Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks

Annotated List of Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks
credit to the Monks & Nuns @ Plum Village

TNH Dharma Talks
5 November 2009 to 12 August 2012





























































































































Date Given Title Description
05/11/2009 Deep Desire: Spiritual Strength In this talk, Thich Nhat Hanh explore the idea of aspiration. He also suggests a new part to the Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission Ceremony liturgy.
12/11/2009 The Three Jewels A dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh on November 12, 2009 at New Hamlet, Plum Village.In this short talk Thay explores taking refuge in the Three Jewels and being an island unto oneself.

Being an island unto myself
As an island unto myself

Buddha is my mindfulness
Shining near, shining far

Dharma is my breathing
Guarding body and mind
I am free

Sangha is my five skandhas
Working in harmony

Taking refuge in myself
Coming back to myself

I am free

15/11/2009 Winter Retreat is Coming A dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at Dharma NectarTemple and Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, Plum Village.
We Are Truly Present
19/11/2009 Cultivating Peace, Joy, and Happiness November 19, 2009 dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet in Plum Village.In this talk Thay demonstrates the importance of gathas, short verses for practice, in the cultivating of peace, joy, and happiness.

Water flows from high in the mountains.
Water runs deep in the Earth
Miraculously, water comes to us, and sustains all life.

During the second part of the talk, we hear about the first few exercises from the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.

26/11/2009 The Art of Happiness December 5th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum VillageNovember 26, 2009. Translated from Vietnamese by Sr. Chan Khong. New Hamlet. Plum Village.

This is the first dharma talk of the 2009-2010 Winter Retreat taking place at Plum Village in France. It is the fourth day of this annual 90-day retreat. The topic for the retreat is The Art of Happiness.

In this talk Thay begins our exploration of happiness by drawing a direct connection to suffering. It is linked to the practice with our feelings.

29/11/2009 This Moment is a Happy Moment December 6th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Happiness, Plum VillageNovember 29, 2009 dharma talk translated from Vietnamese by Sr. Chan Khong at the Dharma Nector Temple, Lower Hamlet, Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall Plum Village.

This is the second dharma talk of the 2009-2010 Winter Retreat taking place at Plum Village in France.

This talk begins a comparison of two versions of the Discourse on Happiness (or Sutra on Auspicious Sign). In our tradition, we use the Mahamangala Sutta, Sutta Nipata 2.4 translated from the Pali Canon. It is available in our Chanting from the Heart text. At the retreat, Thay has distributed another version from the Chinese Canon (Dhamapada 210-213). Thay also mentions Sarvastivada briefly.

As a reminder, suffering and happiness are deeply linked, like mud and the lotus.

06/12/2009 Thich Nhat Hanh Speaks to World Leaders December 8th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Environment, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Plum VillageTags: afghanistan, cop15, copenhagen, melbourne, Obama, PWR2009, walking, war

December 6, 2009 dharma talk from Plum Village given by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) to world leaders, spiritual leaders, political leaders and to us.

Thay uses the familiar language of our basic practice like sitting meditation, walking meditation, the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and a collective awakening to send a message to world leaders meeting in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (December 7-18) and those in Melbourne for the Parliament of the World Religions (December 3-9).

We hear the Five Mindfulness Trainings and further discussion on their meaning and practice for peace, love, happiness, and helping to save the planet.

03/12/2009 A Happy Moment Continues December 9th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Happiness, Plum VillageDecember 3, 2009 dharma talk translated from Vietnamese by Sr. Chan Khong at New Hamlet, Temple of Loving Kindness, Plum Village.

We took a slight detour by posting the December 6 (see Thich Nhat Hanh Speaks to World Leaders) talk first because it was important to hear that talk during the time of the world events. We now resume the dharma talks for the Winter Retreat on the topic of happiness.

This talk continues where we left off on November 29 (see This Moment is a Happy Moment) with the comparison of two versions of the Discourse on Happiness (or Sutra on Auspicious Sign). It begins with a scholarly discussion of early Buddhist history as it relates to the texts we are reviewing.

10/12/2009 Auspicious Signs December 11th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Happiness, Plum VillageTags: faith, five sources of power, vegetarian

December 10, 2009 dharma talk translated from Vietnamese by Sr. Chan Khong at New Hamlet, Temple of Loving Kindness, Plum Village.

The fourth talk (72 minutes) continues where we left off with the December 3 dharma talk on exploring the Discourse on Happiness (or Sutra on Auspicious Sign) this Winter Retreat.

Here we review the 10th, 11th, and 12th gathas of the discourse. Topics include vegetarianism, chastity, wisdom, faith (one of the Five Sources of Power), equanimity.

13/12/2009 Craving and Mindfulness December 20th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Happiness, Plum VillageDecember 13, 2009 dharma talk translated from Vietnamese by Sr. Chan Khong at Lower Hamlet, Dharma Nectar Temple, Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, Plum Village.

This 85-minute talk is the fourth and final part on exploring the Discourse on Happiness (or Sutra on Auspicious Sign) during this Winter Retreat (other parts available at Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3).

Specifically, the final three gathas of the sutra are discussed. Gatha 13 is on the recognition of our craving. Gatha 14 is about livelihood and gatha 15 is on serving.

The next talk will begin a new sutra.

17/12/2009 The Lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh December 22nd, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Lineage, Plum VillageTags: Add new tag, Buddhism, Lineages

December 17, 2009. New Hamlet. Plum Village.

Thay tells the story of the beginnings of the Lieu Quán Dharma Line, of which Thich Nhat Hanh is the 8th generation of this Vietnamese branch. Our lineage is also traced to through the Lâm Te Dyana School (Linji), of which Thich Nhat Hanh is the 42nd generation.

The talk begins with the gatha given to our main root teacher, Zen Master Lieu Quán (1670-1742), by Zen Master Tu Dung in Thuan Hóa, Vietnam in 1702.

All phenomena rely on Oneness, what does Oneness rely on?

Thay then traces all the teachers through the generations and how they each received their name from a gatha of Zen Master Lieu Quán. The classical Chinese characters of the gatha represent the name given to each of the generations.

The English translation of the gatha is as follows:

The great way of Reality,

Is our true nature’s pure ocean.

The source of Mind penetrates everywhere.

From the roots of virtue springs the practice of compassion.

Precepts, concentration and insight –

The nature and function of all three are one.

The fruit of transcendent wisdom,

Can be realized by being wonderfully together.

Maintain and transmit the wonderful principle,

In order to reveal the true teaching!

For the realization of True Emptiness to be possible,

Wisdom and Action must go together.

Students of Thich Nhat Hanh are encouraged to memorize this gatha.

Editorial Note: not all the accent marks are correct in this post.

20/12/2009 Muni Sutta December 23rd, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum VillageTags: sex

December 20, 2009. Upper Hamlet. Plum Village. 75-minutes. Dharma talk given in Vietnamese and this translation is provided by Sister Chan Khong.

Sound quality is poor and recording begins a little late, but it us still understandable.

However, the first few minutes are spent with description and background on new meditation hall in Upper Hamlet. The hall is done after six months of construction.

Muni Sutta Background: A translation in prose by an English author and a Vietnamese translation by Thay. Translations are from Sanskrit, Pali, and Chinese.

Muni is not a proper name; it means a serene monastic. The calm one. The silent one. A successful monastic. Free. The term existed already in Hinduism.

The purpose of this sutra is to answer the question put to the Buddha on what is a true muni.

24/12/2009 Christmas in Plum Village December 24th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum Village

December 24, 2009. This 80-minute dharma talk in English given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The recording begins with about 20-minutes of chanting followed by a holiday greeting and talk from Thay.

27/12/2009 The Fifth Mantra December 30th, 2009 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SanghaTags: mantra

December 27, 2009. This 55-minute dharma talk in English given by Thich Nhat Hanh in New Hamlet, Plum Village.

We know The Four Mantras in the Plum Village tradition and here we learn more about the fifth mantra: this moment is a moment of happiness.

31/12/2009 Practices for the New Year January 1st, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum VillageTags: metta meditation, timelessness

December 31, 2009. This 75-minute dharma talk in English given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. Also streamed live to Thailand and received at the monasteries at Deer Park and Blue Cliff.

Thich Nhat Hanh encourages us to practice metta mediation in the first three days of the new year. On the first day we practice for ourselves. On the second day we practice for the other person we love. On the third day we practice for the other person (or institution) that makes us suffer. Concrete practices are described for the coming year.

03/01/2010 Puràbhada Sutta January 5th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraJanuary 3, 2010. This 63-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village.

Here we continue the theme of the winter retreat with a sutra translation from the third century called Puràbhada Sutta or The Meeting of Father and Son and refers to when the Shakamuni first returned to see his family after enlightenment. It is in the Taisho Tripitaka. The sutra has 14 gathas in the Chinese and here we explore the first four.

07/01/2010 Puràbhada Sutta, Part II January 9th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraJanuary 7, 2010. This 90-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in New Hamlet, Plum Village.

When you make tea, the first time you add hot water, the tea is very fragrant. It is less fragrant the second time. This sutra from the Theravada Pali is like the fragrant tea with the first hot water.

In addition to talking on basic practices like walking and eating, Thay continues from the Puràbhada Sutta or The Meeting of Father and Son. We begin at the fifth gatha. It is about the value/quality if the person called muni. Anyone can become muni – a deep, silent, serene person.

10/01/2010 Puràbhada Sutta, Part III January 14th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraTags: muni

January 7 10, 2010. This 95-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Dharma Cloud Temple, Plum Village.

Thay completes his exploration of the Puràbhada Sutta or The Meeting of Father and Son. We begin at the eight gatha and discuss through gatha fourteen. Our understanding of the muni is more full.

24/01/2010 Tissametteya Sutta January 26th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, SutraJanuary 24, 2010. This 52-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Assembly of Stars Mediation Hall, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village.

After nearly two weeks for the Great Ordination Ceremony, transmission of the Lamp, Thay returns to a regular teaching schedule. Here we begin the 10-gatha Tissametteya Sutta, one of the oldest teachings of the Buddha (the 7th teaching after enlightenment). It was written down in sanskrit (Pali Canon) around 200-300 BC and then translated into Chinese in the 3rd century with the help of Master Tang Hoi.

The topic of the sutta is sexual intercourse and the question was posed to the Buddha by a young monk. How do I deal with my sexual energy?

28/01/2010 Tissametteya Sutta, Part II February 3rd, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, SutraJanuary 28, 2010. This 90-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Full Moon Mediation Hall, New Hamlet, Plum Village.

The first 30-minutes of the dharma talk are focused on the importance of stopping. Thay talks of the happiness breath and the stopping breath. We must stop in order to look deeply. Vipassana.

In the remaining hour, we finish the discussion on the Tissametteya Sutta, one of the oldest teachings of the Buddha (the 7th teaching after enlightenment). It was written down in sanskrit (Pali Canon) around 200-300 BC and then translated into Chinese in the 3rd century with the help of Master Tang Hoi.

The topic of the sutta is sexual intercourse and the question was posed to the Buddha by a young monk. How do I deal with my sexual energy?

31/01/2010 Paramattha Sutta, Part I February 8th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, SutraJanuary 31, 2010. This 75-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

A sutra on absolute truth.

Here we begin the study of a new sutra from the early life of the Buddha, before the time of monasteries. The sutra is available in two Chinese versions and in the Pali one. We are only looking at a small portion of a much longer text (lines 796-803). This sutra may have been translated in Vietnam before Master Tang Hoi went to China.

The sutra is divided into six sets. Giving. Precept. Endurance. Diligence. Meditation.

Deep Understanding. The last part is prajnaparamita. Here we are learning sutra #89.

04/02/2010 Paramattha Sutta, Part II February 9th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, SutraFebruary 4, 2010. This 45-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village.

This is the second and final part of the Paramattha sutta on dualistic thinking.

07/02/2010 How to Face Violence and Fear February 16th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, SutraFebruary 7, 2010. This 60-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in New Hamlet, Plum Village.

This is the first (of five) part of the Absolute Truth (Attadanda) Sutra #16.

1. Let us listen and observe to understand how from a peaceful and secure situation we have brought society to the present situation. Full of terror and violence. How have past generations behaved for the situation to have become like this? I want to talk with you about this issue of suffering and tell you how I was able to let go of fear.

2. People in the world experience one suffering after another, like a fish living in a pond that is drying up day by day. In a situation of suffering, violent thoughts easily arise and people in their ignorance seek to relieve their suffering by terrorizing and punishing others.

3. The whole is burning with violence. In the ten directions, all is in chaos. There is not a place where there real peace and security. Everyone sees himself as superior to others. Few people know to let go of passions. Not having seen this reality, people continue to hold hatred and ignorance in their hearts.

4. Binding themselves in those states of mind, they bring themselves more misunderstanding and suffering. I have looked deeply into the states of mind of unhappy people and I have seen hidden under their suffering a very sharp pointed knife. Because they don’t see that sharp pointed knife in themselves, it is difficult for them to deal with suffering.

5. The pain caused by the sharp pointed knife lasts a long time and does not change. Because they continue holding onto the knife like that, they fill the world with suffering. Only when they have the opportunity to recognize it and extract it from their hearts will the suffering cease. And only then will they have the chance to stop.

11/02/2010 Attadanda Sutta (Part II) February 20th, 2010 . Posted in 2009-2010 Winter Retreat, SutraFebruary 11, 2010. This 90-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Dharma Cloud Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

This is the second part of the Absolute Truth (Attadanda) Sutra #16, a sutra on Transforming Violence and Fear. The first part is available here. This talk covers the sixth and seventh stanzas of the sutra.

6. Don’t let yourself be caught by any of the entanglements of life. We must know to cut through the roots of errors and disorder. Let go of them. Stop leaning on them. If you can let go of wrong desires, you can overcome all suffering. Practitioners must transcend the cycle of suffering in order to realize their career of liberation.

7. A real practitioner must have a sincere mind. He doesn’t do anything based on his wrong perceptions. He just walks straight on his path and he doesn’t speak with two tongues. He must know how to extinguish the fire of hatred and anger. He must know how to break through the obstacles of ambition in him. If he knows how to unravel the net of afflictions, he will start to see the shore of liberation.

13/02/2010 Poetry and Music for Tet February 24th, 2010 . Posted in RetreatsFebruary 13, 2010. This 2-hour dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Dharma Cloud Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

On the eve of the Tet celebration, we are offered a very special dharma talk by our Teacher. Over the course of two hours we hear poetry sung beautifully by solo monastics while Thay provides background and discussion. You have to sing the poem and every time you sing the poem you put it to new music depending on the person. Much of the poetry is about the culture and society of Vietnam.

The talk is finished with 12 points given to Vietnam in honor of the 1000 year anniversary of the establishment of Hanoi.

04/04/2010 Your Heart is like a Flower April 20th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring RetreatApril 4, 2010. This 65-minute dharma talk was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Dharma Cloud Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

I have a couple other talks from March to post, but am starting with the latest talk given by our Teacher. Please enjoy. Some of he the themes explored are:

It’s spring time and every flower is open. Your heart is like a flower. Let your heart be open like a flower. The Kingdom is here and now.

Right Thinking. We suffer because we don’t know how to think. What is Right Thinking?

Our environment is created by our Right Thinking. You can be protected by the right environment to transform your suffering. The Upper Hamlet is a product of all of us who want to create a right environment with the collective energy of mindfulness. Thinking is already acting.

In Buddhism we speak of retribution – the retribution of our action. Karma. Our action consists of thinking, speaking, and doing. There are two aspects of retribution. The first result is our five skandhas.

14/03/2010 Exploring our Feelings April 22nd, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring RetreatMarch 14, 2010. A short 55-minute dharma talk given in English by Thich Nhat Hanh at the Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. This talk is given a month after the end of the Winter Retreat and also the annual period a rest. Spring is beginning to arrive in Plum Village and our Teacher reminds us this is a moment of happiness.

The focus of this talk is our feelings – painful, neutral, and pleasant feelings. Short, simple and clear. Please enjoy.

Update: Later that day he said, “anyone who has a chance to listen to this talk is very lucky…. and that this one talk alone is enough for a lifetime of practice.”

22/04/2010 Healing Environment May 7th, 2010 . Posted in Meditation, Plum VillageApril 22, 2010. This 75-minute dharma talk was given in French by Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village. The translation into English is lovely, with a clear and solid voice.

The themes in this talk include the four kinds of nourishment, mindful breathing, meditation practice, and karma. Though the these themes are common, and frequently covered by Thay, it continues to be nourishing. In fact, the section on meditation is very helpful as it provides specific guidelines for how to meditate. Always worth a reminder.

We can be as Buddha today by practicing mindfulness. There is an alliance between the body and the mind. The body can help the mind and the mind can help the body.

01/04/2010 Attadanda Sutta (Part III) May 9th, 2010 . Posted in SutraApril 1, 2010. 80-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given Vietnamese and is translated into English. The talk was not previously posted here, and is therefore taken out of chronological order from the other talks.

The Sutra on Transforming Violence and Fear was given in the first year of the Buddha’s teaching and is known as Absolute Truth (Attadanda) Sutra #16. It is a very ancient text, but still very relevant to our time. This first two talks were given February 7 and February 11 during the Winter Retreat.

This talk covers stanzas 8-11 and this begins about 45-minutes into the talk.

8. We should let go of pride. We shouldn’t sleep too much nor let ourselves fall into indolence. We should know how to live and work moderately and not let ourselves be carried away by the majority. Let us not be caught by any dazzling appearances and let us know how to walk away unfazed. Let us always contemplate the empty nature of all things in order attain the quiet nirvana.

9. Don’t insult anyone. Don’t let yourself be pulled by and attached to deceiving appearances. Don’t let yourself be drowned in entertainment and forget that the goal of our practice is to help ourselves and others get out of suffering.

10. What belongs to the past, we don’t think about anymore. What belongs to the future, we don’t dream about. We should recognize what is happening in the present moment so we don’t get caught in it. In this way, we just walk alone on the five vast continents with no one jealous of us anymore.

11. I say sexual desire is the force that causes the most destruction. The flood the engulfs the whole world. Only by seeing that, can we master all doubts. When we wholeheartedly contemplate interdependent co-arising, we must see that if we are not free from the pollution of sexual desire, it will be difficult for us to end suffering.

25/04/2010 Attadanda Sutta (Part IV) May 9th, 2010 . Posted in SutraApril 25, 2010. 50-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Still Water Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given in Vietnamese and is translated into English.

The Sutra on Transforming Violence and Fear was given in the first year of the Buddha’s teaching and is known as Absolute Truth (Attadanda) Sutra #16. It is a very ancient text, but still very relevant to our time. This first three talks were given February 7, February 11, and April 1.

This talk covers paragraphs twelve through sixteen and deals primarily with sexual desire and other cravings. The flood of need, desire, craving can subside. The stream of the practitioner is to know the truth. Very few can let go of sexual desire and when you do then you don’t feel a loss.

The talk begins with Thay listing names of monastics and lay practitioners who are dharma teachers in training.

29/04/2010 Attadanda Sutra (Part V) May 12th, 2010 . Posted in Plum Village, SutraApril 29, 2010. 52-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given Vietnamese and is translated into English. This is the final talk in this series.

The Sutra on Transforming Violence and Fear was given in the first year of the Buddha’s teaching and is known as Absolute Truth (Attadanda) Sutra #16. It is a very ancient text, but still very relevant to our time. This first two talks were given February 7 and February 11 during the Winter Retreat and the Part III and Part IV were given during the Spring Retreat.

This talk covers stanzas 17-20.

17. No one caught in the concept of mind and objects as reality that are interdependent from each other or any other concepts, not seeing anything to grasp. Understanding that space and objects are empty. Nothing in this world can make the practitioner complain or grieve.

18. Having completely transcended all concepts, including the concept of an object, there is not a single practice among all the practices that we do not achieve.

19. Having attained understanding, the practitioner is no longer dependent on anyone.

20. Looking down, the muni doesn’t feel proud. Looking up, he doesn’t feel afraid. He dwells in nondiscrimination and is not caught in any view. At that time, all conflicts have stopped. Hatred and jealousies disappear, even when he is understanding, he has no pride.

02/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part I) May 23rd, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, Plum Village, SutraMay 2, 2010. 80-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Full New Meditation Hall, New Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given Vietnamese (found here) and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the first in a series.

The Sutra on Net of Love, as discussed here, is from Chinese Dhammapada and originally in the sanskrit (Taisho #213). The sutra has 32 chapters, has 752 stanzas, and was translated to Chinese in the 3rd century. The topic is sensual love and has historically been a sutra for the monastic community. Sensual love is like a net that can imprison us. However, Thay believes that lay people (non-monastic) can benefit from it too though it is easier for monastic because they are in a safe environment. The main intention of sutra is to help monastic keep celibacy.

A portion of the sutra being discussed today are Gathas 1-6.

When the mind goes in the direction of sex, the tree of sexual desire springs up and quickly sprouts branches. With sex as the object of mind, a fire will burst up in us and cause the mind to be dispersed. Those who look for sex are like monkey’s that search for fruit, jumping from branch to branch.

Sensual love inflicts us with suffering and ties us to worldly life.
Worries and accidents caused by sensual love grow day and night like an invasive grass with tangled roots. Blinded by love, sooner or later, we fall into passion. Obsession grows daily like a trickle of water filling a pond.

In life there are many worries and sorrows, but there is no greater worry than that brought by sensual love.

Being able to let go sexual desire, releases all worry. If we want to happy and joyful, then we must be determined to let go of sensual love.

Free from sensual love, we are no longer caught in the circle of samsara.

Nor burdened by anxiety.

Nor restlessly searching for what is unwholesome. The absence of attachment will lead to true peace and joy.

If we have been deeply caught in love, then on our death bed, surrounded by relatives, we will see just how long the path of worry and suffering is before us. The suffering caused by love often leads us into unsafe situations and numerous disasters. As a practitioner, we should not go in the direction of sensual love that it’s roots can no longer sprout. It is not simply cutting reeds above ground.

The roots of sensual love are deep and firm. The tree may be cut, yet branches and leaves sprout again. When sensual love is not uprooted, the suffering it causes will come back.

Like a monkey that jumps from one tree to another, people jump from one prison of sensual love to another. The mind of attachment is like a stream of water that goes with the flow of habit energy and pride.

Our thoughts and perceptions can be embellished by the colors of sensual love and then we ourselves hide the truth and cannot see it.

06/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part II) May 27th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, Plum Village, SutraMay 6, 2010. 75-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

The talk was given Vietnamese (found here) and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the second in a series (Part 1).

Before Thay begins his continued commentary on the Net of Love, he spends about 25-minutes re-examining the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and how important it is to take care of ourselves. We uses the tree metaphor, found in the sutra too, to illustrate how we need to be strong in our practice by having strong roots.

In the remaining 45-minutes, Thay provides a commentary on a few more of the gathas found in the Sutra on Net of Love (Gathas 7-10). As a reminder, this text is from Chinese Dhammapada and originally in the sanskrit (Taisho #213). The sutra has 32 chapters, has 752 stanzas, and was translated to Chinese in the 3rd century.

Practitioners are encouraged to explore the themes presented in local dharma sharing. He would like to hear of the fruit from the dharma sharing.

09/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part III) May 28th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, Plum Village, SutraMay 9, 2010. 54-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

The talk was given Vietnamese (found here) and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the third in a series (Part I, Part II).

Thay provides a commentary on Gathas 8-11. Since the translation into English continues to be a work in progress, I will not transcribe the gathas here at this time. When they become available, it will be posted. In the meantime, enjoy the talk and translation as it is provided.

As a reminder, this text is from Chinese Dhammapada and originally in the sanskrit (Taisho #213). The sutra has 32 chapters, has 752 stanzas, and was translated to Chinese in the 3rd century.

In our dharma sharing, we are encouraged to look deeply into pride (superiority, inferiority, and equality) and especially our habit energies.

13/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part IV) May 28th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, Plum Village, SutraMay 13, 2010. 56-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given Vietnamese (found here) and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the fourth in a series (Part I, Part II, Part III).

Thay provides a commentary on Gathas 12-18. Since the translation into English continues to be a work in progress, I will not transcribe the gathas here at this time. When they become available, it will be posted. In the meantime, enjoy the talk and translation as it is provided.

As a reminder, this text is from Chinese Dhammapada and originally in the sanskrit (Taisho #213). The sutra has 32 chapters, has 752 stanzas, and was translated to Chinese in the 3rd century.

In our dharma sharing, we are encouraged to look deeply impermanence. Thay also recognizes that in some cases it may be appropriate for lay and monastic, young and older, to share separately.

16/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part V) June 1st, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, Plum Village, SutraMay 16, 2010. 68-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given Vietnamese (found here) and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the fifth in a series (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV).

Thay provides a commentary on Gathas 20-23 and some of the language is being changed as the dharma talks occur. For example, it has been suggested that the sutta be called Net of Attachment. This is a work in progress.

Gathas 20-21. By tying ourselves in the net of sensual love and taking shelter under an umbrella of sensual love, we are binding ourselves in the cycle of attachment like a fish that swims into his own trap. Caught by age and death, we just circle around the object of our love like a calf looking for his mother’s utter. If we are able to let go of desires and do not follow the tracks of the love vehicle, we can get out of the net of sensual love and nothing else can harm us anymore.

Gatha 22. If we are able to go the whole way, leave behind all the fetters of attachment and suffering, and if we are liberated from all kinds of discrimination and go beyond all dualistic notions, we are a monk of great understanding.

Gatha 23. Don’t keep company with those who go against the true teachings and don’t let yourself be pulled along on the path of attachment. If the practitioner has not yet transcend time and space, he is still caught in dualist views.

Listen closely to the commentary on the 22nd stanza because Thay mentions this is the very seed of the middle path – very Mahayana. The talk ends with a lovely letter written by a young nun of her experience of this sutra.

As a reminder, this text is from Chinese Dhammapada and originally in the sanskrit (Taisho #213). The sutra has 32 chapters, has 752 stanzas, and was translated to Chinese in the 3rd century.

20/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part VI) June 4th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, Breathing, Plum Village, SutraMay 20, 2010. 70-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The talk was given Vietnamese (found here) and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the sixth in a series (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V).

Breathing Meditation for Sitting, Lying Down and Walking. The first 40-minutes of the talk explore this idea of breathing. If you really want to let your mind rest, then follow your breath. It’s very delicious, like ice cream. But, if you make an effort then it is not correct. Don’t force.

You can have happiness today. What I teach is what I’ve tried myself. Trust Thay.

The talk is followed by learning to sing the Five Contemplations, practiced before eating a meal.

In the final 30-minutes, Thay provides a commentary on the following gathas of the Net of Love (Attachment) sutta.

Gatha 24. Seeing and understanding the true nature of things without being caught in any of them and we know how to undo the ties of sexual desire in our mind. Then we have grasped the meaning of the Buddha’s teachings.

Gatha 25. Offering the right teaching is the most precious offering. The scent of morality is the most fragrant one of all. The most effective way to live according to right teaching is the greatest happiness amongst all kinds of happiness. The practice of putting an end to sensual love once and for all is the practice of putting an end to sexual desires.
Gatha 26-27. The ignorant person often ties himself with the rope of sensual desire. He doesn’t yet desire to cross to the other shore. Craving creates corruption and brings about disasters and misfortune to others and himself. The greedy mind is the field; craving, anger and ignorance are the seeds. For those who are capable of practicing generosity and liberating others, the merit he harvests is immeasurable.
Gatha 28. With few traveling companions but a large amount of merchandise to convey, the merchant falls into the state of anxiety and panic. The wise ones don’t run after desires, because they know that the infatuation with sensual pleasures is the brigand, who can destroy his life.

23/05/2010 Net of Love Sutta (Part VII) June 23rd, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Spring Retreat, SutraMay 23, 2010. 50-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in New Hamlet, Plum Village.

The talk was given Vietnamese and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the seventh in a series (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI). It is the conclusion of this commentary.

The talk is a little shorter than the others because some of the gathas have been discussed in other dharma talks as they are repeated here in the sutra. The focus of this section is the hero and freedom.

Here is the current translation (subject to change) of the gatha’s covered in this talk.

Gatha 29. The five kinds of sensual desires arise, when our mind feels satisfied by them. When we can speedily put an end to those five kinds of sensual desires, we can truly be called a Hero.

Gatha 30. When we no longer have sensual desire, we have no more fear. At that point we are free, peaceful and happy. When desire is ended the internal formations also end and because of that the practitioner comes out of the deep abyss.

Gatha 31. Dear sensual love, I know your roots: the desiring mind comes from misperceived wishes and wrong perceptions. Now I don’t have any more wishes or wrong perceptions about you. So how can you arise?

Gatha 32. If we have felled the tree of sexual desire, but we have not pulled up its roots, it will sprout again. If the monk or nun felled the tree of sexual desire and completely uprooted it, he or she will realize nirvana.

Gatha 33. If a person doesn’t want to cut down the tree of sexual desire, its branches and leaves will continue to a greater or lesser extent arise. When our mind is still caught in sexual desire, we are still like the calf that always needs its mother’s utter.

This concludes the Spring 2010 Retreats at Plum Village.

11/06/2010 Long Hand of the Fourfold Sangha July 6th, 2010 . Posted in Five Mindfulness Trainings, Order of Interbeing, SanghaJune 11, 2010. 108-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Great Compassion Temple, European Institute of Applied Buddhism. The talk was given Vietnamese, though you can clearly hear Thay’s voice, and is translated into English by Sister Chân Duc (Annabel).

The talk has four parts.

1.Enjoying Every Moment

2.The Order of Interbeing

3.Engaged Buddhism

4.The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings

The last line of dhamapada, from the Chinese, is an inspiration for the early part of this talk. On my head, there begins to have white hair. My youth has been stolen. It seems like they have come to tell me that I should become a monk as soon as possible. We need to learn to stroll – to enjoy our stroll. We shouldn’t waste our opportunity of being a human. We should enjoy every moment. Taste every moment. How can this be done? Train with a sangha. Don’t wait till your hair is gray. Each member of the Order of Interbeing has to be a pillar. An inspiration. The brown color. The brown jacket symbolizes humility. We should manifest that spirit. The spirit of power of silence. The Vietnamese name is Tiep Hien. The word Tiep has many meanings. To receive is the first. To continue is second. To be in touch with (life, suffering) is third. The first thing we must do is to receive. The way Thay walks. Talks. This is his way of transmitting.

The word Hien. First, it means the thing that is present. Now. The dharma door of plum Village is the present moment. Second, it means realization. Realizing the practice. Third, manifestation. We could also add another meaning. Make it appropriate to the time and place. Actualization. With all these meanings, it can’t so easily translate into English. Therefore, we have Order of Interbeing and we must study to understand its meaning.

Engaged Buddhism means Buddhism that enters the world. Engaged Buddhism has been in our Vietnamese tradition for hundreds of years. Closely related to Engaged Buddhism is Applied Buddhism. Applied is a secular term, but it allows us to do more than simply study Buddhism but rather to actually apply the teachings to transform our suffering. There are many schools that teach Buddhism, but few that teach applied Buddhism. The Order of Interbeing members are the long hand of the fourfold sangha that stretches out to society.

The lay order members are needed to do this. Build sangha.

Thay calls for a council, an assembly of Order members, to revise the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. This is our challenge. With the recent revision of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, they now contain all the good parts of the Fourteen, but the Fourteen are now missing new elements found in the five. A committee has already begun the work, but it needs to be expanded.

I hope you enjoy the talk as much as I did listening and making a few notes.

27/06/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate Sutra, Part I July 12th, 2010 . Posted in Plum Village, SutraJune 27, 2010. 75-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, Dharma Cloud Temple. The talk was given Vietnamese and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the first in a series on this sutra (Part II). Sutra Commentary is based on the Chinese Dhammapada, Sutra 36.

Happily enjoy the outer world in which we live.

The translation, enjoy the ultimate, is the initial translation and may not be completely correct. It is what we are working with now and Thay will let us know if he has a better translation. Thay compares and discussesin terms of Christianity – likes the term resting in God – if you are Christian, you may like calling sutra resting in God.

01/07/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate Sutra, Part II July 19th, 2010 . Posted in Plum Village, SutraJuly 1, 2010. 85-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall. The talk was given Vietnamese and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the second in a series on this sutra (Part I). Sutra Commentary is based on the Chinese Dhammapada, Sutra 36. In this talk we cover lines four through seven.

A few themes explored in the talk include:

•Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

•Nirvana

•The construction of your mind

This sutra is like a song, like a poem. Do not be caught by it.

04/07/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate Sutra, Part III August 17th, 2010 . Posted in Plum Village, SutraJuly 4, 2010. 68-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in New Hamlet, Plum Village, Full Moon Meditation Hall.

The talk was given Vietnamese and is translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the third in a series on this sutra (Part I, Part II). Sutra Commentary is based on the Chinese Dhammapada, Sutra 36. In this talk we cover lines eight through twelve. The talk was given just before the Summer Opening was to begin and Thay was unable to complete his commentary on the sutra. It is possible that it will be continued in the fall or winter.

To Enjoy the Ultimate. Touching nirvana.

16/08/2009 Anapanasati Sutra (Part1)
16/08/2009 Anapanasati Sutra (Part2)
24/08/2010 Peace, Understanding, and Compassion August 31st, 2010 . Posted in Compassion, Plum VillageAugust 24, 2010. 100-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, Dharma Cloud Temple. The talk occurs during the Retreat for Young People with the theme Truly Alive.

Thay feels alive to me when he begins by saying this is “dharma talk a la carte” and that he’ll invite about ten questions to get them started. He writes the questions on the white board and after about 20-minutes of audience questions, there are significantly more than ten questions. Our Teacher seems to enjoy hearing the questions as he continues to write on the board.

After the bell, we are reminded that all the questions appear to be linked together and if we answer one question then we can answer all the questions. The remain hour is spent hearing about peace, understanding, and compassion. The premise of this discussion is that even if we do get what we need, we still suffer. Examples of this are everywhere.

