0:00:07.490,0:00:30.000
[Three sounds of the big bell ... ]

0:01:05.382,0:01:10.770
Now, we will breath with [br]the sound of the ticking clock.

0:01:10.770,0:01:18.749
Breathing in for 2 or 3 seconds.

0:01:18.749,0:01:22.714
Breathing out for 4 or 5 seconds.

0:02:07.997,0:02:14.345
Usually, the in-breath is [br]shorter than the out-breath.

0:02:15.806,0:02:20.271
So when we breath in for 3 seconds,

0:02:20.271,0:02:26.559
we can breath out for 4, 5, 6 or 7 seconds.

0:03:28.208,0:03:34.727
Now Thay's in-breath is 4 seconds [br]and out-breath is 7 seconds.

0:04:19.051,0:04:25.005
We can choose the length [br]according to our lung's capacity.

0:04:25.005,0:04:28.103
Breathing in for however many [br]seconds as is comfortable,

0:04:28.103,0:04:32.251
and breathing out for however many [br]seconds as is most comfortable.

0:04:32.251,0:04:35.785
We can follow this rhythm for a few minutes,

0:04:35.785,0:04:41.474
then we can change it, depending [br]on the capacity of our lungs.

0:05:38.918,0:05:45.000
And when you count like that, [br]the thinking naturally stops

0:05:46.269,0:05:50.328
and you pay attention to your breathing.

0:05:54.535,0:05:59.102
Before going to bed you can [br]place the clock nearby

0:05:59.102,0:06:03.088
and you breathe with the ticking of the clock..

0:06:06.863,0:06:12.524
When you breathe with the clock, [br]you stop the thinking.

0:06:18.161,0:06:24.428
For example, breathing in 1, 2, 3, [br]breathing out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

0:06:24.428,0:06:28.399
1, 2, 3.[br]1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

0:06:34.169,0:06:38.139
You can change the numbers with words, like:

0:06:39.223,0:06:42.431
Buddha, dharma, sangha.

0:06:43.578,0:06:46.206
Taking refuge in Buddha, dharma, sangha.

0:06:46.206,0:06:50.497
Buddha, dharma, sangha. [br]Taking refuge in Buddha, dharma, sangha.

0:06:50.497,0:06:54.604
Instead of 1, 2, 3. [br]1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

0:07:02.671,0:07:05.752
When you do walking meditation

0:07:06.897,0:07:10.423
you can count your steps.

0:07:11.442,0:07:14.459
Breathing in you can make 3 steps,

0:07:15.288,0:07:20.593
and breathing out you can make 5 or 6 steps.

0:07:23.901,0:07:26.284
And sometimes when you feel really well,

0:07:26.284,0:07:29.693
you can make up to 7 or 8 steps on an in-breath,

0:07:29.693,0:07:32.575
and 12 steps on an out-breath.

0:07:33.277,0:07:35.913
So it depends.

0:07:35.913,0:07:39.834
Like when you walk uphill,

0:07:39.834,0:07:43.731
the number of steps will naturally be less.

0:07:45.001,0:07:49.507
When you go uphill, normally [br]you make 2 steps on an in-breath

0:07:49.507,0:07:51.785
and three steps on an out-breath.

0:07:51.785,0:07:54.422
And if it is really steep then [br]it's one step for the in-breath

0:07:54.422,0:07:57.107
and one step for the out-breath.

0:08:00.288,0:08:06.928
Counting your steps like that, [br]you also stop the thinking.

0:08:08.075,0:08:10.077
Stopping the thinking,

0:08:10.077,0:08:15.000
you pay more attention to [br]your steps and your breath.

0:08:21.392,0:08:24.981
When you do sitting meditation

0:08:26.001,0:08:32.619
you begin by becoming aware of your breath.

0:08:34.832,0:08:38.236
The first thing is to become aware of the breath.

0:08:40.076,0:08:44.493
And breathing in, you can say,

0:08:44.493,0:08:50.212
"Dear Buddha, I invite you to breath with my lungs."

0:08:52.299,0:08:54.809
And when the Buddha starts to breath,

0:08:54.809,0:08:58.728
you see that the Buddha's back will be upright,

0:08:58.728,0:09:01.990
because the Buddha always sits very upright.

0:09:02.438,0:09:05.964
"Dear Buddha, I invite you to sit with my back.

0:09:06.793,0:09:12.758
I'm not sitting with my grandmother's back. [br]I'm sitting with the Buddha's back."

0:09:12.758,0:09:20.034
So your spine becomes very straight and very relaxed.

0:09:20.609,0:09:23.312
The Buddha is breathing with your lungs,

0:09:23.312,0:09:28.401
and you see the Buddha using [br]your lungs to breath for you.

0:09:28.401,0:09:30.636
It's wonderful.

0:09:32.210,0:09:35.610
While breathing like that, [br]you experience dharma joy.

0:09:35.610,0:09:37.544
There's happiness while breathing.

0:09:37.544,0:09:39.740
There's relaxation.

0:09:40.378,0:09:42.570
When you experience the joy of practicing,

0:09:42.570,0:09:45.556
you know that you are breathing correctly.

0:09:46.004,0:09:49.976
And when you don't feel the joy of practicing, [br]you know that you are breathing incorrectly.

0:09:49.976,0:09:55.264
You may be trying too hard.

0:09:55.264,0:09:58.468
You're only breathing. It's not hard labor.

0:09:58.468,0:10:00.590
Enjoy breathing.

0:10:04.342,0:10:07.804
The first part of sitting meditation

0:10:09.841,0:10:11.716
is calming the breath and the body.

0:10:11.716,0:10:17.176
To adjust the body so that [br]it is upright and relaxed,

0:10:17.176,0:10:22.393
the head aligned with the spine.

0:10:22.809,0:10:24.710
The head aligned with the spine,

0:10:24.710,0:10:26.273
not like this,

0:10:26.273,0:10:29.131
but like this. [br]In line with the spine.

0:10:29.706,0:10:33.232
And it's very soft, very relaxed.

0:10:33.806,0:10:35.806
With the breath,

0:10:36.444,0:10:39.915
the mind will permeate the body,

0:10:39.915,0:10:44.321
and the body will permeate the mind.

0:10:44.321,0:10:46.641
The embodied mind.

0:10:46.641,0:10:48.995
The mindful body.

0:10:50.651,0:10:53.161
When body and mind are at one and relaxed,

0:10:53.161,0:10:56.846
you feel well,

0:10:57.357,0:10:59.170
at ease.

0:10:59.170,0:11:01.797
Each time you do sitting meditation

0:11:01.797,0:11:04.188
you need to do this first.

0:11:04.699,0:11:08.486
You relax your body, you feel at ease,

0:11:08.486,0:11:14.390
and you enjoy those first few minutes of sitting.

0:11:21.638,0:11:24.782
And when you breath out,

0:11:25.421,0:11:33.809
you feel your body relax.

0:11:36.990,0:11:38.864
When you breath in it's the same.

0:11:38.864,0:11:43.058
Even though it's the in-breath, [br]your two shoulders remain relaxed.

0:11:46.811,0:11:48.559
Only the lungs are pumping air;

0:11:48.559,0:11:50.718
you don't need to make any effort.

0:11:51.611,0:11:56.296
The lungs do the pumping,

0:11:56.296,0:11:59.442
expanding and contracting.

0:11:59.442,0:12:05.752
Meanwhile, all the muscles [br]in your body are relaxed.

0:12:11.063,0:12:14.080
So breathing out,

0:12:15.001,0:12:20.570
you feel your two shoulders, [br]your whole body relaxed.

0:12:20.570,0:12:23.042
When breathing in, you can also relax.

0:12:23.042,0:12:25.871
Breathing in, simply allow your lungs to breathe,

0:12:25.871,0:12:30.318
and the rest of your body can relax.

0:12:38.965,0:12:46.241
The brain stem is in charge

0:12:46.241,0:12:49.391
of the respiratory

0:12:49.391,0:12:52.599
and heart rates.

0:12:53.046,0:12:57.525
So allow it to do the work. [br]You don't need to do anything.

0:12:58.735,0:13:02.578
You just pay attention to [br]the rhythm of the breathing.

0:13:04.170,0:13:07.623
If you wish,

0:13:07.623,0:13:09.976
you can make the length of the breath longer

0:13:09.976,0:13:14.533
so that there's more dharma joy,

0:13:14.533,0:13:18.819
so that the joy of the practice is prolonged.

0:13:20.665,0:13:27.114
When we feel that our body is relaxing,

0:13:29.024,0:13:31.024
relaxed,

0:13:31.662,0:13:37.549
we know that the body's capacity for healing

0:13:37.549,0:13:39.891
will increase.

0:13:40.911,0:13:44.182
Our heart rate will slow down,

0:13:45.001,0:13:52.034
and our immune system

0:13:52.034,0:13:54.337
will be boosted.

0:13:54.337,0:14:01.262
And so, the body begins to heal.

0:14:01.262,0:14:04.344
The body begins to heal itself.

0:14:04.726,0:14:06.410
The same is true when we do walking meditation.

0:14:06.410,0:14:08.317
Each step is very relaxed.

0:14:08.317,0:14:09.813
You walk as if you are taking a stroll.

0:14:09.813,0:14:12.551
There's no rushing.

0:14:12.551,0:14:13.997
With each step like that,

0:14:13.997,0:14:17.958
healing is taking place in the body

0:14:17.958,0:14:20.183
and in the mind as well.

0:14:21.391,0:14:24.089
Healing for the body and the mind.

0:14:25.300,0:14:30.079
So every breath is healing.

0:14:30.079,0:14:32.970
Every step is healing.

0:14:32.970,0:14:37.784
As practitioners

0:14:37.784,0:14:39.597
we have to make good use

0:14:39.597,0:14:43.068
of our breath and our steps to heal.

0:14:43.068,0:14:44.996
And sitting meditation is healing.

0:14:44.996,0:14:48.403
Sitting, walking, breathing, we can heal.

0:14:56.420,0:15:02.808
So walking from the residence [br]to the meditation hall,

0:15:02.808,0:15:05.160
that's an opportunity.

0:15:05.160,0:15:09.514
From the residence, or from our quarters,

0:15:09.514,0:15:12.596
to the meditation hall or to the kitchen,

0:15:12.596,0:15:14.453
that's an opportunity to heal.

0:15:14.453,0:15:17.690
Every step can be as relaxing and peaceful.

0:15:17.690,0:15:21.906
Every breath can be as relaxing and peaceful.

0:15:24.896,0:15:27.940
Waking up in the morning

0:15:29.076,0:15:31.174
and stepping outside—

0:15:31.174,0:15:32.744
it's only 5 o'clock—

0:15:32.744,0:15:34.184
you can still see the moon and stars.

