Dharma Talks / Active Response to Suffering

Every moment can be a moment of applied mindfulness that helps us to understand ourselves better. In this first talk of the 2022 Rains Retreat, Sr. Chan Duc (“Sister True Virtue”) reminds us of the preciousness of having the opportunity to practice together for three months. As human beings,...

Nourishing ourselves with positive elements gives us the strength to heal from suffering. Without nourishment, we cannot heal. The more we are aware of suffering, the more important it is to dwell peacefully, happily, and with compassion in the present moment. The present moment becomes a refuge preventing us...

“Do not abandon your aspiration too early!” Through her own experience of fearlessness, hope, compassion, anger, and despair during the war in Vietnam, Sr. Chan Khong shares how she transformed unwholesome seeds through mindfulness practices in our Plum Village tradition. Touching on difficult topics such as suicide, alcoholism and...

“Mindfulness of breathing is the great vehicle used by buddhas to save beings who are drifting.” – Master Khương Tăng Hội Meditation Master Khương Tăng Hội, the first patriarch of Zen in Vietnam, was a great source of inspiration for our teacher Thầy to practice and develop Engaged Buddhism....

Sister Thuận Nghiêm (Sister Harmony) takes us along her life-long journey of transforming her way of thinking and speaking with the practice. She shares many true stories about the importance of checking our perceptions and speaking more humbly and lovingly. The impact of our speech is immediate and wide....

Br. Minh Hy invites us to connect to great ancestral teachers who played a very important role in Thầy’s journey of renewing Buddhism. Inspired by their example, we can improve and refine our own practice, with faith and perseverance. We can make their practice come to life as we...

What do you truly want for your life? Knowing this becomes a source of energy on our path. When we see our path clearly, we are no longer afraid. Mindfulness is the energy of awareness that enables us to apply the practice in our daily life. This allows us...

Are you aware of your body in daily life? Do you take time to pause and relax between activities? How do you start your day? Do you take a moment to touch a feeling of gratitude and joy for being alive? Let’s explore these and many more questions as...

Practicing the Six Harmonies is a deep practice to ensure a long life in the Sangha and continue on the path of transformation with our spiritual friends, even when facing difficulties in communication. If we are still unable to deeply connect with another person through the heart, maybe because...

In Zen, we often say that the moment of death is the moment that reveals how we have been practicing. Indeed, the fear of dying is the base for all other fears. As practitioners, death should be an object of our contemplation. Sister Insight shares her experience of practicing...

from 2022 11 03, Rains Retreat, Lay Day, Talk 7. How can we embrace our ancestors that we have never met? This and the below questions were addressed by Brother Phap Huu and Sister True Dedication in this “a-la-carte Dharma Talk”. * How can we understand our deep suffering...

To feel love, be loved, and to share love is the spiritual need of human beings. This is the heart of our spiritual path: how to grow to a state of boundless love that is not restrained by any conditions. Sister Lực Nghiêm (“Sister Power”) dives deeply into the...

The flower only exists if we are present for it. Life is miraculous. Only when we are present are we fully living. What are the things that stop us from fully living? It is our worries, fears, physical pain, regrets, shame, frustration … The practice of mindfulness helps us...

Before taking a deep dive into our suffering, practicing mindfulness according to the breathing exercises taught in the Anapanasati Sutta increases our capacity for happiness and joy. In this way, we are able to hold our deep suffering. Thay regularly taught his students to balance the spiritual life among...

In the Sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings, we read “the mind is always looking outside of itself and never feels fulfilled”. How can we overcome this constant running and come back to our true home? The obstacle to our peace of mind is our inability to...