Br. Phap Lai talks about having gratitude for simple things. It is easy to take things for granted when they are abundant. With mindfulness, when we are aware of impermanence, we learn to cherish our relationships and time we have left to live. Mindfulness itself is a source of happiness. He tells different stories from his life about learning to trust in humanity and experiences transmitted from our teacher Thay. Br. Phap Lai covers the 5 universal mental formations (contact, attention, feelings, perceptions and volition) and some Buddhist psychology, in describing how to take care of strong emotions. He solicits a list of strong emotions from the audience and builds them into his talk. With the practice of mindfulness we can learn not to be a victim of our emotions and circumstances and rediscover our inner freedom and a sovereignty over self.
Christmas eve talk- The true spirit of giving
Br Phap Lai gives the Christmas Eve talk on embracing the suffering that may come up during Christmas celebrations as well as the true spirit of giving. Br Phap Lai shares a story of being embraced by the collective energy of the community on Christmas eve while he was...