0:15:34.184,0:15:36.196
It's very beautiful.

0:15:36.196,0:15:40.335
And you take each step relaxingly like that,

0:15:40.335,0:15:42.207
you breathe in the fresh air—

0:15:42.207,0:15:44.717
that

0:15:44.717,0:15:48.444
is already the Kingdom of God, [br]the Pureland of the Buddha.

0:15:49.209,0:15:51.588
And you have to spend time

0:15:51.588,0:15:54.817
enjoying moments like that fully.

0:15:54.817,0:15:59.838
City people don't wake up so early.

0:15:59.838,0:16:04.364
They also don't get to enjoy

0:16:04.364,0:16:07.435
the fragrance of the earth at night.

0:16:07.435,0:16:09.215
They cannot see the moon and stars as clearly.

0:16:09.215,0:16:11.208
So they're missing out.

0:16:14.135,0:16:17.779
And so,

0:16:17.779,0:16:22.070
while walking to the bathroom,

0:16:22.070,0:16:25.406
while brushing your teeth

0:16:25.406,0:16:28.438
or while splashing cold water on your face,

0:16:28.438,0:16:30.832
these moments can all be

0:16:30.832,0:16:35.267
moments of relaxation and healing.

0:16:38.766,0:16:41.594
We all have some illness or other,

0:16:41.594,0:16:44.007
whether it's temporary or chronic.

0:16:45.282,0:16:52.376
And we can make use of [br]the sitting, the walking, the breathing

0:16:52.376,0:16:58.572
to help the body heal.

0:16:58.572,0:17:05.397
Healing can take place in every moment.

0:17:07.053,0:17:11.646
When you breathe out [br]and you are completely relaxed,

0:17:11.646,0:17:17.684
the out-breath may last 5 or 7 seconds.

0:17:17.684,0:17:21.702
Those 5 or 7 seconds of [br]breathing and relaxation is healing.

0:17:22.657,0:17:24.786
Breathing in, you can also relax.

0:17:24.787,0:17:27.146
Breathing out, you relax again,

0:17:27.146,0:17:31.650
and so your body has a chance to heal.

0:17:34.513,0:17:38.295
The same is true for the body as well as the mind.

0:17:38.295,0:17:45.999
When there is pain, anxiety or irritation,

0:17:45.999,0:17:48.076
the breath,

0:17:48.076,0:17:51.063
the mindful breath

0:17:51.063,0:17:54.352
can embrace that mental formation

0:17:54.352,0:17:57.552
and help to calm it down.

0:17:59.970,0:18:09.864
We often speak about relaxing the body,

0:18:09.864,0:18:13.025
but the sutras also speak [br]about relaxing the feeling,

0:18:13.025,0:18:16.235
relaxing the emotion.

0:18:16.235,0:18:20.403
Relaxing the feeling, the emotion.

0:18:20.978,0:18:24.887
An emotion, a feeling, is an energy.

0:18:24.887,0:18:28.317
It may be pleasant or unpleasant.

0:18:30.863,0:18:35.994
And when it's a strong emotion,

0:18:35.994,0:18:38.202
we are not peaceful.

0:18:40.875,0:18:44.463
Even if it is a joyful emotion,

0:18:44.463,0:18:47.959
it's not peaceful.

0:18:47.959,0:18:51.084
For some people, when they hear [br]that they've won the lottery

0:18:51.084,0:18:53.554
they faint.

0:18:54.383,0:18:56.957
That's because they are so happy.

0:18:56.957,0:19:00.648
So emotions, they don't offer us peace.

0:19:00.648,0:19:05.252
So with the breathing, [br]you can embrace the emotion,

0:19:05.252,0:19:07.476
embrace the feeling.

0:19:07.476,0:19:12.714
and you can calm the feeling,

0:19:12.714,0:19:15.295
relax the feeling.

0:19:15.295,0:19:21.165
That practice is called [br]calming the mental formation.

0:19:21.165,0:19:24.476
Relaxing the mental formation.

0:19:24.476,0:19:26.320
Relaxing the feeling.

0:19:26.320,0:19:28.536
Relaxing the emotion.

0:19:28.984,0:19:33.198
In the Anapanasati sutra,

0:19:33.198,0:19:37.615
there's an exercise for calming the body,

0:19:37.615,0:19:40.963
meaning to relax the body.

0:19:43.191,0:19:45.638
And there's an exercise for [br]calming the mental formation,

0:19:45.638,0:19:51.249
meaning to calm the emotions, the feelings.

0:19:51.249,0:19:54.662
An tịnh tâm hành.[br]安 静 心 行[br]Calming the mental formation.

0:19:58.288,0:20:01.305
When we are angry or sad,

0:20:01.816,0:20:04.261
we have to know how to breathe.

0:20:05.599,0:20:10.841
After having relaxed the body, [br]we relax the mind.

0:20:13.132,0:20:18.065
And if

0:20:18.600,0:20:25.746
the unpleasant, painful feeling persists,

0:20:25.746,0:20:31.086
we can look deeply into the other person,

0:20:31.086,0:20:34.721
the person whom we believe has made us suffer,

0:20:34.721,0:20:36.681
made us sad.

0:20:38.972,0:20:43.959
We can see their difficulties,

0:20:46.060,0:20:48.314
their pain.

0:20:49.843,0:20:59.153
We can see the pain and sorrow [br]they have in their hearts,

0:21:00.490,0:21:03.612
the unhealthy habits or patterns of behavior

0:21:03.612,0:21:09.102
that they are not able to control,

0:21:09.102,0:21:10.792
to master,

0:21:10.792,0:21:14.186
and they are making themselves suffer

0:21:15.001,0:21:18.634
and making those around them suffer.

0:21:18.634,0:21:24.501
They are a victim of their own suffering.

0:21:25.585,0:21:28.475
When we can see

0:21:29.113,0:21:31.113
that they are suffering,

0:21:32.196,0:21:36.678
we

0:21:36.678,0:21:42.749
can give rise

0:21:42.749,0:21:44.749
to compassion

0:21:45.001,0:21:48.898
Because we have good seeds within us.

0:21:48.898,0:21:51.358
When we see someone suffer,

0:21:51.358,0:21:53.008
we have compassion for them.

0:21:53.424,0:21:55.282
When we have no compassion,

0:21:55.282,0:21:58.772
it's because we haven't been [br]able to see their suffering.

0:21:58.772,0:22:02.682
Once we recognize their suffering, [br]compassion arises naturally.

0:22:02.682,0:22:08.263
So the habits of mind,

0:22:08.263,0:22:14.493
the neural pathways in our brain changes.

0:22:15.195,0:22:17.195
Often, our thinking

0:22:18.787,0:22:23.691
goes in the direction of anger,

0:22:23.691,0:22:26.848
resentment and the desire [br]to punish the other person,

0:22:26.848,0:22:29.241
especially when we suffer.

0:22:31.150,0:22:38.372
We hear something, we see something [br]that has triggered us.

0:22:38.372,0:22:44.722
And our neural pathways—the pathways in our brain—

0:22:44.722,0:22:47.897
lead us to anger.

0:22:49.171,0:22:52.887
But when we look deeply and can see [br]the suffering in the other person,

0:22:53.589,0:22:55.936
naturally, our mind goes in another direction,

0:22:55.936,0:23:00.401
and it can take us to a place of love.

0:23:01.980,0:23:05.413
We have two ways of thinking,

0:23:05.413,0:23:09.017
one way leads to anger,

0:23:09.017,0:23:12.366
and the other leads to love.

0:23:12.366,0:23:14.841
We come to anger because

0:23:14.841,0:23:16.883
we haven't seen the suffering [br]of the other person.

0:23:17.776,0:23:19.978
Once we can see their suffering,

0:23:19.978,0:23:22.225
we change course,

0:23:22.225,0:23:25.701
and we choose another path.

0:23:25.701,0:23:27.974
A path leading to love.

0:23:27.974,0:23:29.691
Then we feel better,

0:23:29.691,0:23:33.569
and we can relax the [br]mental formation very quickly.

0:23:35.860,0:23:42.764
This year, we will write these phrases [br]to celebrate the Lunar New Year:

0:23:42.764,0:23:46.413
Listen deeply to understand clearly, [br]Look deeply to truly love.

0:23:46.413,0:23:51.047
"Look deeply to truly love" means to see that

0:23:51.047,0:23:52.988
the other person is suffering.

0:23:54.326,0:23:57.216
The other person is suffering.

0:23:59.698,0:24:03.732
Looking deeply, we recognize

0:24:04.879,0:24:09.485
that we have received some kindness from them.

0:24:11.585,0:24:15.264
Looking deeply to acknowledge [br]the kind actions of the past.

0:24:15.264,0:24:20.380
Looking deeply to recognize the [br]difficulties that they are facing.

0:24:20.380,0:24:24.158
Seeing these two things, [br]suddenly we're not angry anymore.

0:24:24.158,0:24:26.870
That's looking deeply to truly love.

0:24:30.114,0:24:33.323
Regarder bien pour mieux aimer.

0:24:33.323,0:24:35.356
Nhìn lại để thương. [br]Looking deeply to truly love.

0:24:37.265,0:24:44.287
They have made us suffer.

0:24:44.287,0:24:48.895
And we're not able to be at peace.

0:24:50.550,0:24:52.201
But thanks to looking deeply,

0:24:52.201,0:24:56.936
we can easily calm the mind [br]and be at peace again.

0:24:57.701,0:25:03.031
The irritation, the anger transforms very quickly.

0:25:03.031,0:25:06.527
So calming, relaxing the mental formations is possible.

0:25:06.527,0:25:09.299
It's up to us, up to how we see things.

0:25:21.887,0:25:26.747
In Buddhism, we speak about the criteria

0:25:29.674,0:25:37.649
of pain and pleasure.

0:26:06.056,0:26:11.683
"Khổ" can be translated as "pain,"

0:26:11.683,0:26:15.000
and "lạc" can be translated as "pleasure."

0:26:19.182,0:26:24.804
In general, everyone has the tendency

0:26:24.804,0:26:28.587
to avoid pain and to seek pleasure.

0:26:30.815,0:26:35.103
That is a function of [br]the seventh consciousness, manas:

0:26:35.805,0:26:41.187
To avoid pain and to seek pleasure.

0:26:41.187,0:26:43.589
Pleasure seeking.

0:26:44.482,0:26:45.975
Avoiding suffering.

0:26:45.975,0:26:47.722
It's a natural tendency,

0:26:47.722,0:26:51.694
and it's the function of manas, [br]the seventh consciousness.

0:26:58.816,0:27:04.185
The criteria of pain and pleasure is the criteria

0:27:05.459,0:27:12.163
of a number of ethicists.

