WEBVTT

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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So, dear respected Thay, dear sangha,
dear friends,

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I'm very happy we are together again
on this eighth day of November,

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in the year 2018.

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There is a Day of Mindfulness for us,

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you have a Day of Mindfulness
to be together

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with lay practitioners
from many, many countries.

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We are very grateful to Thay

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because he has always made it possible
for the lay practitioners to join us

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at Plum Village for the three month
Rain Retreat,

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which in some countries is not open
for lay practitioners to come

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and practice with the monastics.

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So, since the very beginning
of Plum Village,

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this has been our way of practicing
as a fourfold sangha.

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And that means that

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the monks and nuns,
male and female,

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and then the lay practitioners,
male and female.

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That is meant by four fourfold sangha.

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During this Rains Retreat,
we have been offering

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our understanding and ways of practicing
the 14 mindfulness trainings every Sunday,

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and then, on Thursdays, there has been
a variety of teachings.

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So far, we've shared the basic
Plum Village practices,

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some of the Dharma Doors,

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I believe, such as Beginning Anew,
Shining Light, guided meditations,

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reconciliation within families
and relationships.

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In the coming weeks, we will be offering
our understanding and how we can practice

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some of the sutras.

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This morning, today we will look
at the Discourse on Love.

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We remember that the Dharma talk on Sunday
ended with a line from one of Thay's poems

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and it said:
Let us accept one another.

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Let us share the vision
for Great Love to arise.

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Maybe we're wondering,
what is this Great Love?

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Buddha had some wonderful teachings
on Great Love.

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And Thay has also offered many deep
teachings on what he has called True Love.

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So we know there are four expressions
of this Great Love, of this True Love.

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We know them as
loving kindness,

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it is also known as maitri or metta,

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compassion,

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or also known as karuna,
in Pali or Sanskrit.

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Joy, mudita,

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and then equanimity, upeksha.

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The Buddha has offered an explanation
of these four expressions of love

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in the Discourse on Love.

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This discourse is available in all
of our chanting books,

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Chanting from the Heart and all of
the translations in the Chanting Book.

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And it's found in the session on Monday,
Monday morning.

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This text or this sutra is very important
and really well loved and practiced

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in the Theravada traditions in Buddhism.

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So, we think of the countries where
'source Buddhism', as Thay calls it,

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or 'original Buddhism' is practiced.

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And that is the country of Thailand,
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,

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Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar.

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Primarily the countries in Southeast Asia.

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The text is in Pali language, and
it's part of their daily practice

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to chant this discourse, this sutra.

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I discovered that there are

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20 translations of this text into English.

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19 are available on the Internet,

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and then the 20th is the one that
Thay and sister Chan Duc did,

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or sister True Virtue, sister Annabel.
And to me, it's the most beautiful.

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If you have an interest in scholarship,

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you can look at the other translations
which are very accurate, I believe,

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I don't read Pali.
But in reading the translation

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that is available to us everyday,
I see that it is very, very beautiful,

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the one that we have.

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So, why don't we listen to
this Discourse on Love.

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And, I'll read it.

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And I believe many of you
have already heard it,

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but it's nice to hear it again.

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Because I've found that it waters
my seeds of happiness and goodness.

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It is a wonderful text to nourish
the wholesome qualities in ourselves.

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So, Discourse on Love. And this is Thay's
translation with sister Annabel.

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“He or she who wants to attain peace

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should practice being upright, humble,
and capable of using loving speech.

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He or she will know how to live simply
and happily, with senses calmed,

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without being covetous and carried away
by the emotions of the majority.

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Let him or her not do anything that
will be disapproved of by the wise ones.

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And this is what he or she contemplates:

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May everyone be happy and safe,
and may all hearts be filled with joy.

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May all beings live
in security and in peace –

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beings who are frail or strong, tall or
short, big or small, visible or invisible,

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near or faraway, already born,
or yet to be born.

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May all of them dwell
in perfect tranquility.

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Let no one do harm to anyone.

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Let no one put the life of anyone
in danger.

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Let no one, out of anger or ill will,
wish anyone any harm.

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Just as a mother loves and protects her
only child at the risk of her own life,

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cultivate boundless love to offer
to all living beings in the entire cosmos.

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Let our boundless love pervade the whole
universe, above, below, and across.

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Our love will know no obstacles.

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Our heart will be absolutely free
from enmity and hatred.

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Whether standing or walking, sitting
or lying, as long as we are awake,

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we should cultivate
this love within our heart.

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This is the noblest way of living.