The question is how can I understand my own suffering. It is the art of listening. You have to train – to practice mindful living – so you can listen to the suffering in yourself. Intention is not good enough.

08/09/2010 Orientation to Practice September 17th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Breathing, Happiness, MeditationSeptember 8, 2010. 72-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Singapore during the Peaceful Mind, Open Heart Retreat at the Kong Meng San Pu Jue Zen Monastery. The talk is in English and the last portion is giving by Thay Phap Hai and Sr. Concentration. During the months of September and October, Thay will be traveling throughout Southeast Asia giving retreats and talks. This is the first stop.

The primary focus of this talk is to provide instructions for enjoying the retreat. The retreat is an opportunity to practice Applied Buddhism. We learn the basic practices such as listening to the bell, connecting body and mind, mindful walking, brushing our teeth, eating meditation, and more.

It is a short talk with a specific focus, but the reminders are good to bring home and practice wherever we are. Please enjoy.

11/09/2010 Living Here and Now October 8th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Five Mindfulness Trainings, HappinessSeptember 11, 2010. 112-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Singapore during the Peaceful Mind, Open Heart Retreat at the Kong Meng San Pu Jue Zen Monastery.

The talk is given in English and then translated into Chinese. The theme of the talk is the art of living here and now.

Thay reminds us there are many sutras on this topic of living happily in the present moment. We have the ability to live in Amit?bha’s Pure Land. He shares the story of a businessman who brings 500 other businessmen to hear the Buddha talk. In the discourse given, the Buddha mentions happiness five times because he knew this was what the businessmen needed to hear.

It is possible to live happily in the present moment and mindful breathing and mindful walking can bring us to the present moment. Discussion of dharmakaya, the dharma body.

Dharma body is the same as practice. We need a good practice and this produces living dharma; mindfulness of the dharma. To nourish the dharma body, we need the sangha body. If we cultivate a living sangha, then you can find the Buddha.

Thay spends a few minutes presenting the true love mantra. This is our ability to be present. We are reminded that breathing and walking are the key to you free. And to love someone is to offer our true presence to him. To her.

The last third of the talk focuses on the Five Mindfulness Trainings. We need to see the suffering of society and this global spiritual ethic manifested in the Five Mindfulness Trainings has been offered to the world.

12/09/2010 Mindful Breathing: Mind and Objects of Mind October 15th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Breathing, SutraSeptember 12, 2010. 113-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Singapore during the Peaceful Mind, Open Heart Retreat at the Kong Meng San Pu Jue Zen Monastery.

During the previous four days of the retreat, the community had been exploring the first eight exercises of the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing (also known as the Anapanasati Sutta). The first eight have the two broad categories of body and feelings, but here we focus on the last eight exercises to mindful breathing – the mind (or mental formation) and the objects of mind. Mind and object of mind are always together. The discourse is explored in more detail in The Path of Emancipation.

9. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mind. Breathing out, I am aware of my mind.’ He or she practices like this.

10. ‘Breathing in, I make my mind happy. Breathing out, I make my mind happy.’ He or she practices like this.

11. ‘Breathing in, I concentrate my mind. Breathing out, I concentrate my mind.’ He or she practices like this.

12. ‘Breathing in, I liberate my mind. Breathing out, I liberate my mind.’ He or she practices like this.

13. ‘Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas. Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas.’ He or she practices like this.

14. ‘Breathing in, I observe the disappearance of desire. Breathing out, I observe the disappearance of desire.’ He or she practices like this.

15. ‘Breathing in, I observe the no-birth, no-death nature of all phenomena. Breathing out, I observe the no-birth, no-death nature of all phenomena.’ He or she practices like this.

16. ‘Breathing in, I observe letting go. Breathing out, I observe letting go.’ He or she practices like this.

In this talk, Thay discusses #15 in terms of nirvana and reflects that this is the most wonderful exercise. We can contemplate our true nature. No birth. No death. No coming. No going. That is nirvana. The highest point in Buddhist teaching. God is nirvana.

10/09/2010 Breathing our Feelings October 21st, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Breathing, SutraSeptember 10, 2010. 100-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Singapore during the Peaceful Mind, Open Heart Retreat at the Kong Meng San Pu Jue Zen Monastery. The talk is given in English and Chinese simultaneously. I apologize for posting this out of order – you can hear the previously posted second part of this discourse at Mindful Breathing:

Mind and Objects of Mind.

The retreat is exploring the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing (also known as the Anapanasati Sutta). The first eight have the two broad categories of body and feelings. The discourse is explored in more detail in The Path of Emancipation.

1. ‘Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath.
Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.

2. ‘Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath.
Breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.

3. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body.’ He or she practices like this.

4. ‘Breathing in, I calm my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.’ He or she practices like this.

5. ‘Breathing in, I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel joyful.’ He or she practices like this.

6. ‘Breathing in, I feel happy. Breathing out, I feel happy.’ He or she practices like this.

7. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mental formations. Breathing out, I am aware of my mental formations.’ He or she practices like this.

8. ‘Breathing in, I calm my mental formations. Breathing out, I calm my mental formations.’ He or she practices like this.

09/09/2010 Remembering our Seeds October 25th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Breathing, ChildrenSeptember 9, 2010. 82-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Singapore during the Peaceful Mind, Open Heart Retreat at the Kong Meng San Pu Jue Zen Monastery. The talk is given in English on the second day of the retreat.

Our talk begins with a gentle and loving talk to the children with the story of the corn seed growing into a corn plant. Thay suggests that we talk to the corn plant and remind it of being a seed just as we need to remember being a seed once ourselves.

The remaining 55-minutes we are taken through exercises for identifying our breath and mindfulness.

Breathing in, I know this is an in breath
Breathing out, I know this is an out breath

Breathing in, following the in breath all the way through
Breathing out, following the out breath all the way through

These are steps for dwelling happily in the present moment. It allows for the three energies to arise: mindfulness, concentration, insight. The next exercise is useful for body scanning.

Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body
Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body

Breathing in, I release the tension in my body
Breathing out, I release the tension in my body

This talk contains common themes, but ones that are always good to be reminded of for our daily practice. Enjoy.

16/09/2010 Taking Care of Pain, Generating Happiness October 29th, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Bell Meditation, BreathingSeptember 16, 2010. 127 minute dharma talk in English with simultaneous translation into Chinese. This is the second day of the retreat in Malaysia taking place at Tiara Beach Resort in Port Dickson.

The bell is a significant element in many practitioners experience. How the bell sounds can effect our practice as well as the practice of those around us. The first 25-minutes Thay gives a review on how to correctly invite the bell.

A common story given in dharma talks is that one given by the Buddha where a person goes into the cellar, brings up a bag of different types of beans, opens the bag and identifies the different types. The Sutra on the Contemplation of the Body is the same where we can apply mindfulness to the different parts of the body. We are reminded to spend more time on those parts that suffer. Bringing our awareness to those elements of the body can help bring healing and happiness. This contemplation also includes being aware of the position of our body (sitting, standing, walking, lying down, etc.) – we are aware when we’re in these positions.

A good practitioner should know how to handle painful feelings and not to run away from them , sometimes by listening to music, eating, and other entertainment. We need to use mindfulness to transform our pain. Transforming, by embracing, our pain can cultivate happiness. If you are a beginner, you may not have enough mindfulness yet. In that case, you can borrow the energy of mindfulness from the sangha. Thay provides a brief review of sangha and how it has unfolded in the west.

How do we bring a moment of joy, of happiness? Letting go (including the idea of happiness), mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

17/09/2010 Being Present November 1st, 2010 . Posted in 2010 Southeast Asia Tour, Breathing, Suffering

September 17, 2010. 104-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh in English. This is the third day of the retreat in Malaysia taking place at Tiara Beach Resort in Port Dickson.

We are honored to hear two songs from the children present before the talk begins followed by a short meditation on parents. Thay is very good with supporting the children.

We are reminded of the relationship between Teacher and Student. Why is it important and what is the role we each play. We should practice kindness for our teacher just as our teacher practices kindness for the student. Practicing mindfulness is the practice of being kind to our teacher; to honor and follow what we are taught. The teacher must do the same so only what is directly experienced is taught. With awareness we can see the miracle of walking on earth and see the Buddha is in each of us.

Some discussion on the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing is included. How do we handle strong emotions? Just like a tree in a storm where there is a lot of movement near the top of the tree but solidity in the middle and bottom, we too must come down out of our head and practice abdomen breathing when we encounter the strong emotions.

The last part of the talk reviews the Four Mantras:

1.Darling, I am here for you.

2.Darling, I know that you are here and it makes me very happy.

3.Darling, I know that you are suffering and that is why I am here for you.

4.Darling, I am suffering and I need your help.

Practicing being present and learning to listen with compassion.

20/07/2007 What are the Five Mindfulness Trainings? November 11th, 2010 . Posted in Five Mindfulness TrainingsDuring the Annual Summer Opening at Plum Village in France, Thich Nhat Hanh offers to respond to questions from participants on several occasions. The audio here is a 15-minute response to one of the questions on July 20, 2007.

How did the Five Mindfulness Trainings come to be?

28/11/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate, Part VII December 3rd, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraNovember 28, 2010. 77-minute dharma talk given Thich Nhat Hanh at New Hamlet, Full Moon Meditation Hall, in Plum Village. The talk is in Vietnamese with English translation by Sr. Chan Khong (French and original Vietnamese audio are available as well as video version).

The 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat opened on this day and also comes after a short break due to the months long tour of Southeast Asia. At this time, I do not have the recordings available for parts four through six that took place during the Summer Opening Fall Days of Mindfulness, but you can hear Part I, Part II, and Part III until those are ready. Therefore, we continue here with part seven and stanza’s 21-24 of Chinese Dhammada, Sutra #36.

Before the sutra commentary, Thay gives a 30-minute talk on the basic practices of Plum Village. Listening to the bell. Walking. Being present. Tells story of signing 300 books on the tour and how it was a joy and of his practice of being present.

The sutra commentary explores Nirvana (21), Non-Duality (22), No Discrimination (23), and Samsara (24).

02/12/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate, Part VIII December 6th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Basic Practices, Plum Village, Sutra, Touching the EarthDecember 2, 2010. 67-minute dharma talk given Thich Nhat Hanh at Upper Hamlet in Plum Village. The talk is in Vietnamese with English translation (French and original Vietnamese available and video version). The monastery is in the 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat. You can hear Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part VII (still working on parts VI-VI). We continue here with part eight and stanza’s 25-28 of Chinese Dhammada, Sutra #36.

Before the sutra commentary, Thay gives a 30-minute talk on the practice of touching the earth. It’s a lovely talk and explanation – definitely worth a listen. It’s a type of yoga where we coordinate the body and mind. We must make it a contemplation. It is not a devotion. The Buddha is not a god. The one who bows and the one who is bowed to are both equally empty.

Really need to contemplate and look deeply. Open up to ancestors and descendants. We touch our brain and heart before touching the earth to help bring this forward.

Toward the end of this segment, Thay spends just a couple minutes discussing taking care of sexual energy. He has found calling on or chanting Avaloketeshvara to be very helpful.

Lots of things are taking care of the sangha, including our energies (such as sexual).

18/11/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate, Part IV December 9th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Christianity, Nirvana, Plum Village, SutraNovember 18, 2010. 71-minute dharma talk given Thich Nhat Hanh at New Hamlet in Plum Village. The talk is in Vietnamese with English translation (French and original Vietnamese available too). This talk is part of a sutra commentary (Chinese Dhammada, Sutra #36) series and is being posted out of sequence due to the Asia Tour; you can hear Part I, Part II, Part III.

The primary theme of this sutra is nirvana. Our true nature. Several different illustrations/parables are used in this talk. For example, the birds and deer can lose the sky and countryside if they are caged. Humans too can be caught (caged) by our own busyness, etc. and we too can lose. We need to return to the sky, the countryside and we are reminded that nirvana is within us. When people’s belief system is discredited or challenged, particularly by scientific evidence (round earth, center of the universe, evolution, etc.), then they can become lost and lose their ethics and become angry. With this, nirvana is the safest place for humans to be. The practice is not about metaphysical contemplations. As a practitioner, we need to know where we’re going and what we want to become. We have to be free and not be burned by the afflictions of anger, attachment, jealousy, etc. nirvana has to be lived and touched here and now.

Near the end of the talk, Thay returns to a common theme of sangha. Members of a sangha support and reflect each other. Individual happiness does not exist. He has often talked of the next Buddha of 21st century will be the sangha. It’s something that Martin Luther King called the beloved community – he didn’t have a chance to see his beloved community arrive, but Thay has been fortunate to teach and build the sangha into this century.

These are just some highlights. The talk is rich with material for practice. Enjoy.

05/12/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate, Part IX December 12th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Suffering, SutraDecember 5, 2010. 77-minute dharma talk given Thich Nhat Hanh in the Assembly of Stars hall at Lower Hamlet in Plum Village. The talk is in Vietnamese with English translation (French and original Vietnamese available and video version).

The monastery is in the 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat. You can hear other parts of this commentary. We continue here with Part IX and stanza’s 29-32 of Chinese Dhammada, Sutra #36.

Walking in the present moment, but not like a robot. If you see another practitioner who might be struggling with the practice, learn to be an inspiration to others by practicing yourself rather than saying what they’re doing it wrong. Presence of your mind. Ask yourself, are you sure? The body is here, but what about the mind? Do you radiate peace, joy, and presence?

Stopping is our practice. Everything is a training for a new habit. When we eat, walk, shop, cook, clean the bathroom. You can get enlightened by stopping, looking, and practicing.

If you need to suffer, just suffer. Do not suppress. But that is not enough. Suffering is not enough. It is not ok to only suffer. You have to train yourself to accept yourself.

Allow yourself to cry, allow yourself to see another way out. See other ways to transform.

Without mud. No lotus. Suffering has a role in happiness. No one can claim that I have no suffering at all, but don’t suffer uselessly. You come to the sangha to make use of your suffering.

The sutra commentary begins at the 49-minute mark of the dharma talk. We learn about leading the life of a holy person. In taking the mindfulness Trainings, whether lay or monastic, we gain space. Limitless space. It’s easy. If you understand this verse, you put your whole heart toward the path of practice. This is the path to the shore of no birth and no death.

09/12/2010 Enjoy the Ultimate, Part X December 14th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Applied Buddhism, Nirvana, Plum Village, SutraDecember 9, 2010. 96-minute dharma talk given Thich Nhat Hanh in the Full Moon Mediation Hall at New Hamlet in Plum Village. The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation (French and original Vietnamese available and video version). The monastery is in the 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat.

This is a happy moment.

In the past we have used “engaged” Buddhism, but today we use “applied” Buddhism. Buddhism in our daily life. In 1945, we had magazine called Liberation in Vietnam created by some advanced practitioners to study Buddhism and find practices to put into our daily life – into everything. It’s kind of an applied metaphysics.

There are many universities today where you can study Buddhism and get a degree, but most are not applied Buddhism. It is more of a scholastic knowledge – theoretical knowledge. We are determined not to do this at Plum Village, EIAB, Deer Park, etc. We try to transmit the practice of Applied Buddhism.

Creating True Peace (2003), published by Free Press, is a textbook for applied Buddhism originally written at the request of unesco staff. The book contains many examples, and the talk now moves into giving some examples.

The importance of a retreat. Start with one day, then a weekend, and ideally a 7-day retreat. With the longer retreat, the more traditional length, you can soften your mind to see ways out of your suffering, your difficulty.

Please don’t come here to gain knowledge. Learn to apply Buddhism so you can share it with others. Every single piece of knowledge is for putting into practice. To produce peace. To produce happiness. To be a dharma instrument.

At about 45-minutes, we transition to the sutra commentary and finish the last four stanzas. We finish here with Part X and stanza’s 33-36 of Chinese Dhammada, Sutra #36. You can hear other parts of this commentary.

Teaching of the Buddha gathered together by the patriarchs on a specific topic, sometimes reordered. These teachings are from the earliest times of the Buddha. This sutra belongs to the chapter on nirvana. Sometimes you can see links between stanzas because the patriarchs tried to put this together in a flow, not necessarily given exactly in form by the Buddha.

For example, some sutra will speak of the ultimate reality and some will not. Heart of Prajnaparamita is an ultimate sutra – go beyond the world. So some people think you must go beyond, but there are other sutra that speak of the non-ultimate dimension. If you are a scholar, you must know that and when looking at these 36-stanzas you must know to which the stanza belongs – the ultimate or non-ultimate dimension – to not be caught and not to be confused. You use your deep mind, but Thay will give you some hints by reviewing other parts of the sutra that we began exploring back in July.

24/12/2010 Beehives and our True Home: A Christmas Eve Talk December 24th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Christianity, Nirvana, Plum VillageDecember 24, 2010. 58-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Stillwater Meditation in Upper Hamlet in Plum Village. The talk was given in English (French and Vietnameseaudio are available as well as video version). The monastery is in the 2010- 2011 Winter Rains Retreat and this was the Christmas Eve talk.

This is a time to go home. Jesus was searching for a home. He was a young man. If you are young, you too may be looking for a home. The Buddha too was a young man searching for his true home. There are those of us who have found their true home. In the here and now.

Comfortable in the present moment. They are not looking for anything else.

Thay shares about meeting Martin Luther King 44-years ago in Chicago and how they talked about community. He was trying to build home – the beloved community. To build a loving sangha; very similar to Thay’s dream. If you have a sangha, and can flow with a sangha, then you have found a home. Jesus too found his sangha – not a very big sangha – and they had a difficult time building a sangha after his death. The Buddha too talked of building a sangha. The sangha of Jesus and the sangha of the Buddha had the same kind if aspiration – to reduce suffering.

We can have the sangha in your heart. The sangha is like a beehive – each bee working for the well being of the whole beehive. You are a cell in the sangha body. The time I have spent in the west has been devoted to sangha building. I feel at home because I am a cell in the sangha body. I don’t have to look for anything else. Without sangha we cannot do anything. When a bee is isolated from the hive, it will die. Building the energy of the sangha is the sisterhood and brotherhood of compassion. If your are doing that, then you have a home. If I have a home, it is very clear that you have a sangha.

Just after the last Rains Retreat of the Buddha (before he died), he gave a series of short dharma talks (5-, 10-minutes) that have been recorded in the Tripitaka. A common theme was about finding our true home. There is a safe island within each of us and if you want peace, freedom, solidity, joy then you must go to this island – the island of oneself. There you have the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, your ancestors and descendants. The island is the present.

Breathing in, I know the Buddha is Mindfulness. Mindfulness brings you to the present.

This is insight. When you can get in touch with the wonders of life, to go back to ourselves, then you are being a Buddha. The same thing is true with Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Man. All of us are children of the earth, and if we can agree upon this, then Jesus is our brother. The Buddha too is our brother.

The Buddha helped us to touch the ultimate. Nirvana. Absence of afflictions is the presence of nirvana. It is possible in the here and now.

The deer like to go back to the field.

The birds like to go back to the sky.

The people like to go back to nirvana.

You don’t need to die to enter the Kingdom of God. In the Buddhist practice, all you need to do is breathe in mindfully. To take one step mindfully. Our true home is already there inside. Peace is possible. Brotherhood and sisterhood are possible. Building a sangha is the process and we do this by breathing in.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

12/12/2010 In breath – Am I present? December 19th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Mental Formations, SutraDecember 12, 2010. 115-minute dharma talk given Thich Nhat Hanh in Stillwater Mediation Hall at Upper Hamlet in Plum Village.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation (French and original Vietnamese audio are available as well as video version).

The monastery is in the 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat.

Mindfulness is one of the fifty-one mental formations of our mind; five of these mental formations are known as universal:

•Touch – by our mind and the five sense organs.

•Volition – attention. In Sanskrit it is manascara.

•Feeling – after you have attention, sometimes you then have a feeling

•Perception – a notion or construct about something

•Action, will to act

What do we pay attention to? What is helpful for us to pay attention to? For example, in the Plum Village center we arrange things to pay attention to what is very useful to you – the bell tower, monastics walking or working relaxingly, arranging of flowers, architecture, statues, etc. We should try to organize our life and environment so that it is helpful and can inspire you to practice.

Other mental formations only come when you invite them. For example, Mindfulness. You want to do walking meditation, sitting meditation, etc. Mindfulness is the core of the practice. When you are not present, you are in forgetfulness. Mindfulness means you are present. How? Bring your mind back to your body and then you can see things around you. In breath. Out breath. Breath is a tool for Mindfulness.

For example, when walking, we can invent sentences that match your number of steps that remind you to be present.

In breath – Am I present?

Out breath – Yes I am present.

In breath – Are you sure?

Out breath – Yes I am sure.

Am I solid? Am I stable? Means you are not being pulled to the past or to the future, but being present. Am I joyful? Am I free? Do you experience and touch joy, happiness, etc.

By being present, walking can nourish and heal. When you do this, you don’t try to concentrate but it is there anyway by bringing your mind back to the body.

The talk continues by looking at what are know as particular mental formations.

Mindfulness, concentration, and insight are “particular” mental formations because we must call them. By creating new habits and new neuropathways through mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

Please write to Thay of your practice, report to him.

16/12/2010 You are a Formation December 22nd, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Christianity, Mental Formations, Plum VillageDecember 16, 2010. 99-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Assembly of Stars Mediation Hall at Lower Hamlet in Plum Village. The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation (French and original Vietnamese audio are available as well as video version). The monastery is in the 2010-2011 Winter Rains Retreat.

Mindfulness is one of the fifty-one mental formations. Everything you can see is a formation. Your body is also a formation. Many conditions come together to create a formation. The practitioner should be able to identify the mental formations in your body and mind. The practitioner must be present to recognize them in yourself. Mindfulness is very powerful for coming to the present. Mindfulness is the heart of meditation.

Discusses the subject of Mindfulness and the object of Mindfulness. All formations have a subject and object. Explores impermanent nature of all formations – you’ve heard this teaching so many times but you still behave like everything is permanent.

Mindfulness. Concentration. Insight.

Covers some of 16 breathing exercises, especially as it relates to impermanence. Continues with a discussion of subject and object. Non-dualistic thinking. Compares the teachings and experience of the Buddha and Jesus Christ and how we can apply it to our lives today.

Transform your corner of the earth into heaven in the here and now. Live in the ultimate dimension.

26/12/2010 Make a True Home of Your Love December 28th, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Love, Plum Village, Third Mindfulness TrainingTags: Buddhism, child abuse, cosmetic surgery, fidelity, intimacy, loving relationships, mutual understanding, Pearl Buch, sex, sexual abuse, sexual relationships, trust

December 26, 2010. 134-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Dharma Cloud Temple in Upper Hamlet in Plum Village on the theme of relationship and fidelity. The monastery is in the 2010- 2011 Winter Rains Retreat.

“We have said that sexual desire is not love, but our society is organized in such a way that sensual pleasure becomes the most important thing. They want to sell their products, and they make advertisements that water the seed of craving in you. They want you to consume in such a way that you have sensual pleasure. But sensual pleasure can destroy you. What we need is mutual understanding, trust, love, spiritual intimacy. But we don’t have the opportunity to meet that kind of deep need in us.

“Many young people in our society want to have cosmetic surgery in order to meet with the standard of beauty. There are fashion magazines that say in order to succeed you have to look like this, use this product. That is why many young people suffer very much. They cannot accept their body, because people expect another kind of body, so they want to have surgery to change their body. When you do not accept your body as it is, you are not in your true home. Our body is like a flower. Everyone in humanity is like a flower. And each flower are different from other kinds of flowers. And if she can accept her body, she has a chance to see her body as home. If you cannot accept your body, you cannot be home for yourself.

If you cannot be home for yourself, how can you be home for others? So in psychological circles we have to tell the young people that they are already beautiful as they are. You have to accept yourself as you are. And when you practice building a home in yourself, you become more and more beautiful. You have peace, joy, and people will recognize the beauty of your flower.”

“The monks and nuns, when they receive the bhikshu or bhikshuni precepts, they want to live a holy life. If you see that a monk is beautiful, it is because he has brought in the spiritual element into his life. Spirituality here means mindfulness, concentration, and insight. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are recommended for everyone, not only for monastics. Mindfulness is the kind of energy that can help you to go home to yourself, to the here and the now, so that you know what to do and what not to do in order to be home for yourself and for other people. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are a very concrete way of practicing mindfulness.

In the Buddhist tradition, holiness is made of mindfulness. Mindfulness, concentration, and insight make you holy. Holiness not only possible for the monastics, but also for the laypeople who practice the precepts. Holiness is not only possible with the practice of celibacy. There are those who live a conjugal life, but if they have the elements of mindfulness, concentration, and insight the have the element of holiness. A monk is like an astronaut, if you want to be an astronaut you should not be pregnant. It does not mean it is bad to be pregnant.”

“We have to learn how to treat beauty. Sexual intimacy can be a beautiful thing, if there is mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Otherwise it will be destructive.”

“To practice Buddhism as a monk is always easier than to practice as a layperson. In Vietnam we say, ‘To practice as a monk is easiest; to practice as a layperson is much more difficult.’ To practice not to have a sexual relationship is much easier than to maintain practice in a relationship, because in order to maintain mindfulness, concentration, and insight in a sexual relationship you need a lot of practice.”

“Love is not a kind of prison. True love gives us a lot of space. Whatever you enjoy, the other person enjoys; whatever is your concern is also their concern.”

31/12/2010 At Home With Yourself: New Year’s Eve Talk December 31st, 2010 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Plum VillageDecember 31, 2010. 71-minute New Year’s Eve Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from the Assembly of Stars Hall of the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

“Once we understand the suffering inside ourselves, compassion will arise. If you understand the roots of suffering, understanding will arise, and then compassion. Then you feel at home with yourself. And when you feel at home with yourself, you can help the other person. You can understand his or her suffering better. You have become a home for yourself, and you are helping him or her to become a home for him- or herself.”

The talk was given in English and is available below (French and Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

02/01/2011 The Eye of Compassion January 15th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Applied Buddhism, Compassion, Plum Village, SufferingTags: Buddhism, compassion, First Noble Truth, suffering

January 2, 2011. 81-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from the Stillwater Meditation Hall of the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

“We know how to embrace suffering. We see immediately that the other person suffers too.

You understand him or her. We see the other person with the eye of compassion. The eye of compassion exists within us. We see that the other person is a victim of his own suffering. He or she makes others suffer. And when we see that, we have no more anger.

“Let us listen to each other. Let us be there for each other. This is applied Buddhism.”

Listen deeply. Consumption. First noble truth. Accepting our suffering. No mud. No lotus.

When we embrace our suffering, we suffer less. We can look with the eyes of compassion.

This practice of deep listening can be applied between political groups, in society, in the classroom, in the family.

Let’s listen to each other. That’s the slogan for the new year.

Let’s be there for each other. The second part of the slogan.

The talk was given in French with English translation and is available below (original French and Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

06/01/2011 The Good News of Oak Leaves Falling January 15th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Environment, Plum VillageTags: Buddhakaya, Dharmakaya, home sapiens, homo erectus, nature, Sanghakaya

January 6, 2011. 70-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from New Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

On the moon, now, there is no flower, no oak tree, no cloud. On our planet we have all these things. Every time I go out for walking meditation, I feel so happy to step on the oak leaves, to see the tiny stream by my hermitage. Everything is so beautiful. We can see that in the entire universe there is not another planet so beautiful. We are so lucky.

Every day, though, we live on this planet, but we don’t realize how lucky we are. I wonder if the fish in the pond can see that beauty, the bird flying in the beautiful empty space, the deer in the field browsing. Do they know? But we, we know. Human beings, before, we were apes. We walked with four limbs. Then, at a certain moment, we stood up. Instead of having an ape’s name, we then had the name “Homo erectus“. We could use our two limbs in order to do things. Eventually we became “Homo sapiens“, humans who know. When we are mindful, we can call ourselves “Homo conscius.” We enjoy the manifestation of all these gifts in nature. This is mindfulness: being aware of what is going on. When we get in touch with what is beautiful, we transform the anguish in us into joy, happiness, and love.

Dharmakaya. The body of the dharma. One if three bodies – Buddhakaya. Sanghakaya. Each of us have these three bodies. The practice is to bring these bodies into harmony.

Understanding the Buddha body. All the species can become Buddha. In Buddhism, life is one. All have Buddha nature. People, animals, plants, minerals.

The dharma body is your spiritual practice. If it is strong, you can live with ease and lightness. Dharma body is also the teaching of the Buddha and can help you build your spiritual practice. Each day is a day for growing your dharma body.

The third body is the sangha body. Thay emphasizes this body in our community. If you have the sangha in your heart, you do not lose anything when you are away from the sangha.

As humans, we have the ability to see the beauty in the world around us. We can appreciate the beauty of this world. We are mindful. We are aware. I am present with the sky and the earth. Our consciousness allows us to do that. Other species may not be able to do that like homo sapiens.

Continue to grow the three bodies and you can ride the ocean of birth and death. The nature of the practice is to be in touch with nirvana.

The last twenty minutes of the talk is a Sutra commentary. Today we discuss stanza 9 and 10.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

09/01/2011 The Happiness of Neutral Feelings January 19th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Happiness, Nirvana, Plum Village, SufferingTags: feelings, Four Noble Truths, mindfulness, neutral feelings, nirvana

January 9, 2011. 84-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The recording begins with about 8-minutes of chanting.

If you are a good practitioner you can easily handle your difficulties; the transformation is quicker. There are many kinds of feelings: painful feelings, pleasant feelings, and neutral feelings. In the process of practicing we discover that the neutral feelings are very interesting. As when we sit, there is a sensation that is neutral. When we bring mindfulness to the neutral feeling, you find that it is quite nice. You see that you already have enough conditions for happiness with a neutral feeling. If you look deeply at the neutral feeling you see that it is wonderful. When you see your feelings passing by like a river, you see that 80% of your neutral feelings are quite pleasant. With mindfulness, our neutral feeling is transformed into happiness.

At the first teaching of the Buddha in the Deer Park, he spoke of the Four Noble Truths and the the eight correct practices. Never declare that you know already because you can always deepen your understanding and practice. The First Noble Truth is suffering. The Third Noble Truth talks of the cessation of suffering. This is the presence of happiness.

Learn how to produce happiness. A good practitioner knows how to do this. Transform your difficulty and produce happiness. In Buddhism we recognize painful feelings, pleasant feelings, and neutral feelings. With mindfulness, you can transform a neutral feelings too. We should look deeply into our neutral feelings. We have many occasions to be happy.

Thay encourages us to write a report on how you create happiness and send it to him.

After about 45-minutes, the talk transitions into a sutra commentary, continuing on the theme of nirvana. I believe we’re still on the sutra from the Dhammapada called Place of Peace and Wonder.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

13/01/2011 Zen is Eating January 26th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Basic Practices, Eating Meditation, Plum Village, SutraTags: Eating Meditation, Kingdom of God, Pure land, Sitting, walking, Zen

January 13, 2011. 75-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The recording begins with about 10-minutes of chanting.

Eating meditation. Delicious and healthy. Our sitting meditation should be the same.

Healthy. Relaxed. Follow your breath to harmonize your body and mind. Sitting meditation is also a type of consumption. It should be the same for everything. Walking. Eating.

Working. Resting. It is an art.

Zen is also eating. The meal is a moment of practice. And there is a collective awakening when you practice together with others. Each of us are a drop contributing to the river.

Every step is your joy. This is it. Thay talks about what his calligraphy called “This is It” means.

The continued sutra commentary begins at 48-minutes into the talk. The verses 17-20 19 Feelings. Perception. Suffering. Mental formations. Nirvana.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

16/01/2011 Four Attainments of Plum Village January 30th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Happiness, Mental Formations, Nirvana, Plum Village, SutraTags: frogs, Happiness, Interbeing, nirvana, walking

January 16, 2011. 112-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Full Moon Meditation Hall, New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The recording begins with about 10-minutes of chanting.

Editor’s Note: We are a few dharma talks behind due to one of the Plum Village servers being down for 10-days. The server has been repaired and we’re back on track again. I’ll try to listen to the talks this week and post.

If you practice correctly, you will see results right away. According to the Buddha, there are many fruits of the practice. Results.

The first is “Entering Into the Stream” – the first step of your practice. Only you can judge if you are here. It’s like getting onto the train. Do you have one foot in, and one foot out or are you on the train and in your seat? Or, are you “moving in the direction of the stream” – on the way to the train station. If you arrive, you know you have arrived.

The second is two more coming back and third is one more coming back.

The fourth is “The Fruit of No Return” – no coming back. You do not go back to the the life of agitation; for a monastic aspirant it is someone who has let go of everything.

The fifth is “Extinction of all the Suffering” – arhat. That person is totally free.

In Plum Village we have fruits of the practice, but they are rooted in the traditional teaching. You have arrived, you are home. You are relaxed, you are peaceful. You can arrive in any moment. As soon as you move in that direction, you are happy. The degree of your practice, is the degree of your happiness. How wonderful to be alive! So many conditions of happiness.

The Four Attainments of Plum Village:

1.“I have arrived, I am home” or “froglessness”

2.“Dwelling happily”

3.“Interbeing”

4.“No-birth, no-death”

Thay invites the brothers up to chant The Four Recollections. (1:08)

We continue the sutra (1:15) we have been studying on the safest place. It’s about nirvana. Nirvana is a place when you arrive to a place of no affliction. A place of no birth and no death. No coming and no going. In this talk, we learn verses 20-23.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

20/01/2011 The Sound of the Bell February 1st, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Bell Meditation, Nirvana, Plum Village, SutraTags: bell, Dhammapada, Four Noble Truths, Udana

January 20, 2011. 77-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France

The talk begins with a discussion on bell inviting. The first bell discussed is the large temple bell. We have fifty-four verses to recite while inviting the Temple Bell. Do this twice for a total of 108 verses. This helps you come back to your breathing. Another bell is the activity bell. It is to inform you. It has ten sounds.

