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(Half-Bell)

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(Bell)

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(FRENCH) Does Thay have a
theory of the universe?

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(Sr Pine) Dear Thay, 
have you developed theories of the universe?

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No.

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(Laughter in the audience)

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I know that it is a waste of time
to do these things,

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so I devote my time
to doing more concrete things.

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When you come to Plum Village
you do not learn theories about meditation.

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You are given
a concrete practice of meditation,

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so that you can change, for the better.

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Your body, your feeling, your perception,
there are many wrong perceptions.

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Everyone of us maybe a victim
of wrong perception.

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Wrong perceptions
can bring a lot of suffering.

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Meditation is to calm down,

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to be more peaceful, 
to see things more clearly,

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so that we can correct
our wrong perceptions.

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Our wrong perceptions bring
fear, anger, despair.

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That is why we have to look deeply
and meditation is to look deeply,

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to correct our perceptions.

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So that we don't suffer,
and we don't make other people suffer,

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this is very important, practical.

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When you elaborate
a theory about the cosmos,

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usually you use the mind, the intellect,
your intellect.

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With the intellect you cannot go very far.

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Because our intellect might be caught
in many prejudices.

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We have heard, we have learnt things,


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and we believe in
these things that we have learnt.

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We are not able to release them.

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So even scientists, many of them are
caught in preconceptions.

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To be a true scientist,
it means that you are ready to release

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what you already know,


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in order to reach a
higher level of understanding.

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So I do not think that using the intellect

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to elaborate a theory about
the cosmos is very helpful.

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It takes a long time

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and we do not have time
to do other things.

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Many scientists deal, contend
with the questions:

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What is the Universe?

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Where did the Universe come from?

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What happens when the Universe
comes to an end?

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All these questions they take away
most of our time.

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When you come to this deep meditation,

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you might recognize, touch 
the truth of no beginning and no ending,

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and you might discard
many of the questions

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that are untrue, that are unnecessary.

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You don't lose your time
because of these questions.

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Understanding is what we obtain
with meditation.

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Here it is possible to understand
the suffering,

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the suffering in yourself
and the suffering in another person.

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This understanding of suffering
brings about compassion,

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and compassion has the power to heal you

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and heal the other person.

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These are very, very urgent concerns.

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And your understanding continues to grow,

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if you understand suffering, 
then you come to understand happiness.

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You see the connection between suffering
and happiness.

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You can go very fast, 
you can understand that,

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being and non being are just notions.

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Beginning and ending are just notions,
they cannot be applied to reality.

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But the first understaning we need to get

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is understanding of suffering.

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That is the starting point
of the Buddhist tradition,

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and it is very practical.

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If you don't suffer much anymore,

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your mind is calm,

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and you can understand things,

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more easily and quickly.

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(Half-Bell)

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(Bell)