0:27:14.741,0:27:18.139
There's a school of ethics called

0:27:19.286,0:27:21.286
utilitarianism.

0:27:34.514,0:27:36.514
Utilitarianism.

0:27:39.568,0:27:44.301
Utilitarianism.

0:27:59.655,0:28:02.736
The basic tenet of this school

0:28:03.819,0:28:08.234
is that any act, any speech,

0:28:10.144,0:28:14.242
any thought

0:28:14.242,0:28:22.409
that reduces harm and maximizes [br]happiness and well-being

0:28:22.409,0:28:27.367
is considered right action, moral.

0:28:27.367,0:28:31.545
Whereas anything that leads to pain

0:28:31.545,0:28:33.772
or ill-being is considered amoral.

0:28:33.772,0:28:37.761
That is their criteria for right and wrong.

0:30:07.850,0:30:11.121
So the basic premise of this school

0:30:12.014,0:30:17.573
is similar to the that of the Four Noble Truths.

0:30:19.483,0:30:24.446
in that we have to envision

0:30:24.446,0:30:30.000
a world where happiness is possible.

0:30:33.563,0:30:38.357
For example, a world where [br]there's enough food, housing,

0:30:38.357,0:30:44.144
democracy, peace,

0:30:46.244,0:30:48.244
well-being.

0:30:51.171,0:30:55.205
It's similar to the third of the 4 Noble Truths.

0:30:58.005,0:31:03.692
And once we have identified [br]what it is that we want, meaning

0:31:04.902,0:31:09.384
the overall well-being of society,

0:31:09.384,0:31:16.564
that's utilitarianism: actions that promote happiness.

0:31:17.838,0:31:20.283
"Công lợi, công ích"[br]both mean utilitarianism.

0:31:22.320,0:31:27.371
So both can be translated as utilitarianism.

0:31:30.000,0:31:37.403
So we know what we should do [br]and what we should say.

0:31:38.941,0:31:45.000
This is action.

0:31:45.000,0:31:49.013
And that action promotes happiness.

0:31:53.275,0:31:57.182
In Buddhism, action is the Noble Eightfold Path.

0:32:01.634,0:32:06.113
The Noble Eightfold Path leads

0:32:07.387,0:32:09.768
to the end of ill-being.

0:32:11.360,0:32:13.360
The end of ill-being.

0:32:14.443,0:32:20.956
These are the similarities between [br]Buddhism and utilitarianism.

0:32:23.692,0:32:26.709
The definition of

0:32:27.919,0:32:30.364
right action

0:32:31.320,0:32:36.307
(right action or right speech),

0:32:38.567,0:32:43.554
and whether that action is right or wrong,

0:32:46.354,0:32:48.354
right or wrong,

0:32:52.743,0:32:54.934
good or evil,

0:33:00.594,0:33:07.565
to know whether our action is [br]right or wrong, good or bad,

0:33:07.565,0:33:11.781
we must see whether that action [br]leads to well-being,

0:33:11.781,0:33:13.973
or whether it leads to ill-being.

0:33:13.973,0:33:17.324
If it promotes happiness, it is right action;

0:33:17.324,0:33:20.266
if it promotes ill-being, it is wrong, it is bad.

0:33:20.266,0:33:24.766
That is the criteria of utilitarianism.

0:33:32.504,0:33:35.203
So if we lie,

0:33:36.223,0:33:40.337
and if lying promotes well-being, then we can lie.

0:33:40.337,0:33:41.973
In this case lying is considered good.

0:33:44.137,0:33:47.656
But if we speak the truth and [br]it causes harm to others,

0:33:47.656,0:33:51.985
that is not correct, that is wrong.

0:33:51.985,0:33:57.484
Say there is a killer looking for their target,

0:33:58.504,0:34:03.168
and they ask you, do you know [br]where that person is hiding?

0:34:03.168,0:34:04.439
You know.

0:34:04.439,0:34:06.806
But you know that if you tell the truth,

0:34:06.806,0:34:08.760
they will find and kill that person.

0:34:08.760,0:34:11.176
So telling the truth is not correct,

0:34:11.176,0:34:12.954
is not good.

0:34:12.954,0:34:15.314
So you have to lie and [br]say that you don't know.

0:34:17.224,0:34:21.456
So whether lying is a good thing or not

0:34:21.456,0:34:24.309
depends on the situation.

0:34:34.800,0:34:37.245
If lying

0:34:39.027,0:34:43.598
promotes well-being and safety for others,

0:34:43.598,0:34:45.349
it is good.

0:34:46.239,0:34:48.495
On the other hand, if speaking the truth

0:34:48.495,0:34:51.226
will cause the other person to die,

0:34:52.437,0:34:54.185
to be in pain,

0:34:54.185,0:34:56.217
that is still wrong.

0:34:57.173,0:35:05.193
So that is the premise of [br]the school of utilitarianism.

0:35:05.193,0:35:11.059
In other words, the important thing is the outcome.

0:35:14.558,0:35:20.880
So, the end justifies the means.

0:35:23.934,0:35:27.363
The end justifies the means.

0:35:27.363,0:35:33.879
That is the essence of utilitarianism.

0:35:44.529,0:35:47.737
August 6,

0:35:52.507,0:35:54.888
August 6,

0:35:58.896,0:36:01.468
1945.

0:36:12.022,0:36:16.851
August 6, 1945 is the day

0:36:16.851,0:36:23.080
the US dropped the first atomic bomb

0:36:24.672,0:36:27.435
on the city of Hiroshima.

0:36:42.693,0:36:44.693
And

0:36:46.412,0:36:52.424
within a matter of minutes [br]140,000 people in that city died.

0:36:52.424,0:36:56.294
Just one bomb and 140,000 people died.

0:37:04.242,0:37:06.621
And

0:37:06.621,0:37:10.744
that bomb has raised a number of questions

0:37:10.744,0:37:12.828
since 1945.

0:37:12.828,0:37:19.210
Was it right or wrong [br]to have dropped the atomic bomb?

0:37:20.802,0:37:23.632
Some people say it was the right thing to do

0:37:23.632,0:37:26.714
because even though 140,000 people died,

0:37:26.714,0:37:28.713
they were able to end the war.

0:37:29.606,0:37:34.085
If the war had lasted there [br]would be many more casualties.

0:37:37.202,0:37:39.379
And there are others who say,

0:37:39.379,0:37:43.588
they could've used means [br]other than dropping the bomb.

0:37:48.421,0:37:56.777
Before that president Roosevelt, [br]the president before Truman,

0:37:57.352,0:37:59.210
had stated very clearly that

0:37:59.210,0:38:04.039
in military operations

0:38:04.039,0:38:10.285
they must avoid causing civilian damage.

0:38:10.987,0:38:14.387
In military operations, [br]the army only has the right

0:38:14.387,0:38:18.771
to attack the enemy's military units,

0:38:19.282,0:38:21.499
and they must avoid as much as possible

0:38:21.499,0:38:24.859
causing civilian damage.

0:38:24.859,0:38:29.482
President Roosevelt had given such an order,

0:38:30.001,0:38:33.399
very clearly and in detail.

0:38:33.911,0:38:37.994
But upon President Roosevelt's death,

0:38:37.994,0:38:41.441
Truman assumed the presidency.

0:38:41.952,0:38:43.658
He also said the same thing.

0:38:43.658,0:38:48.863
He said that he didn't [br]agree with military operations

0:38:48.863,0:38:53.510
that cause civilian harm.

0:38:53.510,0:38:56.503
Military operations should [br]only target armed forces

0:38:56.503,0:39:03.632
and should be careful not to harm civilians.

0:39:03.632,0:39:05.708
So Truman also said the same thing.

0:39:06.537,0:39:08.807
When Truman assumed the presidency

0:39:08.807,0:39:12.414
he didn't know that they [br]already had the atomic bomb.

0:39:13.307,0:39:15.307
At the time,

0:39:15.628,0:39:17.628
the US had already made the atomic bomb.

0:39:18.711,0:39:26.432
The military leaders and advisors [br]came to tell him that

0:39:27.451,0:39:30.000
it was necessary to drop the atomic bomb

0:39:30.000,0:39:35.557
for Japan to realize that they must surrender

0:39:35.557,0:39:38.668
and not continue the war.

0:39:39.370,0:39:43.922
The military advisors told Truman that

0:39:43.922,0:39:46.340
although a number of people will die,

0:39:46.340,0:39:49.104
maybe 100,000 people will die,

0:39:49.105,0:39:51.869
but if they dropped the bomb,

0:39:51.869,0:39:54.401
the other side would be forced to surrender,

0:39:54.401,0:39:57.461
and this would put a swift end to the war.

0:39:57.461,0:39:59.939
Otherwise the war would drag on

0:39:59.939,0:40:02.091
and a lot more people would die.

0:40:02.539,0:40:06.514
Whatever they said was so convincing [br]that president Truman accepted.

0:40:06.514,0:40:10.336
Truman knew that if they dropped the bomb

0:40:10.336,0:40:16.997
at least 100,000 civilians will be killed.

0:40:19.860,0:40:23.970
We don't know how long the discussions took place

0:40:23.970,0:40:27.434
but Truman changed his mind

0:40:27.434,0:40:33.683
and allowed the first bomb [br]to be dropped on Hiroshima.

0:40:39.724,0:40:47.192
Before that, the Allied forces [br]had landed in Normandy, France.

0:40:47.192,0:40:52.976
The fighting was so fierce and many people died.

0:40:52.976,0:40:56.026
There were a lot of casualties on both sides.

0:41:03.084,0:41:07.565
In the Pacific Ocean, the Allied forces

0:41:07.565,0:41:12.554
were beginning to gain the upper-hand.

0:41:12.554,0:41:14.682
They were winning.

0:41:15.320,0:41:19.481
But nobody knew how long the war would drag on.

0:41:20.183,0:41:28.605
So the US military leaders advised Truman

0:41:28.605,0:41:30.925
to drop the atomic bomb

0:41:30.925,0:41:34.325
so Japan would be terrorized [br]into surrendering quickly.

0:41:34.325,0:41:39.917
And they were so persuasive that Truman accepted.

0:41:43.543,0:41:47.341
It's reported that Truman said,

0:41:47.341,0:41:52.012
"After having made the decision, [br]I slept like a baby."

0:41:52.012,0:41:54.505
I slept like a baby.

0:41:56.351,0:41:57.526
That's just incredible.

0:41:57.526,0:42:00.290
You know beforehand that [br]100,000 people will die, or more,

0:42:00.290,0:42:02.237
and yet you can sleep like a baby.

0:42:02.237,0:42:04.390
That's just incredible.

0:42:10.494,0:42:11.733
Three days later.

