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Vietnamese Retreat - Questions and Answers

Thich Nhat Hanh · April 18, 2003 · Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France

Thay encourages the assembly, especially teenagers and young people, to ask questions directly related to their own happiness and suffering instead of theoretical questions.

  1. If I finish studying to become a doctor by the age of 25 to have something in my hand as my mother advised, will Thay wait for me to ordain?
  2. When inviting the bell, Thay makes a hand gesture like that; at that moment, what is Thay thinking?
  3. Does transcending birth and death mean being reborn into higher realms, becoming a Buddha, or does it mean living mindfully in every moment?
  4. How can I remember the past and plan for the future without getting caught up in them, so that I can live mindfully in a present that lasts a lifetime?
  5. When I go home to my parents, how can I practice without feeling afraid or embarrassed when my family members tease me?
  6. How can I see Thay in my father when I am still afraid of him because I don’t know when he is happy or when he will hurt everyone?
  7. When I hear the Sangha say that Thay’s Dharma door is better than other Dharma doors, and I cannot catch my breath and lack the practice of listening, do I commit an offense against the Sangha?
  8. How can I ask for more energy to use for a year when I can only come to Plum Village once and am afraid I won’t bring back enough?
  9. What should I do when I have the intention to ordain, but my parents think that leaving them to become a monastic is unfilial?
  10. What does the study program for the monks and nuns here consist of, and is it strict?
  11. If you advise everyone to ordain, where will we find living Buddhas out in the world to help the world?
  12. What should we do, and is there any method to talk to our loved ones about our homeland without waiting until those on the other side have all died to love them?
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