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Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.
In this episode, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino sit down with a special guest: acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Their unplanned conversation is dense and surprising, going in many unexpected and exciting directions. Topics include Benedict’s entry into Buddhism at 19, which eventually led him to Plum Village; his most recent project, How to Live on Earth, a documentary “about how humans are learning to team up with nature”; and new approaches to climate activism.
All three also delve into the role of Plum Village in helping young people find their spiritual path; the challenges of maintaining mindfulness in daily life; interbeing; the importance of transforming negative patterns early on; how anger can be channeled into positive action; the pitfalls of fame; the responsibility of artists to create meaningful, impactful work; and much more.
Enjoy!
Co-produced by the Plum Village App:
https://plumvillage.app/
And Global Optimism:
https://globaloptimism.com/
With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:
https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/
List of resources
Benedict Cumberbatch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Cumberbatch
Sister True Dedication
https://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/sister-hien-nghiem
Brother Phap Ling (Brother Spirit)
https://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/brother-phap-linh
Walk with Me
https://plumvillage.org/walk-with-me
Calm in the Storm
https://plumvillage.org/articles/calm-in-the-storm-live-podcast
Interbeing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing
The Plum Village Tradition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition
The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust
https://maasaiwilderness.org/
Joanna Macy
https://www.joannamacy.net/main
Babak Anvari
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babak_Anvari
Under the Shadow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Shadow
Martin Scorsese
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Scorsese
Mike Leigh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Leigh
Richard Gere
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gere
Quotes
“We were in this room for two nights and a day. Sleeping, eating, praying, only going out to go to the bathroom. In a weird way, it was a very good grounding. After the week was over, I remember an amazing feeling of walking out into the world and everything, everything was interbeing; everything was vibrating with the same energy; everything felt alive in a completely transparent and new but also obvious way.”
“The first night, both my younger boys came to the nine o’clock meditation. They saw me going, so there was a bit of FOMO, I guess. And they both said, ‘Oh, it was amazing. It was the best. It was so quiet. It was so peaceful.’ They were so quiet, and that’s a seven- and a nine-year-old. And it’s testament to the power of this place, what it invites you to become, and bring out of yourself, these seeds that it waters. It’s really an extraordinary place to be, and to see that in a young person is an inspiration to me.”
“I think all of us experience spirituality very differently. We’re very conditioned in our way of being and by our upbringing. And, for some of us, that is through suffering. For some of us, it’s through curiosity. For some of us, it’s through questioning the meaning of life. For some of us, it’s thanks to friends.”
“The spirituality, for us monastics, is in the humans and the surroundings: the temple, the bells, the bell tower, the Buddha; all of that is to support the journey that we have embarked on.”
“Our teacher recognized that everybody has to be a peace movement. It’s not a one-time thing, and we don’t only wait for chaos and wars and separation; even when there is goodness and well-being, we have to already be doing the work, because it is so important to transform what we have received from the past.”
“A Plum Village retreat is a magical thing, but then you go home and it’s about how you continue that work. And talking about this reminds me that I didn’t continue that work then, and about what I still struggle with now. When I’m anything but mindful, anything but grateful, anything but present, it’s painful. But the beautiful thing about adopting mindfulness early, and continuing that practice in some form or to some degree is so, so, so important.”
“Complete equilibrium is an impossibility. We shouldn’t give ourselves these huge, painful gaps between expectation and reality; there’s a lot of suffering in that, and that’s not what this work is about.”