting lost in them. Anger should be treated with non-violence and looked at deeply rather than suppressed or merely vented through physical acts like pillow punching, which offers only temporary relief. Consciousness operates through vasana (impregnation) and vipaka (retribution), where seeds of happiness or suffering ripen over time. Saṃyojana, or internal formations, are bonds of suffering transmitted by parents or created in daily life. The decline of the extended family—tam đại đồng đường (three generations under one roof)—and alienation from nature contribute to mental illness, illustrated by a parable of a city with only one tree.
The Heart Sutra offers the gift of non-fear through the insight of no birth and no death. Nothing is born from nothing, and nothing becomes nothing; a cloud does not die but continues as rain. This non-dualistic view transforms the perception of defilement and immaculation, helping to heal suffering. The Five Precepts are introduced as essential protection for families and society, involving a meditation on the emptiness of transmission where the transmitter, the object, and the receiver are seen as one.
The Five Precepts are:
- Non-killing: Do not kill, let others kill, or support harmful vocations.
- Non-stealing: Respect the property of others and prevent enrichment from the suffering of beings.
- Sexual misconduct: Sexual expression must not take place without love and commitment.
- Right speech: Speak truthfully to resolve conflicts and avoid words that cause division or hatred.
- Intoxicants: Do not use alcohol or intoxicants, preserving the body transmitted by ancestors for future generations.