0:42:11.733,0:42:16.753
Two days later Japan still hadn't surrendered.

0:42:17.836,0:42:23.588
140,000 people died immediately after.

0:42:23.588,0:42:27.433
And you know, the effects of [br]nuclear radiation continued to kill

0:42:27.433,0:42:32.612
tens of thousands of people in the following years.

0:42:34.013,0:42:43.259
I visited the museum of Hiroshima.

0:42:43.259,0:42:44.341
It was horrifying.

0:42:44.341,0:42:47.487
There were a lot of horrifying evidence.

0:42:50.350,0:42:54.829
There were many piles of dishes from restaurants,

0:42:55.150,0:43:04.078
or drawers full of metal utensils, knives and spoons.

0:43:05.098,0:43:07.583
When the bomb dropped

0:43:07.583,0:43:10.372
it generated an incredible amount of heat,

0:43:10.372,0:43:16.569
so hot that all the tea cups melted into a clump,

0:43:17.017,0:43:23.387
and all the spoons, forks and knives

0:43:23.387,0:43:27.598
also melted into a clump.

0:43:28.681,0:43:34.452
And it was so hot that people [br]jumped into ponds and rivers,

0:43:34.452,0:43:36.899
but the water was also boiling hot.

0:43:36.899,0:43:44.283
And so within a matter of minutes [br]140,000 people died

0:43:46.829,0:43:48.829
on the island of Hiroshima.

0:43:49.785,0:43:54.772
On the 9th of August,

0:43:54.772,0:43:58.302
three days later,

0:43:58.302,0:44:00.000
four days later,

0:44:00.000,0:44:08.408
the US dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

0:44:09.491,0:44:10.964
This was a smaller city.

0:44:10.964,0:44:17.085
And the second bomb immediately [br]killed 70,000 civilians.

0:44:30.690,0:44:32.690
So

0:44:36.761,0:44:41.336
this was a very controversial.

0:44:41.336,0:44:44.746
Should the US have dropped the bomb or not?

0:44:44.747,0:44:48.973
One could argue that because [br]the two bombs were dropped,

0:44:48.973,0:44:51.356
the other side was forced into surrendering

0:44:51.356,0:44:53.803
and the war came to a swift end.

0:44:53.803,0:45:00.000
Still, there are others that say[br]they could've found other solutions,

0:45:00.000,0:45:03.528
because you can't be sure that [br]the other would surrender.

0:45:04.674,0:45:08.485
It's possible that they may not surrender.

0:45:08.485,0:45:11.313
Like after the first bomb was dropped, [br]Japan had not surrendered.

0:45:11.313,0:45:13.857
It was only after the second bomb [br]that they surrendered.

0:45:16.148,0:45:19.991
You don't know beforehand

0:45:22.282,0:45:24.316
what would happen.

0:45:24.316,0:45:27.460
But you bear great responsibility.

0:45:32.103,0:45:38.235
And was dropping the bomb right or wrong?

0:45:38.235,0:45:39.728
Good or evil?

0:45:39.728,0:45:42.335
Because you don't know in advance.

0:45:49.774,0:45:51.774
Ethics,

0:45:52.285,0:46:00.387
the branch of ethics that [br]looks into criteria, or guidelines,

0:46:00.387,0:46:04.549
to know whether or not an action [br]is morally right or wrong

0:46:05.187,0:46:09.602
is called "normative ethics."

0:46:30.345,0:46:35.080
"Tiêu" means a hook, a marker,

0:46:35.080,0:46:37.684
le point de repère.

0:46:41.755,0:46:44.074
Tiêu chuẩn.[br]Criteria.

0:46:44.074,0:46:52.819
"Chuẩn" is a measuring stick. [br]So it is a hook, a marker, a measure,

0:46:52.819,0:46:55.171
to know whether an action

0:46:55.171,0:46:57.650
is morally right or wrong, good or bad.

0:46:57.650,0:47:01.171
That's normative ethics.

0:47:16.354,0:47:21.513
The Noble Eightfold Path, the right eightfold path.

0:47:21.513,0:47:23.884
But what is considered right?

0:47:29.035,0:47:33.187
What is considered to be right thinking?

0:47:33.187,0:47:38.154
What is considered to be right view?

0:47:40.064,0:47:43.335
We have to ask, what does "right" mean?

0:47:44.746,0:47:51.477
What would make our thinking "right thinking?"

0:47:51.477,0:47:54.242
Everyone wants to have right thinking.

0:47:54.242,0:47:57.170
But what is right thinking?

0:47:59.016,0:48:01.760
What view is a right view?

0:48:01.760,0:48:03.477
Who doesn't want to have right view,

0:48:03.477,0:48:05.926
but which view is the Right View?

0:48:05.926,0:48:08.262
So we need a criterium.

0:48:10.045,0:48:12.878
So in Buddhist ethics,

0:48:12.878,0:48:15.732
Right View is the view

0:48:17.387,0:48:19.387
of interbeing.

0:48:22.059,0:48:24.059
non-duality,

0:48:26.731,0:48:28.731
impermanence,

0:48:29.369,0:48:31.369
non-self.

0:48:33.851,0:48:39.242
The view that transcends all views.

0:48:39.242,0:48:42.398
Meaning it is non-dualistic,

0:48:45.515,0:48:49.485
and transcends all views.

0:48:59.404,0:49:02.061
This is a very distinctive Buddhist understanding:

0:49:02.061,0:49:03.745
Right view

0:49:03.745,0:49:06.255
is the absence of all views,

0:49:06.255,0:49:09.095
the removal of all views.

0:49:10.369,0:49:15.000
That is the highest definition of Right view.

0:49:15.000,0:49:18.362
All other definitions are relative.

0:49:18.362,0:49:23.111
When you can see interdependent co-arising,

0:49:24.894,0:49:28.803
that is Right view.

0:49:28.803,0:49:31.636
When you can see interbeing, [br]that is Right view.

0:49:31.636,0:49:36.933
When you have a non-discriminative, [br]non-dualistic view,

0:49:36.933,0:49:39.098
that is right view.

0:49:40.118,0:49:43.453
So Buddhism

0:49:44.473,0:49:48.972
is also a school of normative ethics.

0:49:48.972,0:49:50.307
There are criteria,

0:49:50.307,0:49:54.256
there are measures

0:49:54.256,0:49:57.978
that allow us to know if something [br]is right or not right.

0:49:59.379,0:50:02.906
And when our thinking is full of compassion,

0:50:02.906,0:50:05.937
full of understanding,

0:50:05.937,0:50:08.053
that is right thinking.

0:50:08.691,0:50:12.955
Thinking that is full of love and understanding

0:50:12.955,0:50:16.596
is considered right thinking.

0:50:16.596,0:50:21.236
Whereas thinking that is full of [br]anger, ignorance, craving,

0:50:21.236,0:50:23.197
is not considered right thinking.

0:50:23.197,0:50:25.828
So these are the definitions, the measures,

0:50:25.828,0:50:34.417
these are the kinds of criteria

0:50:34.417,0:50:38.247
to determine whether something is right or wrong.

0:50:44.670,0:50:49.326
So according to utilitarianism,

0:50:49.326,0:50:53.026
happiness is to have peace and to end the war,

0:50:53.855,0:50:57.637
and the act of dropping the bomb

0:50:57.637,0:51:00.345
leads to peace and the end of war.

0:51:00.345,0:51:02.822
So this is how some people have interpreted this.

0:51:02.822,0:51:10.602
This is how they have applied this criteria.

0:51:14.672,0:51:20.289
At the time, in the UK, there was a young woman,

0:51:20.289,0:51:24.109
a student named Anscombe.

0:51:26.972,0:51:34.386
Later, she went on to become a notable philosopher

0:51:34.386,0:51:36.706
specializing in ethics.

0:51:36.706,0:51:39.302
But at the time she was just twenty years old.

0:51:39.813,0:51:46.966
She was Catholic

0:51:46.966,0:51:51.822
and she believed in no killing,

0:51:51.822,0:51:55.268
because God said, "Thou shalt not kill."

0:51:55.268,0:52:01.134
No matter what, you cannot kill.

0:52:01.134,0:52:06.436
You cannot kill even one person [br]let alone 140,000 people.

0:52:06.436,0:52:10.440
Under no circumstances can killing be done,

0:52:10.440,0:52:15.000
because that is God's command.

0:52:17.859,0:52:21.385
Thou shalt not kill.

0:52:22.976,0:52:26.057
That's God's command.

0:52:27.839,0:52:31.112
Even for the sake of peace or for anything else,

0:52:31.112,0:52:33.208
you cannot kill.

0:52:38.677,0:52:42.203
Just like the philosopher Kant from Germany,

0:52:43.604,0:52:48.147
he said that moral rules

0:52:49.611,0:52:51.611
should be absolute.

0:52:52.567,0:52:57.139
If lying is immoral,

0:52:57.139,0:53:00.000
then even if you lie to [br]save people it's still immoral.

0:53:04.867,0:53:14.431
He also called it the "categorical imperative."

0:53:25.176,0:53:31.623
"Mệnh lệnh tuyệt đối"[br]"Mệnh lệnh tất yếu"[br][Categorical imperative]

0:53:31.623,0:53:35.757
Categorical imperative.

0:53:42.497,0:53:46.658
To be truthful is a categorical imperative.

0:53:48.123,0:53:49.558
If you tell the truth

0:53:49.558,0:53:52.091
then you want everyone else [br]to tell the truth as well.

0:53:52.091,0:53:54.191
That is morally correct.

0:53:55.274,0:54:00.439
Whereas if you lie, even to [br]save lives or whatever,

0:54:00.439,0:54:02.956
it is still immoral.

0:54:02.956,0:54:07.457
So the categorical imperative is like

0:54:07.457,0:54:09.669
God's commandments.

0:54:11.070,0:54:15.524
But Kant doesn't speak about God.

0:54:15.524,0:54:20.253
Kant appealed to man's capacity to reason.

0:54:21.972,0:54:28.421
He spoke about humans as rational beings.

0:54:29.695,0:54:33.654
As for Anscombe, she appealed [br]to theological considerations,

0:54:33.654,0:54:36.228
"This is God's commandment."

0:54:36.228,0:54:38.623
The commandment of God.

0:54:46.826,0:54:52.136
Utilitarian ethics is much more flexible.

0:54:52.136,0:54:54.401
They say it's okay to lie, it's okay to kill,

0:54:54.401,0:54:59.632
so long as it reduces suffering [br]and brings about happiness.

0:55:19.768,0:55:22.022
Eleven years later,

0:55:23.169,0:55:25.678
Truman visited the UK

0:55:27.651,0:55:33.189
and was awarded an honorary [br]degree from Oxford University.