The second part of the talk is a discussion of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths inter-are. Some scholars frame as phenomenal world and ontological world. Existence and non-existence.

The final element, beginning about 47-minutes into the talk, is the continued sutra commentary. Today we discuss verses 21-25 and Thay exposes some flaws in the translations.

Phenomenon, it comes and goes. This is the twelfth in a series of talks offered during the Winter Retreat of 2010-11 on translations of the Dharmapada and Udanavarga from the Chinese Canon

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

23/01/2011 We Are the Cloud February 8th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraTags: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Taking Refuge, Three Jewels

January 23, 2011. 77-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. We begin with 8-minutes of chanting.

“Sitting in this meditation hall, we perceive that the clouds are floating high in the sky. But in reality we are surrounded by clouds; there is water vapor all around us. When we have fog we see this clearly. We also have vapor in our body in the form of water. So we interare with the cloud. Science shows us this; Buddhism can also show us this.”

“According to our practice, mindfulness, concentration and insight are a source of happiness. And we as practitioners need to generate this energy. Breathing in mindfulness you generate the energy of mindfulness; we get in touch with the wonders of life that are all around us.”

“The tour this year will have the theme, ‘Now is the time: this is it.’”

The Path of liberation. We must know how to take care of the path to overcome our difficulties. The path of eight correct practices (Right View, Right Speech, Right Action, etc).

Body, Speech, and Mind

Mindfulness, Concentration, Insight

Right Livelihood, Right Diligence

These are the fruit of our practice.

For those of you interested, Thay mentions the 5-year monastic training for young people.

At about 59-minutes into the talk, we transition to the sutra commentary we’ve been exploring. Here we here about verses 28-31.

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, the recording is cut off before it is completed and I am unable to get the missing recording at this time. It is cut off shortly after the sutra commentary begins. The video link below has everything.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

30/01/2011 Ten Days February 8th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Love, Plum VillageTags: Desire, Dualism, Four immeasurable minds, God, Love, Mental Formations, poetry, Tet
January 30, 2011. 85-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. We begin with 7-minutes of chanting. Thay reads some Vietnamese Poetry and a love story that takes place during the Lunar New Year.Breathing in, I dwell on my unborn

Breathing out, no birth and death

Speaks of dualistic views and uses God as the basis for the analysis. Learning to touch the unborn. This is it. Sudden enlightenment.

Today we learn two more particular mental formations. The first is about deep desire, expectation of waiting for something. Feeling very empty. Lack of something. It’s why we check our email. Thay uses a story from a 1995 (Vietnamese) short story to make the point.

The title is Ten Days. Ten days of expectation. It’s quite a funny story about young love and waiting.

Drops of Emptiness.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

02/02/2011 Understanding is the Basis of Love February 12th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Love, Plum VillageTags: Love, marriage, poetry, relationships, singing, Tet

February 2, 2011, on the Eve of the Lunar New Year of the Cat, in the New Hamlet of Plum Village. He reads poetry of Xuân Diu and talks of the beauty of fidelity in a relationship.

Self-love is the foundational of love for another.

We should see something very simple and basic: understanding is the basis of love. The understanding of our suffering we can accept and understand the others. We have communication. The practice helps us to a develop our love and understanding to remove the feeling of loneliness inside.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

10/02/2011 The Arrow of Desire February 15th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraTags: Breathing, Desire, Fear, Formations, Insight, nirvana, Non-Fear

February 10, 2011. 92-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from the Dharma Cloud Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. We begin with 17-minutes of chanting and singing.

Sources of happiness. Freshness of the morning air. Water from the tap. Mindfulness is the water and air for the mind. With mindfulness you can look deeper and you can be happier.

From there we gain insight from our awareness of breathing. And this insight can help you to undo knots inside you. We can face our fear. We have non-fear.

The perfect non-fear helps us to overcome the fear totally. There are many links that bind us: fear, irritation, anger, doubt, arrogance, desire, etc. Non-fear means we are free of these bonds. Call each one it’s true name.

The next monastic ordination family. There are eight aspirants at Upper Hamlet. They will be called Violet Bamboo family. We must practice like a bamboo; nothing inside. Empty all the knots and wounds inside. We must remove the arrow of craving and be empty like bamboo.

Sutra reference. Verses 33-36 of The Most Peaceful Dwelling Sutra.

33. If you want to completely liberate yourself from fear and end all internal formations and doubts, You must know that if you haven’t pulled out the arrow of desire, then you haven’t understood yet that this body is suffering.

34. Among the highest things that people call the most divine Nirvana is the highest. You must cut off all ideas and attachments and do not be deceived by words.

35. Knowing how to refrain or not to refrain that is the highest practice of letting go.

If in our heart there are thoughts of practice the shell will be cracked.

36. Of all offerings, that of the Dharma is the most precious. Of all kinds of happiness, that happiness based on the Dharma is the greatest. Of all strengths, patience is the most powerful because it can put an end to attachment and bring the happiness of Nirvana.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

13/02/2011 The Girl Without a Button February 15th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Plum Village, SutraTags: concentration, earth, environment, Insight, mindfulness, planet, space

February 13, 2011. 76-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet, Plum Village.

We begin with chanting – The Heart of Perfect Understanding in French and The Three Refuges in English.

Sitting here, we try to look deeply at the other person. The person we love. What are they doing? If we know how to sit quietly, then we see that person clearly even if they are not present. Sometimes we need to be far away in order to see the relationship more clearly.

Thay shares a story by Hans Christian Andersen called A Great Grief.

We travel to space and look at the earth. It is so dark in space, but when we look back we see how earth is so beautiful. If we look deeply, we can see the billions of people and what they are doing to each other. Sometimes we need to go far away to see the value. This is what some astronauts have said upon return.

How do we treasure that person? How do we treasure the planet? That picture from space can be a bell of mindfulness. To understand and to see. To wake up. We need to teach our children the preciousness of the planet, of life.

Sutra of Flowers and Fragrance from the dhammapada. So far, we have learned three chapters from the Chinese texts and these only exist in the Chinese, but this sutra is also available in the Pali. However, the Chinese has 13 more verses. We have drafted an English text. today we learn the first four verses.

The talk was given in Vietnamese with English translation and is available below (French and original Vietnamese audio are also available, as well as video version).

17/02/2011 The Universe is a Single Flower February 18th, 2011 . Posted in 2010-2011 Winter Retreat, Listening, Plum Village, Sutra, Trainings and PreceptsTags: alcoholism, compassion, earth, environment, flowers, gatha, listening, ordination, planet, psychotherapy, walking

February 17, 2011. 78-minute Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh in the Assembly of Stars Mediation Hall at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. We begin with 8-minutes of chanting.

This is the final dharma talk of the Winter Retreat before the Great Ordination Ceremony and the close of the retreat. Here we continue discussing the Sutra of Flowers and Fragrance.

Seeing the Earth in that way he felt a deep compassion for all the people who live on the Earth. They are trying to do something to protect our environment. Only from very far away do you look back and see the fragility of our planet, and you feel compassion.

One astronaut said that when he left the Earth and looked back, then he became a humanitarian, because I feel that I have to take care of the people on that planet. The vision is so important from far away. If you are a schoolteacher, or parents, you try to help your students to get in touch with this.

01/03/2011 The Land of the Buddha March 5th, 2011 . Posted in 2011 French Retreat, Love, Plum VillageTags: Four Mantras, listening, Love, mantra, suffering, walking

March 1, 2011. 60-minute Dharma Talk in French given by Thich Nhat Hanh at New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the first day of the 5-day French Retreat and the translation is provided by Sr. Pine. We are testing a new platform with this retreat so the audio recording carries both languages – the French on the left and English on the right. Enjoy.

Suffering can be neutralized. And love is what can do this transformation. Understanding can generate love. To live, we must love.

The teaching on true love by the Buddha is clear. How do we taste this happiness? To love is to offer your presence. Meditation cam make us fresh. One in-breath is enough to bring you present.

Darling, I am here for you.This is the first mantra of Plum Village. When you are in touch with yourself, then you can be present.

The beauty of the earth. We should love her. If you love her, you will do anything to preserve it. One in-breath. One step in mindfulness.

Darling, I know you are there and I am happy. This is the second mantra of Plum Village.

If you are present then you can so this. Precious presence of the other.

Provides some waking meditation guidance. The ability to stop and share something beautiful.

Shares story of meeting Martin Luther King and about community. The beloved community. The importance of building sangha. There are so many people in our society who are lost. They need a sangha. This is why you build a sangha in your area. It takes a lot of love and a lot of patience to build a sangha. Loving speech and compassionate listening are the instruments we use to build sangha.

Today the topic has been on suffering. We use consumption to try and forget out suffering.

The teaching is we must come back to ourselves and get in touch with the suffering. It will help us to transform it. Then we can understand the suffering of the other person.

Deep compassionate listening.

The talk was given in French (left channel) with English translation (right channel) and is available below (French and English are on the same recording) as well as video version.

02/03/2011 Teachings on Love March 9th, 2011 . Posted in 2011 French Retreat, Love, Meditation, Plum VillageTags: karuna, Love, maitri, mudita, pepple meditation, upeksha, walking

March 2, 2011. 100-minute Dharma Talk in French given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Assembly of Stars, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the second day of the 5-day French Retreat and the translation is provided by Sr. Pine.

Let’s love each other. In order to be there for each other, there is a practice. We have to stop all the inner talking. Practice breathing in with Mindfulness to bring our mind back the the body. To love is offering your presence.

The second mantra of Plum Village. I know you are there, and I am very happy. When I walk with the sangha, it is exactly the same because the sangha is my love.

Walking meditation together on the hill of the 21st century. Our collective energy can heal and transform us. To walk is to love. The same can be said about sitting meditation.

Peace. Concentration. Happiness.

Thay discusses a story from the Little Prince followed by a review of Pebble Meditation that is taught to children. Four pepples: Flower. Mountain. Still water. Space.

In true love, we should enjoy each other. It has been said, to love is not to look at each other, but to look in the same direction.

Elements of True Love. Maitri. Lovingkindness. Love is first friendship. To produce happiness. Karuna. Compassion. To transform suffering. Mudita. Joy. We offer joy to ourself and the. Upeksha. Equanimity. Absence of boundary. Non-discrimination. Your joy is my joy. These four elements are the Four Immeasurable Minds.

Love begins with myself.

03/03/2011 Nourishing Happiness March 9th, 2011 . Posted in 2011 French Retreat, Eating Meditation, Happiness, Love, Meditation, Plum Village, SufferingTags: cells, Eating Meditation, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Happiness

March 3, 2011. 72-minute Dharma Talk in French given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Assembly of Stars, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the second day of the 5-day French Retreat and the translation is provided by Sr. Pine. The English recording is missing just the first minute or two.

Nourishing happiness and taking care of our suffering with the energies of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. How we respond to suffering is what matters.

Embracing our suffering, looking deeply we see the source (the “food”) of that suffering.

Everything needs food. Recognizing the sources of nourishment is the beginning of transformation and healing. Without “food” the suffering will die.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are an expression of what can protect us.

In eating meditation, there are only two things to be aware of while eating. The food and the loved ones around you. Silence helps a lot. This to is a basis for happiness. The Five Contemplations.

04/03/2011 Questions and Answers March 11th, 2011 . Posted in 2011 French Retreat, Plum VillageTags: Buddhism, death, depression, euthanasia, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Four Kinds of Nutriments, Right Livelihood, sex, suicide

March 4, 2011. 111-minute Questions and Answers in French with Thich Nhat Hanh at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the fourth day of the 5-day French Retreat and the translation is provided by Sr. Pine.

Some of the topics include Sitting Meditation, Death, Euthanasia, Sex, Suicide, Non-action, Right Livelihood, Religion, Equality, Depression, and the Four Kinds of Nutriments.

05/03/2011 The Five Mantras and Noble Eightfold Path March 15th, 2011 . Posted in 2011 French Retreat, Christianity, Happiness, Nirvana, Plum VillageTags: Four Noble Truths, God, Happiness, mindfulness, Noble Eightfold Path, Ultimate Dimension

March 5, 2011. 96-minute dharma talk in French with Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village, France. This is the fifth day of the 5-day French Retreat and the translation is provided by Sr. Pine.

The fifth Mantra. This is a happy moment.

Mindfulness is the source of happiness. Smirti. We should be able to transform any moment into happiness with mindfulness. This moment is worth living. Moment after moment.

I’m here for you. This is the First Mantra. This is for generating your concentrated presence.

My dear, I know you are there and I’m so happy. This is the Second Mantra. To recognize the presence of your lived one. Your loved can be anything.

My dear, I know you suffer and I am here for you. The Third Mantra. Used when you notice something is not right. Not well.

My dear, I am suffering and I want you to know. I’m doing my best. Please help me. The Fourth Mantra. This is the most difficult because it’s when you are suffering and you think you’re loved one is the cause. We want to punish. After you have tried to cool the flames, maybe 24-hours, then you can practice this mantra. Tell him in a calm voice. If you are not able, then write it down.

Right thinking is thinking that goes in the direction of non-discrimination in the direction of understanding. We can always produce a thought of right thinking using mindfulness. Anger is no longer possible with this type of action. Karma (action) is our continuation. Thought is our action. If your thinking is beautiful then you action will be as well. With Right Thinking you can bring Right Speech and Right Action.

The path recommended by the Buddha begins with Right View. In addition to Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Concentration, Right Effort, and Right Livelihood. The noble eightfold path. This path leads to the end of suffering. The fourth noble truth.

This is the presence of happiness.

A discussion on the Ultimate and Historical dimensions – they are not separate. Nirvana.

Suchness. With the instrument of mindfulness and concentration, we can see the nature of reality. Being and non-being disappear.

10/03/2011 Body and Mind Are One March 23rd, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Plum Village, Sutra, Trainings and PreceptsTags: body, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Four Kinds of Nutriments, mind

March 10, 2011. 96-minute Dharma Talk in French given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Assembly of Stars, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

The body and the mind. Two sides of the same thing. Both the mind and body are aspects of our being. Both belong to the same thing. One supports the other. So, to take care of your mind is to take care of your body (and vice-versa).

We can contemplate our body, and it begins with mindfulness. Sutra on Mindful Breathing has sixteen exercises. The fourth exercise is about resting. This is something we have forgotten how to do and it is very important. Relax. Tension and pain exist both in body and mind. We only hear of the first four.

How do we eliminate toxins in our body and mind? Toxins like hatred, anger, greed. We can learn with our practice. Deep breathing is one method. There are four kinds of nutriments – these are explained. Thay focuses on what we consume and how it impacts us, our well being.

13/03/2011 The Four Elements March 27th, 2011 . Posted in Plum VillageTags: Breathing, compassion, Love, suffering, understanding

March 13, 2011. 63-minute Dharma Talk in French given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Assembly of Stars, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

In Buddhism we speak of Four Elements: water, earth, fire, and air. With water we can practice purification. With air we breathe. Breathe out the toxic gases in the body. Fire is also a method purification. With heat we can heal. The earth can purify as well. In Plum Village we have a practice called Touching the Earth. The earth is our Mother. We are children of the earth. we can return to the earth to renew ourself. Intimate conversations with the earth. We hear of Ksitigarbha (Earth Store), a great bodhisattva.

With these elements we can nourish and cultivate love, understanding, compassion, and reduce our suffering.

We briefly review the steps of mindful breathing to bring joy and calm to our minds and bodies.

25/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: Retreat Orientation April 5th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, Breathing, Eating Meditation, Retreats, WalkingTags: Breathing, Eating Meditation, Thailand, Understanding Our Mind, walking

March 25, 2011. 111-minute dharma talk and presentation given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh, Br. Phap Luu, and Sr. Dang Nghiem on the first day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

There is a period of 3:30 minutes of silence on the recording at the beginning. Thich Nhat Nhan then provides a lovely introduction to Avalokiteshva, and how we can listen to a chant to heal ourselves and others. The monastics than chant her name.

Following the chant, Thay introduces the two monastics who then provide an orientation on breathing, walking, eating, and noble silence.

26/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: Manifestation April 5th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, RetreatsTags: bell, conciousness, Mental Formations, psychology, Understanding Our Mind, walking

March 26, 2011. 97-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on the second day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The recording begins shortly after the dharma talk begins, but only a few minutes are missing. The first part of the talk is a lesson on inviting and listening to the bell. The product of this practice is the energy of mindfulness and concentration. In the second part of the talk, we learn more about the practice of walking meditation. The final part of the talk is an exploration of topics such as manifestation, subject and object, mental formations, body, mind, and consciousness. This is all part of Buddhist psychology.

27/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: Subject and Object April 11th, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: Five Skandhas, mantra, Mental Formations, pepple meditation

March 27, 2011. 105-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on the third day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thay speaks about mental formations and the nature of their manifestation in the mind.

Specific topics covered in this talk include begin present, the five mantras (first two only), pepple meditation, and non-duality. On subject and object: each of the mental formations have a subject and an object and they manifest at the same time. On cause and effect: this is because that is. On the Five Skandha: there are five sections that represent form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, consciousness but they manifest from the same thing.

28/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: Supercomputer April 12th, 2011 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, Bell Meditation, RetreatsTags: bell, Four Mantras, Store Conciousness, Understanding Our Mind, Wounded Child

March 28, 2011. 138-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on the fourth day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Today Thay speaks about keeping a bell in our home to remind us to come back to ourselves, and he transmits the Second, Third, and Fourth Mantras: “Darling, I know you are there, and I am happy.” “Darling, I know you suffer, that is why I am here for you.” “My dear I suffer. Please help me.”

He also shares about the nature of store consciousness, discussing specifically the first two verses of Vasubandhu’s Thirty Verses.

29/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: No Mud, No Lotus April 21st, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: Four Noble Truths, manas, Mind Conciousness, Store Conciousness, Understanding Our Mind

March 29, 2011. 140-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on the fifth day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thay speaks on the Four Noble Truths, on the interdependent nature of the mud and the lotus, transforming our compost into happiness. In the second half of the talk he goes into a detailed discussion of the Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu, focusing on the nature of manana (manas) and its characteristic, and how mindfulness can help transform the mind at the base so that manas may become the wisdom of non-discrimination.

30/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: Q & A April 27th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, RetreatsTags: bell, death, family, Happiness, impermanence, Sangha, Understanding Our Mind

March 30, 2011. 140-minute session of questions and responses provided in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on the sixth day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Over a period of two hours, participants of the retreat ask Thay questions about the practice. The questions are sincere, heartfelt, and based in life experience. The questions pertain to topics such as: When we die, where does our mind go? Here we practice listening to the sound of the bell, but in our daily life we don’t have anyone to invite the bell, the bell we hear is people who scold us or admire us. How do I practice when people scold me or admire me? How do I deal with the emotions resulting from being treated not as well as my older brother? How do I practice to come back to myself, when I feel that I am lost? What is the role of medication in the treatment of mental illness? What is the difference between neutral feelings and joyful feelings?

31/03/2011 Understanding Our Mind: No Birth, No Death April 28th, 2011 . Posted in Nirvana, RetreatsTags: being, birth, death, karma, manas, suchness, ultimate, Understanding Our Mind

March 31, 2011. 155-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on the seventh (and final) day of the Understanding Our Mind retreat at Mahachulalongkornrajavidhayalaya Buddhist University (MCU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

After a brief review of manas and store consciousness, Thay speaks about the nature of no-birth and no-death discovered by the Buddha. Being and nonbeing – we can’t have something from nothing. How are we continuing the teacher. The young monks, nuns, lay practitioners are also Thay – their practice becomes my Thay’s continuation. Its like the Century plant that we have at Deer Park Monastery. One plant can become many plants.

Right thinking is your continuation. Thinking is already action. Karma. Our karma continues after The dissolution of the body.The second karma action is speech. The third is body. The way we eat. The way we drive. So, dissolution of the body is not our death.

Birth and death

Being and nonbeing

Coming and going

Sameness and otherness

The ultimate reality is free from all these notions. Suchness. The ultimate reality. It cannot be conceived of by ideas or notions. Nirvana is the other word for ultimate reality. The extinction of all notions.

At the end of the talk, Sister Chan Khong shares about the Thai Plum Village, inviting everyone to come to practice at the new international practice center in Thailand.

02/04/2011 Everyday Practicing May 11th, 2011 . Posted in Eating Meditation, Listening, Public Talk, Suffering, SutraTags: Anapanasati, Breathing, communication, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Four Noble

Truths, Happiness, listening, mindfulness

April 2, 2011. 87-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Thai, with Thich Nhat Hanh on a Day of Mindfulness at the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives, Bangkok, Thailand.

Thay shared about the Anapanasati Sutta, Mindful breathing exercises. Awareness of body and releasing tension. Mentions bell on computer as a method to return to our breathing.

Going back to our breathing using sounds like a clock, telephone, etc. Stopping.

Breathing.

Eating as a family. Using bell. Smiling to each other for a moment before eating. If you can’t smile, perhaps the situation is difficult between the married couple; then we need to try and communicate. Thay offers suggestions for cultivating the relationship.

What are suffering and happiness? The teaching of the four noble truths are about suffering and happiness. Using deep looking and loving speech is a method to nourish the relationship. This practice was recommended by the Buddha in the Eightfold Noble Path.

Just a few hours of practice can help us. The same practice can be applied to other relationships, such as with parents.

Mindfulness in the supermarket. Shop and consume in a way so not to be intoxicated with awareness of the environment and the earth. Thay shares also about the revised version of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and the practice of mindful eating.

12/04/2011 Every act of mindfulness is an act of resurrection May 11th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Listening, Public Talk, Sutra, WalkingTags: Anapanasati, Breathing, Happiness, listening, mindfulness, suffering

April 12, 2011. 52-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Mandarin by Sister Hui-jiny, at Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This talk is very similar in content to the April 2 talk given in Thailand.

The present moment. The Anapanasati Sutta gives this lesson. Can relieve our concern about the past or future. Ww can discover many conditions of happiness in the present moment. It could be our sight, or our hearing, or our feet. It is possible to be happy in the present moment.

Aware of joy and happiness are two exercises proposed by the Buddha. Mindfulness as a kind of resurrection (this week is Easter). There is a lot of light with mindfulness. Walking meditation too can bring you to the present moment of happiness. To walk like a Buddha.

Thay speaks on reducing suffering through stopping and the practice of deep listening.

Mindfulness of compassion.

The talk was given in English and Mandarin at the same time and is available below for listening or download. You may also view the video.

17/04/2011 Now is the Time: Taiwan Retreat Orientation May 12th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, RetreatsApril 17, 2011. 47-minute orientation given in English, with simultaneous translation into

Mandarin, in Taipei, Taiwan. This is the first day of a five-day retreat. The orientation is provided by Thay Phap Dung and Sister Dinh Nghiem and introduces the basic practice.

18/04/2011 Now is the Time: Mantras and Sutras May 17th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Happiness, Mental Formations, Retreats, Suffering, SutraTags: Anapanasati, Four Mantras, Four Noble Truths, mantra, Mental Formations, mindfulness, pepple meditation

April 18, 2011. 112-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Mandarin, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the second day of a five-day retreat in Taipei, Taiwan. Please note, the first 20-minutes of the talk has really low volume but it >does improve after that.

The Four Noble Truths. Suffering and happiness are inseparable. Offering your true presence. In this talk, Thay introduces the Four Mantras in the context of the Anapanasati Sutta. Included is also an introduction to pepple meditation and some mindful movements.

The first mantra is, darling, I am here for you.

The Buddha taught exercises for mindful breathing. Recognize and follow are the first two exercises. By following, there is no interruption of mindfulness. The third exercise is being aware of your whole body. Formations. Everything is a formation. My body is a formation. And the fourth exercise is to release the tension in my body.

Producing a feeling of joy and of happiness are the fifth and sixth exercises. These are mental formations. Breathing in, I know that I am alive. Breathing out, I smile to life.

The next exercises ask you to recognize and embrace painful feelings. Today we will talk of mindfulness of anger. Recognize the anger and embrace with mindfulness.

We now return to the mantras. The third is darling, I know that you suffer and I am here for you. The forth is much more difficult. Darling, I suffer and I want you to know it. I am trying my best to practice. Please help me.

The Sutra on Mindful Breathing is a wonderful text for practice.

19/04/2011 Now is the Time: Aware of What’s Going On May 20th, 2011 . Posted in Mental Formations, Retreats, SutraTags: Anapanasati, Breathing, Five Mindfulness Trainings, listening, manas, Mental Formations, Store Conciousness, suffering

April 19, 2011. 97-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Mandarin, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the third day of a five-day retreat in Taipei, Taiwan.

Before we begin the dharma talk, Thay took a few minutes to introduce two of the monastics. The first is Phap Lien, who is English and has been a strong support for the Wake Up Movement and the second was Phap De, also known as Young Brother, who is an American practicing both Christianity and Buddhism.

We continue the Anapanasati Sutta (we covered the first six exercises during the April 18 talk). Working with strong emotions. Provides meditation instruction of focusing on abdomen breathing. The seventh exercise is to become aware of a painful feeling. We should recognize it and return to our breathing.

Mental formations. There is a river of mind flowing with many feelings and emotions. To meditate is to sit on the bank of the river. The tenth exercise is to touch the wholesome mental formations. Feelings like love, compassion, and joy. We all have mental formations in the form of a seed. When we come to a retreat like this, the seed of goodness is watered in us. In Buddhist psychology, we talk of store and mind consciousness. In store they are seeds and in mind they are mental formations. Flower watering is a method of selective watering of the wholesome seeds in others.

In this segment of the talk, Thay talks about restoring communication, especially with our loved ones. Our wife. Our husband. Father. Mother. Son. Daughter. How can we do it?

Practical steps are offered.

21/04/2011 Now is the Time: Both by nature empty May 30th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, RetreatsTags: Anapanasati Sutra, Breathing, concentration, impermanence, signlessness

April 21, 2011. 104-minute question and answer session given in English, with simultaneous translation into Mandarin, with Thich Nhat Hanh and others. This is the fifth day of a five-day retreat in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Sixteen Exercises of Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta) – we are encouraged to memorize these exercises. Here we review each of these again. For example, the concentration of impermanence (13th exercise) should not just be an idea.

In addition, there are other meditations (concentrations) that can help us liberate ourselves. Emptiness. Signlessness. Aimlessness.

Mindfulness brings about concentration and we gain wisdom of Right View and we can be liberated.

With signlessness we can see the impermanent nature of all beings.

No birth. No death.

Being and nonbeing.

No coming. No going.

No sameness. No otherness.

05/05/2011 Walking in Nirvana May 31st, 2011 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, NirvanaTags: Buddhism, Four Noble Truths, nirvana, Renewal

May 5, 2011. 87-minute Dharma Talk given in Vietnamese by Thich Nhat Hanh at the new Lotus Pond Temple in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. This recording is translated by Sr. Dang Nghiem and is the third talk from this temple (Editors note: I have been unable to get a recording for the first two talks given earlier in the week on April 28 and May 1).

Renew Buddhism is really necessary in Buddhist countries to make it relevant to the younger generation. We have been trying to teach Applied Buddhism. This is doable. We want to do that here in Hong Kong and we believe young people will come as they have in Vietnam, Thailand, and France. We are trying to establish a way if life that is beautiful.

In Buddhism we talk about Nirvana but many still think it is something after death. But Nirvana is a state that is present now. We can enter nirvana in the present moment. This is wonderful. Nirvana means cooling off.

Happiness and suffering. Without suffering you cannot generate happiness. Now, how can happiness be present without the two elements of understanding and love?

People are longing for understanding. Many are so lonely. If we can understand the other person will suffer less right away. The more we understand, the more we love. The First Noble truth is there is suffering and the Second is to understand the suffering.

Right View. No more misunderstanding. No more hatred. This is nirvana. Then we have Right

Thinking. This is thinking that goes in the direction of understanding and compassion.

This is followed by Right Action. The fruit of the action is karma. Actions of body, mind, and speech.

The kingdom is now or never. Buddhism is not a promise of the future. It is to manage the present moment.

08/05/2011 Happiness and Space Inside June 1st, 2011 . Posted in Children, HappinessTags: mothers, storytelling, vesak

May 8, 2011. 78-minute Dharma Talk given in English by Thich Nhat Hanh at the new Lotus Pond Temple in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

We begin with a story for the children. A Mothers Day practice, for those who’s mother is still alive and for those who’s mother has died. The Buddha’s mother had died when he was only seven days old. Her story is in the Avatamsaka Sutra. You too can meet the mother of the Buddha with good Concentration. We can learn to be a good mother or a good father. We can learn a lot from the mother of the Buddha. Today we celebrate the birthday of the Buddha. Vesak. We will have a ceremony to bathe the Buddha.

After 30-minutes for the children, Thay continues. We are a continuation of our mother and our father. There is no separate self. Simple, but we often forget. They are alive in us and we can talk to them. The Buddadharma can help us to manifest the good things from our parents and also to accept and transform the suffering.

Mindfulness is about the present moment. With mindfulness you can discover the seeds of happiness.

17/05/2011 Applied Buddhism, or Applied Ethics June 4th, 2011 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, BreathingTags: Breathing, concentration, ethics, Insight, mindfulness, pepple meditation

May 17, 2011. 120-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into German, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the first Dharma talk offered by Thay in the German Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Being present with walking. Every step is to celebrate that you are alive. Walking meditation can be a festival. You can be in the Kingdom of God, I’m the Pure Land. When you can do this, you don’t need anything else. The Kingdom is love; it is understanding; it is freedom. Then you can offer it to others.

There are two aspects to this freedom. The first is to stop. To stop running into the future. Happiness is possible in the here and now. The second aspect is to calm. To release. The Buddha offered a number of exercises to stop and calm.

Mindfulness, Concentration, Insight. Happiness and suffering – these are linked. The Buddha talked about suffering and happiness in his very first dharma talk through the Four Noble Truths. The Buddha offered the Sixteen Exercises of Mindful Breathing.

Thay teaches pebble meditation, mindfulness of breathing, and on the practice of applied ethics.

18/05/2011 The Noble Truth of Suffering June 11th, 2011 . Posted in Retreats, SufferingTags: Four Noble Truths, Kingdom of God, Noble Eightfold Path, suffering, Ultimate Dimension

May 18, 2011. 86-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into German, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the second Dharma talk offered by Thay in the German Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

The Buddha considered the earth his Buddha land. He was a child of the earth. How we wall and listen can create our own Budda land. This is not philosophy. This is something you can experience. We can touch the Kingdom, the Pure land.

Enjoy walking in the ultimate dimension.
My hand is in his hand.
Many thousand years ago and many years to come, every one of us will go to the same direction.

In Buddhism we call this nirvana. In Christianity we call this the Kingdom of God. This is different than the historical dimension. We live in the historical dimension but we can get in touch with the ultimate dimension. In the historical we see birth and death, being and non-being. In the ultimate, these do not exist. Nirvana is the ground if everything.

And yet the historical and the ultimate are not two realities.

We can take the hand of the Buddha or the hand of Jesus anytime in the here and the now.

No reservations required. It is simple. Not complicated. Bitter melon. Why do we call suffering a noble truth? What is so good about suffering? If we look deeply at dukkha, the first noble truth, we can also see all the other noble truths. The Four Noble Truths are not separate entities. There is a cloud in the flower.

What are the elements of the flower?

The path leading to the end of suffering is called the Noble Eightfold Path. It begins with element called Right View. From there we have Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.

We continue with a discussion of being and non-being. When we touch the ultimate, we are free from this idea of being and non-being, birth and death.

19/05/2011 Cooling Down the Fire of Anxiety June 13th, 2011 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, RetreatsTags: Buddhism, gatha, Right View

May 19, 2011. 92-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into German, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the third Dharma talk offered by Thay in the German Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

We learn about verses of practice — Gathas — many are taken from Avatamsaka Sutra. Later, Thay wrote Gathas for modern society such as using the telephone and riding a bicycle. We continue the discussion on right view with a presentation on the opposites: being/non-being, birth/death, coming/going, and sameness/otherness. The last 15-minutes of the talk, Thay provides some instruction for education and mindfulness.

20/05/2011 Living Practice Communities for Young People June 14th, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: aging, Buddhism, consciousness, crisis, Questions and Answers, struggle, superiority, Wake Up, young people

May 20, 2011. 94-minute session of Question and Answers given in English, with simultaneous translation into German, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the fifth day of the German Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Some of the questions from the session include:

How can we support the formation of living practice communities for young people? Thay invites Phap Linh to help respond to this question regarding leading groups of young people, particularly in the Wake Up! movement.

How can we transform our relationship with someone who hates us?

How do I deal with judgmental thoughts about other people?

Lately I feel that my true self is like a drop that has been taken out of the collective consciousness, as if from a cloud, and I feel as I’m aging that this drop that has been separated would like to re-enter the ocean. I would like to know if you know of this longing to be re-united as a drop with the ocean: how can I live with this contradiction of longing for the true self in the here and now, and my daily life?

Following the FIve Mindfulness Trainings, I try not to kill. Two years ago, when I saw some bugs in the kitchen, I left them in peace because there were not so many. I did the same thing last year. This summer there are so many that I felt I had to do something. You teach that when we follow the North Star this means we do not have to reach it. So I began to kill these bugs, always trying to keep a friendly mind, wishing a good rebirth for them in the next life. At first it felt OK. But when you are killing ten or more beings every day, when they wish to live as we do, it becomes too much. I felt it cannot be better to kill them by chemical means, where I don’t have to touch them personally. But to perform the act of killing again and again—is this not worse, with regard to the karmic imprints in our stream of consciousness, or do you have to decide not to kill at all, despite the disadvantages?

A question regarding my superiority complex: All my life I have found that I meet people, I judge them and find that I am superior. I used to go to school, at the end of each year we had the custom to invite the best of each year on stage and decorate them with a golden plaque that they could put on the wall. There is still this voice in me that wants to share that once I too received one of those golden plaques. But I have also discovered how this attitude has created a distance between myself and other people. By looking deeply I see that there is a mechanism in me that causes me to measure myself against my father, an archaic struggle against the father. I am deeply grateful for the teachings which have enabled me to transform this. I keep my father now in my heart, and the inner struggle has ceased. I am also touched that you talked so much about fathers and sons in this retreat.

