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Vesak Dharma Talk in English
Keynote Address to the Fifth International Buddhist Conference
Thầy notes that the practice of Buddhism may be viewed as the art of being peace. There are elements of war within our body and mind that we need to recognize. These can be addressed with mindful breathing and bringing our awareness to the present moment. By learning how to create peace in ourselves, we can create peace to others. Parents and schoolteachers are key to bringing peace to young people.
By listening with compassion and using loving speech, we can restore broken communication and bring about reconciliation. Thầy describes the example of Palestinians and Israelis coming to Plum Village and learning how to listen deeply and speak with loving kindness to one another. In this way, they practice as bodhisattvas of compassion and recognize their common suffering.
With Right View, we recognize interbeing. We recognize that we’re part of our parents, and they’re part of us. We can’t be truly happy if our parents or children aren’t happy. This is the insight of interbeing. If any being suffers—including plant and mineral beings—human beings suffer.
Thầy describes Manifesto 2000, issued by UNESCO and the United Nations, which declared the first ten years of the twenty-first century as a decade for the promotion of peace and non-violence. This Manifesto—comprising six points similar to the Five Mindfulness Trainings or the Five Precepts—was signed by seventy-five million people worldwide.
We must organize ourselves into Sanghas to practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings. The first training is about protecting life, the fifth training talks about mindful consumption, and the second training speaks against exploiting beings or the Earth. We must adhere to these trainings to assure the survival of ourselves and our planet. When we practice Right Thinking—which leads to Right Speech and Right Action—we heal ourselves, others and the world. This is the path of peace. By living simply—such as using less gasoline and electricity—we demonstrate Right Thinking.
Thầy requests that we all live in a way that shows care for ourselves so that we can care for others. We do this by breathing mindfully and recognizing the wonders of life in the present moment. In closing, Thầy guides the audience in a meditation of being peace.
This talk was given as the keynote address during the United Nations Day of Vesak in the year 2008, on the theme “Buddhist Contribution to Building a Just, Democratic and Civilized Society.” Thầy offered this talk at the National Convention Center, Hanoi, Vietnam.