0:55:33.189,0:55:34.990
An honorary doctorate.

0:55:37.599,0:55:45.567
Anscombe was a professor at the university,

0:55:45.567,0:55:50.022
teaching ethics.

0:55:50.022,0:55:56.915
She was very faithful to the [br]teachings of Christianity.

0:55:56.915,0:56:02.065
She said, "some things may not be done,

0:56:02.065,0:56:07.671
no matter what."

0:56:23.042,0:56:31.693
"There are some things that may not be done,

0:56:31.693,0:56:34.576
no matter what."

0:56:36.995,0:56:40.268
"There are some things that cannot be done,

0:56:40.268,0:56:42.429
no matter what."

0:56:42.429,0:56:47.512
Some things may not be done, no matter what.

0:56:48.341,0:56:54.903
For example, if you had to [br]boil a baby to save the world,

0:56:54.903,0:56:58.654
if you had to put a baby in [br]boiling water to save the world,

0:56:58.654,0:57:02.481
you cannot do it.

0:57:05.281,0:57:11.494
Some people say Anscombe—and Kant—are too rigid.

0:57:11.494,0:57:15.481
They are not flexible at all.

0:57:23.174,0:57:31.982
So while Oxford held a ceremony

0:57:31.982,0:57:38.014
to confer the honorary degree to Truman,

0:57:38.014,0:57:43.658
Anscombe held a protest outside,

0:57:43.658,0:57:46.775
kneeling in prayer

0:57:46.775,0:57:55.026
to oppose Oxford awarding Truman an honorary degree.

0:58:07.831,0:58:12.066
I have looked deeply into this matter many times,

0:58:12.066,0:58:14.418
about the atomic bomb,

0:58:14.418,0:58:17.246
and I see that dropping the atomic bomb on

0:58:17.246,0:58:20.424
Hiroshima and Nagasaki

0:58:20.424,0:58:24.498
was not only a matter of ending the war.

0:58:24.498,0:58:28.862
I see that the US also wanted [br]to test out that bomb.

0:58:29.564,0:58:35.568
Even though they did test it earlier, [br]it wasn't tested on a city.

0:58:36.334,0:58:39.613
And maybe when that bomb exploded

0:58:39.613,0:58:43.406
everyone would see that the US as number one.

0:58:43.406,0:58:46.987
No other nation had that weapon.

0:58:47.435,0:58:50.851
Also the prestige and power [br]of the US would increase.

0:58:50.851,0:58:55.951
And so, dropping the bomb was not only [br]a matter of forcing Japan to surrender

0:58:55.951,0:59:04.499
but to prove that the US was a superpower.

0:59:05.901,0:59:09.694
A superpower.

0:59:09.694,0:59:15.656
And suddenly, America's position [br]became unrivaled in the world.

0:59:15.913,0:59:18.322
So from a military standpoint it's one thing.

0:59:18.322,0:59:20.723
But from a political standpoint it's another.

0:59:20.723,0:59:25.043
So we have to look deeply [br]to see the kind of thinking

0:59:25.043,0:59:28.468
that lead to the decision to drop the bomb.

0:59:28.468,0:59:32.202
It wasn't just to restore peace, to end the war.

0:59:32.202,0:59:35.329
There were other motives involved as well.

0:59:37.112,0:59:40.383
These are big ethical problems

0:59:40.767,0:59:43.085
that we need to look deeply into.

0:59:49.380,0:59:52.176
In Buddhism, we speak of criteria.

0:59:52.176,0:59:57.325
Remember, we said that criteria means [br]a hook, a marker, a measure,

0:59:57.325,1:00:00.660
and the first criteria is [br]pain and pleasure.

1:00:01.489,1:00:07.037
What leads to pain, you don't do it.

1:00:07.037,1:00:10.543
What leads to happiness, you can do it.

1:00:10.543,1:00:11.864
This is the first criteria.

1:00:11.864,1:00:14.549
However, this criteria is not absolute.

1:00:15.947,1:00:18.712
This criteria is not absolute,

1:00:18.712,1:00:23.541
and you cannot use this criteria alone.

1:00:25.006,1:00:28.638
For instance, if you drink wine, [br]it's very pleasurable.

1:00:28.638,1:00:32.851
Eating ice-cream, one after the other,

1:00:32.851,1:00:35.333
it's very pleasurable.

1:00:37.497,1:00:41.386
And drowning ourselves in the five sensual desires,

1:00:41.386,1:00:44.127
it's very pleasurable.

1:00:44.127,1:00:47.252
But later on you have problems.

1:00:52.212,1:00:54.212
Later on you suffer.

1:00:59.046,1:01:02.446
So some suffering is essential

1:01:02.446,1:01:04.844
for us grow as human beings.

1:01:04.844,1:01:10.653
And so pain is not necessarily a bad thing,

1:01:10.653,1:01:12.678
is not necessarily wrong.

1:01:19.228,1:01:25.904
In the past, there was a sixteen year old student

1:01:25.904,1:01:28.521
who did so well on the exams

1:01:28.521,1:01:31.158
that his essay

1:01:31.158,1:01:34.004
should have received the highest marks,

1:01:35.596,1:01:40.011
the first laureate.

1:01:41.349,1:01:43.324
But the mandarins said,

1:01:43.324,1:01:44.523
"He's too young,

1:01:44.523,1:01:47.811
if we let him come first place

1:01:47.811,1:01:50.341
he may be too proud.

1:01:50.916,1:01:56.188
And to train people

1:01:56.188,1:02:00.000
we have to cultivate their virtues, [br]not just their talents,

1:02:00.292,1:02:03.155
so let's fail him this time,

1:02:03.155,1:02:05.424
and then next time we can [br]let him come in first place.

1:02:05.424,1:02:10.437
This way he can lose some of his arrogance.

1:02:10.437,1:02:12.526
That was the thinking of [br]the ministers of the court.

1:02:13.164,1:02:17.703
In theory, this would be extremely unfair,

1:02:17.703,1:02:19.832
because he was the best and [br]deserved to be first place,

1:02:19.832,1:02:21.537
yet they failed him

1:02:21.537,1:02:24.997
only to give him the grand [br]prize the following year.

1:02:24.997,1:02:27.432
What if he died before that?

1:02:28.261,1:02:30.400
So what is the right thing to do?

1:02:30.400,1:02:35.807
In Vietnam it happened that [br]there was a sixteen year old

1:02:35.807,1:02:40.431
who was supposed to be first laureate [br]but got failed instead.

1:02:41.896,1:02:44.214
That's one moral view.

1:02:44.888,1:02:47.843
Because of course, a country [br]needs talented people,

1:02:47.843,1:02:49.293
but it also needs ethical people.

1:02:49.293,1:02:51.024
And if the person is both talented and ethical,

1:02:51.024,1:02:53.534
they can serve the country well.

1:02:53.534,1:02:55.391
There are many ways of thinking like that.

1:02:56.920,1:03:06.328
Morally as well as

1:03:06.328,1:03:08.328
culturally,

1:03:09.411,1:03:10.650
in terms of perception,

1:03:10.650,1:03:15.000
there are many differences [br]between the East and the West.

1:03:15.672,1:03:19.463
For example, in the old days [br]in China and Vietnam,

1:03:19.463,1:03:21.857
if someone committed a serious crime,

1:03:21.857,1:03:24.028
like treason,

1:03:25.112,1:03:27.622
not only was that person sentenced to death,

1:03:27.622,1:03:30.351
but their entire family across three generations

1:03:30.351,1:03:32.547
were also sentenced to death.

1:03:32.547,1:03:35.091
Even if everyone else was innocent,

1:03:35.091,1:03:36.926
all three generations were sentenced to death.

1:03:36.926,1:03:39.825
"Tru di tam tộc" means to kill [br]everyone across all three generations.

1:03:40.654,1:03:42.834
They believe that

1:03:42.834,1:03:45.556
it's because the family didn't [br]guide each other well,

1:03:45.556,1:03:49.010
so they are all co-responsible.

1:03:51.301,1:04:00.865
In light of individualism,

1:04:01.630,1:04:04.292
this is unfair.

1:04:04.292,1:04:07.501
One person commits a crime and the entire family

1:04:07.501,1:04:09.414
has to suffer the consequences.

1:04:11.133,1:04:15.000
In fact, it makes some sense.

1:04:16.060,1:04:24.269
In a family, if one person is sick,

1:04:24.269,1:04:29.203
or has an accident,

1:04:29.203,1:04:34.746
or has committed a crime and was put in jail,

1:04:34.746,1:04:41.759
even if the others aren't in jail they still suffer.

1:04:44.114,1:04:46.390
They say the parents didn't teach the children,

1:04:46.390,1:04:49.356
so they punish the parents too.

1:04:50.439,1:04:52.265
They say the siblings didn't teach each other,

1:04:52.265,1:04:54.475
so they punish the siblings too.

1:04:54.475,1:04:56.978
That's why in the old days in Asia

1:04:56.978,1:04:59.339
they have that penalty called "tru di tam tộc"

1:04:59.339,1:05:03.271
where if one person commits a crime,

1:05:03.271,1:05:05.680
the whole entire family,

1:05:05.680,1:05:07.660
not only the current generation,

1:05:07.660,1:05:11.508
but the previous and future [br]generations are all killed.

1:05:11.956,1:05:18.660
These are the ethical criteria [br]that are different in each society.

1:05:20.951,1:05:25.599
Once there was a tribe [the Callatians] [br]that had a particular custom.

1:05:25.599,1:05:29.156
When the grandfather dies,

1:05:29.156,1:05:33.140
they had to immediately

1:05:33.140,1:05:36.363
cut and eat the flesh of the grandfather.

1:05:40.497,1:05:44.409
They believed in doing so the [br]grandfather will live on in them,

1:05:44.409,1:05:46.205
and so it's an act of filial piety.

1:05:46.205,1:05:51.108
So when the maternal or [br]paternal grandparent dies

1:05:51.108,1:05:59.278
they are allowed to eat [br]the flesh of the grandparent.

1:06:00.234,1:06:05.327
And if they didn't eat the [br]flesh of the dead grandparent,

1:06:05.327,1:06:07.121
it's considered unethical,

1:06:07.121,1:06:08.590
so they had to.

1:06:09.229,1:06:13.835
To outsiders, it's barbaric.

1:06:15.427,1:06:18.001
And if you say that in your country

1:06:18.001,1:06:20.700
you burn your grandfather when he dies,

1:06:20.700,1:06:22.029
these tribal people will get very angry.

1:06:22.029,1:06:24.419
They will say that that's unethical. Immoral.

1:06:24.739,1:06:27.464
You have to eat the flesh of [br]your grandparent to be correct.