One reason for my feeling of superiority is that I have always tried to protect myself from a feeling of inferiority. However, this feeling of having to create a distance between myself and other people is still present. I feel I have already heard some answers to my question, particularly in the Sutra on Five Ways of Putting an End to Anger. I would still like to ask your advice on how to better manage this.

I had a deep crisis in my life about twelve years ago with those who I thought had been my friends. These were the people that I spent my time with, and who I practiced with. There came a moment when I was most in need of their help, and I was let down by them. Not only did they let me down, but they then attacked me and stabbed me in the back. Through all those years they had not seen me as I really was. This has led to me becoming very ill, and it has led me to losing all my trust in other people. In this way, it was shown to me that the friends of today can be the enemies of tomorrow, and perhaps the enemies of today can be the friends of tomorrow. These past twelve years I have spent with the question whether I would continue to live, because there was a moment when I felt I wouldn’t. But I felt I wanted to live because I felt that there were many things yet to learn. And I also felt I wouldn’t be able to live in this world if I were not able to open myself to something new. First, there was a moment when I needed to withdraw and move to a place where I would not see the people that had let me down. I have lived there withdrawn near nature, and near to Mother Meera. With the help of Mother Meera I have looked deeply, and

I have tried to forgive myself and others. Now I am on a new path where I am trying to find trust again in both myself and others. Much has now changed for the better. There are still moments, and recently there has been an incident–I live in a very old house with many nice flats in it–in those other flats there are people living there who are not very mindful, and the communication with those people can be very difficult. Recently there have been a few instances where I have been verbally attacked by people, though I could not see how I did anything to cause such an attack to take place. I feel that this old wound is being touched again, where people cannot be trusted, and you never know what will happen in the next moment. This can cause a shock whereby I feel that I am not able to cope, and I feel I need to protect myself from this. My question is: How can I live in an open and trusting way, even with people who are not very mindful, and how am I also able to protect myself and my sensitivity?

21/05/2011 To Be Means to Interbe June 21st, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: Eightfold path, Five Skandas, Interbeing, karma, Three Doors of Liberation

May 21, 2011. 127-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into German, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the final talk Dharma talk offered by Thay in the German Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Right view and non-discrimination and non-dualistic thinking. Thoughts, speech, and action are three products of our daily life. These are out continuation into the future. Karma. With mindfulness, concentration, an insight we can assure a beautiful future. The Five Skandas, the environment and retribution. Mindfulness can also transform the past.

Thay shares about the Eightfold Noble Path, particularly the three karmas of body, speech and mind. “What we produce in terms of thought, speech, and actions will never be lost. When this body of ours disintegrates, our karma continues always, and will be expressed in new forms of life. So the dissolution of this body does not mean our end. By practicing mindfulness, concentration, and insight it is possible to ensure a beautiful continuation into the future.”

The Three Doors of Liberation. Emptiness. Signlessness. Aimlessness.

22/05/2011 I Prefer Walking in the Kingdom of God June 22nd, 2011 . Posted in Day of MindfulnessTags: Buddhism, calming, communication, healing, Interbeing, mindfulness, orientation, reconciliation, relationships, walking, Zen

May 22, 2011. 91-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into German, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness offered by Thay at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Communication in the family. Love and care for yourself allows you to love and care for another. We must begin with oneself. The teaching of the Buddha is clear. Thay speaks about calming and healing the body and mind, and about the art of bringing about happiness and reconliciation in our relationships. The practice is from the Exercises of Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta). We can learn the practice to transform our habit energies; Mindfulness can help us see our habit energies.

A special treat at 49-minutes when Thay chants to demonstrate the Interbeing nature of ourselves and the Buddha. The communication between the Buddha and us are one. The same is true between a father and a son.

Towards the end of the talk he offers an orientation on the practice of walking meditation.

25/05/2011 Generating a Feeling of Joy July 6th, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: Anapanasati, Buddhism, Four Noble Truths, Happiness, Interbeing, Kingdom of God, Pure land, suffering, walking

May 25, 2011. 84-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Dutch, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the first Dharma talk offered by Thay in the Dutch Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Learning to walk in the Kingdom of God, the Pure Land of the Buddha.

Suffering and happiness. Happiness is available through understanding and love. And first we must understand suffering. No mud. No lotus. This teaching can be found in the Four Noble Truths originally taught by the Buddha. This is Interbeing.

Next, we look at breathing and it’s role in Mindfulness to generate joy and happiness. Thay explains the first eight exercises from the Sutra on Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta).

26/05/2011 Maintaining Awareness, Transcending Discrimination July 8th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, RetreatsTags: Breathing, Buddha, Interbeing, Kingdom of God, liberation, non-self, Pure land

May 26, 2011.90-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Dutch, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the second Dharma talk offered by Thay in the Dutch Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Thay shares about the notions of birth and death, creator and creature, and the practice of cultivating right view with regard to these notions. How do we transcend ideas of suffering and happiness, being and non-being, birth and death? Compassionate listening. Applying what we learned from Israeli and Palestinian retreats. Thay also touches on the three actions of body, speech, and mind as our true continuations.

27/05/2011 Discussion a Strategy of Consumption July 9th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, RetreatsTags: Applied Ethics, breathing meditation, Buddhism, concentration, Happiness, Insight, joy, mindfulness, peace, plum village, reconciliation, store consciousness, suffering, thich nhat hanh, Wake Up, walking meditation, Zen

May 27, 2011. 86-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Dutch, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the third Dharma talk offered by Thay in the Dutch Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings can be seen as applied ethics. It is also a holy path. The profane and the sacred are of an organic nature. With Mindfulness and concentration, anything can become holy. Practicing the Five Mindfulness Trainings, we become a holy person.

The first concentration is impermanence. The first nine exercises in the Sutra of Mindful Breathing help us with the remaining concentrations. To touch the good and wholesome seeds. Selective watering. We then hear teaching regarding the remaining exercises.

Thay speaks about Right Mindfulness as part of the Noble Eightfold Path. “Mindfulness helps us to get in touch with the Kingdom of God, the Pure Land of the Buddha, which is present in the here and the now.” “In the old times, nirvana was a word that was used by people in the countryside. When they made a fire to cook their rice or their chapati, then they would leave the fire overnight so that by morning it was completely extinguished. They could put their fingers up to the fire and they would not be burned. So nirvana is a word to describe a state of cooling down, no more suffering. We can safely describe nirvana as the extinction of all notions, and of all the suffering that arises due to these notions.”

27/05/2011 Development Leadership With Mindfulness: Q and A May 27, 2011. 105-minute question and answer session given in English, with simultaneous translation into Dutch, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the fourth dharma talk offered by Thay in the Dutch Retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.Questions:

(1) What does “Thich Nhat Hanh” mean?

(2) What is the source of laziness and how can I overcome it?

(3) How do we practice interbeing with those we don’t know?

(4) If young people who have yet to cultivate awareness feel hate or misunderstanding, how can I help to release this tension and water the good seeds in their minds?

(5) How can I balance between dealing with my issues and sharing them with my loved one?

(6) How can i be mindful and compassionate with my children?

(7) How can I transform my tendency to experience the pain of others?

(8) How can we develop leadership and power based on mindfulness?

(9) What are steps to help families overcome infidelities and divorce?

12/06/2011 Every Step for my Mother and Father July 13th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Happiness, Plum VillageTags: family, laziness, monastics, parents, Sangha, work

June 12, 2011. 105-minute Dharma Talk in Vietnamese, with translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong, given by Thich Nhat Hanh at New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the first talk after being in Germany and Southeast Asia.

Thay reads a letter from a young monastic aspirant requesting a 5-year ordination because the parents will not give permission for a lifetime; they need the daughter to care for them as they age. She sees the freshness of a novice life. A monastic life. Each day is precious. Singing together with nature.

Our daily practice is to find happiness in all we do each day. How do we understand our parents? How are we their continuation? Do we really know our parents? I vow to live happily for you mother, for you father. We only see part of our parents, our partner, our children but we can discover more every day. The same is true with ourselves.

Sangha body and dharma body. The jewel of the sangha. The quality – brotherhood, sisterhood, joy, peace – where does it come from? The first fruit of the practice is “I have arrived, I am home.”

What is work? What is it’s relationship to the practice? Do we work to much? We need to look deeply in our sangha. What are our talents and how best to apply?

Happiness can be found in everything we do.

16/06/2011 Recognizing the Fruit of Our Habits July 18th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Sutra |Tags: almsround, Buddhism, Emptiness, impermanence, meditation, mindfulness, non-self, Three dharma seals, Zen

June 16, 2011. 70-minute Dharma Talk in Vietnamese, with translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong, given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall, Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

In this talk we study the Sutra on Keeping a Pure Mind While Doing Alms Round (#236). The sutra demonstrates that the practice is all day long and in all positions. Walking. Sitting. Eating. Etc. The practice today is the same as the time of the Buddha. The sutra also speaks of emptiness samadhi (deep concentration). Recognizing and embracing is the third aspect of the sutra.

Impermanence, Non-self, and Nirvana. The Three Dharma Seals. Some schools call the third as suffering, but Thay feels this is not correct. Emptiness, Signlessness, and Aimlessness. These also are known as dharma seals (Tripitaka) – sometimes called the Three Doors of Liberation.

We then move to another sutra (#293), a sutra about interdependent co-arising conditions, and Thay recognizes this is very difficult. At the end he reminds us to drink some tea.

19/06/2011 Touring From the Heart July 19th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum VillageTags: breathing meditation, concentration, Happiness, Insight, joy, mindfulness, path, peace, practice, realization, reconciliation, suffering, tour, walking meditation

June 19, 2011. 76-minute Dharma Talk in Vietnamese, with translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong, given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Stillwater Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

Thay speaks about mindfulness of taste and eating, and about three stages of our relationship to the path: seeing the path, practicing the path, and realizing the path. You can do this with everything you do – eating, walking, experiencing loss. Mindfulness is not unique to Buddhism. You only need to practice and then you realize.

Sutra #239 Agama. Thay had started it last time, but the message was not clear.

Happiness and enjoying friends around us. The text is a guide for those on the upcoming tour. Every hour of touring a joy of practice. How to practice as monastics during upcoming Summer Opening and the North American Tour this year. It is a part of our training. Fine manners. Second body. What makes a monastic different? Walking finely, beautifully. Sitting. Working. This inspires people. The purpose is to bring happiness. To yourself and to others.

23/06/2011 Each Day I Choose Joy July 20th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum VillageTags: anti-war, breathing meditation, Chanting, Happiness, History, joy, musician, peace, poetry, reconciliation, suffering, Trinh Cong Son, Vietnam, walking meditation, war

June 23, 2011. 100-minute Dharma Talk in Vietnamese, with translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong, given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

Thay speaks about the life of the Vietnamese anti-war songwriter and musician Trinh Cong Son, and the experience of Thay, Sister Chan Khong, and Thay Phap An in the 1960s. Experiences such as being a child in the war and others writing anti-war poetry. One book of 60-poems by Thay had to be published underground – Joining Your Palm in Order for the Dove to Appear. We need to be aware of this era and the despair it caused. Sr. Chan Khong sings a couple songs but the recording is not so good because we are listening to translation; you can turn it up during this period. He goes on to share about the Great Requiem Ceremonies in Vietnam in 2007.

The rest of the talk Thay continues teaching about practicing while touring with the Sangha.

1.Touring from the Heart

2.Touring as a Practice. Everyday and second is a practice.

3.Sangha happiness. The aim is to be happy.

4.We are not tourists.

5.Keep our seatbelt properly tight. Precepts.

6.Fine Manners

7.Practice Second Body system.

8.Caring for Second Body.

9.Walking meditation. Every step.

10.Stop to talk

11.Precious moment. Attend all activities.

12.Sangha confidence.

13.We are not performers of the dharma. We practice and teach with our heart. It’s not the form.

14.Mobile Monastery

15.All activities are equally important.

16.Time to rest. Especially Thay…one activity per day.

17.Keep our togetherness.

18.Mindful electronics. Be discreet.

30/06/2011 The Young Heart of Ethics July 20th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum VillageTags: breathing meditation, ethics, global ethics, Happiness, joy, peace, reconciliation, Sarkozy, schools, suffering, Wake Up, walking meditation

June 30, 2011. 52-minute Dharma Talk in Vietnamese, with translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong, given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Stillwater Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.

Thay speaks about the tradition of monastic day in the Sangha, and as well about the Four Nutriments. Thay also shares about the Wake Up Movement, and how to build a Sangha of lay people, bringing the practice into schools. In particular, Thay focuses on how to bring the practice of global ethics into schools.

08/07/2011 Children of the Earth July 20th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, RetreatsTags: Breathing, Sitting Meditation, Summer Opening, walking meditation

July 8, 2011. 55-minute Dharma Talk in English, given by Thich Nhat Hanh Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the first talk of the Summer Opening Retreat.

Thay speaks on free will as something available to us in every moment, and on the Pure Land and the Kingdom of God. When mindfulness is there, forgetfulness is no longer there. Mindfulness is the light that allows us to be there, to be fully present in the here and the now, to be fully alive. And that is not very difficult. Thay also shares about arriving at every moment and every step, printing your seal of arrival on the Earth, how the Buddha is not a God but a human being like us, how there is no happiness without freedom, and no lotus without mud, how we can generate a collective energy of mindfulness by practicing together as brothers and sisters in the practice, how everyone is a Sangha-builder in his or her way of breathing and walking, how to exercise our sovereignty, how if you feel comfortable in the here and the now you are already home, and how to become solidly established in the here and the now.

09/07/2011 Touching the Wonders of Life July 23rd, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, RetreatsTags: birth, Breathing, concentration, death, Insight, Kingdom of God, mindfulness, Summer Opening

July 9, 2011. 45-minute Dharma Talk in French, with English translation by Sister Pine, given by Thich Nhat Hanh New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the second talk of the Summer Opening Retreat.

Thay shares about the practice of mindful breathing. With each breath, we can fully in touch with life. The first exercise is being aware of your in and out breath. The second exercise is -following. Mindfulness is coming into the present moment. This brings concentration.

We continue learning about dualism. Birth and death.

12/07/2011 Our Nature is Non-Local July 25th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Children, Mental Formations, Plum Village, Retreats, Walking2Tags: anger, answers, Applied Ethics, breathing meditation, death, Happiness, joy, lie, peace, questions, realized buddha, reconciliation, sadness, separate personality, suffering, Summer Opening, truth, walking meditation, wonder

July 12, 2011. 111-minute Dharma Talk in English given by Thich Nhat Hanh at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the first question and answer session of the Summer Opening Retreat.

Thay takes questions from the children, the young adults, and from other retreatants.

Why do people lie? Why does anger come with sadness? Why do we so easily mixup sexual desire and love? How can we reconcile with someone we’ve hurt? How practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings in the corporate world? Why would someone want to be born into a world of suffering? How do we practice when we still are caught in the idea of having a separate personality? Is Thay a realized Buddha? How do we practice to forgive ourselves? How can we maintain our practice when we live in a place lacking compassion, without a Sangha? How can we make sense of the death of a child before they are born? How can we find happiness again?

13/07/2011 I Am Here For You: A Talk for Children July 26th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, Children, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: children, Happiness, joy, Summer Opening
July 13, 2011. 30-minute Dharma Talk given in French for the children, with English translation by Sr. Pine from Stillwater Meditation Hall in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.I am here for you – a mantra we can easily learn. We hear the story of the boy who wishes for his birthday the presence of his father. How do we truly be there? If the dad has been to Plum Village at least once, he will know what to do be there.

When we can be there for ourselves, then we can be there for others. We only need yo take one step to bring our mind back to the body. The most precious thing we can offer is our own presence and it only takes one mindful breath.

A second mantra we can learn is “I know that you are there, and I am happy.” – this is meditation. This is to recognize the happiness and to express it.

Please learn these two mantras.

13/07/2011 Embracing Our Emotions with Non-Violence July 26th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Happiness, Plum Village, Retreats, Suffering, SutraTags: Anapanasati, breathing meditation, Buddhakaya, concentration, Dharmakaya, Happiness, joy, mindful breathing, mindfulness, peace, reconciliation, Sanghakaya, suffering, Summer Opening, wonder

July 13, 2011. 74-minute Dharma Talk given in French, with English translation by Sr. Pine from Stillwater Meditation Hall in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.

Thay shares about the first eight steps of the practice of mindful breathing from the Anapanasati Sutta:

1) Recognizing the in and out breath. It’s not thinking; it’s an experience. The first exercise is the identification.

2) Following the in and out breath.

3) Breathing in, I am aware of the body. We get in touch with the physical body. We bring the mind back to the body. It is an act of reconciliation. We may become aware of tension or pain in the body.

4) Breathing in, I calm my body.

The next two exercises, the Buddha wants us to focus on pleasant feelings first –

5) Aware of joy,

6) Aware of happiness. If we can take a piece of paper and write down all the conditions of happiness we may discover that two sides of a piece of paper may not be enough. There are hundreds of conditions to see happiness.

The seventh exercise is

(7) aware of mental formations – this is to recognize a painful feeling. These are zones of energy that manifest from deep in out consciousness. We can use the energy Mindfulness and concentration.

The eighth asks us to embrace and soothe – Calming mental formations.

Dharmakaya – the dharma body, bring wherever you go, you bring the practice with you. Like bringing your cell phone with you. We need a spiritual dimension in our daily life.

The Buddhakaya, the Buddha body. We all have a Buddha body. We all have a seed of Mindfulness. The Buddha nature. Mindfulness carries concentration.

The Sanghakaya – our sangha body. Without a sangha, the Buddha could nit accomplish his dream. Without a community, we cannot do very much. It’s a community, but it’s also a practice. How to build a Sangha near you.

15/07/2011 Practice of Listening to the Chant July 27th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, RetreatsTags: avalokiteshvara, chant, liturgy, Summer Opening

July 15, 2011. 30-minute introduction to chanting Namo’valokiteshvaraya. Thich Nhat Hanh speaks in English from Stillwater Meditation Hall in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.

Please note, the first few minutes of the introduction includes the French translation, but the balance is restored after a few minutes.

Thay shares about the three steps of contemplation while listening to the chanting of the bodhisattva’s name: 1) touching compassion in oneself, 2) touching compassion in those around us, 3) touching compassion in all beings.

The introduction is followed by chanting by the Plum Village Monastics.

15/07/2011 Miracle of Being Alive: The Greatest of All Miracles July 27th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Mental Formations, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: consciousness, diligence, emotions, Happiness, joy, Love, patience, psychology, relationships, seeds, store consciousness, suffering, Summer Opening, wonder

July 15, 2011. 86-minute dharma talk from Stillwater Meditation Hall in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France with Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat and it is the second week.

Thay continues the teaching on mindfulness of breathing, summarizing the first eight steps of the Sutra on Mindful Breathing (he spoke of it during the July 13 dharma talk). The first four help us take care of our body. With the fifth, we touch the realm of feelings.

He teaches on dealing with difficult emotions, including how we can help those loved ones who feel they need to commit suicide because of an emotion. Belly breathing. Focus on your in breath and out breath, following the rise of abdomen. We should remember that emotions are impermanent. We have can peace, solidity, and freedom.

From the realm of body and feelings, we come to the ninth exercise which is the realm of the mental formations. Formation – samskara – is a technical term. The flower is a formation because it is made of non-flower elements. In the Buddhist tradition, there are 51 mental formations. We learn the relationship between mind consciousness and store consciousness and the concept of seeds (bija). We can practice selective watering. In a relationship, we can use a Peace Treaty. He tells the story of a couple whose love is revitalized by the practice of watering good seeds. The ninth exercise is about gladdening the mind.

At the end of the talk Thay shares about the four practices of Right Diligence. It means we should continue our practice. Don’t allow the negative seeds to become a mental formation. If a negative seed becomes a mental formation, we shouldn’t allow it to stay too long, but not by way of suppressing. When you recognize a good seed, try to touch it and bring up. Finally, try to keep the good seeds present as long as you can.

16/07/2011 Pebble Meditation: Children’s Talk July 28th, 2011 . Posted in Children, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: body, eace, flower, free, French, fresh, Happiness, joy, mantra, mountain, pebble meditation, reflecting, solid, space, suffering, Summer Opening, water, wonder

July 16, 2011. 56-minute dharma talk for the children. Thich Nhat Hanh speaks in French, with English translation provided by Sister Pine, from New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.

Four positions of the body. We should hold our body in order to have peace. How can we sit on a lotus flower. When we have peace, we can have freedom and happiness.

Happiness is also possible using mantras. The first is “My dear, I am here for you.” To be there is a practice. We can do this by bringing our mind and body together. The second is “I know you are there and I’m very happy.” It’s just as easy to apply as the first. The person you love is there. The first was to recognize our own presence and the second is to recognize the other.

The quality of our presence is also important. One practice we can use to help with quality is Pebble Meditation. Using a sack of four pebbles to practice a self-guided meditation on being fresh as a flower, solid as a mountain, reflective like water, and free as space. Specific instruction is given for each step.

In the concluding 15-minutes, we are led through the mindful movements.

16/07/2011 The River of Body and Mind July 28th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SufferingTags: being, breathing meditation, Five Skandhas, Happiness, Interbeing, joy, peace, reconciliation, suffering, Summer Opening, Three Doors of Liberation, wonder

July 16, 2011. 85-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh in French, with English translation provided by Sister Pine, from New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.

Our body is not static; it’s always changing. It is a river and every cell represents a drop in the river. To meditate is to sit at the bank and look at our body. Like the body, there is a river of feelings flowing day and night. We are learning about the five skandhas as the river of body and mind: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

Thay continues into the steps of practice based on the Mindfulness of Breathing Sutra. The first four help us with the physical form and the next four are to help us with our feelings: 1) recognizing the in and out breath, 2) following the in and out breath, 3) mindful of the body, 4) calming the body, 5) recognizing joy, 6) recognizing happiness, 7) aware of painful feelings, embracing painful feelings. These eight are reviewed briefly.

There is also a river of perceptions. Is my perception correct? We also have mental formations. There are positive formations as well as those that make us suffer. Our mind is a river of mental formations. Finally, in Buddhism we speak of consciousness.

We continue with the sutra as it relates to perceptions. 9) selective watering of good seeds, 10) recognizing negative mental formations, 11) concentrate the mind, 12) free the mind. There are three principal concentrations that we practice. They help us transform fear, anxiety, and despair. There are three practices of concentration presented in Buddhist schools. They are 1) the concentration on emptiness, 2) the concentration on signlessness, 3) the concentration on aimlessness. These are also the Three Doors of Liberation and can be found in all schools of Buddhism. We learn of dualism and non-dualistic thinking.

What is happiness? Happiness is made of understanding and love. And with that comes compassion. But we must understand suffering. The First Noble Truth is about suffering. Suffering is essential to happiness.

Being and non-being. Signlessness. These are just notions and reality transcends all notions.

The third concentration, aimlessness, everything is already here.

19/07/2011 Making Plans in the Here and Now (Question Session) July 29th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village,Tags: ancestors, Buddha, English, enlightenment, freedom, impermanence, judging, karuna, nightmares, nun, ordaining, plans, Summer Opening, Vietnam

July 19, 2011. 120-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat. This is the question and answer session.

Before we begin, Thay offers a teaching on ancestors because today is Ancestors Day. Every home in Vietnam, no matter how poor, keeps an altar for the ancestors. We have two kinds of ancestors: blood and spiritual.

Here are the questions:

1) If we are living in the here and the now, how can we make plans?

2) Why do I have nightmares?

3) How can I help my younger brother to be happy if he annoys me?

4) How to become enlightened?

5) What is freedom, and can you be free even if someone tells you what to do?

6) How can I be kind to myself when I lack confidence?

7) What to do when daughters are treated less equally than sons?

8)We are taught not to judge people and things, but how can we love them without judging?

9) I feel that I attract people who have difficulties. Where is the boundary between being selfish and protecting yourself?

10) I am very confused. I feel caught by impermanence. So when you become a full-time Buddha, you have a state of mind with ultimate freedom and true happiness. But doesn’t that state go against impermanence? When you become a full-time Buddha does the law of impermanence no longer apply to you?

11) I am 50 years old, and I have a 15 year-old son. I would like to become a nun. Can I leave him to take care of himself and come to live peacefully in the temple?

20/07/2011 Relaxing My Body (Children) July 30th, 2011 . Posted in Children, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: children, French, Interbeing, relaxation, Summer Opening

July 20, 2011. 34-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh in French, with English translation, from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat. This is a talk for the children.

Thay teaches the children the practice of relaxing the body, smiling to life, and seeing our parents inside. He uses the example of a seed of corn show how our parents are present in every cell of our body: we cannot separate the father from the son. The Buddha is also in us, and we can breathe with him when we breathe.

20/07/2011 Let There Be Light July 30th, 2011 . Posted in Christianity, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: creation, environment, Five Skandhas, Four Noble Truths, French, genesis, Happiness, Interbeing, karma, Noble Eightfold Path, suffering, Summer Opening

July 20, 2011. 80-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh in French, with English translation, from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.

Thay begins with a story of creation: God said, “Let there be light,” and the light said, “Wait.” “What are you waiting for?” “I’m waiting for the shadow and darkness in order to manifest together.” There is no subject without object; the two have to manifest together. Further, object and subject are the same thing.

Buddha’s first teaching was on the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the creation of suffering, happiness, and the path to happiness. If we confirm the existence if ill-being, then we also confirm the opposite. This is Interbeing. Buddha’s teaching is both on suffering and on happiness. The first Truth, helps us identify the second Truth.

We can begin a discussion of the Eightfold Noble Path with Right View, the goal of our practice. When we look at a father and a son, we should not see them as two separate entities. Everything is that way.

Thay teaches the Eightfold Noble Path, elaborating on Right Thought, Right Speech and Right Action (three aspects of our daily life) as the development of skillful means with regard to the three types of karma: mind, speech, and bodily action.

What we call death is not really death. Our karma (our actions) continue after we are no longer here in this bodily form. We continue right now in the present moment through our actions. There are two kinds of retribution for our actions: ourselves (our five skandhas), and our environment (relating to Right Livelihood).

We conclude with Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Our view on a global ethic is based on these teachings. We have a path and we don’t have to worry.

22/07/2011 Happiness Is Made of Non-Happiness July 31st, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Plum Village, Retreats, Suffering, WalkingTags: Breathing, Happiness, Love, power, suffering, Summer Opening, walking meditation
July 22, 2011. 86-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.The art of happiness. We have to practice in order to be happy. There is also the art of power. Some believe if we have power then we will be happy.

There are three kinds of power: the power to cut off, the power to love, and the power to understand.

We have no courage to cut off, and that is a power we can cultivate. If do not cut off our craving, our angry, our despair, and other cravings then we suffer. This is a spiritual power. if we can do this, we can be a free.

The power to love, to accept, to forgive, to embrace. We suffer because we cannot accept, because our love is not large enough. Thay shares the story of salt and water. When our heart is large then we don’t suffer. We can cultivate this power of love.

The third is power to understanding. This is the foundation of love. The second noble truth speaks of understanding out suffering. We have to understand our own suffering first before we can understand the other. The Three Doors of Liberation can help us with this power.

Thay would like to write another book call The Power of Suffering. There are ways to suffer. In the teaching if the Buddha, happiness and suffering go together. It is like the above and the below; like the left and right. When we realize that happiness is made up of non-happiness elements, we are able to make good use of the mud of our suffering to grow a lotus flower. If you know how to suffer then you know how to create happiness.

In the Sutra of Mindful Breathing, there are sixteen exercises that can help us understand our suffering

26/07/2011 Suffering in Ourselves, Suffering in Others August 1st, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, RetreatsTags: addiction, conditioning, divorce, hate, homework, humanity, hurt, internet, killings, separation, Summer Opening, technology, trust, violence

July 26, 2011. 122-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat and this is a Question and Answer session.

Questions asked:

1) Why are my parents separated?

2) How do I recognize the Buddha in myself and in others?

3) How did Thay practice so that he could be so wise and smart?

4) Why do we have homework?

5) How can I regain trust in someone who has hurt me, especially when that person is someone I love a lot?

6) How can we Norwegians respond to the recent killings in our country?

7) What is the best way to regain a sense of mindfulness after years of conditioning with cell phones, internet, and other things that destroy our humanity? How does a technologically trained person get back to finding the True Way? And is there a place for all of this digital noise in that quest?

8) Is it true that hate is not possible, due to the interbeing of all things in the universe?

9) How can we support human rights in our countries, when many governments seem to act against them?

10) How can I deal with sudden hostility after a divorce, now that communication is blocked?

11) Please help in the case of addiction: what to do when strong craving comes?

27/07/2011 Waking Up this Morning, I Smile (Children) August 2nd, 2011 . Posted in Children, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: French, joe reilly, music, poetry, Summer Opening, waking up

July 27, 2011. 31-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh, translated from the French by Sr. Pine, from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat and this talk is for the children.

Before the talk, the Italian Sangha and Joe Reilly & Friends offer versions of Thay’s poem on the Buddha breathing.

In the talk, Thay offers the children another poem that they may recite in the morning: “Waking up this morning, I smile / Twenty-four brand new hours are before me / I vow to go through them in mindfulness / And look on all beings with eyes of compassion.” He talks about his years as a young novice learning poems like these, and how happy he was to grow up in an environment of music and poetry.

27/07/2011 I Know You Suffer August 3rd, 2011 . Posted in Five Mindfulness Trainings, Plum Village, Retreats, SufferingTags: consciousness, edible food, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Four Kinds of Nutriments, French, mantra, nam xuong, perceptions, Sangha, suffering, Summer Opening, truong, volition
July 27, 2011. 93-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh, translated from the French by Sr. Pine, from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening RetreatThay teaches four mantras that can help us resolve difficult situations with our loved ones: 1) I am here for you; 2) I know you are there, and I am happy; 3) I know you suffer, and I want you to know that I am here for you; 4) I suffer, please help.

Thay also teaches the story of Mr. Truong and Nam Xuong, who lose their love, and her life, due to actions based on a wrong perception. “In our society we have a fear of suffering, but to understand the suffering in ourselves and in the other person is very important. When we are able to understand the suffering inside, we suffer less. And we can see more easily the suffering in the other person; we can understand them.” To go deeper into how we nourish the seeds of anger inside,

Thay explains the teaching on the Four Nutriments: 1) edible food, 2) sense impressions, 3) volition, 4) consciousness.

29/07/2011 Namo’valokiteshvaraya (Chanting) August 3rd, 2011 . Posted in Compassion, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: Chanting, compassion

July 29, 2011. 32-minute dharma talk and chanting with Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the annual Summer Opening Retreat.

Thay describes, before the chant, how to put our attention while listening to the chant.

08/08/2011 Open Heart Open Mind Retreat: Orientation August 10th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, Breathing, RetreatsTags: Awakening the Heart, Open Mind Open Heart, orientation, University of British Columbia

August 8, 2011. 45-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour.

This retreat launches 3-months of touring in North America. We have over 800 people attending the retreat here in Vancouver and this is the first gathering where we are provided with an orientation. Thay speaks about the practices of breathing and walking meditation, and about how we can recognize the conditions for happiness that are already present in the here and the now.

09/08/2011 Handling Strong Emotions August 11th, 2011 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, Breathing, Retreats, SutraTags: Applied Ethics, Awakening the Heart, Breathing, education, joy, Open Mind Open Heart, pain, suffering, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, University of British Columbia, Wake Up

August 9, 2011. 68-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this talk is the first dharma talk.

Thay speaks about the first few steps of the mindfulness of breathing sutra: 1) in/out breath, 2) follow the breath, 3) aware of body, 4) release tension in the body, 5) generate joy, 6) generate happiness, 7) recognize pain, embrace pain. To support the cultivation of mindfulness, we should find a community of practice. Thay also shares about the Wake Up movement for young people. “We have the conviction that parents and teachers have to master the practice, so that they can transmit it to their students and children.” He also shares about a new program to bring Applied Ethics into schools through school teachers.

10/08/2011 Make Yourself Available (Children’s) August 11th, 2011 . Posted in Children, RetreatsTags: Awakening the Heart, children, mantra, Open Mind Open Heart

August 10, 2011. 22-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this talk is the first dharma talk for the children.

Thay speaks about how to be truly present for our parents, and how to ask our parents to be truly present for us, using the four mantras. The first one: “I am here for you.” “In order for the mantra to work, you have to be there. ‘I am here’ is not a declaration; it is a practice.’ Sometimes your body is there, but your mind is not there: you are not really there.” “You may like to pat your father on the shoulder and ask, ‘Is anybody home?’” The second mantra: “I know you are there, and I am happy.” The third mantra: “Darling, I know you suffer. That is why I am here for you.”

10/08/2011 If There Is No Death, There Is No Life August 11th, 2011 . Posted in Happiness, Retreats |Tags: Awakening the Heart, death, Noble Eightfold Path, Open Mind Open Heart, University of British Columbia

August 10, 2011. 52-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this talk is the second dharma talk.

Thay speaks about the nature of life and death. “We think that now is life, and death will be later. But in fact, left and right manifest together, above and below manifest at the same time… Death is happening right here in every moment. Why are we afraid of dying?” He goes on to talk about the nature of happiness: “If a father does not understand the suffering of his son, then it is impossible for that father to love and make his son happy. So understanding is very crucial to happiness. To love means to understand.”

Right view is non-discriminative thinking. “In Buddhism, thinking is already action: by your thinking you can destroy the world, by your thinking you can save the world.” Thay goes on to share about the relationship between the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths.

11/08/2011 Growing Corn (Children’s) August 12th, 2011 . Posted in Children, RetreatsTags: ancestors, Awakening the Heart, Buddha, children, conflict, corn, Kingdom of God, Open Mind Open Heart, parents, University of British Columbia, Wake Up

August 11, 2011. 26-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this talk is especially for the children.

