Thầy shares that by practicing the Six Pāramitās, we can arrive at the shore of peace in just one mindful step. The first pāramitā is giving. By practicing giving, we see that the more we give, the happier we are. The other five pāramitās are mindfulness training, forbearance, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. The practice of forbearance is about capacity—the capacity to receive, contain, absorb, and transform.

Thầy relates the story of Śāriputra’s Lion Roar, which was his response to slander, and shares the Dharma teaching that the Buddha gave to Rāhula, many years earlier about practicing like earth, water, fire, and air. Through deep looking, we can arrive at understanding that grants us forbearance.

Thầy tells the story of Nhất Trí’s encounter with an American soldier and also his own dangerous encounter with an American Army officer during the Vietnam War. He reminds us that we are all victims, including the perpetrators of injustice. Bodhisattvas are everywhere, and we need to remember that if something happens to any of us, it happens to all of us.

Thầy relates the story of Reverence, who wanted so much to practice that she disguised herself as a man so she could become a novice at a temple. She suffered great injustice, and yet, she continued to practice and feel joy because she had the mind of love. If we suffer, it’s because we lack that mind of love.

This is the eleventh talk in a series of twelve given during The Heart of the Buddha, twenty-one-day retreat in the year 1996. Thầy offered this talk at the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.