1:06:27.464,1:06:29.620
If you burn your grandparent

1:06:29.620,1:06:31.311
you are not a good son or daughter.

1:06:31.311,1:06:38.605
So what is right or wrong, good or evil

1:06:38.605,1:06:44.981
also depends on local customs and beliefs.

1:07:18.447,1:07:20.447
In 2000,

1:07:20.830,1:07:26.900
a family from the island of Gozo

1:07:26.900,1:07:31.030
in the Mediteranean

1:07:39.550,1:07:45.999
went to Manchester, UK to give birth.

1:07:51.596,1:07:54.804
at St Mary's hospital.

1:07:59.637,1:08:03.163
The mother

1:08:04.818,1:08:07.708
was pregnant with twins.

1:08:08.388,1:08:11.659
They were both girls.

1:08:12.107,1:08:17.602
One named Jodie, and one named Mary.

1:08:17.602,1:08:19.988
But they were conjoined twins.

1:08:23.613,1:08:27.393
They were two, but with one working [br]set of lungs and one heart.

1:08:28.158,1:08:32.192
They were joined at the abdomen with a fused spine.

1:08:32.895,1:08:39.163
The working lungs and heart were both on Jodie's side.

1:08:39.163,1:08:46.007
so Jodie's breath and heart beat

1:08:46.008,1:08:49.387
provided circulation to sustain Mary.

1:08:58.282,1:09:00.282
So

1:09:01.492,1:09:05.018
when the twins were born

1:09:09.024,1:09:11.533
the doctors knew that

1:09:12.808,1:09:19.194
within a matter of weeks both girls would die.

1:09:22.375,1:09:25.862
But the doctors believed that

1:09:25.862,1:09:31.726
if they operated they could at least save one.

1:09:35.279,1:09:37.886
If they operated, they could only save one child

1:09:37.886,1:09:40.596
and the other child would die.

1:09:40.596,1:09:43.826
Without the operation, both would die.

1:09:44.720,1:09:47.038
If they waited both would die.

1:09:48.502,1:09:52.409
But the parents were devout Catholics

1:09:55.814,1:09:59.532
and they were determined not to do the operation.

1:09:59.532,1:10:02.169
They accepted for both to die rather than

1:10:02.169,1:10:05.124
having an operation for one [br]to die and the other to survive.

1:10:05.124,1:10:08.111
That was how the parents saw it.

1:10:08.813,1:10:11.096
But the doctors felt that it didn't make sense.

1:10:11.096,1:10:14.437
If you could save one child why wouldn't you?

1:10:14.437,1:10:16.550
Why would you allow both children to die?

1:10:16.550,1:10:19.894
So the doctors brought the case to court

1:10:19.894,1:10:25.691
to ask for the right to operate to save one child.

1:10:25.691,1:10:27.657
And the court approved.

1:10:30.075,1:10:32.393
A week later

1:10:32.968,1:10:35.079
A few days later they operated

1:10:35.079,1:10:38.591
and they were able to save Jodie.

1:10:38.848,1:10:41.294
And of course Mary died,

1:10:41.294,1:10:43.105
because once they were separated,

1:10:43.105,1:10:45.742
Mary had no lungs, no heart.

1:10:46.254,1:10:50.161
Mary didn't have her own [br]lungs or heart, so she died.

1:10:54.422,1:10:58.583
The doctors followed a [br]different ethical criteria.

1:10:59.285,1:11:02.930
They say, even though Mary died,

1:11:02.930,1:11:06.306
at least they were able to save Jodie.

1:11:08.216,1:11:12.083
As for the parents, [br]they believed that whatever God

1:11:12.083,1:11:13.935
had in His plans for them they would accept.

1:11:13.935,1:11:16.649
If both children die,

1:11:16.649,1:11:18.292
that's also God's will,

1:11:18.292,1:11:19.691
so they have to let it be.

1:11:19.691,1:11:22.644
They felt they had no right to kill [br]one child in order to save the other.

1:11:27.922,1:11:31.183
So there are two different ethical perspectives.

1:11:31.183,1:11:37.372
One belonging to the doctors of St Mary's hospital,

1:11:37.372,1:11:41.311
and one belonging to the young couple who

1:11:41.311,1:11:48.101
placed everything in the hands of God.

1:12:07.993,1:12:12.927
There's a similar story of baby Theresa.

1:12:12.927,1:12:19.718
Baby Theresa was born in Florida in 1998.

1:12:21.946,1:12:24.391
And when

1:12:25.474,1:12:27.158
the doctors performed scans,

1:12:27.158,1:12:31.288
they saw that Theresa didn't have a brain.

1:12:32.880,1:12:34.880
There was no brain.

1:12:36.663,1:12:40.379
A child born like that would die,

1:12:41.018,1:12:44.575
if not in the womb then shortly after birth.

1:12:44.575,1:12:47.440
And if the child didn't die at birth,

1:12:47.440,1:12:50.900
it would die within a few days.

1:12:58.085,1:13:01.956
This condition is called anencephaly,

1:13:01.956,1:13:03.876
a disorder in which the brain is absent.

1:13:03.876,1:13:10.382
But there is a brainstem.

1:13:11.148,1:13:12.526
Because of the presence of the brainstem,

1:13:12.526,1:13:15.945
the child can breathe and have a heart beat.

1:13:17.537,1:13:19.537
But for certain

1:13:23.196,1:13:27.993
the child would die after a few days.

1:13:31.047,1:13:39.572
Some babies with this condition [br]die before or at birth.

1:13:39.572,1:13:45.625
And if not, they die within a few days.

1:13:45.625,1:13:51.925
So the parents decided to

1:13:54.598,1:14:03.860
donate her organs to other [br]children for organ transplantation,

1:14:03.860,1:14:09.511
—like her kidneys, her eyes, her heart—

1:14:09.511,1:14:14.141
knowing that she will die and that other children

1:14:14.589,1:14:17.225
are in desperate need of those organs.

1:14:18.435,1:14:21.952
Thousands of children were in need of those organs,

1:14:21.952,1:14:28.853
and if they knew that baby Theresa [br]would die in five days,

1:14:28.853,1:14:35.525
while her heart, lungs and kidneys, [br]were still in good condition,

1:14:35.525,1:14:39.671
why not donate those organs to save other children?

1:14:39.671,1:14:42.813
That was what the parents wanted.

1:14:44.087,1:14:47.740
And also what the doctors wanted.

1:14:48.505,1:14:52.603
But the law in Florida prohibited this.

1:14:56.292,1:15:01.089
The law states that organs can only [br]be taken from deceased individuals.

1:15:01.664,1:15:04.554
But while someone is still alive

1:15:04.554,1:15:10.382
you cannot kill them to remove [br]organs for transplantation.

1:15:10.382,1:15:13.516
That's the law in Florida.

1:15:14.409,1:15:19.778
Of course the doctors and the couple lost the case.

1:15:20.162,1:15:24.842
So when baby Theresa died,

1:15:24.842,1:15:29.042
her organs were damaged and [br]couldn't be used anymore,

1:15:29.042,1:15:31.298
so they couldn't save any other children.

1:15:31.298,1:15:34.430
So that was the law in Florida.

1:15:37.928,1:15:40.881
So these ethical dilemmas,

1:15:42.537,1:15:45.674
depending on our way of thinking,

1:15:45.674,1:15:51.152
on our judgement, on the criteria we use

1:15:51.152,1:15:54.208
determine what is morally right or wrong.

1:15:54.208,1:15:56.178
What is good or bad.

1:15:56.178,1:16:00.301
So in Buddhism, the first criteria [br]is pain and pleasure.

1:16:00.875,1:16:03.193
We know that suffering and happiness inter-are.

1:16:03.768,1:16:06.732
Some pains help us grow as human beings,

1:16:06.732,1:16:08.501
help us become more resilient.

1:16:08.885,1:16:11.111
That's why the criteria of pain and pleasure

1:16:11.111,1:16:18.174
is not enough for us to determine

1:16:18.174,1:16:21.691
what is right or wrong, good or bad.

1:16:40.193,1:16:42.526
Following the criteria of pain and pleasure,

1:16:42.526,1:16:46.007
there's the criteria of beneficial and un-beneficial.

1:16:50.332,1:16:54.239
"Khổ / lạc " is pain and pleasure.

1:16:59.644,1:17:02.469
Based on the criteria of pain and pleasure,

1:17:02.469,1:17:08.132
whatever leads to pain is not [br]allowed, is incorrect, is wrong,

1:17:08.132,1:17:13.212
and whatever leads to pleasure is correct, is good.

1:17:20.271,1:17:22.291
The second criteria is beneficial and un-beneficial.

1:17:22.291,1:17:26.212
"Lợi" means beneficial.

1:17:31.363,1:17:34.316
"Hại" means un-beneficial.

1:17:40.358,1:17:45.282
In Buddhism, this is what is meant [br]when we say beneficial and un-beneficial:

1:17:45.539,1:17:51.611
Anything that brings about siblinghood, [br]liberation, awakening,

1:17:51.611,1:17:54.281
freedom

1:17:54.281,1:17:56.438
is considered beneficial.

1:17:56.758,1:17:59.736
And anything that brings about

1:17:59.736,1:18:06.669
craving, pain and sorrow, despair,

1:18:06.669,1:18:08.067
is considered un-beneficial.

1:18:08.067,1:18:18.642
It obstructs our path of liberation.

1:18:18.642,1:18:21.482
Beneficial and un-beneficial.

1:18:22.550,1:18:26.775
And there are some things [br]you need to suffer through

1:18:27.884,1:18:30.521
but it's good for you.

1:18:30.521,1:18:33.040
And there are things,

1:18:33.040,1:18:35.224
some pains

1:18:35.703,1:18:39.738
that we go through and we [br]benefit from the experience.

1:18:39.738,1:18:45.378
And then there are pleasures [br]that can end up harming us.

1:18:45.378,1:18:49.017
That's why the second criteria,

1:18:50.481,1:18:53.952
beneficial and un-beneficial informs

1:18:53.952,1:18:57.185
the first criteria of pain and pleasure.

1:19:05.120,1:19:10.588
On September 1st in the capitol of New Delhi,

1:19:10.588,1:19:16.654
I offered a talk in commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi.

1:19:22.311,1:19:27.108
I mentioned a beautiful quote from Gandhi.

1:19:49.344,1:19:52.621
We should take this opportunity

1:19:52.621,1:19:58.082
to hear what Gandhi had to say about this.

1:19:59.292,1:20:01.864
"Our ancestors

1:20:02.185,1:20:15.000
set a limit to our indulgences."

1:20:15.318,1:20:19.958
"Our ancestors set a limit to our indulgences."

1:20:21.804,1:20:27.146
Like drinking until we're drunk, or over-eating.