Story of corn seeds. Grain of corn to be planted and remember to water everyday. And when it becomes a plant of corn, maybe 2-3 leaves, you come and ask the plant a question. “My dear little plant of corn, do you remember when you were a tiny seed?” The plant may not remember, but you do. The plant of corn is only a continuation of the grain of corn. You too were like the grain of corn and we don’t remember, so we need a friend in the dharma to help us. We believe that our father and our mother are outside of us, but that is not true. In addition to being outside of us, they are inside of us; every cell of our body. We are a continuation of our father and of our mother and we can make our father and mother more beautiful into the future. We can bring them into the future.

11/08/2011 Miracles of Reconcilliation August 12th, 2011 . Posted in Mental Formations, RetreatsTags: Awakening the Heart, diligence, listening, livelihood, Mental Formations, Noble Eightfold Path, Open Mind Open Heart, seeds, speech, University of British Columbia

August 11, 2011. 60-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this the third talk of the retreat.

Today we continue with the Noble Eightfold Path. Right Speech. Deep listening. The purpose of deep listening is to allow the other person, or group of people, to have a chance to speak out. Maybe nobody has listened to them and you may be the first person. They can empty their heart. Compassion can protect you, even if the other person is full of accusations, bitterness, and wrong perceptions. When we sit down and listen, we can follow our in breath and out breath to help the other person suffer less. The is the role of a bodhissatva. Every one of us has the seed of compassion inside. We can all benefit from this discipline of deep listening – we all have the seeds of compassion and understanding.

The dharma talk comes from the living experience of the teacher. The best way to listen to a dharma talk is not with your intellect – send your intellect on vacation and allow the dharma rain to penetrate the soil and it will water the best of the seeds in us. One of those seeds is awakening; enlightenment.

Right Diligence has four aspects. We need a little understanding of our mind in order to practice true diligence. The mind has two layers: store consciousness and mind consciousness. The practice of diligence is to not allow those negative seeds inside of our store consciousness to manifest. In Buddhist psychology, there are 51 varieties of seeds. A seed can manifest as a mental formation.

12/08/2011 A Deep Volition of Practice August 13th, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: activism, Awakening the Heart, chronic pain, cities, enlightenment, heart, Love, Open Mind Open Heart, suffering, University of British Columbia

August 12, 2011. 85-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this talk is a question and answer session.

Children

1.How did it feel when you left your country?

2.Where did you learn to become mindful and to breathe?

3.Do you think you’ve reached the highest level of Buddhism? Oh, can you play soccer with the kids today?

Teens

1.Do you believe you have reached the stage of enlightenment, and if not do you think you will at some stage in your life?

2.What was it like being on the Oprah Winfry show?

3.What is the goal of Buddhism?

4.I have self doubt and negative thoughts that keep me from enjoying myself; how can I overcome this?

Adults

1.What are the best ways to connect with my volition to offer love?

2.My suffering comes from chronic illness with a lot of physical pain and I am also an activist who cares very deeply for the world which leads to despair. What practices do you suggest for this type of suffering?

3.What would be a good way to bring mindfulness to the inner cities?

4.Awakening of the Heart. Are we as a society moving from the intellect to the heart? Is there a shift in our collective consciousness?

13/08/2011 The Flower Is Full of Everything August 14th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, RetreatsTags: Anapanasati, Awakening the Heart, Breathing, David Bohm, death, Emptiness, manifestation, nature, non-self, Open Mind Open Heart, Satre, signlessness, Three Doors of Liberation, University of British Columbia

August 13, 2011. 86-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from War Memorial Gym at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this talk is a question and answer session.

Exercises of mindful breathing from the Anapanasati Sutta: the first four are (1) identify your breath, (2) follow your breath, (3) aware, and (4) release. From here we move to the feelings. They are (5) generate joy, (6) generate happiness, (7) aware of painful feelings, and (8) embrace the painful feeling. We then (9) recognize joy, (10) gladdening the mind, (11) concentrating the mind, (12) liberate the mind.

There are at least three types of concentration in Buddhism known as the Three Doors of Liberation: Emptiness, Signlessness, Aimlessness. Thay provides an detailed explanation of each door.

The next four exercises are concentrations proposed by the Buddha, but we do explore these in depth during this talk. We also hear about no birth/no death, being/non-being, coming/going, and sameness/otherness.

Emptiness does not mean non-existence. A glass can be empty or full of tea, but in order to be empty or full the glass needs to be there. So emptiness does not mean non-existence. This glass is empty of tea, but it is full of air. So it is helpful for us to ask, ‘Empty of what?’ To be empty is always to be empty of something. When we contemplate a flower like this, we see the flower is full of everything: the cloud, the sunshine, the Earth, time, space, the gardener—everything has come together to help the flower to manifest. Why do we say it is empty? It is empty of only one thing: a separate existence. A flower cannot be by herself alone. A flower is full of non-flower elements. It is clear that the flower has to be interbe with everything in the cosmos. She cannot be by herself alone. To be by oneself alone is impossible. So we begin to see the interdependence of everything.

He uses the example of a match which requires the action of us striking it for a flame to manifest. In life we are the same: when we ask ‘Where do we come from?’ or ‘Where are we going?’ we see that we do not come from anywhere. “When conditions come together sufficiently, I manifest. My nature is the nature of no coming and no going. When conditions are no longer sufficient, I just stop manifestation and wait for a chance to manifest again. My nature is no coming, no going.”

This concludes the retreat in Vancouver. After a public talk on August 14, the sangha will travel to Colorado for a retreat at Estes Park.

20/08/2011 Break Through Into the Nature of Reality August 21st, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: Body and Mind Are One, Breathing, Christianity, Dualism, Estes Park, karma, Noble Eightfold Path Four Noble Truths, psychology, YMCA

August 20, 2011. 116-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the first dharma talk of the Body and Mind Are One retreat.

The first 21-minutes of the dharma talk is for the children. Thay speaks about offering our true presence, the best gift, to our loved ones.

When the children leave, Thay speaks about the term “sahabhu,” which he defines as “co-being” or “co-interbeing”.

In Buddhism we practice mindfulness and concentration. Mindfulness is to be aware of what is there, and we can choose the object of our mindfulness. We can be aware of a flower or a cloud, or of our in-breath. The energy of mindfulness brings with it the energy of concentration. When mindfulness and concentration are powerful we get a breakthrough, an insight—we understand the nature of what is there.

Mindfulness, concentration, and insight. It is insight that can release us from our suffering. Prajna. We also talk of the Noble Eightfold Path and the first is Right View. Right View transcends all other views. Free from the notion of being and non-being. One method to get there is sahabhu. From here Thay explains the Four Noble Truths and the idea of non-dualism and why suffering is a noble truth.

Thay continues to share about the dual nature of birth and death: “We are experiencing birth and death at every moment. Death is now, together with birth. They manifest together at the same time. You cannot say the above exists, and then the below later. The have to exist at the same time. Why are we afraid of dying? Wherever there is death there is life. We are not used to seeing things and thinking of things in term of interbeing. That is why fear and despair are born.”

Buddha. Dharma. Sangha.

Son. Father. Holy Spirit.

Body. Mind. Environment.

In neuroscience they ask whether consciousness is created by the brain; whether the brain and the mind are the same thing. How can something objective like the brain create something subjective like the mind. So there is the ‘in’ and the ‘out’; scientists are still caught in dualistic thinking. The wisdom of non-discrimination can help scientists to get an insight more quickly.

Thay dedicates the last section of the talk to the concrete practice of mindful breathing, including the first few steps of mindful breathing as delineated in the Mindfulness of Breathing Sutra. We are reminded to practice mindfulness and meditation correctly: “Life is already full of suffering, why do you have to suffer more with Buddhist meditation?”

21/08/2011 I Have Arrived, I am Home August 24th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Mental Formations, Retreats, SanghaTags: Applied Ethics, bell, Body and Mind Are One, Breathing, Estes Park, Kingdom of God, Mental Formations, Sangha, walking, YMCA

August 21, 2011. 110-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the second dharma talk of the Body and Mind Are One retreat.

We begin with a brief guided meditation on breathing with our parents.

For the children, we are encouraged to create a breathing room in our homes. Every civilized home in the 21st century should have such a room with a bell and a flower. Breathing with the bell we can bring out mind and body together. Thay speaks about how we are the continuation of our parents, using the example of a seed of corn that cannot remember, once it is a plant, that it was once a seed. “When you practice mindful breathing, we can invite our mother inside of us to practice breathing as well. Our father also.”

Thay speaks about touching the Kingdom of God, the Pure Land of the Buddha, right in the present moment. When we walk, we can touch the Kingdom. If you can walk like that, you can walk like a Buddha. “I have arrived, I am home: this is the shortest Dharma talk.” We, especially parents, try to transmit only the best parts of us and that which still needs work we keep in order to transform. Thay advises us, when we share, to not only share about our suffering but also to share our joy and our happiness. “We need not only people with suffering to come on a retreat, we also need people with lots of joy, so they can help those who are suffering.” The importance and role of the sangha.

We continue with the Sutra on Mindfulness of Breathing, with a recap of yesterday’s teaching and continuing on with the 7th and 8th steps: becoming aware of a painful feeling or emotion and embracing it. We see this practice with parents and children. Thay would also like to see this applied in schools. Applied ethics. How do we teach ethics to school children. We can teach children to breathe and if the school teacher knows the techniques then it can be transmitted. This can be secularized.

The following steps are: 9) aware of mental formations, 10) gladdening the mind, 11) concentrating the mind, 12) liberating the mind. Thay shares about the practice of right diligence: not touching the negative seeds, making sure any negative formations go back down to store consciousness, watering the good seeds, and keeping the good mental formations manifesting as long as possible.

22/08/2011 Freeing Ourselves From Notions August 25th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Children, Love, RetreatsTags: Body and Mind Are One, Breathing, Diamond Sutra, Estes Park, Happiness, mantra, suffering, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, YMCA

August 22, 2011. 109-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the third dharma talk of the Body and Mind Are One retreat.

After a short guided meditation, Thay speaks to the children about how to play in such a way that we maintain our joy and happiness during the whole time of playing, not letting anger overcome us. If we play and we are angry we always lose. “Learn to play in such a way that neither the winner nor the loser suffer. That is the highest way of playing.” Next we learn the third mantra. It is about love. As your love grows, your happiness grows. Darling, I know you suffer and I am here for you. We also learn about the wisdom of non-discrimination.

Thay shares with us the 4th mantra – “Darling, I suffer and I want you to know. I’m doing the best I can. Please help.” If we can’t do this, it may because of our pride. You may eant to prove you can survive by yourself. We don’t let others know about our suffering, or let them help us, because of our pride, because of our anger. A practitioner knows that when anger arises they should take good care of themselves and their anger with mindful breathing until their anger calms and they can see into the wrong perception behind their anger.

Thay then shares about the 11th and 12th exercises of mindful breathing – 11) concentrating the mind and 12) liberating the mind. There are many objects of concentration but three are found throughout Buddhism – emptiness (sunyata), signlessness (animitta), and aimlessness (apranihita). These are also called the three doors of liberation. In the Sutra on Mindful Breathing, we are given four other objects of concentration – impermanence, non-craving, cessation, and letting go. We use these concentrations to free ourselves from the notions of being and non-being, birth and death, coming and going, sameness and otherness, and the four notions of self, man/human, living beings, and lifespan that the Diamond Sutra recommends that we remove. Freeing ourselves from these notions we are able to touch reality, to touch nirvana and realize our true nature – the nature of no-birth and no-death.

22/08/2011 Responding to Violence August 28th, 2011 . Posted in RetreatsTags: Body and Mind Are One, Breathing, Estes Park, health, Love, mediation, power, Questions and Answers. Death penalty, Sangha, science, violence, YMCA

August 22, 2011. 107-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the Question and Answer session of the Body and Mind Are One retreat.

Thay answers question first from the children, from young adults, and older practitioners:

1.Is meditating about having fun?

2.Does the Buddha live in the bell?

3.Can the bell be another color besides black?

4.Is meditating healthy?

5.What is the most important thing I can do to build Sangha?

6.If the men in power in this country were to ask you for advice, what would you tell them?

7.Is it ever appropriate to respond to violence with violence?

8.How do we respond to health care workers and hospitals that have led to the death of family members?

9.Is it wrong to take someone’s life in the case of the death penalty?

10.How do I know when I’m truly ready to love and help others, and how do I know when I am ready for a long-term commitment?

11.How do we practice letting go in a healthy way before tension builds?

12.Would you consider permitting neuroscientists to study your mind, and the minds of brothers and sisters?

The talk is available below. A video version is available: questions and answers.

23/08/2011 The Buddha is the Sitting Itself August 29th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, RetreatsTags: aimlessness, Body and Mind Are One, Breathing, Buddha, education, Emptiness, Estes Park, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Four Kinds of Nutriments, listening, Manifesto 2000, meditation, Obama, peace, politics, reconciliation, signlessness, Sitting, sutra, YMCA

August 23, 2011. 122-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the fourth and final talk of the Body and Mind Are One retreat.

We begin with a short guided meditation.

I invite the Buddha to breathe.

I invite the Buddha to sit.

I don’t have to breathe.

I don’t have to sit.

Buddha is breathing. Buddha is sitting.

I enjoy the breathing. I enjoy the sitting.

Buddha is the breathing. Buddha is the sitting.

I am the breathing. I am the sitting.

There is only the breathing. There is only the sitting.

There is no-one breathing. There is no-one sitting.

We are our action. We are our karma. Everyday we produce speech and our action. There is no thinker outside the thoughts. The act of breaking the bread is Jesus. The quality of the sitting is the Buddha. When there is an in-breath is there, you know the Buddha is there. We don’t need a breather. This has to do with the lack of subject and object in our experience of reality. “In breathing and sitting, there is no breather or sitter. There is just the breathing, there is just the sitting.” “When you say ‘The wind blows’, it is very funny. If it does not blow, how can it be the wind? It is like saying ‘The rain is raining.’ If it is not raining, how can it be rain? The same is true for thinking. The thinker and the thought—they are not separate things; they are one.” We can touch the nature of no-self. Emptiness.

A teaching on deep listening and loving speech is illustrated with stories of people attending retreats and transforming their communication. We also hear examples of Israeli and Palestinians coming together. In a discussion about the Five Mindfulness Trainings, particularly the fifth, Thay introduces and shares about The Sutra on the Son’s Flesh, to point out the nature of nutriment and the Four Kinds of Nutriments. He continues on to discuss the three kinds of concentration: emptiness, signlessness and aimlessness.

04/09/2011 Jesus is the Bread September 6th, 2011 . Posted in Children, Christianity, Deer Park MonasteryTags: Christianity, consumption, Four Kinds of Nutriments, journalism, mantra, vegetarian

September 4, 2011. 91-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the first Day of Mindfulnss during a month-long stay in Escondido.

This is a happy moment. When you love someone, you want him or her to be there for you. How can you love if you are not there? To love is a practice. To practice mindful walking and mindful breathing. You can then offer yourself. You are truly there. The most precious gift is your true presence.

Children are flowers in the garden of humanity. Each of us are born as a flower. We need to preserve our flowerness. To be a true lover we need to know how to take care of ourselves. This is a Buddhist practice.

The First Mantra is “Darling, I am here for you.” And, when you want someone to know of your love then you can practice the Second Mantra. “Darling, I know you are there and it makes me happy.”

Thay also teaches on listening to the bell, and the establishment of a breathing room for the family to restore your flowerness.

Thay shares with us the about the nature of bread, that contains the whole cosmos: the Buddha, Jesus, all things are in the bread. “You don’t need to think, there is just awareness. Awareness and insight, but no thinking. No thinking is the secret. We can eat every morsel of our lunch in that way.”

He continues to share about the story of the young couple in the Sutra on the Son’s Flesh who decide to move to another country with their son. Faced with starvation in the desert, they decide to kill their little boy and eat his flesh, crying and beating their chests as they do so. “After the Buddha told this story to the monks, he turned to them and said, ‘Dear friends, do you think the parents enjoyed eating the flesh of their own son?’ ‘No, it is impossible that they could enjoy it.’

The Buddha said, ‘Let us eat in such a way that we preserve our compassion and mindfulness, otherwise when we eat it is like we are eating the flesh of our own son.’” “We should be the aware that many of the items that we consume, with the eyes, the ear, the body, the mind, can be very toxic. A television program, an article, may be full of anger, hate and violence. If we allow our children to consume these items, the toxins will go into their consciousness. Even conversations can sometimes be very toxic.”

07/09/2011 Hello, my Anger September 8th, 2011 . Posted in Bell Meditation, Breathing, Deer Park Monastery, RetreatsTags: Anapanasati Sutta, bell, Breathing, Deer Park Monastery, Happiness, joy, Mental Formations, Together We Are One

September 7, 2011. 118-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the first dharma talk for the Together We Are One retreat.

Usually in our retreats, children learn how to invite the bell. The bell is a kind of friend, so we have a chance to practice. The bell master is responsible for inviting the bell and should be calm and solid. It should inspire people to practice. There are four lines to learn when inviting the bell.

Body, speech and mind in perfect oneness.

I send my heart along with the sound of the bell.

May all who listen awaken from forgetfulness.

And transcend all anxiety and sorrow.

Thay continues providing instruction on inviting the bell followed by instruction on listening to the bell. Listen, listen to this wonderful sound of the bell, calling me back to my true home.

Thay shares with us the about the practice of mindfulness of breathing. Awareness of our in-breath and our out-breath. It’s quite simple. This can helps us to release the past and release the future. This can become the only object of our mind. We get some freedom right away. It is always true that mindfulness and concentration bring insight; and insight is something that can liberate us. We do not practice like a machine: we are alive. We are not caught in the form of the practice. That is why every moment we experience nourishment and healing. Each exercises is included in each of the subsequent ones. This teaching is from the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta). In this talk we look at the first eight breathing exercises.

In Buddhist psychology we see the mind as having two parts: mind consciousness and store consciousness. Your store consciousness is part of your body and it can operate without mind consciousness. The first four breathing exercises has to do with mind. Mind and store should function well together. This brings us to a discussion of mental formations cittasamskara and it manifests in the form of a seed bija.

He goes on to talk about the four practices of right diligence: 1) recognize the negative seeds and make sure they don’t come up, 2) if a negative seed has already come up, embrace the formation and invite it to go back down, 3) invite good seeds to come up, 4) maintain the good mental formations for a long time.

When looking at the fifth and sixth exercises, producing joy and happiness, we have to be aware of our ideas. We all have our ideas of happiness, and that idea may be an obstacle to our happiness. This is very deep practice. That object of craving, object of desire, may be an obstacle. Have the courage to let go.

He also discusses in detail how we can embrace our difficult mental formations just like a mother embraces her crying baby.

The talk is available below. During a middle portion of the recording, the sound is listenable but degraded. A video version is available in two parts: children’s talk and hello my anger.

08/09/2011 The River of Mind September 13th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, RetreatsTags: aimlessness, Anapanasati, children, corn, Deer Park Monastery, Emptiness, impermanence, Mental Formations, signlessness, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, Three Doors of Liberation, Together We Are One

September 8, 2011. 87-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the second dharma talk for the Together We Are One retreat.

Our father is inside every cell of our body and we can breathe in and out together. Our talk today begins with a guided meditation connecting us to our parents and ancestors.

A story about Italian retreats starts the talk for the children. Thay says there are always a lot of children at Italian retreats and he recalls giving them an assignment. . Thay speaks about how we are the continuation of our parents, using the example of a seed of corn that grows up to become a plant of corn. “When you practice mindful breathing, we can invite our mother inside of us to practice breathing as well. Our father also.”

Thay shares with us the about the practice of looking deeply into the river of the mind, using the exercises from the Mindfulness of Breathing Sutra. At the beginning of this portion, Thay writes down the first 8 exercises on the board (the audio is cut on the first two, but only for a moment). Today we continue with the 9th exercise – this is about recognizing the mental formation that has manifested. There are 51 categories of mental formations in our tradition of practice. There are positive and negative mental formations. Every mental formation is like a drop of water in the river of the mind. The practitioner sits on the bank of the river and watches and observes. Aware of the mental formations. We continue with exercises 9-12.

“As a practitioner we know how to practice selective watering of the seeds in our consciousness.” “Life is impossible without impermanence. Without impermanence a grain of corn can never become a plant of corn, and your little baby can never become a little girl. So impermanence is the nature of things. Your love is also impermanent. If you do not know how to take care of your love, your love will die.

Things are impermanent; because we believe things to be impermanent we suffer.” We can use impermanence to get out of anger. “To get out of your anger, you can close your eyes and visualize the other person in 300 years. What will they become? Ash. And you too. It may take only 3-5 seconds for you to touch impermanence. That way you can see that it is not wise to let anger overwhelm you like that.”

Thay finishes the talk with the teaching on the Three Doors of Liberation: 1) emptiness, 2) signlessness, 3) aimlessness.

09/09/2011 Beloved Community September 14th, 2011 . Posted in Children, RetreatsTags: aimlessness, Deer Park Monastery, God, manas, Martin Luther King, MLK, pepple meditation, psychology, Sangha, Together We Are One

September 9, 2011. 92-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the third dharma talk for the Together We Are One retreat.

Thay teaches the children the practice of pebble meditation: 1) Flower: Fresh, 2) Mountain: Solid, 3) Water: Calm, 4) Space: Free. And talks of the first two mantras.

In Buddhism, we known the Buddha is a human being and we also believe in Mahayana Buddhism that we all have a Buddhanature. Building a practice community, a sangha, was one if the first things he did in order to help people. With a sangha, the practice is easier. The Buddha needed a sangha and so do we. We should build a sangha, and this is a noble practice. In Buddhism, the sangha is one of the Three Jewels. A good sangha is one that practices Mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Each of us is a cell in the body of the sangha. If we can save this planet, we will need this kind of energy. The energy generated by a sangha.

Thay shares with us about the nature of God and the nature of the Buddha, and how the we can find the Buddha-nature in everyone. He continues to share about the project of the Beloved Community started by Martin Luther King, Jr., and specifically the history of how Thay left Vietnam, was exiled, and met Dr. King. “Everyone of us can make a step mindfully, everyone of us can look mindfully and recognize the beauty of life. If we can recognize the beauty of the Dharma, we can recognize the Kingdom of God–we get in touch with the Kingdom of God. We don’t have to look anywhere outside, anywhere else.

A living sangha carries the living dharma. The way you practice. It can’t be found in a book. When you produce a thought of compassion, of understanding. If this is present, then the living Buddha is there also. You are also a cell in the body of the Buddha. You are a Buddha. Each one of us can take a step mindfully and see the beauty of life. When we are in touch with the flower, then we are in touch with the kingdom.

We are the Buddha. We are the dharma. We are the sangha.

We return to Buddhist psychology with the idea if store and mind consciousness. There is also a realm of non-thinking for other beings. We can practice samadhi to train ourselves to stop the thinking. We can enjoy our breathing. Enjoy the feeling. Leave the thinking.

There is the “mind base” – manas – this is unconcious. Eye. Ear. Nose. Tongue. Body. And the sixth is manas (mind). It is characterized by pleasure seeking and avoiding suffering. Manas ignores the goodness of suffering. Manas ignores the law of moderation.

“When you bow to the Buddha, you don’t view the Buddha as an entity wholly separate from you. I am in you, and you are in me. There is no longer any complex. That is the wisdom of non-discrimination: nirvikalpajnana.”

03/09/2011 Energies of Buddhism September 15th, 2011 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, Breathing, Christianity, Public Talk, SanghaTags: Applied Ethics, Breathing, concentration, education, gospel, Happiness, Insight, mindfulness, Sangha, suffering, walking

September 3, 2011. 101-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the only Public Talk in California. For those who regularly read this podcast, we are posting this talk now as we have not completed preparing the last two talks from the retreat at Deer Park – they will be posted soon.

Mindfulness, concentration, and insight are the energies of Buddhism similar to the Holy Spirit being the energy of God.

We all have the capacity for understanding and love. It comes from the inside and comes with the practice of Mindfulness and concentration. This is the Buddha nature in us. We can generate a feeling of joy, a feeling of happiness in any moment. The Sutra on Mindful Breathing offers sixteen-exercises. Breathing in and breathing out with Mindfulness is a practice of resurrection. Thay takes us through the first eight exercises.

For me, the word wonderful means full of wonder. This is a wonderful moment. Our body is a wonder, and it belongs to the kingdom of God. We can touch the kingdom of God. In the Christian gospel, there is a story of a farmer who discovers a treasure on a piece of land and he sold everything except this piece of land. This is the kingdom of God. This is all you need. Happiness is possible in present moment. A good practitioner can generate happiness.

The importance of sangha. Taking refuge in the sangha. How do we handle suffering? A painful feeling? With a sangha.

True happiness needs suffering too. No mud. No lotus. They interare. This is right view. We should make good use of suffering.

How can we be liberated from despair and anger?

Applied ethics. Mindfulness in schools. How to handle painful or difficult emotions.

10/09/2011 What Is the Purpose of People and Life September 18th, 2011 . Posted in Deer Park Monastery, RetreatsTags: Deer Park Monastery, forgiveness, Questions and Answers, rape, Together We Are One, young people

September 10, 2011. 95-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the fourth dharma talk for the Together We Are One retreat. Today we have a session of Questions and Answers.

Some questions: What is the purpose of people and life? Why is Thich Nhat Hanh so special? How can I bring these memories home without the other kids in the neighborhood thinking that it is not real? What do you do for your entertainment? In Plum Village, were you ever on the kitchen staff before? Could you talk to us younger people about following our dreams while staying in the present moment, and how to not get pulled away by ambition? Am I practicing correctly? As a survivor of rape, how do I forgive my attackers? How do we deal with nightmares? How can I create peace in my relationship with my father?

11/09/2011 When You Can Breathe You Can Already Celebrate Life September 19th, 2011 . Posted in Deer Park Monastery, Noble Eightfold Path, RetreatsTags: Deer Park Monastery, Happiness, karma, Noble Eightfold Path, perceptions, Right View, terrorism, Together We Are One

September 11, 2011. xx-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the final dharma talk for the Together We Are One retreat.

We begin with a guided meditation looking deeply at ourselves and our ancestors. We need to cultivate love and compassion. Love and compassion are an essential element of happiness. Maitri has the power to bring happiness. We must understand our suffering, we cannot understand the suffering if others. We must begin with ourselves.

In true live there is no individual suffering; you can’t say it’s not my problem. Understanding is the foundation of love and mindfulness and concentration are the two elements that can bring about understanding.

The roots of terrorism ate wrong views, wrong perceptions. We use loving speech and compassionate listening to help get rid of wrong views. This too is the practice of true love. The path proposed by the Buddha is a noble eightfold path. It has Mindfulness, concentration, and insight. We can travel to the shore of liberation and non-fear. Paramita.

Right view is an element of the noble eightfold path. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are a very concrete method to have right view. Thay talks about being and non-being as it relates to out way of thinking. Right thinking is another part of the path. To continue the explanation, Thay tells a story of a cloud. The nature of a cloud is no-birth, no-death. Our cloud has not come from non-being. A cloud can never die. Being and non-being are just notions. When conditions are sufficient, I manifest myself. My nature is non-local. Right view can liberate us from fear, despair, anger.

In the mind of discrimination, we always want to choose only happiness. We want to ban the suffering and only have happiness. But happiness and suffering inter-are. It is the understanding of the suffering that compassion/happiness can arrive. We do not discriminate against suffering. Birth is now. Death is now. We can touch that fact. Being and non-being are notions and cannot be applied to reality.

Right speech, the next in the path, means speech without discrimination. Next we look at Right Action. What we do with our body should reflect our right view. No discrimination. The same can be said about Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
Finally, Thay talks about karma.

25/09/2011 Free From Notions: The Diamond Sutra September 26th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Deer Park Monastery, SutraTags: Diamond Sutra, life span, man, self

September 25, 2011. 100-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the last day of mindfulness held at the monastery. The in-person attendance is a record high with an estimated 1200 people in attendance.

Today’s talk will be on right view. The practice of mindfulness based in right view can heal ourselves and heal the world. But we have to work to practice right view. The tea is the continuation of the cloud and this is the practice of no-birth and no-death. Your own nature is the nature of no-birth and no-death.

In The Diamond Sutra, we are asked to let go of the idea of self and we can be free from any discrimination. The second notion to let go of is the notion of man. We are made of animals, vegetables, and minerals. if we see this, we can see out Interbeing with the planet. The third notion is the notion of living beings. The final notion is the notion of a life span.

If you have not seen the non-Buddha elements than you have not seen the Buddha. The safest method to see the Buddha is to look inside yourself.

16/09/2011 An Orientation to Practice September 27th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, Breathing, Deer Park Monastery, Eating Meditation, Retreats, WalkingTags: Opening the Heart

September 16, 2011. 60-minute orientation with Thich Nhat Hanh and two senior dharma teachers at the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the first activity for the Opening the Heart Vietnamese Retreat. The talk was given in Vietnamese and translated into English by Sr. Lang Nghiem. This is a great introduction to the basic practices of walking meditation, eating meditation, noble silence, and breathing.

17/09/2011 Full of Wonder September 28th, 2011 . Posted in Deer Park Monastery, Eating Meditation, Retreats, WalkingTags: Buddha, concentration, continuation, Insight, mindfulfulness, non-dualism, Opening the Heart

September 17, 2011. 96-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the first dharma talk for the Opening the Heart Vietnamese Retreat. The talk was given in Vietnamese and translated into English by Sr. Dang Nghiem.

We begin with a guided meditation on our parents. Opening the Heart. Thay teaches the corn story to illustrate the concept of continuation. This practice not just for us. It is for our parents, our children. This is non-dualistic way of thinking. We have both blood and spiritual ancestors inside of us. Where do you look for the Buddha? We all have Buddhanature. Do not look for the Buddha on the outside. We also have the dharma jewel. We have a method to practice. If the jewel is not shining than we need to learn how to polish. The third jewel is the sangha. What does a sangha practice? Mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

What is the relationship between the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha? Ate you a true cell in the body of the sangha and the dharma? What is continuation? The nature of things? The cloud and the tea. The child and the father. The corn seed and the corn plant. How do we live deeply? Enjoying each wonderful moment. To use our conditions of happiness. Practicing to generate Mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

18/09/2011 Breathing and Interbeing September 29th, 2011 . Posted in Breathing, Deer Park Monastery, Love, RetreatsTags: Breathing, concentration, Deer Park Monastery, Insight, letting go, Opening the Heart, Vietnamese

September 18, 2011. 115-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Ocean of Peace Mediation Hall at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the second dharma talk for the Vietnamese “Opening the Heart” retreat. The talk was originally given in Vietnamese and this is the English translation provided by Sr. Dang Nghiem (except the first few minutes).

We begin with a guided meditation and see our father as 5-yr old child. We cannot take the father out of the son. Today, we continue learning about the breath by using the Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing. Thay walks us through the first eight exercises; the first two being about right mindfulness. The fifth and sixth are about joy and happiness. We get there by letting go. Let go of our ideas. We can also look for conditions of happiness. concentration can also bring. Then insight.

07/10/2011 One Step is Enough October 7th, 2011 . Posted in Blue Cliff Monastery, Breathing, RetreatsTags: mantra, Stepping Into Freedom Savoring Life, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing

October 7, 2011. 117-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, NY. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the second dharma talk for the Stepping Into Freedom, Savoring Life Retreat. Over a thousand people are in attendance.

Thay begins by sharing about how we can be truly present for our loved ones. “You can look into the eyes of the other person and say, ‘Darling, I am here for you.’ That is the first mantra. And it works! When you say it, you and she will be happy right away. And you don’t have to practice it in Sanskrit or Chinese, you can say it in English.”

Thay continues by teaching the first few steps of mindfulness of breathing. He then goes into the teaching on store consciousness and mind consciousness. “The contents of store consciousness are seeds. In nuclear physics they speak of matter being made of subatomic particles; in Buddhist psychology we say that consciousness is made up of bijas, seeds. Very tiny–you cannot see them. We have a seed of mindfulness, and if we are a good practitioner, the seed of mindfulness grows everyday. Then, when we need mindfulness, it is available, right away. We also have a seed of anger, in store consciousness. And when someone comes and says something or does something that touches off the seed of anger in us, it manifests in mind consciousness as a mental formation.”

07/10/2011 You Don’t Have to Die Just Because of One Emotion October 10th, 2011 . Posted in Blue Cliff Monastery, Breathing, RetreatsTags: Anapanasati Sutra, Applied Ethics, Breathing, corn, Emptiness, Mental Formations, Stepping Into Freedom, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, Three Doors of Liberation

October 7, 2011. 109-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, NY. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the second dharma talk for the Stepping Into Freedom, Savoring Life Retreat. Over a thousand people are in attendance.

When the Buddha breaths, the quality of breathing is superb. When the Buddha sits, the quality of sitting is superb. And the Buddha is always inside of you and if you invite the Buddha to sit or breathe with you then you can benefit. High class breathing. Today we return to the mantras for being truly present and bringing happiness to yourself and to your loved ones. We should express our appreciate and this is the practice of mindfulness. This isn’t a Buddhist practice; anyone can practice the mantras.

Darling, I am here for you.

Darling, I know you are there and it makes me happy.

Thay offers the story on a grain of corn. In the grain of corn is also a plant of corn. This is a common story given to illustrate signlessness and is usually offered for the children. Meditation is to look deeply and see things that other people cannot see. Interbeing. Can we take the cloud out of the tea? Can we take the mother or father out of the child?

Continue with the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.

Aware of our in breath and our out breath.

Follow our in breath and our out breath.

Aware of our body.

Releasing tension in the our body.

The importance of abdomen/belly breathing. It is the trunk. No thinking. You are much more than one emotion. We should memorize this, especially when strong emotions arise. Thich Nhat Hanh recently met with California Governor Jerry Brown to suggest bringing this practice into the public schools. It is non-sectarian. Emotions are impermanent.

