Good morning, dear friends. Today is the seventh of April in the year 2002, and we are in Plum Village. It is the last day of our Francophone retreat.

I would like to invite you to look at this matchbox to see that the flame is already there. It has not manifested yet, but it is still there; it is waiting for you. Do you think the flame is inside the box or outside the box?

Suppose there is no oxygen in the air. Can the flame manifest? No. So the oxygen is not exactly inside the box; there is a little bit inside, but the oxygen is outside. So we cannot say that the flame is inside or outside, can we? Are you inside of yourself, or are you also outside of yourself? This is a very serious invitation, very pleasant, for us to embark on a journey of discovery. Are you inside your body, or are you also outside your body? Is the sun also