1:20:27.146,1:20:29.207
These are indulgences.

1:20:34.358,1:20:37.758
The opposite is moderation, knowing enough.

1:20:37.758,1:20:42.034
"Our ancestors set a limit to our indulgences."

1:20:42.034,1:20:46.712
"They saw that happiness was [br]largely a mental condition."

1:20:46.712,1:20:56.889
"They saw that happiness was [br]largely a mental condition."

1:20:58.798,1:21:04.993
"A man is not necessarily [br]happy because he is rich,"

1:21:04.993,1:21:08.426
"or unhappy because he is poor."

1:21:09.954,1:21:17.039
"A man is not necessarily [br]happy because he is rich,"

1:21:17.039,1:21:22.345
"or unhappy because he is poor."

1:21:22.345,1:21:26.054
Being rich or poor doesn't [br]determine our happiness,

1:21:26.054,1:21:28.894
but our mental attitude.

1:21:36.207,1:21:41.863
"A man is not necessarily [br]happy because he is rich,"

1:21:41.863,1:21:44.696
"or unhappy because he is poor."

1:21:44.696,1:21:47.713
"Observing all this, our ancestors"

1:21:47.713,1:21:51.872
"dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures."

1:21:51.872,1:21:56.405
"Observing all this, our ancestors"

1:21:56.405,1:22:05.509
"dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures."

1:22:07.291,1:22:14.122
So this quote means that [br]what you consider as pleasure

1:22:20.227,1:22:25.469
may be harmful to you, now and in the future.

1:22:26.425,1:22:28.997
You have consumer power.

1:22:29.699,1:22:33.954
You have money, you have more power to consume,

1:22:33.954,1:22:37.229
but that is not necessarily true happiness.

1:22:38.564,1:22:42.217
It's not true happiness.

1:22:43.363,1:22:45.789
Rather, it can lead to suffering.

1:22:45.789,1:22:49.050
So making a lot of money

1:22:50.514,1:22:55.183
to consume, to indulge in sensual pleasures,

1:22:55.183,1:22:59.570
causes more harm than good.

1:23:00.526,1:23:03.289
Meanwhile, when we practice moderation

1:23:03.736,1:23:11.365
—eating less, living with more modest conditions—

1:23:11.365,1:23:15.000
we feel light and at peace, joyful, happy.

1:23:15.000,1:23:17.656
It helps us to be more free,

1:23:17.656,1:23:20.834
and we can realize our aspiration.

1:23:20.834,1:23:22.834
So it's more beneficial.

1:23:25.634,1:23:28.905
Gandhi also said this wonderful line:

1:23:36.790,1:23:41.245
"The mind is a restless bird."

1:23:41.245,1:23:44.232
"The mind is a restless bird,"

1:23:44.232,1:23:47.064
"the more it gets the more it wants"

1:23:47.064,1:23:50.845
"and still remains unsatisfied."

1:23:50.845,1:23:57.676
"the more it gets the more it wants"

1:23:57.676,1:23:59.702
"and still remains unsatisfied."

1:24:01.993,1:24:04.249
"The mind is a restless bird."

1:24:04.249,1:24:07.680
"The more it gets the more it wants"

1:24:09.335,1:24:13.780
"The more it gets the more it wants."

1:24:13.780,1:24:16.036
"The more it gets the more it wants"

1:24:16.036,1:24:20.342
and still remains unsatisfied."

1:24:20.398,1:24:23.412
Craving has no limits.

1:24:24.241,1:24:27.959
You're successful and you're not satisfied, [br]you want to be more successful.

1:24:27.959,1:24:31.643
You're more successful but you're still not satisfied, [br]you want to be even more successful.

1:24:31.643,1:24:34.107
You can never stop.

1:24:34.107,1:24:40.034
That's why our ancestors advised us to set limits.

1:24:46.075,1:24:49.156
So what is beneficial

1:24:51.637,1:24:56.243
"lợi" here doesn't mean [br]to take advantage of, it means

1:24:57.771,1:25:01.204
being conducive to true peace,

1:25:01.204,1:25:05.147
to true happiness, to liberation.

1:25:05.147,1:25:07.987
Conducive to liberation.

1:25:07.987,1:25:10.734
Conducive to peace.

1:25:10.734,1:25:13.140
Conducive to true happiness.

1:25:13.140,1:25:15.000
That's what beneficial means.

1:25:15.474,1:25:20.608
So this criteria of pain and pleasure

1:25:20.608,1:25:23.665
is not enough to establish moral grounds.

1:25:23.665,1:25:26.112
In addition, we need the criteria [br]of beneficial and un-beneficial.

1:25:26.112,1:25:30.688
Will doing that thing be [br]good for us in the future?

1:25:30.688,1:25:35.421
Will it be conducive to peace, [br]to liberation, to siblinghood?

1:25:35.421,1:25:37.654
If not, it is incorrect,

1:25:37.654,1:25:40.629
it is wrong.

1:25:58.549,1:26:01.186
After the criteria of beneficial and un-beneficial,

1:26:01.186,1:26:04.045
there's the criteria of delusion and awakening.

1:26:12.819,1:26:15.328
"Mê" means

1:26:16.665,1:26:18.665
delusion,

1:26:19.841,1:26:24.002
and "ngộ" means awakening.

1:26:36.018,1:26:38.781
When we are delusional

1:26:39.864,1:26:41.864
the decisions that we make

1:26:42.502,1:26:44.502
are not very clear.

1:26:46.348,1:26:49.240
Only when we're no longer delusional [br]that we can see clearly.

1:26:49.240,1:26:51.844
But now we're still delusional,

1:26:52.419,1:26:55.209
so it's hard for us to listen to other's advice.

1:26:55.209,1:26:57.211
even if it's the truth.

1:26:57.211,1:27:00.000
That's why you have to ask,

1:27:00.000,1:27:04.589
am I being delusional or not?

1:27:05.418,1:27:07.863
What is delusion?

1:27:10.281,1:27:15.000
When you are not mindful, you are deluded.

1:27:15.000,1:27:18.756
When you are not concentrated, you are deluded.

1:27:18.756,1:27:20.440
When you are are unmindful,

1:27:20.440,1:27:24.104
when you don't have insight you are deluded.

1:27:25.314,1:27:30.000
With mindfulness, concentration [br]and insight, you are awakened.

1:27:31.703,1:27:34.275
And so decisions

1:27:35.168,1:27:37.583
that you make when you are deluded

1:27:37.583,1:27:42.400
may be incorrect, wrong, [br]and may lead to suffering.

1:27:42.400,1:27:46.309
Decisions that you make [br]when you are clear-minded,

1:27:46.309,1:27:48.673
they are correct.

1:27:52.299,1:27:58.750
So if you sign a contract when you are drunk,

1:27:58.750,1:28:00.592
that's dangerous.

1:28:02.056,1:28:05.009
You can destroy your family or go bankrupt.

1:28:06.665,1:28:12.352
So, if you want to draft a will for your children

1:28:12.863,1:28:15.371
you have to be really alert,

1:28:15.371,1:28:19.694
and the lawyer must attest that you

1:28:20.841,1:28:24.771
are of sound mind, that your thinking is clear

1:28:24.771,1:28:28.412
and that you are signing [br]the will in front of them.

1:28:28.412,1:28:33.029
But if they get you drunk and [br]told you to sign something,

1:28:33.029,1:28:35.403
it would not have value.

1:28:35.403,1:28:41.401
So an action that is right, [br]that is good, that is true

1:28:41.401,1:28:51.000
must be seen in the light [br]of delusion and awakening.

1:28:51.000,1:28:53.510
In Buddhism, this is a way to sound the alarm.

1:29:02.157,1:29:04.157
"Tính và già"[br]Curative and preventive.

1:29:06.194,1:29:08.385
This has to do with precepts.

1:29:15.697,1:29:18.841
Some precepts are curative.

1:29:29.332,1:29:31.777
If you break that precept

1:29:32.733,1:29:34.733
you suffer right away.

1:29:35.753,1:29:38.009
you've committed an offence right away,

1:29:38.009,1:29:39.596
you've done wrong right away.

1:29:42.014,1:29:44.014
For instance, if you kill somebody

1:29:46.623,1:29:50.709
you and the other suffer right away,

1:29:50.709,1:29:53.200
so no killing is a curative [proscriptive] precept.

1:29:54.728,1:29:58.126
"Già" means

1:30:01.371,1:30:06.358
preventive.

1:30:22.570,1:30:27.049
The aim is to prevent.

1:30:27.687,1:30:30.704
Nobody will die if you break this precept,

1:30:33.821,1:30:40.903
but it prevents you from

1:30:40.903,1:30:45.000
violating other precepts that cause suffering.

1:30:45.000,1:30:48.885
This is

1:30:48.885,1:30:50.885
curative [proscriptive].

1:30:52.286,1:30:54.604
This is preventive.

1:31:00.327,1:31:04.933
For example, when we go out, [br]we must go with a second body

1:31:05.571,1:31:07.571
That is a preventive precept.

1:31:07.892,1:31:11.036
Because it may be that if you go [br]alone nothing will happen,

1:31:11.865,1:31:15.382
but should an accident happen [br]when you go by yourself

1:31:15.382,1:31:17.768
the sangha suffers.

1:31:17.768,1:31:20.594
That's why it's better to have [br]a second body with you.

1:31:20.594,1:31:24.076
So the precept of going out with a second body

1:31:24.076,1:31:26.326
is a preventive precept.

1:31:26.326,1:31:32.670
Meaning if you break this precept, [br]you don't really suffer,

1:31:32.670,1:31:35.177
but it's there as a precaution.

1:31:35.177,1:31:39.195
Having a second body is bound to be safer.

1:31:41.232,1:31:45.700
Like the French often say, "Un verre, ça va,

1:31:45.700,1:31:51.410
trois verres, bonjour les dégâts."

1:31:51.410,1:31:54.419
One glass of wine is okay.

1:31:56.392,1:31:59.729
For many of you, one glass is not a problem.

1:31:59.729,1:32:02.494
But usually after the first glass,

1:32:02.494,1:32:05.037
you want to have a second.

1:32:05.037,1:32:08.501
And the first glass won't make you drunk,

1:32:08.501,1:32:13.359
but better to not drink it. [br]That is a preventive action.

1:32:19.370,1:32:22.918
One woman from the UK said,

1:32:22.918,1:32:29.892
"For decades I've had [br]a glass of wine every weekend

1:32:29.892,1:32:31.784
and now you're saying [br]I shouldn't even drink this.

1:32:31.784,1:32:34.485
You're telling me to practice [br]the fifth mindfulness training.