The mind is a river with drops of water called mental formations. Meditation is sitting on the bank of the river and not being carried away by the mental formation. The 10th exercise of breathing is to cultivate the mind. To make the mind more beautiful.

Four aspects of the practice of Right Diligence. First, we don’t water the negative seeds. Second, if a negative seed arises we try to help it not stay to long in our mind consciousness. We don’t fight or supress, but invite up a good seed. The third aspect is to bring the good seeds to have many chances to arise in the mind. To beautify the mind. Fourth, once you have a good mental formation then we try to keep it as long as possible. This is transformation at the base.

The 11th and 12th exercises on breathing are concentrating the mind and liberating the mind. The last four (13-16) exercises are presented. These last four have three concentrations: emptiness; signlessness, and aimlessness. The Three Doors of Liberation. Finally, we learn about the Buddha-body, the Dharma-body, and the Sangha-body.

08/10/2011 Breathing In, I Know I am Alive October 11th, 2011 . Posted in Blue Cliff Monastery, RetreatsTags: Brahmaviharas, Happiness, karma, karuna, Love, maitri, mudita, Noble Eightfold Path, Right Concentration, Right View, Stepping Into Freedom Savoring Life, upeksha

October 8, 2011. 109-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, NY. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the third dharma talk for the Stepping Into Freedom, Savoring Life Retreat.

The Buddha is a teacher of love. At the time of the Buddha, the people of India were followers of Brahma and Brahma was love. So the Buddha taught about love and gave us the Four Elements of True Love – the Four Brahmaviharas.

The first element is maitri, It’s a difficult word to translate, but many people translate into lovingkindness. Loving oneself is the foundation of loving someone else. The Buddha made himself happy and then he helped other people be happy. When you have freedom and calmness, then it is easy to help other people be happy. The second element of true love is karuna. This is usually translated as compassion. This is one is to remove suffering, to transform suffering. The third element is mudita – this is joy. This is the sign of true love. And most of the truth lies in the fourth element – upeksa. Scholars have usually translated this as equanimity but Thay shares the real meaning is non-discrimination. In true love there is no place for discrimination.

The wisdom of non-discrimination. In the teaching of the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha speaks of Right View. Right View is the type of insight that is free from discrimination. Right View is usually mentioned as the first element of the Noble Eightfold Path, but it also comes from Right Concentration and Right Mindfulness. Coming from Right View, we can produce Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, and Right Diligence. Today we will focus more on the practice of Right View and Right Concentration, but these are the eight elements of the path proposed by the Buddha. It is the Path of True Love. When we take the Five Mindfulness Trainings, they represent this path.

The teaching of no-birth and no-death, being and non-being. This has to do with the practice of emptiness, one of the three doors of liberation. There is a word, Sahabhu, it means co-being. We cannot exist by ourselves. Thay also speaks of our ideas and notions, including the notion of impermanence. Do we have insight?

Action has three aspects. Thinking. Speaking. Body. This is our product. Our continuation. Anything you produce will bear your signature. This is karma. We are our action.

With this path we can create happiness. True understanding and compassion.

09/10/2011 How Can I Not Suffer When People Are Not Being Good in the World October 13th, 2011 . Posted in Blue Cliff Monastery, RetreatsTags: anger, death, Five Mindfulness Trainings, five year monastic program, karma, monastic, prisons, shining light, Stepping Into Freedom Savoring Life, suffering, violence, Wake Up

October 9, 2011. 105-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, NY. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the third dharma talk for the Stepping Into Freedom, Savoring Life Retreat. Today we have a session of questions and answers.

Our practice to ask a question that will benefit everyone. We begin with the children, then teens, and finally the adults.

1.When you are very upset, how can you show it without hitting?

2.Do you ever get frustrated with yourself?

3.How do I not suffer when people are not being good to this world?

4.How young were you when you became a monk and what types of commitments did you need to make?

// brief introduction and discussion on the Wake Up Movement by Br. Phap Luu //

5.When I have positive and negative energy, what should I do with it?

6.When I’m engaged in a conversation, I worry about other things. What does it mean to go home to yourself?

7.Can we still have the consciousness of our loved ones after death? Can we communicate?

8.A question about the Five Mindfulness Trainings and karma. Is it forgiven?

9.When I get discouraged or frustrated, I sometimes compare myself to you and it keeps me away and I don’t feel connected to the sangha.

10.A question about commitment and coming from a place of truth and an unclear understanding from when the commitment was originally made.

11.A question about attachment, discrimination, and violence.

12.As a person raised Christian and have felt Jesus, so how can I know absolute truth? Is this it?

14/09/2011 Mindfulness as a Foundation for Health October 16th, 2011 . Posted in Day of MindfulnessTags: google, health

September 14, 2011. Thich Nhat Hanh offered a half-day of mindfulness at the Googleplex for Google employees and their families in Mountain View, CA. Here you can enjoy the Google-produced video of the event. This is part of the @Google Talks series.

[no mp3 available]

10/10/2011 You Have To Feed Your Love Properly October 18th, 2011 . Posted in Blue Cliff Monastery, RetreatsTags: aimlessness, discrimination, Dualism, Emptiness, freedom, signlessness, Stepping Into Freedom Savoring Life, Three Doors of Liberation

October 10, 2011. 122-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, NY. The sangha is on the North American Tour and this is the final dharma talk for the Stepping Into Freedom, Savoring Life Retreat.

“Walking on the planet Earth is a wonder. The Zen Master Lin Chi said the miracle is to walk on earth. Like Neil Armstrong on the moon, we should be mindful of each step. Happiness should be possible with each step.”

Time is a product of our mind. This is dualistic thinking, but we can touch eternity and transcend time. We can transcend birth and death, being and non-being. Walking can bring a lot of joy, but also the highest enlightenment. You can bring this practice home and enjoy every moment of daily life.

Before you bow to the Buddha, you have to meditate. You have to communicate with the Buddha. There is a verse we can learn to touch emptiness. A Christian can practice the same way when bowing to Jesus. Thay continues to share about the Three Doors of Liberation (emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness) and the four signs, from the Diamond Sutra, in which we may get caught: the concept of a self, of man, of living beings, and of a lifespan.

26/10/2011 I Am Made Only of Non-Me Elements: Library of Congress Talk November 1st, 2011 . Posted in Christianity, Public Talk, SufferingTags: compassion, congress, courage, Happiness, politicians, terrorists

October 26, 2011. 2hr 6min; Coolidge Auditorium, Jefferson Building, at the Library of Congress.. Washington DC is the final stop on the 2011 North American Tour before Thay returns to France.

Annual Walter Capps-Bill Emerson Memorial Lecture co-hosted by Faith and Politics Institute, U.S. Institute of Peace and Walter K. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life. Introductions by Mark Farr, Congresswoman JoAnn Emerson (R-MO) and Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA).

We need a spiritual dimension in our lives. With a spiritual dimension, we can overcome our difficulties. It is important to move beyond the intellectual dimension and bring the body and mind together. We can nourish and restore ourselves in order to help other people. In our practice we can see that we are made of non-me elements. This is a wonder. The wonder of the Kingdom of God. Breathing in, we can be present right now. This can link the body and the mind.

Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something. And mindfulness can be generated by us. Happiness arises from compassion. Understanding suffering gives rise to compassion. Terrorists are victims of misunderstanding and wrong perceptions. In order to remove terrorism, we must remove wrong perceptions. It can’t be done with bombs and killing. We need compassion, not the energy of fear and suspicion.

A member of congress is a cell in the body of the congress. Each cell has a responsibility to provide clarity, compassion, and courage. We can nourish the congress and make it a healthy body. Mindfulness can help cultivate these qualities. We can generate a feeling of happiness, a feeling of joy. Then we can also handle a painful feeling or emotion.

Mindfulness of compassion is what we need. We use loving speech and compassionate listening. Hearing examples of reconciliation makes this real and practical.

Making good use of our suffering. We can listen to the suffering inside of us, the other person, and in the world. We don’t run away from it. We can cultivate peace and understanding from this place of suffering. Thay’s vision is our understanding the suffering.

13/11/2011 A Bodhisattva in Every Step November 14th, 2011 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum VillageTags: Dualism, earth, google, non-discrimination, science, Sitting, sun, walking

November 13, 2011. 80-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha has just returned from the North American Tour and this is the first dharma talk. I am a little hesitant to post because the sound is a bit challenging. The talk is given in Vietnamese and simultaneously translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong. The challenge being you can hear Thay very clearly and it is occasionally difficult to hear the English clearly. It is a lovely talk and a slightly fresh view from his typical dharma talk, so I hope you enjoy it despite the sound issues.

Thay shares about the practice of sitting meditation, and about the beauty of what the Earth offers to us when we are able to overcome our human pride.

You are very proud of your science, your math, but if you look at one petal of a flower you realize that you would have to be an extremely talented mathematician and artist to create such a thing. Human beings are very proud to be the heroic soldier who can do everything, but the Earth is also very powerful. It has created millions of species. Mother Earth offers us air to breathe, water to drink. We have to recognize the planet Earth as a wonderful mother who can host us, who can give us everything we need.

“In every speck of dust there are countless Buddhas. During walking meditation we can touch the Earth in us. We have to be realistic. Don’t search for a bodhisattva in your imagination. It is there in every step.”

17/11/2011 Practicing in the Winter Retreat November 20th, 2011 . Posted in Basic Practices, Day of Mindfulness, Plum VillageTags: Breathing, Clarity, compassion, courage, peace, Touching the Earth

November 17, 2011. 53-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha is preparing for the upcoming 90-day Winter Retreat. Thay shares some guiding practices for the community to follow during the upcoming Winter Retreat: touching the Earth, sitting meditation, realizing the practice in all activities, etc.

Deepen practice. Build sangha. Cultivate peace. Make our breathing more peaceful. Improve the quality. We can bring four things into the practice: Peace. Clarity. Compassion. Courage. These four virtues bring happiness to the practitioner. Other elements of happiness: Brotherhood and sisterhood. A Path. What is your story of transformation and healing?

This winter we will study texts in preparation for 21-day retreat in June 2012. The theme of that retreat will be the Science of the Buddha. The first text will be the Parramatta Gatha, 44-verses. Thay has translated this into Vietnamese and will be the foundation for the English translation even though Professor Alex Wayman has an English version. It is also available in Chinese and Sanskrit. The second text, if we have time, we will be Studies on the Objects of Conciousness. This too has been translated by Thay.

24/11/2011 What You Know Could Be An Obstacle November 27th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Buddhism, Dharma, intellect, listening, Paramartha Gathas, Right Thinking

November 24, 2011. 95-minute dharma talk with Thich Nhat Hanh from the Full Moon Meditation Hall in New Hamlet, Plum Village, France. This is the first dharma talk for the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk was given in Vietnamese and translated into English by Sr. Chan Khong.

Thich Nhat Hanh begins by talking about the importance of putting into practice what we learn when we study about Buddhism. Listen. Look Deeply. Put into Action. This is how we achieve the gate of liberation. We can also learn to think skillfully. Right Thinking and wisdom can arrive. The main teaching of Thay is to have arrived in the present moment. To be home. And yet, there are those who have heard this thousands of times but they have not reached a place of deep wisdom. It is not just an accumulation of knowledge.

“When we share the Dharma it should come from a place of happiness. Some people, including monastics, can give very good Dharma talks on ‘I have arrived, I am home,’ but they are not truly happy.”

We don’t need to use what we know when listening to a dharma talk. This leads to comparing. You just receive it. The Buddha said some students receive enlightenment just like that. Right away. Not the fruit of your knowledge. What you know, could be an obstacle. It is only intellectual.

He then begins study of the Paramartha Gathas, from the Yogacarabhumi Sastra of Asanga. Asanga is a very profound teacher who began in Theravada, but then followed Mahayahana Buddhism. This Gatha speaks about the Absolute Truth. It’s been translated three times from the Sanskrit. We have the Chinese texts as well as a Vietnamese translation by Thay. English is being produced for this teaching. [Note: When texts become available, they will be posted]

The first verse:

There is absolutely no subject, no agent and no one who enjoys the fruit of action. No dharma has any effect. Nonetheless, the passing on of one effect to another does take place.

Thay shares about physics in the light of this teaching: “What is the electron made of? All things are composite. There are many things that come together to make everything. When we look skillfully we see only action: we don’t see any owner, actor or inheritor.”

27/11/2011 To Express Our Love For the Earth November 29th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Einstein, Emptiness, Paramartha Gathas, Quantum physics, relativity, self, Sitting

November 27, 2011. 100-minute dharma talk from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the second talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

Thay shares hows to practice when entering the meditation hall for sitting meditation: quietly, stopping our thinking, and at peace. “We want to express our love for the Earth, so we have to walk mindfully, with gratitude.” Entering the meditation hall and settling. Calmly. Mindfully. Paying attention to your breathing and your sitting position. This brings peace to your body and to your mind. Every breath. Every step. We can use the breathing sutra. We can see our mental and body formations. The entire cosmos is inside of you and inside the earth. What is bodhisattva? Enlightened being. An being who has awakening, peace, understanding, love.

At about 38-minutes, Thay continues sharing on the Paramartha Gathas from the Yogacarabhumi Sastra of Asanga. “Yoga means coming together appropriately.” He teaches how subject and object cannot be separated. “Don’t think there is a subject outside of the object. That is wrong thinking. They manifest together, like left and right. Without the left there is no right, and vice versa.”

“Self (?) has various meanings: 1) owner, 2) actor, 3) inheritor. We should understand correctly: There is rain, but there is nothing that rains. There is blowing, but nothing blowing. There is feeling, but there is no one feeling.”

We can let go of conventional designation. Father and son are born at the same time. Subject and object. We have this idea this is my home, my child, my bank account. But there is no owner. There is feeling, but no feeler. There is action, but no actor. There is thinking, but no thinking. The self has an ego that gives you the idea of a separate self. We are not our feeling. This is a construction of our mind. Your presence is your function.

01/12/2011 Non-dualistic View of Bodhisattva Giai December 7th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Buddhism, gaia, mindfulness, mother earth, Paramartha Gathas, walking meditation, yogacara, Zen

December 1, 2011. 98-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the third talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

Thay shares about truly being present when we touch the Earth while practicing walking meditation, about not getting caught in a dualistic view of nature and the Earth. “The Earth has many good qualities: solidity, endurance, and the capacity to embrace all things. When we feel lost we can go back to our mother, the Earth. When can call her Bodhisattva Gaia. The sun is like Vairocana Tathagata. Aware of the Earth and Sun like that, every step is nourishing, every step is healing.”

At about 52-minutes into the talk, Thay continues his teaching on the Yogacarabhumi Sastra, explaining Verse 6-9 of the Paramartha Gathas.

04/12/2011 The Joy of Simplicity December 10th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Buddhism, chant, concentration, mindfulness, Paramartha Gathas, shikantaza, Sitting Meditation, yogacara, zazan

December 4, 2011. 103-minute dharma talk from New Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the fourth talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

In the last dharma talk, we learned about walking mediation. Today will learn about the practice of sitting meditation. Sitting in the spring breeze – we should sit relaxingly, joyfully, happily. We don’t sit for enlightenment. No aim to become a Buddha. We sit straight, but relaxed. This morning, the Morning Chant was so beautiful and is different from when he was a young novice monk. Thay talks about the traditional way of offering the chants in Sino-Vietnamese and discusses the lines of the Morning Chant and the Evening Chant. He tells the story of sitting all night in meditation with Ananda and a group of new bhikshus – we just sit happily. We can apply this to sitting in the airport or the train station. If we can sit like this, the world can have a lot of peace and joy. We can apply this practice into other activities of the day, like sweeping or moping. Thay talks about his life as a novice where there were no toilets in the temple. “Having toilets to clean can be a source of great happiness.”

About one-hour into the talk, we continue the teaching on the Yogacarabhumi Sastra, Verses 9-12 of the Paramartha Gathas of Asanga. What does the absolute truth say about cause and effect? What is co-being, co-manifesting? The “twelve” links of co-arising.

08/12/2011 Psyche And Soma are not Separate December 12th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, body, Buddhism, Eating Meditation, epistemology, Interbeing, interdependence, meditation, mind, mindfulness, Nihilism, psyche, Sitting Meditation, soma, yogacara

December 8, 2011. 103-minute dharma talk from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the fifth talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

The happiness of the dharma. When listening to a dharma talk, walking, eating, cleaning the toilet, or sitting meditation, this is dharma happiness. When you put the practice into your daily activities, then you can have happiness. We just need to look a little deeper with concentration. Today we can learn about eating mindfully. A piece of bread contains the body of the cosmos. We also learn how to sit correctly.

At 38-minutes we switch to sutra study. The Paramartha Gathas of Asanga from the Yogacarabhumi Sastra. He shares in particular about the 12 Links of Interdependent Origination as a new theory of knowledge, or epistemology. When we look at them deeply we see there is no subjective observer; we are participants in what we observe. Without this insight we fall into the wrong perception that body and mind are separate.

11/12/2011 Mother Earth Accepts All December 15th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Avatamsaka, grasping, karma, non-duality, Quantum physics, yogacara

December 11, 2011. 87-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the sixth talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

We learn of mother. The buddha is the son of his mother, his foster mother, the mother earth. We learn of the story Suddana in Avamtamsaka Sutra where each of us can birth a Buddha. We can meet the mother of the Buddha. She is the mother of all the Buddhas in the present and in the past. She is one with the planet earth. Mother earth is so large and can accept everything without discrimination.

The autumn leaves are still on the ground here at Plum Village. They are in transformation, but some still remain on the tree. The leaves live a short life, but they enjoy being whereas humans have lot of worries, anxiety, etc. it is the price of being human. To be a pine tree is beautiful. Maybe next life we can be a tree or a bird.

We always have a need for a place to return. Every part of us will return to the earth. As Buddhists we need to see things in a non-duality way and that we are one with the planet earth. The planet is the mother of every being. The nature of reality is no coming, no going; no birth, no death. If we look deeply, we can see everything continues. The earth is alive.

At 49-minutes into the talk, we continue learning the sutra beginning with Gatha 14. Sub-atomic science still cannot grasp the nature reality. In Buddhism, we have the concept of non-attainment. You cannot grasp the true nature. We cannot grasp in time and space. In quantum science, they try to grasp the nature of every particle. They see forces/fields such as gravity, electromagnetism, and nuclear. But science rarely speak of our mind and the force of karma. For example, the destruction of the Twin Towers was a force of the mind – hatred. The mind can also be positive with just as much power. In this Gatha, there are these fields we cannot grasp even if they have manifested.

14. It is not inside, nor is it outside. It is not something between inside and outside. Before (samskaras) conditioned things have arisen it is not possible to grasp them (in terms of time and space).

15. Moreover after conditioned things have arisen it is not possible to grasp them. The future does not have any sign (by which we can grasp it). The past can be an object of our discriminating mind (imagined).

16. We are able to discriminate the things we have been in touch with, we can also discriminate the things we have not yet been in touch with. Although there is no beginning of samskaras, the discriminating mind can still use the concept of beginning.

17-18. The physical body is like foam. Feelings are like bubbles on the surface of the water. The perceptions are like a magic city. The mental formations are like the stem of a banana tree. The consciousness is like a magic show. That is what the Buddha has taught.

15/12/2011 The Five Aggregates Are Empty December 20th, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Sutra, Touching the EarthTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, body, God, health, Paramartha Gathas, Touching the Earth, yogacara

December 15, 2011. 101-minute dharma talk from New Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the seventh talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

Insight from touching the earth. Truth is a kind of insight and the object of our religion is truth, goodness, and beauty. We pay respect to Buddha, to God, to Allah in order to gain this insight. When we bow down, we don’t need to personalize the statue but rather something concrete. Understanding. Compassion. Wisdom. Everyone can keep their own religion; touching the earth is not something inanimate. Mother Earth is a great Boddhisatva.

With medicine and health, we can’t just rely on one thing. The same is true in regards to religion. We have to pay attention to our body. Bring out mind back to our body. You have time for your computer, but not time for your body? We are organizing a Health Retreat to restore the well being in your body and your mind (April 2012). If we can breath in, and bring our mind back to our body, then we can stop the alienation created by external forces such as computers, tv, cell phones, etc. Stopping. Calming. Concentration. The breath can be the object of your mind and stop the situation from being dispersed.

About an hour into talk, we resume the Paramarthah Gathas of Asanga’s Yogacarabhumi sutra study with Gatha 17-21, particularly focusing on the verses dealing with the ephemeral nature of all things we think of as ourselves.

17-18. The physical body is like foam. Feelings are like bubbles on the surface of the water. The perceptions are like a magic city. The mental formations are like the stem of a banana tree. The consciousness is like a magic show. That is what the Buddha has taught.

19. Ignorance does not make ignorance ignorant, nor does it make others ignorant. Another does not make ignorance ignorant. Nevertheless ignorance is not non-existent.

20. Ignorance is born from inappropriate attention. Inappropriate attention arises in the ignorant person.

21. Merit, lack of merit and immovability; these formations are imagined in a threefold way. All things have three kinds of karma and these karma’s are not compatible with each other.

18/12/2011 Dharma Happiness December 22nd, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Chanting, Paramartha Gathas, yogacara

December 18, 2011. 117-minute dharma talk from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the eight talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

We learn of a new prayer that Thay has been working on for the past several months. It is called Prayer for the Pure Mother Earth but the full text is not available yet. We also learn a new chant. A teaching on happiness and joy is illustrated through several stories on bread making, soybean collecting, walking under the moon, getting teeth removed, washing clothes, sewing.

At 49:45 minutes, we resume Paramarthah Gathas of Asanga’s Yogacarabhumi sutra study at Gatha 22-25.

22. The present disintegrates immediately. The past does not remain anywhere. The unborn depends on conditions to be born. The mind evolves in accordance with the three times.

23. In absolute terms there is association or disassociation. Whether mind is associated or not associated with all formations, it is said to evolve accordingly.

24. in this stream there is no ending, no same and no different. Everything is in accord with the view of a separate self resulting from the relative truth and it is not inexistent.

25. If our physical form is subject to destruction, then our psychological form is also subject to destruction; still it is said that in this life we lay down the cause and in the next life we enjoy the fruit.

21/12/2011 The Revolution of Buddhism December 23rd, 2011 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, cause, effect, First Noble Truth, Noble Eightfold Path, Paramartha Gathas, science, yogacara

December 21, 2011. 97-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village, France. This is the ninth talk offered in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation.

We begin with the First Noble Truth. Why did the Buddha begin with suffering. Suffering and happiness are rooted in our own mind and are two sides of the same coin. With the Second Noble Truth, the Buddha saw the cause of suffering. From here we have the Noble Eightfold Path. It starts with Right Thinking. Suffering or not suffering all begins with our mind. It is not because of the environment. We need to have peace inside of us first before we can change (see!) the outer environment. This is the revolution of Buddhism. This is important for the social activist.

We resume the sutra study at 53-minutes with Gatha 26-29.

26. Because of the difference between previous and present life and because the cause is found in the effect, we do not say that the one who acts and the one who enjoys the fruit of the action are different from each other.

27. Because the process of cause (and effect) is uninterrupted the process of action is due to completion. These two processes contain their own cause and also the object of the action.

28. When the cause is the delight in the proliferation of ideas then there is action that is wholesome or unwholesome. With the ripening of all the seeds comes a desired or undesired fruit.

29. Relying on the ripening of seeds, the view of self arises. At that point there is a recognition of an inner knower which is formless and invisible.

The next dharma talk will be our annual Christmas Eve talk on the topic of God Can Be a Person.

24/12/2011 God Can Be A Person December 24th, 2011 . Posted in Christianity, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, bodhisattva, Christianity, Christmas, clouds, duality, earth, God, Jesus, science, waves

December 24, 2011. 105-minute dharma talk and chanting with Thich Nhat Hanh as he gives the annual Christmas Eve talk from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat and this is the first talk in English. The talk was also enjoyed by over 550 people live via the Internet.

The practice of Plum Village is “I Have Arrived. I am Home.” We can breathe in a feel alive right here and now. We stop all our thinking and focus our mind on our in breath and get established in the here and the now. Mindfulness is a kind of light to know what is happening in the present moment. With mindfulness we can become a Saint, a Buddha, a Bodhisattva . With this light. One day science will be able to measure the type of energy created by mindfulness practice. The collective energy of everyone. We can send waves of mindfulness, compassion and peace, we create interference and enhance the energy of everyone. All of us are looking for our true home. We may only feel happy when we are home. Our practice is to go home in every moment. Breathe and you are alive. Many of us have succeeded in that practice. When we do this, we also become the home for other people.

When we practice like this, we may get in touch with planet Earth. In Plum Village we look at the planet Earth as a bodhisattva. You do not have to be a person to be a bodhisattva. Everything has a buddha nature. During walking meditation, we may see that the Earth is the most beautiful bodhisattva. Patience, stability, creativity, and love – these are some of the qualities of this bodhisattva. We are a part of her. With mindfulness of walking and breathing, we can connect with our body. Your healing must go together with the healing of the planet earth. The earth is not our environment, the earth is us.

We have spoken about two kinds of vertical theology and the horizontal theology. With vertical, we try to get in touch with the absolute; the ultimate dimension of reality. When cannot arrive in our true home without touching this ultimate reality; we have to touch God. What are we? Where do we come from? We want to know our true nature.

In the Christian tradition, we learn that Jesus is the Son of God. It means that through Jesus you can touch the Ultimate Dimension, the ultimate reality, the ground of being, the almighty. We also learn that Jesus is the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, he belongs to the historical dimension where there is being and non-being, birth and death, sameness and otherness, good and evil. Notions that make us suffer. These can the foundation of our fear, anxiety, and suffering. But Jesus is not only the Son of Man, he is also the Son of God. If we get in touch with Jesus deeply enough, then we can see this ultimate dimension. We have to see Jesus as both. In the Buddhist tradition, it is very clear that everyone belongs to the historical dimension and we also belong to the ultimate dimension. This is our nature and we can learn to transcend our notions.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

28/12/2011 Appease the Suffering January 4th, 2012 . Posted in Noble Eightfold Path, Plum Village, SufferingTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Emptiness, Happiness, Noble Eightfold Path, Peace Treaty, Right Thinking, Right View, suffering, Three Doors of Liberation

December 28, 2011. 105-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet, Plum Village. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat and this is talk was given in French with English translation provided by Sister Pine.

Thay teaches on the Noble Eightfold Path, and how concrete practices can help us to cultivate this path. “Thought can make us suffer; we need to be able to stop our thinking in order to be capable of happiness. If we look at the sun but cannot get deeply in touch with it in the present moment, we only see suffering, we cannot see all the conditions of happiness that are already present. If you can see all thoughts just as notions, you can penetrate the reality of no-birth and no-death.”

Right View And it’s relationship to Concentration and the practice of Mindfulness. Right Thinking is characterized by non-discrimination. We also learn of the three practices of concentration (Three Doors of Liberation) present in all Buddhist traditions: emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness. He also teaches on the nature of karma (body, speech, and mind) – Right Action and Right Livelihood. Finally, the four practices of Right Diligence.

31/12/2011 Foundation for a Cosmic Religion January 5th, 2012 . Posted in Plum VillageTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Five Skandhas, Four Noble Truths, Right View

December 31, 2011. 97-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat and this is talk was given in English on New Year’s Eve.

Let’s visualize the new year coming as a giant bird; coming from the far east and traveling west. We are going somewhere; where are we going? When mindfulness and concentration are present, then we can gain insight to not be carried away by afflictions. The practice of mindfulness can help us enjoy life deeply and also help us to handle difficult emotions and feelings.

The Four Noble Truths and Right View for the transformation of suffering. The science of no birth and no death. The energy of thought and action.

The earth as bodhisattva. Freshness. This year we have an opportunity to continue our experiments, experiments with our insight, particularly as it relates to science. In 2012, we can lay the foundation for a cosmic religion (Einstein reference). The scientists and us can do this together.

There is no soul. No self. There are only the five Skandhas (aggregates) – body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, conciousness. But these do continue in other forms.

Editors Note: some periods of silence exist in audio, but the listener is not missing any part of the talk.

04/01/2012 Applied Mindfulness of Breathing January 12th, 2012 . Posted in Applied Ethics, Plum Village, RetreatsTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Applied Ethics, Breathing, children, death, depression, education, students, suicide, teachers, teaching

January 4, 2012. 102-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, but within that retreat is the 6-day Applied Ethics and Teachers Retreat. This talk is given in English. During the past six days we have practiced together as educators.

We begin with a teaching on the first eight steps of the Sutra on Mindful Breathing. Belly breathing. Rising and falling of the abdomen. We are much more than one emotion and with this practice we can realize this.

Thay continues (at 1:03) to share about the practices of loving speech and deep listening. Many of us suffer from our family relationships. If we can master these practices, we can transmit to our students and help them.
He also shares (at 1:25) the practice of how to die happily and peacefully.

08/01/2012 The View of a Self January 16th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, yogacara

January 8, 2012. 75-minute dharma talk from New Hamlet of Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

After a teaching on the nature of suffering, Thay continues the sutra study begins (at 34-minutes) with gatha 29-33. We are studying the Paramartha Gathas, from the Yogacarabhumi Sastra of Asanga. This is the tenth talk on this sutra, the last one being on December 21, 2011.

12/01/2012 The Product of Happiness January 17th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, Happiness, yogacara

January 12, 2012. 108-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong.

Suffering

Happiness is something that we need to produce. Suffering is part of this producing. Suffering and happiness are one. We can discover happiness every day by being in touch. See the moon. See the flowers. We can use the second mantra. I know you are there and it makes me happy. We also learn the other four mantras of Plum Village. In this section of the talk, we also learn about the three different kinds of feelings.

We continue the sutra study (@ 72-minutes) with gatha 34-36. We are studying the Paramartha Gathas, from the Yogacarabhumi Sastra of Asanga. This is the eleventh talk on this sutra.

15/01/2012 The Stream of Our Ancestors January 21st, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, acceptance, anilihism, Asanga, impermanence, judgement, self, yogacara

January 15, 2012. 94-minute dharma talk from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan KhongIn Plum Village we have a gatha, a short poem of practice, that we can use when walking and breathing. It is an art and it can bring us peace.

The Buddha is breathing.

The Buddha is sitting.

Don’t try to look outside yourself. There is no separate self, there are only the five Skandhas: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and conciousness. All our suffering is based in this idea of a separate self.

I accept myself and I am a part of the stream of my ancestors. I accept this stream. We can go together, thanks to mindfulness, we can recieve these qualities both good and bad. We don’t judge ourselves harshly. We accept, and we apply this to other people as well.

We continue the sutra study (@ 56-minutes) with gatha 38-41. We are studying the Paramartha Gathas, from the Yogacarabhumi Sastra of Asanga. This is the twelfth talk on this sutra.

19/01/2012 Letting Go and Nirvana January 26th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, death, nirvana, Paramartha Gathas, perceptions, yogacara

January 19, 2012. 91-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation provided by Sr. Chan Khong. This is the last talk on the Paramartha Gathas we have been studying this winter retreat.

Breathing in, I smile to life. We are present to life. And closely related: I am of the nature to die. I cannot escape death. Many people also fear growing old. I am of the nature of growing old. I cannot escape old age. I am of the nature to be sick. I cannot escape sickness. We can look deeply at sickness, old age, and death. We should also let go of all our titles, money, degrees, family, etc. Then when it’s time to die, you can go easily. The fruit of my thinking, speaking, and action is what will continue. Birth and death. Past. Present. Future. Nirvana is in life. In affliction.

We complete the sutra study (@ 52-minutes) with the last few gathas.

26/01/2012 A Peaceful River January 31st, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Amit?bha, Mahayana, Pure land, suicide, Theravada

January 26, 2012. 105-minute dharma talk from New Hamlet of Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation.

We have learned that birth and death are nirvana. There is nothing separate. The river of life can either be nourishing or less nourishing depending on the inputs. We also have outputs. A river will also continue. It cannot die, so we need be in a way to make life more beautiful. We don’t have to aim at anything – aimlessness. This is the first door of liberation. We are already what we are searching for. With that deep vision, the river can run peacefully.

Today we begin a new text, Praising the Buddha of Light. Amit?bha Buddha. With each renewal of a text, what we’re doing here, we have to reflect back to the original. There are also texts in the Mahayana tradition that were written hundreds of years after the Buddha. Sometimes of these later texts are even more profound (such as the Avata?saka sutra). Thay talks about how Buddhism is different depending on the country and the time. Pure land is in your heart. You are of the nature of Amitabha. Every living being has a Buddhanature.

29/01/2012 Removing the Net of Doubt February 7th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Asanga, doubt, Paramartha Gathas, yogacara

January 29, 2012. 101-minute dharma talk from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation by Sister Chan Khong. French and Vietnamese versions are also available.

Practicing mindfulness the whole day long. We are kind of like a big power plant producing mindfulness all day. There are five kinds of power. The first one is faith. The opposite of faith is doubt. The faith comes from your living experience. This year our parallel sentence includes “Removing the Net of Doubt” with the other side being “Lighting the Torch of Wisdom.” this comes from your deep vision. Insight. But remember, no suffering, no enlightenment. The second power is vision. The flash of vision must be continuous so it can transform into action. Keep steady throughout the day. The architecture of suchness. We can use the three doors of liberation. With diligence we can maintain the third power: concentration. We practice appropriate attention.

In this talk we also return to the Paramartha Gathas we’ve been studying most of the winter retreat. Thay discusses different types of science as It relates to the teachings of the patriarchs. We can use out knowledge to compare and understand better. If you have been listening this winter, and you have some insight, please write to us so we can prepare for the 21-Day Retreat on the topic of science of the Buddha.

02/02/2012 The Atom of you Consciousness February 11th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: atom, Dign?ga, mantra, perception, signlessness

February 2, 2012. 82-minute dharma talk from Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation by Sister Chan Khong. You may also listen to the Vietnamese or French versions.

