Dharma Talks / Taking Care of Ourselves in Order to Take Care of Others

Sr Hội Nghiêm

Sr Hoi Nghiem starts off the talk by making three drawings representing the things that she loves. She talks about each picture and its importance to her and her practice, covering topics such as being still, taking root in the Sangha, being ourselves, being solid and being vast and all embracing. She then continues by listing the ten most important things to her, and the three she would keep (space, harmony and peace) if she had to let the other seven things go.

Sr Hoi Nghiem then teaches on how to deal with our suffering when it comes up. She asks us a question of Thay’s, “Is our mind permanent or impermanent?” while teaching about mindfulness, concentration and insight. The willingness to love is not enough, we have to take care of ourselves first as we cannot offer what we ourselves do not have. She talks about loneliness, being the change we want to see and giving others time and space to transform. She then asks us, “What can we do today to make the Sangha happy?”, and “Do we prefer to solve problems or to be happy?”.

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What is Mindfulness

Thich Nhat Hanh January 15, 2020

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