1:32:34.485,1:32:36.688
For decades I've had a glass like that,

1:32:36.688,1:32:39.444
it hasn't hurt anyone."

1:32:39.444,1:32:41.202
And it's true.

1:32:42.603,1:32:46.256
She had a glass every weekend [br]and she never got drunk.

1:32:47.847,1:32:52.106
She asked Thay if she could just practice [br]4 of the 5 mindfulness trainings.

1:32:52.106,1:32:55.441
She didn't want to practice [br]the 5th MT on not drinking.

1:32:59.321,1:33:03.927
Of course you have the right to practice [br]however many trainings you wish.

1:33:04.248,1:33:06.703
But I told her,

1:33:06.703,1:33:12.893
"For you a glass of wine [br]on the weekend is not harmful,

1:33:12.893,1:33:16.262
because you drink in moderation.

1:33:16.262,1:33:19.151
But what about your children?"

1:33:28.777,1:33:34.273
"Khai, giá"

1:33:37.072,1:33:39.390
"Khai" means to open.

1:34:02.653,1:34:05.352
"Khai" means to open.

1:34:09.105,1:34:11.105
There are rules

1:34:12.506,1:34:16.826
that you want everyone to follow.

1:34:16.826,1:34:18.996
For example, in the rains retreat

1:34:18.996,1:34:22.896
no one is allowed to go out of the boundaries.

1:34:25.187,1:34:28.967
But suppose there's a sister who falls ill

1:34:30.304,1:34:34.847
and she requests permission

1:34:34.847,1:34:37.548
and the sangha allows her [br]to leave the boundaries for treatment.

1:34:37.548,1:34:39.706
That is an open rule.

1:34:39.706,1:34:42.133
We are not rigid about it.

1:34:42.133,1:34:47.464
"Khai" means an exception.

1:34:51.153,1:34:53.473
And so, a bodhisattva

1:34:53.473,1:34:56.966
sometimes can lie in order to help people.

1:35:01.070,1:35:03.960
If you are a police officer

1:35:07.776,1:35:15.000
and you need to arrest or put someone in jail,

1:35:15.000,1:35:18.675
or to handcuff someone, you can still do it.

1:35:21.347,1:35:23.474
But

1:35:24.176,1:35:28.083
with the condition that you do it out of love,

1:35:30.001,1:35:32.001
out of compassion.

1:35:36.135,1:35:39.918
In the sutras, it says that

1:35:39.918,1:35:42.869
in a previous life of the Buddha

1:35:42.869,1:35:48.114
he had killed one person [br]to save countless people.

1:35:52.503,1:35:56.219
This was killing only one person [br]and not 140,000 people.

1:35:59.209,1:36:04.020
And he said he had to go to hell [br]because he killed one person,

1:36:04.020,1:36:07.220
but he had to save so many people.

1:36:07.220,1:36:13.858
Like when you see someone [br]with an automatic weapon,

1:36:14.369,1:36:22.153
a machine gun, who is about to [br]shoot a lot of people,

1:36:23.237,1:36:25.820
if you are a police officer

1:36:25.820,1:36:31.343
and you want to prevent the deaths of many people, [br]you can shoot that person.

1:36:31.343,1:36:36.203
In the foot or hand to wound him enough

1:36:36.203,1:36:43.098
so that he can't use the automatic weapon anymore.

1:36:48.758,1:36:53.048
[broken audio]

1:36:53.048,1:36:57.338
So what's right or good also needs [br]to be based on the criteria

1:36:57.338,1:37:00.453
appropriateness and in-line with the teaching.

1:37:00.453,1:37:03.601
"Khế lý" means in-line with the teaching,

1:37:03.601,1:37:06.077
in-line with the dharma.

1:37:14.025,1:37:17.866
At the same time, it needs to be relevant

1:37:17.866,1:37:20.948
to the mentality, the situation of that society.

1:37:20.948,1:37:23.271
Appropriateness.[br][Khế cơ]

1:37:31.346,1:37:37.795
It has to meet the local and current needs.

1:37:46.125,1:37:49.059
So these are a number of basic criteria

1:37:49.059,1:37:55.308
that can serve as a foundation for Buddhist ethics.

1:38:03.446,1:38:08.687
And underneath all of these criteria

1:38:08.687,1:38:15.837
is a criteria that transcends [br]all of the above criteria, called

1:38:15.837,1:38:19.366
"nhất nguyên siêu tuyệt"

1:38:30.776,1:38:32.776
"siêu tuyệt nhất nguyên"

1:38:34.559,1:38:36.559
It's...

1:38:45.969,1:38:48.350
It is beyond this world.

1:39:01.511,1:39:04.973
in Sanskrit it's "lokottara."

1:39:09.679,1:39:14.031
"Loka" means the mundane world.

1:39:21.470,1:39:26.521
So all of these criteria are [br]from the view of the relative.

1:39:27.604,1:39:32.421
And when we go beyond the [br]mundane into the supramundane,

1:39:32.421,1:39:35.203
into the nature of nirvana, [br]of the dharmakaya,

1:39:35.203,1:39:38.630
these criteria can no longer apply.

1:39:39.904,1:39:43.112
In reality in itself,

1:39:44.576,1:39:47.196
reality in itself,

1:39:47.196,1:39:51.051
there's no good and evil,

1:39:51.051,1:39:53.500
no right and wrong,

1:39:53.500,1:39:57.824
no this side or that side, [br]no above or below.

1:39:57.824,1:40:00.000
No order.

1:40:01.897,1:40:11.207
That is lokottara. nirvana. dharmakaya.

1:40:12.226,1:40:16.821
You cannot say that the [br]dharmakaya is pure or impure.

1:40:16.821,1:40:21.472
You cannot say that [br]nirvana is pure or impure.

1:40:24.907,1:40:28.623
You cannot say that it is right or wrong.

1:40:29.452,1:40:33.105
All ideas of right and wrong

1:40:34.061,1:40:39.387
of good and evil,

1:40:39.387,1:40:45.468
right and wrong, good and evil [br]all belong to the relative.

1:40:45.980,1:40:53.001
In the supramundane, there's no more ideas

1:40:53.576,1:40:58.158
of right and wrong, good and evil.

1:40:58.158,1:41:00.348
So

1:41:00.856,1:41:03.526
nirvana is neither

1:41:04.098,1:41:05.266
right nor wrong,

1:41:05.266,1:41:08.094
Nirvana is neither right or wrong, good or evil.

1:41:08.094,1:41:09.620
It transcends all notions.

1:41:09.620,1:41:12.284
There's no more right and wrong,

1:41:12.284,1:41:14.136
good and evil.

1:41:15.220,1:41:18.271
Transcending all notions, [br]that is the ultimate criteria.

1:41:18.271,1:41:21.669
[Technical glitch] ... meaning, God has an opposite.

1:41:24.469,1:41:30.410
There's Satan as opposed to God.

1:41:31.811,1:41:34.828
And this God is not yet ...

1:41:42.713,1:41:48.755
This God remains in the realm of

1:41:48.755,1:41:50.435
right and wrong,

1:41:50.435,1:41:52.658
true and false.

1:41:57.365,1:42:03.624
This God remains in the realm [br]of the false and the true,

1:42:03.624,1:42:06.198
the good and the evil.

1:42:06.198,1:42:07.598
Opposites.

1:42:08.299,1:42:14.240
But there are theologians who have been able to

1:42:15.641,1:42:18.150
touch the ultimate.

1:42:19.614,1:42:24.330
These theologians, including some mystics,

1:42:24.330,1:42:28.479
have been able to understand God [br]in light of the ultimate.

1:42:29.689,1:42:39.242
And God is no longer described [br]in terms of good and evil,

1:42:39.242,1:42:41.594
right and wrong.

1:42:41.594,1:42:46.611
They have attained something similar to [br]the Buddhist concept of Nirvana,

1:42:46.611,1:42:48.264
or the dharmakaya,

1:42:48.264,1:42:49.598
or Suchness.

1:42:49.598,1:42:52.871
They've been able to transcend [br]notions of suffering and happiness,

1:42:52.871,1:42:55.091
beneficial and un-beneficial, [br]delusion and awakening,

1:42:55.091,1:42:58.695
curative and preventive, [br]in-line with the dharma and appropriateness.

1:43:07.526,1:43:14.435
Your homework is to revise the first [br]of the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

1:43:14.435,1:43:17.471
Each person should come up with [br]their version and present it to Thay.

1:43:18.237,1:43:23.098
And today Thay would like everyone to divide [br]into different dharma sharing groups

1:43:23.863,1:43:29.170
to discuss your ideas about

1:43:29.551,1:43:32.664
revising the first mindfulness training.

1:43:34.320,1:43:39.625
Revising the first mindfulness training [br]in the light of everything we have learned.

1:43:40.835,1:43:44.297
The view that the other person is not me [br]and I am not the other person.

1:43:45.001,1:43:47.001
The dualistic view.

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Dualistic view.

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The view

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that transcends all views.

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The view that is still caught,

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caught in a separate self.

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The view

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that is grasping.

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[ Chấp thủ ] [br]means the inability to let go of [br]the views we hold on to.

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And please recall the first [br]of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings

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on non-attachment to views.

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Not being caught,

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not being caught in our views.

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There's a friend

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who suggested that we include [br]this line in the first training:

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"We are committed not to fight for, [br]kill, or die for our own view,

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or to impose them on others."

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"We are committed not to fight, [br]kill or die for our views,

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or to impose them on others."

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We are committed not to fight for, [br]kill or die for our views,

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or impose them on others.

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This line is from the [br]14 Mindfulness Trainings in English.

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This is very important, because so many [br]wars and acts of terrorism happening now

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are because people hold tight to views, [br]beliefs, dogmas or ideologies

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which they believe are true.

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Everyone else is in the wrong.

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So they're capable of killing [br]to impose their views on others.

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And the dualistic view,

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being caught in our own view, [br]that wrong view leads to discrimination

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leads to fear, hatred and greed.

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And these things lead to killing.

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And so the first mindfulness training [br]needs to be written in such a way that

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we see clearly that it is responding [br]to the current situation of the world.

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Because violence in the world is [br]increasing at an alarming rate.

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We see war,

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we see violence,

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we see terrorism.

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And it's happening everyday.

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So when we rewrite the first training, [br]we do it in such a way that

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everyone can see clearly it is [br]a response to our current situation.

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And today if the sangha has dharma sharing

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please organize it so that [br]everyone will have a chance

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to express their ideas about [br]the first mindfulness training.

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Please

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arrange so that each sharing group has copies [br]of the first mindfulness training,

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in English or Vietnamese or French.

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And based on the old version,

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you can make suggestions to add any [br]lines or words you deem necessary

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so that this mindfulness training [br]can be more appropriate to our time.