I am here for you. This is a mantra of love. This is also taking care of yourself. If we can’t do this – our own presence – we can’t be there for another person. Invite yourself to be fresh. We entrust ourselves to the sangha. We don’t try to hide our weaknesses.

At 25-minutes, we begin looking at a sutra. Thay provides instruction, corrections, and analysis of Dign?ga’s sutra, a student of Vassubandhu’s, also of the Yogacara school. Buddhist logic. [I didn’t get the name of the actual text, but will add when I do.] The object of our Conciousness. We can only see the object, not the the smallest elements – dust, atom.

05/02/2012 The Perception of Images February 13th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, RetreatsTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, atom, Dignaga, mantra, perception, Sangha, signlessness

February 5, 2012. 92-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation. You may also listen to the French version.

In each of us we find an object to cover emptiness inside of us. We are like a pot without a lid, and we search for a lid thinking it will help us. As a baby we cried. Part of the reason for crying arises from fear. This fear comes into adulthood with us. We should reflect, use mindfulness, to realize we are no longer a baby. Our first mantra, I am here for you, it starts with ourselves. Being present for ourselves, what does that mean? Body and mind connects to recognize the miracles of life. We are an adult we can use out mindfulness to be present and let go of our fear. We can take refuge in the three jewels: the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha.

At 38-minutes we continue studying Dignaga’s Alambana-pariksa shastra, begun on February 2 dharma talk, with the third and fourth gatha. The things we see, they contain the four basic substances. When the atom comes together, it manifests these elements. Harmonizes. They are not only the production of conciousness, but the real thing. Fourth gatha. Images perceived. They are not something real. The accumulation of atoms are not different with the different sizes of the objects. For example, a dot can be made into a circle or into a square. The object is only a mental construction. This relates to the “universal” and the “particular” and their Interbeing. The images that we perceive in various forms are not real, but only a conventional designation.

09/02/2012 Subject and Object of Perception Produce Each Other February 15th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, SutraTags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, atom, bodhisattva, Diamond Sutra, Dignaga, invoking

February 9, 2012. 60-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation. A French translation is also available.

How do we invoke the Buddha’s name? Taking refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Buddha in myself.We must be skillful. This is a deep practice, and how to practice to let the bodhisattva (great being) do everything for us, not just the sattva (living being): when we invoke the name of the Buddha or the bodhisattva in this way, we live fully in each moment. Calling the name and visualizing are the two methods for invoking. We call the name, touch the earth, visualize. There is a connection that is very close. We have the seed of enlightenment. Even listening to a dharma talk can be invoking if we have mindfulness, concentration, and insight. In fact, we can apply this to all our activities.

At 28-minutes, Thay continues to teach the current shastra, or commentary, that we are studying, Dignaga’s ?lambana-par?k??, discussing substantialism, the nature of svabhava, and realism. Thay summarizes the verses of the shastra up until this talk, starting with the first verse.

“Subject and object of perception produce each other; they do not manifest separately, just as the back cannot be without the front: you cannot remove the back without also removing the front. If you are sad, you are sad about something. There cannot be sadness about nothing. So we see that subject and object inter are, they have produced each other, and they may manifest at the same time.”

12/02/2012 Making Peace with Ourselves February 17th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, bija, Breathing, consciousness, Dignaga, seeds, suicide

February 12, 2012. 79-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation. A French translation is also available.

Learning to connect with oneself. In Plum Village, our practice is simple. First, we learn how to breathe. We can start to connect with ourselves through the in-breath. The in breath is us. If you practice, the quality will improve. More gentle. More light. We use a gatha: In. Out. Deep. Slow. Calm. Ease. Smile. Release. Present moment. Wonderful moment.

Working with feelings through our breath is also possible. This is taught in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. Practicing means taking care of our body and our mind. We have the five Skandhas. There is still suffering alongside the well being, but we can be harmony with ourselves. Make peace with ourselves. We don’t need to commit suicide.

At 21-minutes we resume the sutra study of “Alambanapariksha and Vrtti” with gatha #7. Last time we talked of the image of perception. The subject and the object take refuge in each other; like the right and the left. We call this Interbeing (in science this is called Entanglement). They must manifest at the same time and serve as conditions to each other. Thay then teaches the six characteristics of bija (seeds).

16/02/2012 Mindfulness as Electricity February 19th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Sutra

Tags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, Dignaga

February 16, 2012. 80-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation. A French translation is also available.

If our body is like a computer, then mindfulness is a source of electricity. We need to keep mindfulness on. The practice of Plum Village is being truly present. Be in touch with the miracles of life and know of the suffering. We need to take care of our garden and our garden is the Fve Skandhas. Using the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, we can create joy and happiness four ourselves and others. Thay teaches the first eight.

At 24-minutes we look at the 8th gatha of The Treatise on the Objects of Cognition (?lambana-parake) by Dignaga. Energy. Force fields. Electrons. Is the ultimate reality like a force field? Bija (seeds).

19/02/2012 The Real Kung Fu February 21st, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2011-2012 Winter Retreat, monastic, reconciliation, Sangha, suffering, Vietnam, war

February 19, 2012. 58-minute dharma talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The sangha is in the 2011-2012 Winter Retreat. The talk is given in Vietnamese with English translation. A French translation is also available. This is the last dharma talk for the Winter Retreat.

We recognize the great happiness associated with spending three months together in practice. We also know people can practice at home and participate by listening online to the talks. This retreat goes all the way back to the time of the Buddha. If Thay is still in good health, maybe we extend to four months next year.

We can find joy and happiness with sitting, walking, eating. Every step and every breath is like a jewel. A jewel found in your heart. This is real kung fu – the regular, daily practice, training. The time for sitting is a time for training. Train to touch the joy. Our duty is to practice together, even if we have difficulties and suffering. We try to heal these together, even if it deep down in our store conciousness. The worldly way is to dig down and pull out this suffering and destroy in order to be healed. Sometime we can practice differently – we can lullaby them as sleeping seeds; we don’t need to pull them out. We can water with the beautiful things of life. Thay shares his great suffering of being exciled from his homeland and how he transformed. Slowly Thay learned to feel at home wherever he is – everywhere is my homeland.

Story of a lay practitioner asking Thay if he has any dream to complete before he dies? Thay does not desire anything – everything already exists right here now. When Thay was a young monk he had a dream of a fourfold sangha that could practice together. Thay continues sharing stories of being in Vietnam during the war and reconciliation.

18/03/2012 Quesstions About Global Climate Change March 22nd, 2012 . Posted in Basic Practices, Day of Mindfulness, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Plum Village

Tags: climate change, consumption, earth, Five Mindfulness Trainings, global warming, monastic, planet

March 18, 2012. 70-minute talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. It is a rainy day today and we hear responses to a series of questions presented by a magazine in the UK on the topic of climate change and global warming.

1. Do you believe humans can avoid a global ecological collapse, or are we driving ourselves towards one?

2. The urban population across the world is growing. What if anything is lost by our increasing switch towards being an urban species?

3.Are we a vulnerable species or one still in control of our destiny?

4. There is strong support for engineered solutions to our ecological problems, for example reflecting the sun’s rays, sucking up carbon emissions, or lab-grown meat. Is this the right approach for us to be taking?

5. Most of us in the West are still attached to a high-consumption lifestyle. We like to buy new and exciting things. Is there a strong enough alternative lifestyle out there that can convince us to leave this high-consumption lifestyle we have?

6. Have we found a new narrative, one that can help us learn to live more sustainably before it is too late?

7. What is the hardest part of the lifestyle you have chosen to live, and how do you attract young people to follow?

8.Can we strive for financial and spiritual contentment, or are they mutually exclusive?

9. Most environmentalists narrow down the problems we face into two issues: overconsumption and overpopulation. Where do you stand?

22/03/2012 “Breathing in” Is not Just for Beginners March 30th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village

Tags: birth, Chanting, death, Emptiness, Interbeing, present moment

March 22, 2012. 80-minute talk from New Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The talk is given in English. We begin with 4-minutes of chanting in Vietnamese.

In Plum Village, our practice is to always go back to the present moment. We do this in many ways, like mindful breathing and mindful walking. Simple, but very important practices. We have the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing is one of the most important sutras. In this talk we review the first six exercises.

When going through a difficult situation can be supported with these practices. It can be your second body. That is the Buddha.

Thay briefly discusses the Abidhamma literature – super dharma. Stick to the sutras and what they stay and don’t venture into metaphysical speculation.

Though past, present, and future look different, they are actually the same.

They are ideas. Notions. This is Interbeing.

Nothing is born. From nothing you cannot create something. This removes the notion of creation. This is something stated by science. This is the product of the intellect and is equivant to our idea of no birth and no death. Nothing has a separate existence.

“Breathing In” is not just for beginners. It is the most wonderful thing to do.

25/03/2012 Communication and the Mind March 30th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village, Suffering

Tags: Breathing, communication, government, suffering, taxes, thinking, Vietnam

March 25, 2012. 110-minute talk from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village, France. The talk is given in English. We begin with 10-minutes of chanting in Vietnamese and French.

Communication. We trust to much in our instruments of communication – mobile phone, email Skype, etc. Behind the instruments is our mind, and the question to ask is whether you can communicate with yourself. Many of us are angry or don’t respect ourselves. It is a mess inside. In that situation, how can we communicate with another person?

In Plum Village, we try to teach you how to come back to yourself. We learn to breath in mindfulness. We learn to eat in mindfulness. We learn to walk in mindfulness. We connect with our body and our mind. We need to let go our thinking – the practice of non-thinking.

Related to our suffering and being connected to our body is our consumption. We read a book, listen to music, drive the car, etc. We look to consumption to help us forget the pain their ourselves. Again, learning mindful breathing and walking we can gain the energy of mindfulness and be able to look at the pain and the sorrow. If you have mindfulness, you are no longer afraid.

Mindfulness is generated from your practice. And when we are together, we can generate collective mindfulness.

At 56-minutes, the talk switch to Vietnamese with English translation. [Editors Note: a group of Vietnamese exchange students were up for the day and Thay responded to some questions.] Questions about personal relationships, relationship with Vietnam and the Vietnamese government, ethics and relationship to the government.

29/03/2012 True Peace and Happiness April 1st, 2012 . Posted in Basic Practices, Public Talk

Tags: Breathing, London, UK and Ireland Tour

March 29, 2012. 73-minute talk from the Royal Festival Hall in London, England. The sangha is on a tour of the United Kingdom and this is the first public event. The recording here is the main talk of the evening activities.

We focus our attention on our breath. One in-breath is enough to bring enlightenment. The teaching is from the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing – we look at the first eight exercises.

Near the end, a few questions are taken from the audience. (1) When you live in the here and now, do you actually forget the past? (2) How do you resolve someone pushing in front of you on the Tube? (3) How can I practice with pain I have caused someone in the past? (4) How do you practice with forgiveness?

30/03/2012 Orientation for Teachers’ Retreat April 2nd, 2012 . Posted in Applied Ethics, Basic Practices, Breathing, Eating Meditation, Listening, Retreats, Suffering, Walking

Tags: Applied Ethics, education, Educators’ Retreat, London, UK and Ireland Tour

March 30, 2012. 64-minute dharma talk and orientation by Thich Nhat Hanh from The American School in London. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is the orientation for the Educators’ Retreat: An Exploration of Mindful Education. A video version may also be available.

We begin by learning about suffering. We begin with transforming our own personal suffering, followed by the suffering in the family, and finally the suffering in the classroom. The remainder of the talk focuses on the basic practices of breathing, walking, listening to the bell, and mindful eating.

31/03/2012 Taking Care of the Teacher April 2nd, 2012 . Posted in Applied Ethics, Retreats

Tags: Applied Ethics, children, education, Educators’ Retreat, English language, London, teachers, UK and Ireland Tour

March 31, 2012. 53-minute dharma talk given at The American School in London by two senior dharma teachers. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is part two of the Educators’ Retreat: An Exploration of Mindful Education. Normally this site would only post talks given by Thich Nhat Hanh, but in this case we are posting a retreat series and the talk is given by Chan Chau Nghiem (Sr. Jewel) and Thay Phap Dung. The talk focuses on how to take care of the teacher and this results in taking care of the student in the classroom. A video version may also be available.

01/04/2012 Happy Teachers will Change the World April 3rd, 2012 . Posted in Applied Ethics, Retreats, Walking

Tags: Applied Ethics, children, education, Educators’ Retreat, English language, London, power, teachers, Three Doors of Liberation, UK and Ireland Tour

April 1, 2012. 67-minute dharma talk given at The American School in London by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is part three of the Educators’ Retreat: An Exploration of Mindful Education. The first few minutes the audio is bad but then improves.

In this talk we learn about being present through mindfully eating a tangerine – it is a spiritual experience. Why is this important? Happy teachers will change the world. Invest in every breath, every step to have more peace and more concentration. The three kinds of power can help you. First is the power to understand. The second power is love. And the third is to let go. The classroom can be a second chance for a suffering child to learn about love. The last segment of the talk is on walking meditation.

02/04/2012 Applying Buddhist Teachings in the Classroom April 5th, 2012 . Posted in Applied Buddhism, Applied Ethics, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Retreat

Tags: Applied Ethics, children, concentration, education, Educators’ Retreat, English language, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Insight, Interbeing, London, mindfulness, non-discrimination, teachers, UK and Ireland Tour

April 2, 2012. 115-minute dharma talk given at The American School in London by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is part four (and final part) of the Educators’ Retreat: An Exploration of Mindful Education.

Memorizing gathas to help us establish mindfulness. There are four domains of mindfulness: body, feelings, mental formations, and objects of mind. Mindfulness can help us be together in these four realms. Once we have established mindfulness, we can have concentration. The final kind of energy is insight – this can liberate you from your fear. This is not the product of your thinking, it is the insight of Interbeing. True education should be based in this insight of Interbeing.

In order to see things, we need an organ (for example, the nose to receive oder). The organ of thinking it is called manas, and there is a lot of mis-perception in this organ. For example, the view of a separate self – this is at the base of all our complexes (inferiority, superiority, and equality). We can use mindfulness to gain the insight of non-discrimination. In the field of education, it is the same thing. The happiness of the students is the happiness of the teacher. We need non-discrimination to enjoy the teaching and the learning.

In the teaching of the four noble truths, the first truth is there is suffering. In education, the first thing we should do is identify the suffering and acknowledge it to each other. We have to see the truth so that real change can happen through a collective awakening. Thay continues with the application of the second, third, and fourth noble truth in our lives.

We learn about what is meant by sangha and how it can be applied to the community of teachers. What is suffering and why is it important? The last part of the talk looks closely at the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

Happy teachers will know how to generate understanding and love that will help the younger generation change the world.

05/04/2012 A Cultivated Mind Can Bring Happiness April 9th, 2012 . Posted in Basic Practices, Breathing, Eating Meditation, Listening, Retreat

Tags: Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat, English, Happiness, non-discrimination, UK and Ireland Tour, University of Nottingham

April 5, 2012. 125-minute dharma talk given at The University of Nottingham by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is orientation for the Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat.

We begin with an introduction to chanting. By recognizing the suffering in ourselves and the world, we can gain understanding and compassion. The Avalokiteshvara chant begins about 23-minutes into the recording.

About 46-minutes into the recording, a short dharma talk is given by Thay. A cultivated mind can bring a lot of happiness. This is the practice that can transform the suffering. How do we cultivate? Awareness of breathing is a form of enlightenment. We are practicing to come back to the here and now. Following this talk, the monastics (Brother Phap Ung and Brother Phap Lai) continue with some of the basic practices such as listening to the sound of the bell, eating, noble silence, and listening to dharma talks.

06/04/2012 Cultivating Happiness with a Bell April 10th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Children, Retreats

Tags: Breathing, Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat, English, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, UK and Ireland Tour, University of Nottingham

April 6, 2012. 115-minute dharma talk given at The University of Nottingham by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is the first dharma talk for the Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat. The recording begins with a couple of practice songs before Thay enters the meditation hall followed by 10-minutes of chanting.

At 18-minutes into the recording, Thay gives a talk for the children present at the retreat. Cultivating happiness. We begin with a story of a teacher who implements coming back to oneself in the classroom by breathing and resting together. The practice helped the students and teacher in the classroom. The teacher used a bell in a classroom, so Thay teaches us about inviting the bell and how to be a bell master.

At 56-minutes into the recording, we begin the primary talk. The focus of our talk is on mindful breathing. This has to do with our suffering and our happiness. Exercise #5, from the Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, is cultivating joy, followed by #6 on cultivating happiness and #7 is to recognize a painful feeling and #8 is calming the painful feeling.

07/04/2012 Hands Practicing Non-Violence April 12th, 2012 . Posted in Children, Happiness, Retreats

Tags: birth, Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat, death, Emptiness, English, flower, Interbeing, non-discrimination, UK and Ireland Tour, University of Nottingham

April 7, 2012. 130-minute recording given at The University of Nottingham by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is second dharma talk for the Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat. We begin with the new chant by Br. Phap Linh called “Praising the Three Jewels,” followed by a short talk for the children. The main talk begins at 54-minutes into the recording.

Flower Fresh. Breathing in, I see myself as a flower. Breathing out, I feel fresh and I smile. The whole body of a child is a flower. We are all flowers in the garden of humanity. With meditation, we can keep our flowerness for a long time. Thay teaches us how to offer each other a greeting in mindfulness by offering each other a lotus flower.

“I don’t think that the Buddha is outside of me. He is inside of me. Because I got a lot from the Buddha, I learn a lot of the Dharma, if I have compassion, understanding and non-discrimination, that’s thanks to the Buddha, so the Buddha is in me. And my hand also contains the hand of the Buddha. This hand has been practising non-violence. My two hands have not for a long time harmed any living beings. They practise protecting life, not killing. There is a compassion, there is love in my two hands. So I know the Buddha is in my two hands. So every time I want the Buddha to touch me, that is easy. I just put my hand here and I see the hand of the Buddha touching me, it’s wonderful. Now you might like to try.”

The most tricky word is “to be” because nothing can be itself alone. Everything is composed of everything else. Interbeing. This is because that is. This is the foundation of Buddhist ethics. Both The Five- and Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings are grounded in this concept of Interbeing. Birth. Death. Being. Nonbeing.

Thay outlines some important aspects and teachings from the five mindfulness Trainings. In particular, the fourth training on loving speech and deep listening.

08/04/2012 Repairing the Past April 13th, 2012 . Posted in Children, Noble Eightfold Path, Retreat

Tags: Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat, English, mantra, Noble Eightfold Path, pepple meditation, UK and Ireland Tour, University of Nottingham

April 8, 2012. 115-minute recording given at The University of Nottingham by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is third dharma talk for the Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat. We begin with Br. Phap Trien singing with the children, Sr. Chan Khong sharing about the Thich Nhat Hanh Continuation Fund (UK Donation, US Donation), monks and nuns chanting “From the Depths of Understanding” and then a short talk for the children on people meditation and the first mantra. The main talk begins at 55-minutes into the recording.

With the three kinds of energies – mindfulness, concentration, and insight – we can produce Right View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action (karma), Right Livelihood, and Right Diligence. The Noble Eightfold Path.

What if yesterday I have produced a thought of hate, and I had the intention to punish? Is it too late, because I produced that thought yesterday, you may ask? It’s not good to produce such a thought. Because it is going on now. It is your continuation. And that is not a beautiful continuation. You don’t want to be continued like that. So today, looking back, I regret that I have produced such a thought of anger, hate, and what should I do? So the practice is to sit down and breathe and produce a thought of the opposite nature, a thought of non-discrimination, a thought of compassion, understanding, and as soon as the new thought is produced, full of understanding and love, that thought will catch up very easily with the other thought, and neutralise it. Right away. Because the nature of our thought is nonlocal. It doesn’t have to travel much, it can catch up the thought of yesterday very easily, and you can neutralise it. Everything comes from the mind. So it is possible to repair the past. The past is still available. And if you are established in the here and the now, you have the opportunity to repair the past. Even if our parents have done something regrettable, even if our ancestors had done something regrettable, the past is still there, and we continue to suffer, and our ancestors continue in us to suffer. So with the Dharma, with the practice, we sit down and we embrace that, and produce the kind of thought, of compassion, understanding, that can neutralise what was wrong, wrongly done in the past. It is possible. It liberates us, and liberates our parents and ancestors. This is possible. Our ancestors expect us to do that. It is nice to encounter the teaching and the practice, and with that practice, we can change the past. And of course, change the future.

09/04/2012 Nottingham Retreat: Question and Answer Session April 14th, 2012 . Posted in Children, Retreats

Tags: Applied Ethics, Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat, dreams, English, mind, suicide, UK and Ireland Tour, University of Nottingham

April 9, 2012. 118-minute recording given at The University of Nottingham by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is the question and answer session for the Cultivating Happiness Family Retreat. After the monastics do chanting, the questions begin about 12-minutes into the recording. A good question can help many people, so we should ask a question of the heart.

Questions from the children

If feels as if my mother treats my brother better than me; how can I make it feel fair?

Have you ever hurt someone on purpose?

Where do get ideas for your books?

When you started learning meditation, did you suffer?

What is it like in Plum Village?

From your point of view, why is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?

Questions from teens and adults.

Do you have a special object?

What are the benefits of being a monk?

What are your views on assisted suicide?

Is there a difference between engaged Buddhism and applied Buddhism?

What is consciousness? Mind?

How can I build confidence without external substances?

How do I help a family with four children whose father committed suicide?

What is the importance of dreams?

What is the role of competition within mindfulness?

How can we be free in our thinking?

11/04/2012 Cooling the Flames in Dublin April 18th, 2012 . Posted in Basic Practices, Breathing, Compassion, Public Talk

Tags: Chanting, English, UK and Ireland Tour

April 11, 2012. 160-minute recording given at he Dublin Convention Centre by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is the public talk in Ireland. Though it has been over twenty years, this is Thay’s second trip to Ireland. The recording begins with singing and a guided meditation led by monastics.

At 23-minutes into the recording, Thay gives an introduction to chanting. With compassion and love, we can be a happy person. How can we generate understanding and love as energies? They can be generated by a spiritual practice, a spiritual dimension. A nation can do the same. We have to learn how to handle our own suffering. Suffering within ourselves and in the world. The monastics have learned to generate compassion by chanting the name of Avalokiteshvara. We listen to the chant 43-minutes into the recording.

The main talk begins at 1:04 into the recording. Mindfulness is an energy for our practice. We can begin with breathing and discover the conditions of happiness in the here and now. At the conclusion, about 2:13 into recording, there is a period of questions and answers.

12/04/2012 Ireland Retreat: Orientation April 24th, 2012 . Posted in Basic Practices, Eating Meditation, Listening, Retreats, Walking

Tags: Chanting, English, Ireland, Mindful Living Today, UK and Ireland Tour

April 12, 2012. 112-minute recording given at Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, Ireland by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is orientation for the Mindful Living Today retreat.

Everyone is capable of generating mindfulness. But many of are caught by the past or by the future – a kind of prison. Mindfulness can help us to be free an settle in here and now. There are simple practices to help us to touch mindfulness. In this retreat we will learn about mindful breathing and mindful walking. Mindfulness can be practiced any time in our daily life. One method of healing our suffering is through mindful chanting. Thay provides instruction on listening to the chant.

The monastics chant the name Avalokiteshvara (29:50). Following the chant, Thay leads the sangha in mindful movements and the talk resumes at 58:37.

Listening to the bell. Stopping our talking. Stopping our thinking. Calm our body. Releasing the tension in our body. Instruction for walking meditation. Eating meditation.

In the last 20-minutes, two monastic sisters give additional teachings on sitting and smiling.

13/04/2012 Being a Better Christian Through Meditation Being a Better Christian through Mindfulness
April 27th, 2012 . Posted in Bell Meditation, Breathing, Children, Christianity, RetreatsTags: Jesus, Mindful Living Today Retreat, Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, UK and Ireland Tour

April 13, 2012. 99-minute recording given at Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, Ireland by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is the first dharma talk for the Mindful Living Today retreat.

We begin with a teaching for the children on pepple meditation and inviting the bell.

We have the seed for the kingdom of God.

We need to learn how to make good use of our suffering. Happiness and suffering. We should not be afraid of suffering.

We need to recognize the kingdom of god in the here and now. The practice of mindfulness will help.

Finally, we can rediscover Jesus as a spiritual teacher. Learn to live like Jesus by using Buddhist meditation. The teaching of here and now is also in the gospel.

Working with strong emotions using your breath. We have sixteen exercises of mindful breathing. That teaches on the first 8-exercises.

14/04/2012 Inclusiveness is the Love of Jesus April 29th, 2012 . Posted in Christianity, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Retreats

Tags: Chanting, English, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Ireland, Jesus, mantra, Mindful Living Today Retreat, non-discrimination, UK and Ireland Tour

April 14, 2012. 95-minute recording given at Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, Ireland by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha is on the UK and Ireland Tour and this is the second dharma talk for the Mindful Living Today retreat.

We begin with a new chant with the inviting the bell and listening to the bell Gathas. The chant is accompanied by traditional flute.

To meditate means to have the time to be calm and to look deeply. Anyone can learn and teach meditation. Connecting with our mother, especially if she is still alive, and we can use the second mantra to be happy she is still alive. Don’t wait. Darling, I know you are there and I am so happy. We can use this with our loved ones. And for those without our mother, we can look for her in the palm of our hand. Thay then uses the hand to illustrate the wisdom of non-discrimination. If we meditate deeply we can learn this wisdom.

The first mindfulness training is about protecting life. A human is made of non-human elements. To protect the environment and other species is to protect ourselves. This is deep ecology. This is a deep practice.

The second mindfulness training is about true happiness. We have to change our idea about happiness. The third mindfulness training is about true love. Kindness. Compassion. Joy. Non-discrimination. We can reduce the suffering with true love. The fourth mindfulness training is about deep listening and loving speech. This training can open up new possibilities. It is a real peace process. How can we heal deep division? Thay provides specific instructions. Last, the fifth mindfulness training is about mindful consumption. The five trainings are not teory. It is very practical. It is the deep teaching of Jesus and the Buddha. We should keep our Christian roots and meditation can make our roots stronger.

29/04/2012 Creating a Spiritual Practice May 4th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: Breathing, Francophone, retreat, translation

April 29, 2012. 55-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh during the 12th annual Francophone Retreat. Thay says we have become a big family. The talk is given in French with English translation. This is the first dharma talk.

Creating a spiritual practice. Drinking tea is a spiritual practice. Becoming one with your in breath can create freedom; freedom from our worries, anxiety, etc. The things that make life difficult. You can touch the present moment with mindful breathing.

We can use our breathing to cultivate our spiritual practice. Our mindfulness. What is happening in the present moment.

Recognizing our breathing.

Following our breathing

We continue learning the next six exercises of mindful breathing.

30/04/2012 The Holiness of Mindfulness, Concentration, and Insight May 5th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: concentration, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Francophone, Insight, mindfulness, pepple meditation, translation

April 30, 2012. 90-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 12th annual Francophone Retreat. The talk is given in French with English translation. This is the second dharma talk.

We all have a spiritual body. We practice with our body as well as our mind. The body and the mind are together. Bhavana. To cultivate, produce. We need seeds, soil, water, etc. We want to cultivate the good seeds. Cultivate understanding and love. We use mindfulness. And mindfulness brings the energy of concentration. Then we arrive at the energy of insight. This is the Buddhanature.

Thay describes pepple meditation as a method to be truly present. Then we can use the mantra, Darling I here for you. In Plum Village, we also use the Five Mindfulness Trainings, the basis of which is Right View.

We continue with teachings on being, non-being, and the noble eightfold path.

02/05/2012 Mindfulness is a Source of Happiness May 7th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: consciousness, diligence, Francophone, manas, mind, psychology, translation

May 2, 2012. 94-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 12th annual Francophone Retreat. The talk is given in French with English translation. This is the third dharma talk.

Continuing with the idea of practice as the cultivation of our mind. We need to now how our mind operates to practice well. In Buddhist psychology we talk about seeds in our consciousness. We learn of our store consciousness and our mind consciousness.

The first role of mindfulness is simple recognition. If it is anger arising, we recognize the manifestation of anger. Secondly, we embrace the emotion non-violently.

Right Diligence. There are four aspects of right diligence. First, we organize things so the negative seeds don’t have the opportunity to be watered. Second, if negative seeds do arise then do something right away to invite good seeds to manifest. The third aspect is helping the good seeds to manifest. And the fourth is to try keeping good seeds present as long as possible.

More teaching on mind consciousness. Manas.

03/05/2012 Francophone Question & Answer May 8th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: Francophone, monastic, translation

May 3, 2012. 95-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 12th annual Francophone Retreat. The talk is given in French with English translation. This is a session of questions and answers. Before we begin, we are told about a new French translation of The Novice and also the 5-year monastic training program.

How can we practice when sadness takes over, especially when death is all around me?

How can I get out of the trap of the past? The shame of not being loved in my childhood.

How can I open my heart?

How do I take care of myself even though taking care of others brings happiness too?

How can I help young people who are addicted to online video games?

A question on sexual abuse and a lifetime of suffering. How to create healing and forgiveness?

How not to be overwhelmed by global warming crisis? Despair.

How can you help someone dying in suffering when the person has no faith?

What does it mean to live as a fourfold sangha?

04/05/2012 Mindfulness is a Source of Happiness May 9th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Noble Eightfold Path, Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: Breathing, Four Noble Truths, Francophone, translation

May 4, 2012. 92-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 12th annual Francophone Retreat. The talk is given in French with English translation. This is the final dharma talk.

We begin with a teaching on the Four Noble Truths and the noble eightfold path. We spend quite a bit of time on Right Concentration. A review of the exercises of mindful breathing is included. As part of these teachings, we learn of birth and death. being and non-being. Three Doors of Liberation.

19/04/2012 Discourse on Happiness May 14th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Happiness, Plum Village

Tags: clouds, Discourse on Happiness, dreams, Happiness, tofu

April 19, 2012. 65-minute recording given at Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. The sangha has just returned from the UK and Ireland Tour and this is a Day of Mindfulness for the sangha. We begin with chanting followed by the dharma talk. Thay gives a short teaching on the first two verses of the Discourse on Happiness. “Spring is a messenger” Thay says. Thay talks about dreaming, having a path and making tofu.

22/04/2012 The Past, Present, and Future May 15th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village

April 22, 2012. 63-minute recording given at New Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness and the monastics begin with two chants.

Every step we take can bring freedom. Can scientists analyze and measure this freedom? We should also work to bring freedom to our anxiety. Can scientists analyze and measure our in-breath as it relates to freedom?

A teaching on the past, present, and future. How do we describe time?

26/04/2012 Where is Plum Village? May 15th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village, Sutra

Tags: Diamond Sutra, ecology, suffering

April 26, 2012. 69-minute recording given at Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness and the monastics begin with two chants.

This year is 30th anniversary of Plum Village. Where is Plum Village? We may have wrong perceptions about where it is. The Diamond Sutra is an important text in our tradition. It is the diamond that can cut through illusion. We need to remove all notions. The notions of self, man, living being, and life span.

10/05/2012 The Practice of Plum Village May 18th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village

Tags: dharma seals, dharma teachers, freedom, kn, Past, ripening, therapy, truth

May 10, 2012. 103-minute recording given at New Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness and the monastics begin with two chants.

The practice of Plum Village is Applied Buddhism. It is characterized by the four dharma seals.

I have arrived. I am home.

Go as a river.<br
The Interbeing of truth and time.

Continuous ripening.

Thay teaches what each of these dharma seals mean and how we can practice with them.

13/05/2012 The Noble Truths of Nourishment May 20th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: consumption, depression, eating, Four Kinds of Nutriments, Four Noble Truths, French, health, Health Retreat

May 13, 2012. 76-minute recording given at Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the first talk given during the Health Retreat and the talk was given in French. This recording is the English translation.

Listen, Listen to this sound of the bell. Every breath is a pleasure. Mindfulness. Concentration. Insight.

Thay talks about the relationship between food and the four noble truths and explains the four types of nutriments.

Edible foods

Sense impressions (eye, ears, mind, body)

Volition (deepest desire)

Collective conciousness

Physical health may not be possible without spiritual health. Without compassion, happiness is impossible.

The talk ends with instruction on eating in freedom.

17/05/2012 The Path Healing Us and Healing the World May 21st, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Noble Eightfold Path, Plum Village

Tags: Five Mindfulness Trainings, forgiveness, Noble Eightfold Path, Right View, suffering

May 17, 2012. 116-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness. At about four minutes into the recording, the brothers are trying to solve a sound problem and the talk resumes in English after 12-minutes.

Today we are stepping from the Four Noble Truths into the Noble Eightfold Path. Mindfulness, Concentration, and Right View. These are the first three elements of the path. But what is right view? Right View is the foundation for all the other elements. It is also the foundation for applied ethics.

Thinking, Speech, Action, Livelihood, and Diligence all have their foundation in right view.

20/05/2012 What is True Love May 27th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Love, Plum Village

Tags: compassion, Diamond Sutra, equanimity, Love, loving kindness

May 20, 2012. 73-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness and the monastics begin with two chants.

The Buddha taught loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Thay thinks we can add two new elements to True Love: Trust. Confidence. Thay teaches on all these elements in addition to a brief examination of the Diamond Sutra as it relates to Interbeing.

24/05/2012 Where Can We Practice Mindfulness May 28th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village

Tags: mindfulness, Sangha

May 24, 2012. 55-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness.

Thay announces the next ordination for novices will be on July 4. The practice of Plum Village is mindfulness in order to transform and nourish. We can generate and store mindfulness with any action.

27/05/2012 Who is the Buddha? May 30th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village

Tags: Buddha, earth, English, Four Noble Truths, habit energy, vesak, violence

May 27, 2012. 65-minute recording given at New Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness.

We learn who the Buddha is through the teachings of the Buddha. When we bow to the Buddha, we should see our true connection. Interbeing. The Buddha is enlightened with deep understanding and compassion. How can we produce it? The first step is awareness of suffering. The four noble truths.

The Buddha is a human being. He is not a god. The Buddha is made of non-Buddha elements. Thay then makes the connection to the planet and science. The Buddha can be a sub-atomic particle.

We hear two questions from the audience. How can we handle out habit energy in daily life? How can I heal violence around me?

Thay reminds us the 21-day retreat begins in a few days. This will be part of our 30-year anniversary. For each dharma talk during the retreat, we will sit together in silence for 8-minutes. Stop our thinking and feel the presence of ourselves and others. There should be no noise during this time. Thay also wrote an intimate letter to a young scientist in preparation for retreat.

31/05/2012 21-Day Retreat Begins June 1 May 31st, 2012 . Posted in Retreats

Tags: Announcement

In the last four years, I have not taken any breaks from posting the dharma talks of Thich Nhat Hanh on this blog space. It has been a great joy to listen to all the talks and to repost them here for you, the listener.

As I write this, I am sitting at LAX awaiting my flight to southern France and Plum Village Meditation Practice Center. My intention is to take a complete technology break and to participate with the sangha on the 21-Day Retreat with the theme the Science of the Buddha.

I will still listen to each talk (in-person) and take a few notes for you. Upon my return, I will resume posting the talks from the retreat. If you can’t wait, the brothers of Upper Hamlet may post the talks on our Vietnamese site Lang Mai.

Until then, may your day be well.

Kenley

Chân Nim Hy

2/06/2012 The Degree of Freedom June 25th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Plum Village, Retreats, Science, Walking

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, chant, Science of the Buddha, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing

June 2, 2012. 82-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the first (of 15) dharma talk.

Topics

  • Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing – the first four exercises
    Walking Meditation – arriving in the here and now
  • Our teacher and the sangha feels very relaxed. In no hurry. We have 3-weeks to practice and learn.

0:00 The Practice of Listening to the Chant

21:30 Namo’valokiteshvaraya Chanting by the Monks and Nuns of Plum Village

43:30 Main Talk

3/06/2012 The Science of Happiness June 26th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, Four Concentrations, Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, Science of the Buddha, Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing

June 3, 2012. 103-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the second (of 15) dharma talk.

Topics

  • Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing – exercises 5-8
  • Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path
  • Three Concentrations
4/06/2012 Time is Made of Only Non-Time Elements June 27th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: consciousness, English, Four Foundations of Mindfulness, grasping, interview, seeds, Ultimate Dimension

June 4, 2012. 185-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the third (of 15) dharma talk.

We begin with 10-minutes of chanting followed by the main dharma talk by Thay. After some mindful movements, we continue (at 2:10 into recording) with University of Virginia Astrophysicist Professor Trinh Xuan Thuan interviewing Thay.

Topics of the Talk

Obstacles of Buddhist Practice

  • Knowledge
  • Afflictions

Four Foundations of Mindfulness

  1. Body
  2. Feelings
  3. Mind (51 mental formations)
  4. Objects of Mind (‘nature’ for the scientist)

From the objects of mind we have “double grasping” and the “perceived and perceiver” – entanglement.

Two Realities

  • Ultimate
  • Historical

A=A?B (science)

A?A=A (Buddhism)

Interview

Question 1: Buddhism says that one has to get rid of all previous knowledge, to have a clear mind. I think in science one has to know things that were done before, but keep a clear and open mind. Does Thay agree with this?

Question 2: You said something about inanimate matter has intelligence. I’m not sure this is the current scientific view now. Even if you claim that an electron has consciousness, then I say that we have to say there are varying degrees of consciousness. I would say that an electron is very different from a human being. An electron has mass, its electric charge, and its spin, that’s it. Once you’ve seen an electron, you’ve seen them all. Also, a flower. Chimpanzees have some human notion, so close to us in genes. I think there are different degrees of consciousness, and we cannot put everything on the same level. What is your response to that?

Question 3: What is the concept of time in Buddhism? We have the impression that time passes, from the past to the present to the future. In science we learn that past, present and future are always there, and time is not the same for everyone, depending on the movement of the observer. Although there is a psychological time that seems to be there. That is the physical conception of time. So what is the Buddhist concept of time?

Question 4: I like Buddhism not only because I was raised in it, but because it is very logical. It has the spirit of experimentation that a scientist would accept. The mind is the instrument. Objective and subjective reality, that’s something true. As a scientist I realize that an observer is very important as part of what he sees. If you say that there is no objective reality independent of the mind, do you think, for example, that if you do not look at the moon, the moon does not exist? Do you really believe that an alternate universe without consciousness would not exist, if no one could be conscious of it?

06/06/2012 Your Mother’s Hand, the Nectar of Love June 29th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Mental Formations, Plum Village, Retreats, ScienceTags: 21-Day Retreat, consciousness, emotions, English, perception, Quantum physics, Science of the Buddha, Svalakshana, time

June 6, 2012. 114-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the fourth (of 15) dharma talk. We begin with chanting followed by the main talk about 10-minutes into the recording.

Topics of the Talk

  • Harmonizing body, breath, and mind.
  • Sangha
  • Subject | Object
06/06/2012 The Impermanence of Consciousness June 30th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Mental Formations, Plum Village, Retreats, Science | No Comments »
Tags: 21-Day Retreat, consciousness, death, dharma teachers, Mental Formations, mental illness, Parallax, science, Science of the Buddha, trustJune 7, 2012. 99-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the fifth (of 15) dharma talk. This is an excellent session of questions and answers.Questions

  1. What is the difference between feelings and mental formations?
  2. Is euthanasia okay? Is it Right Action? Can we relieve physical Pain?
  3. How do I practice with the teaching of inferiority and equality complexes?
  4. How can we support out dharma teacher when s/he is not so skillful?
  5. How do I practice with the last four exercises from the sutra on the full awareness of breathing?
  6. Question on consciousness and impermanence.
  7. What happens to the mind after the body dies?
  8. How can you take refuge in the sangha if you don’t trust? How can we build trust?
  9. Severe mental illness, such as bipolar, requires medicine to balance emotion. Can you clarify this as it relates to the practice?
09/06/2012 The Temple of Brotherhood July 2nd, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Science, SutraTags: 21-Day Retreat, Buddhism, Diamond Sutra, English, History, Science of the Buddha, self, Vietnam, Zen

June 9, 2012. 127-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the sixth (of 15) dharma talk. Just prior to this session, those attending the retreat received a 86-page booklet with sutras and a Letter to a Young Scientist.

Three energies of practice

  • Mindfulness
  • Concentration
  • Insight

The practice of looking deeply along with a discussion of zen history. Tang Hoi, a vietnamese monk, brought zen to China. Zen. Chan. Thien. Dhyana.

Four Notions of Letting Go(from Diamond Sutra)

  • Self
  • Man
  • Living being

Life span

Thay spends the majority of talk teaching on self. A similar teaching is also found in Sutra #296 from Samyukta Agama.

We read from The Paramartha Gathss of Asanga Gathas on the Absolute Truth (verses 1-2)

  1. There is absolutely no subject, no agent and no one who enjoys the fruit of action (no one who feels). No dharma (phenomenon, object of mind) has any function. Nonetheless the passing on of one effect to another does take place.
  2. There are only the 12 limbs of existence, the aggregates, the realms (ayatanas) and the worlds (dhatus) that are always changing. When we observe thoroughly and contemplate these things we shall not find a separate self anywhere.

Twelve Ayatana

  • Eyes (form)
  • Nose (smell)
  • Tongue (taste)
  • Ears (sound)
  • Body (touch)
  • Mind (objects of mind)

There is no “self” in this. The 18 dhata includes all the twelve above plus the following:

  • Eye consciousness
  • Nose consciousness
  • Tongue consciousness
  • Ears consciousness
  • Body consciousness
  • Mind consciousness

Why do you think the “self” doesn’t change when everything else does?

At 1:28, Thay reads (not provided in the book) the Sutra #300 from Samyukta Agama. We continue with verse 44 from the same text above, followed by a portion of the “Discourse on the Middle Way”

44. Living beings is the name of a continuous stream and all phenomena as the object of perception are only signs. Therefore there is no real change of birth into death and death into birth and no person who realizes nirvana.

At the end of talk, Thay provides commentary on why the Buddha had to continue the practice beyond enlightenment.

10/06/2012 There is Action but no Actor
July 4th, 2012 . Posted in Fourth Mindfulness Training, Happiness, Plum Village, Retreats,

Science, Suffering, Sutra | No Comments »
Tags: 21-Day Retreat, being, English, non-being, Science of the Buddha

June 10, 2012. 102-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the seventh (of 15) dharma talk. We begin with two chants: Les Vision Profond (French) and Hien Tien Thanh Tinh (We are Truly Present). Interbeing of the entire cosmos. The flower is interacting with the entire cosmos.

Topics

  • Suffering and happiness
  • Being and non-being
  • Fourth Mindfulness Training – deep listening

Readings

From The Discourse on Emptiness in its Ultimate Meaning

Monks, when the eye arises, there is no place from which it comes; when it ceases, there is no place to which it goes. Thus, the eye, without any real substance, arises; having arisen it will finally have to cease. It is a result of some action but there is no actor at all.

And from The Paramartha Gathas of Asanga Gathas on the Absolute Truth

5. All conditioned things undergo change at every instant. Their abiding is not something real, much less their function. All we can say is that their arising is their function and their arising is also the agent.

6-7. Eyes cannot see form, ears cannot hear sound, the nose does not smell scent, the tongue does not taste an object, the body does not feel touch, the mind does not recognize objects of mind. However in the organs and objects of sense there is no one who maintains or begins the perception.

12/06/2012 The Ground of Right View
July 7th, 2012 . Posted in Applied Ethics, Five Mindfulness Trainings, Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, Applied Ethics, dharma-talk, education, English, Fifth Mindfulness Trainings, Four Kinds of Nutriments, Four Noble Truths, science, Science of the Buddha, Ultimate Truth

June 12, 2012. 111-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the eighth dharma talk (of 15).

Seven Factors of Enlightenment (relaxation, joy, investigation, etc) Separate investigation of phenomena and noumenal

We should not mixup the two dimensions of conventional and ultimate. When considering the Four Noble Truths, the first two must be investigated in the realm of conventional truth. Conditional Dharma. The same cloud can be both investigated from conventional truth and ultimate truth.

The Second Noble Truth and the Fifth Mindfulness Training can be described in terms of food. Nutriments. The Sutra of the Son’s Flesh gives this teaching on nutriments. Thay explains the Four Kinds of Nutriments: edible foods, sensory impressions, volition, and consciousness. Discusses Mencius’ Mother (China); also known as Meng Ze.Thay would like to see the Sutra on Four Kinds of Nutriments in the next edition of chanting book.

13/06/2012 Nirvana in the Here and Now
July 7th, 2012 . Posted in Nirvana, Plum Village, Retreats, Science, Sutra

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, being, conventional truth, nirvana, non-being, perception, reincarnation, science, Science of the Buddha, self, thermodynamics

June 13, 2012. 124-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the ninth dharma talk (of 15).

Investigation of the phenomenonal and noumenal worlds. We use our mind of discrimination to investigate the conventional truth. If we use the practice to look more deeply, we can see the ultimate truth of the same object. We use the mind of non-discrimination for the ultimate truth. And in Buddhism we take care of the mind. We need to train our mind so to create a strong instrument for investigation. The yogi has to be skillful.

The teaching of the Dharma as a finger. A skillful practitioner should not be caught in notions.

The Wisdom of Adaptation. Being and nonbeing. A flower is made of non-flower elements and this principle applies to everything. In the 2nd paragraph of the Heart of Perfect Understanding. Form is emptiness and Emptiness is not form. Form is free from being and nonbeing. They are neither produced nor destroyed. We can apply the Law of Thermodynamics – the conservation of matter and energy. We look then at the Discourse on the Adaption of Conditioned Genesis Connected with Emptiness (Samyukta Agama 293).

14/06/2012 One Cell in the Buddha Body

July 7th, 2012 . Posted in Lineage, Plum Village, Retreats, Sangha, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, Four Recollections, History, prisons, Sangha, Science of the Buddha, Vietnam

June 14, 2012. 86-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the tenth dharma talk (of 15).

The Four Recollections

Joy and happiness with the three kinds of energies: mindfulness, concentration, and insight. When we focus on our breath, we are only our breath. We are not our sorrow or our regret.

Joy while breathing
Happiness while sitting

Joy is the breathing
Happiness is the breathing

Thay tells a story of the Buddha visiting a disciple who was very attached to the Buddha, but was now dying. His name was Vakali to help him die peacefully. The story illustrates the concept of the dharma body (dharmakaya). Our practice is our dharma body. The sangha and our teacher can help is develop our dharma body. Our practice also creates the living dharma.

We also have a sangha body (sanghakaya); a community of practice. The sangha body is in yourself.

We also learn the last two of the Four Recollections: Buddha body (buddhakaya) and the Mindfulness Trainings (silakaya). We practice to cultivate these four bodies.

16/06/2012 The Six Mantras

July 13th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, consciousness, English, Four Mantras, manas, pepple meditation, science, Science of the Buddha, True Love

June 16, 2012. 99-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the eleventh dharma talk (of 15).

Four (six) Mantras of Love (45-minutes)

Darling, I am here for you.
Darling, I know you are there and it makes me happy.
Darling, I know you suffer.
Darling, I suffer, please help.
(This is a Happy Moment.)
(Darling, you are partly right.)
Subject of cognition and object of mind. The mind can be both the observed and the observer.

Three parts acting together. The notion of superposition. Three but one.

  1. The observer
  2. The observed
  3. Consciousness

The third part is the base, the foundation, for the observed. Thay has used the example of a piece of paper. The first two are the right and left side and the third is the paste (the paper itself). The third part has many names – different types of consciousnesses. For example, store consciousness

17/06/2012 Science of the Buddha: Questions and Answers #2

July 13th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Science, Third Mindfulness Training

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, anger, English, environment, LBGT, mindfulness, Science of the Buddha, suicide

June 17, 2012. 93-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the twelfth dharma talk (of 15). This talk is a session of Questions and Answers.

Questions

  1. I want to go home because cooking materials needed for my special diet is being stolen from my tent in Lower Hamlet. I feel unsafe here. What should I do?
  2. How do we handle training people in mindfulness to address concerns of global warming, food shortages, war, etc.? How fast should we go? How much practice do we need before we can teach?
  3. Can you help me understand the new language in the revised Third and Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, especially the line about “being known to my family and friends” as it relates to LBGT community?
  4. I have my own ideas/understanding, I’ve been using the practice of “no” (koan) as you described in Zen Keys. Is this good practice?
  5. How to practice letting go?
  6. Three written questions on transmission and karma of illness through the family. For example, suicide.
  7. What role does Parallax Press and your books have in sharing the dharma and the mindfulness Trainings?
  8. How do I work with internal anger (maybe manifested via external illness)?
  9. Dance and writing

19/06/2012 Climbing a Mountain
July 15th, 2012 . Posted in Mental Formations, Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, consciousness, English, Science of the Buddha

June 19, 2012. 117-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the thirteenth dharma talk (of 15).

Thay announced the names of apprentice Dharma Teachers for the coming year. There will about 50 from the monastic Sunflower family and about 15 lay students (Belgium, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, and USA). We are reminded that a dharma teacher can create happiness for those around them and can handle a painful/unpleasant feeling. Even with some suffering, dharma teachers can discover this is a happy moment.

Climbing a mountain, arriving with every step. Illustrated from a story of traveling China with the sangha.

Five Universal Mental Formations.

Always present and always together. A neural pathway that can lead to happiness or suffering. Creates a habit. We don’t need to focus on our suffering. Create a habit of happiness.

  1. Contact – eyes, ears, etc.
  2. Feeling
  3. Attention – To be able to select the object of your attention. This is good practice. Appropriate attention.
  4. Perception / Conception
  5. Volition

Five Particular Mental Formations

  1. Desire / Intention
  2. Resolution / Determination
  3. Mindfulness
  4. Concentration
  5. Insight

Types of Consciousness

  1. Eye
  2. Ear
  3. Nose
  4. Tongue
  5. Body
  6. Mind (this consciousness can instruct manas – the work of meditation)
    Manas (the ground the first six lean upon – wrong view; seeks pleasure)

  7. Store (everything manifests from here – all the seeds)

20/06/2012 A Seed of Corn
July 15th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, English language, Four Attainments, reincarnation, Right Thinking, Science of the Buddha

June 20, 2012. 70-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the fourteenth dharma talk (of 15). No chanting, but began with some mindful movements.

True Happiness comes from understanding and compassion. I am capable of understanding. The seeds of Buddhahood are there. Right Thinking is the kind of thinking that can produce compassion. One in-breath can create compassion and we can create new habits.

The Four Attainments are the fruits of our practice.

  1. Dwell peacefully where you are. Froglessness.
  2. I have arrived.
  3. No birth
  4. Does the soul exist?

Thay reads from The Paramartha Gathas of Asanga Gathas on the Absolute Truth, verse 44, on Birth. Death. Nirvana.

Living beings is the name of a continuous stream and all phenomena as the object of perception are only signs. Therefore there is no real change of birth into death and death into birth and no person who realizes nirvana.

Being a seed of corn.

20/06/2012 Conditioned Genesis
July 15th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Sangha, Science

Tags: 21-Day Retreat, English language, non-discrimination, Sangha, Science of the Buddha

June 20, 2012. 79-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the fifteenth dharma talk (of 15). No chanting. This is the final dharma talk of the retreat.

Topics

  • We are all cells in the sangha body. Sangha building.
  • Suffering and happiness.
  • The mind of non-discrimination.

Four pairs of opposites

  • Birth/Death
  • Being/Non-being
  • Coming/Going
  • Sameness :Otherness

Scientists and practitioners can let go of notions.

Thay reads from The Paramartha Gathas of Asanga Gathas on the Absolute Truth. This is because that is – Condition Genesis

Both the self and the elements that give rise to the self are empty. They are just constructions of our perverted (confused) mind. The separate-self nature of all the sentient species is also empty. The only thing that is, is the causing and conditioning of one dharma upon another.

And the following from The Discourse on the Adaptation of Conditioned Genesis Connected with Emptiness

Profound indeed is this, namely conditioned genesis; even more profound, more difficult to see is this, namely the extinction of all attachment, the destruction of craving, the fading away of desire, the cessation of all suffering: nirvana.

Signlessness

1/07/2012 Deep Aspiration
July 17th, 2012 . Posted in Day of Mindfulness, Plum Village, Sangha

Tags: monastic, monasticism

July 1, 2012. 50-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a Day of Mindfulness. We begin with chanting.

When you set up a practice center, you have to think of the sangha. A sangha is a group of people who practice together and the environment is good, nourishing, and healthy. When people arrive at a practice center, she should feel the energy right away.

We practice mindfulness as manifested from the Five Mindfulness Trainings. These generate a healthy environment. This is what the Buddha did right away and we too can create such a practice center.

Suffering is part of life and with mindfulness we can make good use of our suffering. We can produce joy, happiness, and compassion. The law of Interbeing is suffering and happiness. The mud and the lotus.

The holy is made of non-holy elements. We can generate holiness if we understand suffering and allow compassion to arise in us and we don’t suffer anymore. The Five Mindfulness Trainings can help cultivate this holiness.

Being a monastic. We have 10-precepts. It is a holy life. Training as a monastic, you also need a sangha. You cultivate the mind of love. Boddhichita.

07/07/2012 Arriving in Plum Village
July 19th, 2012 . Posted in Avatamsaka Sutra, Plum Village, Retreats, Sutra

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, Buddha, chant, English language, freedom

July 7, 2012. 87-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the first dharma talk of the Summer Opening. The sangha is celebrating the 30th Summer Opening. The talk begins with instruction on how to listen to the chant followed by Avalokiteshvara chant.

The main talk begins at 40-minutes into the recording. We hear stories from the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra). The mother of the Buddha and how the friends came to see Siddhartta while still in the womb. She had a lot of space inside for everyone. We can cultivate this kind of space too. Story of Sidhartta making at least seven steps at his birth. What does this mean? Walking like a Buddha on planet earth. Freedom, joy, and happiness is available with every step.

09/07/2012 The Truth About Happiness
July 23rd, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, Buddha, Kingdom of God, Paris, peace, Vietnam

July 9, 2012. 94-minute recording given at New Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the third dharma talk of the Summer Opening. We begin with chanting and the talk begins at 15-minutes into the recording.

Bowing. Buddhahood. A lotus for you, a Buddha to be. The seed of Buddhahood.

Stories of being in Paris during the war. Supporting peace and practicing being together. Teaching on kingdom of God and the pure land. It is now or never. This is the teaching of Plum Village. We can do everything in the kingdom of God. Suffering and the noble truths. The buddhadharma can help you. We can love and understand our suffering.

11/07/2012 Why do I sometimes cry for no reason?
July 25th, 2012 . Posted in Children, Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, anger, bipolar, mental illness

July 11, 2012. 115-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the fourth dharma talk of the Summer Opening. We begin with chanting and this is a session of Questions and Answers.

Children’s Questions

  1. How are you?
  2. Why is everyone against him?
  3. Why do I sometimes cry for no reason?
  4. How can we let go of anger? (question from Oprah magazine)
  5. What do you do when your teacher makes fun of you and everyone laughs?
  6. Why do I sometimes feel a heavy ball on my heart?

Teens and Adults

  1. Can you say some words about Interbeing of Catholic and Buddhist?
  2. Have you ever been able to calm down a person in rage and angry at you?
  3. I feel a lot of anger sometimes and I don’t want to let it come out, try to control, but sometimes I just explode and hurt the other person.
  4. How do I listen and respect myself versus letting me do whatever I want? Freedom versus discipline.
  5. Question about bi-polar disorder. How can we respond in a more loving and
  6. supportive methods than drugs?
    How can I trust myself!

12/07/2012 Bringing the Practice to Life
July 26th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, anger, meditation, seeds, Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, translation

July 12, 2012. 84-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the fifth dharma talk of the Summer Opening. We begin with chanting and the talk was originally given in French. This is an English translation.

With many questions about anger in yesterday’s questions and answers session, Thay offers a lovely 25-minute lesson for the children (and everyone of course!) on helping our friends who may have anger.

What can we tell our friends about meditation? Meditation is looking deeply with our eyes, mind, and your heart. Meditation is looking. We can see things other people can’t hear. Meditation is listening. Concentration. A person who meditates can see the cloud in the flower. There is much more there in the flower. To see the flower deeply you have to recognize the non-flower elements.

The same can be said about people. We all have non-human elements such as anger. We all have the seed of anger. What can we do to help those who suffer from anger and violence? If we practice meditation, we can see the seeds of compassion and kindness in that person. What can we do to water those seeds in him? We can water the seeds of kindness. We can practice selective watering of the good seeds. We can sign a peace and happiness treaty with our friends and our loved ones in order to support each other.

After the children leave, Thay reminds us that we need a spiritual dimension to deal with difficulties in our daily life. We need practices to deal with the difficulties. In the Buddhist tradition, we have a spiritual body in addition to our physical body. We are offered a teaching on dharmakaya (dharma body) and buddhakaya (Buddha body). If our dharma body is solid, we can deal with our difficulties. There is also a sangha body (sanghakaya). We should build and participate in a sangha to maintain our practice. Create a living sangha where we can generate mindfulness. We can use our time and energy to build sangha. To be a refuge.

We can use the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing to cultivate our Buddha body. Sixteen exercises. We learn the first eight exercises.

14/07/2012 We Are Peace
July 27th, 2012 . Posted in Breathing, Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, concentration, Fear, Insight, mindfulness, Three Energies

July 14, 2012. 111-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the sixth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and the beginning of the second week. We begin with instructions on listening to the chant, followed by listening to the name Avaloketeshvara. The main talk begins about 40-minutes into the recording.

The third exercise of mindful breathing is about our body. Getting in touch with your body. True life is only possible with concentration and mindfulness. We learn to stop thinking so we can feel. The secret of meditation is to bring the mind in touch with the body. In the here and the now.

Mindfulness is the first energy. This bring concentration. Followed by insight. Three kinds of energies. They are within. Breathing in, I get the insight that I am alive. There are many insights like this.

When we each practice like this, we develop a collective energy and we can change
the world. Just these three kinds of energy.

The second exercise is to follow your in breath all the way through. And the first is to be with your breath.

At 1:25 into the recording, Thay responds to a few questions on the topic of fear submitted by Self Magazine. How do you make good use of the energy of fear to produce good things?

Finally, tips on how to participate in a peace walk.

15/07/2012 Interbeing of Father and Son, Exploring the Fundamental Teachings of the Buddha
July 30th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats, Science

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, Buddha, Four Noble Truths, French, Interbeing, Right View, science, signlessness

July 15, 2012. 121-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the seventh dharma talk of the Summer Opening and the talk was originally given in French. This is an English translation.

We begin with a talk for the children. What is the Buddha? How can we make use of suffering? What can we do with anger? What is loving speech? The story of the corn plant. The method of meditation called Signlessness. Uses the birth of a child to illustrate.

Following the talk for children, the main talk begins at 53-minutes into the recording. In classical science things are all outside of each other. In modern science, quantum physics, we see that things are inside each other. In Buddhism, we try to look this way. There is no separate self. Coexistence. This is, because that is. Interbeing.

A teaching in the Four Noble Truths. Why do we have suffering? Hiw do we get understanding and love? How can we see the all in the one?

The noble eightfold path beginning with Right View (the fruit of our meditation). The notions of being and non-being. Right Thinking. Right Speech. Right Action.

16/07/2012 Plum Village Mantras and How to Be the Sum of Your Acts
July 30th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, consciousness, Four Mantras, right diligence, Right Livelihood, telephone meditation

July 16, 2012. 91-minute recording given at New Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the eighth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and we begin with seven minutes of chanting.

Last week the children also learned pepple meditation. When you practice this, you become more stable, fresh, and calm.

Story of the rich businessman who doesn’t have enough time to spend with his family. All the little boy wanted was his father to be truly present. Also told the story of the German businessman who thought he was indispensable to his business.

The first mantra is, “Darling, I am here for you.” We can learn this mantra by using pepple meditation. Thay wants you to learn both. Then, we have the second mantra. “Darling, I know you are there and it makes me happy.”

Product of our action. Our karma. It I out environment. Retribution. We have been living in such a way that we’ve destroyed our environment. We are our environment. Thought, speech, and action are energies that cannot be destroyed. We are talking about the noble eightfold path.

Thay continues fromm yeaterday by giving a teaching on Right Livelihood and Right Diligence. Includes a teaching on store and mind consciousnesses.

18/07/2012 How does it feel when you’re dead? Question and Answer Session
August 1st, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, death, depression, family, games, meditation, silence

July 18, 2012. 88-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the ninth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and this is a session of questions and answers.

Children

  1. How does it feel when you are dead?
  2. Sometimes I feel nobody loves us and I’m all alone.
  3. A game the children are playing has something about killing. Is this okay? Help me understand.

Teens and Adults

  1. People seem afraid of silence. Is it because they are afraid of being with themselves?
  2. I experience extreme energies and sometimes feel as a victim with the energy.
  3. Husband is in a deep depression and then one of our daughters was seriously injured. He feels it’s unjust and he is suffering. How can I help him transform suffering he doesn’t see in himself?
  4. Difficulties with meditation. What happens during meditation and how can I improve?

19/07/2012 Mind, Mindfulness, and the Three Concentrations

August 3rd, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, Happiness, Three Concentrations

July 19, 2012. 119-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the tenth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and the talk was originally given in French. This is an English translation. We begin with chanting and a short guided meditation getting in touch with our parents.

The teaching on “nothing is born and nothing dies” for the children. How do we live with happiness?

At 34-minutes, Sister Chan Khong introduces Alexandra from L’Express magazine who is preparing a special issue on happiness. She will interview Thay because he is a master of happiness.

1. How can zen Buddhism help us westerns who are in a crisis in our society ?

2. Can we reach our children to be happy?

3. What is your definition of happiness?

We can use the exercises on mindful breathing starting with the first eight exercises. Mental formations are explored in the ninth exercise. The three concentrations taught in all Buddhist traditions: emptiness, signlessness, aimlessness.

21/07/2012 Getting Back into Touch with Life
August 4th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, basic practice, Chanting

July 21, 2012. 98-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the eleventh dharma talk of the Summer Opening and this is the first day of the third week.

Listening to the chant. We suffer and we often turn to consumption to relieve our suffering. The teaching of the Buddha, using mindfulness and concentration, can help use embrace our sorrow with tenderness. We can have relieve. Listen to the chanting and allow the sound to penetrate into our body. To stop our thinking.

Avalokiteshvara chant.

The silence we produce can be very healing. We feel alive. The joy of being alive.

Instruction for walking meditation. The practices of “I have arrived. I am home,” mindfulness, concentration, insight. Also, the Buddha body. Who is the real Buddha? What is the real Sangha? What is the Dharma?

22/07/2012 The Line of Life Meditation
August 6th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, Interbeing, pebble mediation, Right View

July 22, 2012. 97-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the twelfth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and the talk was originally given in French. This is an English translation.

We start with a 22-minute talk for the children. How we can share meditation with our friends when we go back home from Plum Village? What does it mean to love? Freshness of a flower. We can offer this and using pebble meditation to teach us about freshness. We also have mantras such as “I am here for you.” Solidity. Space.

What is the deep connection between suffering and happiness? In Buddhism, we speak of Interbeing. What is meant by Interbeing? Being and non-being also uses this principle of Interbeing. What is Right Thinking? Free of notions. Applying the teaching to birth and death.

The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold path.

24/07/2012 Question and Answer Session: Is there a life after death?
August 8th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, Buddhism, death, killing, women

July 24, 2012. 80-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the fourteenth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and this is a session of questions and answers.

Children

1. How can you make new friends after moving to a new school?
2. If there is no such thing as death, then why is it wrong to kill?
3.I suffer a lot from my father. I don’t want to see him anymore. Can I stop trying to change him?
4.Why did you become a monk?

Adults

1. I am the last child in my family linage and there is lots of suffering to transform. How do I help my parents generation? Secondly, why is there still discrimination against women in Buddhism?
2. Is there life after death?

28/07/2012 Beginning of Fourth Week of Summer Opening
August 11th, 2012 . Posted in Listening, Plum Village, Retreats, Walking

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, bell

July 28, 2012. 93-minute recording given at Upper Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the sixteenth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and we are beginning the fourth and final week of the retreat. Please note, we have skipped the talk from July 26 here on this site; it may appear later.

Understanding of suffering. Compassionate listening. Embracing suffering brings relief. What are the monastics doing when they are chanting the name Avalokiteshvara?

Chanting begins at 18-m into recording. The main talk begins at 39-minutes.

Listening to the bell. Deep listening. Let peace and mindfulness penetrate into you. How do you feed your happiness? Where is your true home?

The Buddha proposed sixteen exercises of mindful breathing. What are the first four exercises? How can we use this for walking mindfully? This is applied Buddhism in our daily lives.

28/07/2012 Is it ever okay to tell a lie?
August 12th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, mudra, notions, Questions and Answers, suffering, suicide

August 1, 2012. 87-minute recording given at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the nineteenth dharma talk of the Summer Opening and this is a session of questions and answers. Editor’s note, we have skipped the talks from July 29 & 31 here on this site; it may appear later.

Children

1. Why is my brother always so nasty to me?
2. Why does Thay do hand symbols (mudra) during chanting?
3. Why do Buddhist shave their head?
4. What should we do if we begin to hate someone we love?

Adults

1. Is it correct to tell a lie if the truth would hurt the person you love?
2. How can I be stable? How can I live with a person who doesn’t believe in spirituality?
3. Why is it that monastics sisters have more precepts than monastic brothers? If it is because they have special problems, shouldn’t the brothers at least have the same number of precepts?
4. How can you help a child recognize their father of they’ve never had te opportunity to know him? For example, artificial insemination.
5. What was the biggest notion in your life that you’ve overcome?
6. How do I practice this teaching with suicide?
7. When you have arrived on the other shore. Do you still think? Do you still suffer?
8. How do we build and organize a practice center?

02/08/2012 Can nothing become something?
August 13th, 2012 . Posted in Plum Village, Retreats

Tags: 2012 Summer Opening, existence, flame, Noble Eightfold Path, notions

August 2, 2012. 92-minute recording given at New Hamlet, Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the twentieth dharma talk of the Summer Opening. The talk was originally given in French and this is an English translation.

We begin with a meditation on the birth of the flame. Does “nothing” exist? What is the existence of nothing?

What is our nature? Are we caught in the notions of birth, death, being, and non-being? These are the foundation of our fear and anxiety. In Buddhism, Right Thinking is being free of these notions. There is only continuation and manifestation. Thinking is already an action.

We continue with a teaching on Right View, Right Speech.

12/08/2012 The Body and Mind are One

August 14th, 2012 . Posted in Retreats

Tags: 2012 Dutch Retreat, Four Noble Truths, Interbeing

August 12, 2012. 90-minute dharma talk given in English, with simultaneous translation into Dutch, with Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the first Dharma talk offered by Thay in the Dutch Retreat on the theme Body and Mind Are One at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbröl, Germany.

Can the body be without the mind? Can you take the body out of the mind? And the mind out of the body? If we meditate on the question, we can discover the answer. The same inquiry can be applied to father and son, mother and daughter. Are they the same? Again, with meditation we can also see continuation. Interbeing. This was a very clear and gentle teaching for the children on a very deep topic.

The country of the present moment. Those who are in the present moment have body and mind together. Mindfulness helps this to happen. We can release the past, release our projects, and discover freedom. It only takes a few seconds. The conditions for happiness are present right here. Can we see the conditions for happiness?

The first eight exercises of mindful breathing and the three kinds of energy generated by meditation: mindfulness, concentration, and insight. The last segment is a teaching on the Four Noble Truths and the noble eightfold path.