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Free from wrong views, greed,
and sensual desires,

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living in beauty and realizing
Perfect Understanding,

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those who practice boundless love
will certainly transcend birth and death.”

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I discovered that this sutra
grew within me.

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I heard it the first time and I thought,

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"It's very lovely, very nice, but
how can I practice it?"

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It seemed to be a real challenge,
to have all these qualities,

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and to be able to practice boundless love.

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So what I did is I read it,
I read it very often.

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And I simply waited.

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And I didn't expect myself
to be able to practice it.

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It was simply enough to read it.

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And I still do this everyday.
I read the sutra.

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It's very interesting to know that
this sutra has a history.

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It has an origin.
An origin story.

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But before I share the origin story of
how this sutra was offered by the Buddha,

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I want to say a few words about
what do we mean by origin stories.

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When we

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study or hear some of
the Buddhist teachings.

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Do you know that the lay people

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in the time of the Buddha

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were the source of many
of the mindfulness trainings?

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Or the precepts,
as they were called in those days.

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Both for the lay people
and for the monastics.

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And how was that possible?

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For example, the 5 mindfulness trainings

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were created by the Buddha

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in response to the request
or the mother and father, the parents,

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of a monk who had just ordained.

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His parents went to the Buddha and said,

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"World Honored One, do you have
some guidelines for us,

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the lay people living in the world, so
we could have more happiness and peace?"

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So the Buddha thought and he agreed,

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he said, "Yes,
I will create some guidelines."

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And these guidelines, in those days,
were offered with the phrase,

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"I will refrain from killing.
I will abstain from stealing." Et cetera.

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So the Buddha used words that were
appropriate for the time and culture

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in ancient India.

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I think if we continue to use those words
in our modern era,

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perhaps the mindfulness trainings
will not be so easily accepted.

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So Thay, with his great understanding
and wisdom of our era and culture,

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renamed them to call them
'mindfulness trainings',

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which is truly what they are about.
We'll develop our mindfulness,

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and train our mind to think
and act in wholesome ways.

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So Thay called them mindfulness trainings,

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and then, instead of beginning
each training with the word

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"I will abstain from", or
"I will refrain from",

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because in our era, it's more a culture of
consummation rather than abstaining from.

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So Thay chose to use the words,
"Aware of suffering caused by" killing,

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or stealing.

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If we know that such actions
are going to create suffering,

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or our ways of speaking, or thinking
will create suffering,

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then we think, "Oh, sure!
I'm willing to learn more and practice."

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Practice the trainings.

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So then Thay gives us ways to understand
within the training how to practice.

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I am committed to do this. 
I'm determined

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to do something else in order to
not cause suffering to myself or others.

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The precepts for the monks and nuns
were also created by the Buddha

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after a situation occurred
where there was a mistake

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or after an event.

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The Buddha did not make precepts,
or mindfulness trainings,

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we say "a priori", in advance.

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The Buddha wanted the monastics
to have a way of life

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that would make it easy for the lay people
to be able to ask questions,

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and learn from the monastics,
and respect them.

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So all of the precepts for the monastics

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were made after
a specific situation occurred.

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And how did the Buddha learn
about situations that occurred?

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Or behavior on the part of the monastics?

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It was from the lay people.

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The lay people,
when they observed or heard

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how the monks and nuns
were speaking or acting,

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if they were not pleased with the -
If they were not happy,

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they would go to the Buddha and tell him.

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"This is what we saw,
this is what happened."

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And then the Buddha decided
that he didn't want his monastics

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to make the same mistake.

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So he made precepts for them.

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We have to understand, in the beginning,
the monastic sangha was forming.

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It was brand new. So -

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But they didn't know too much
about how to be monastics,

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so, gradually,

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they learned, Buddha learned,
and the monastics learned

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about what would be the most
appropriate way of life for them.

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And the Buddha created mindful manners
as appropriate codes of behavior.

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We are all very grateful
to the lay sangha.

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In those days they were helping
the Buddha and the other monastics

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know what they thought
would be appropriate behavior.

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Let us enjoy just a moment

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to come back to ourselves. We'll listen
to one sound of the bell

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for a moment of mindful breathing.

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(Bell)

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So I've shared a little bit about origin,
origin stories.

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The precepts for the monastics,
they all have an origin story.

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We learn about what happened

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and it was a source of maybe
some misunderstanding,

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a source of

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people not being happy,

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and so, a guideline was created.
An origin story.

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And I've used the example of the
mindfulness trainings for the lay sangha,

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and then, monastic mindful manners
and precepts for the monastics.

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And also, I've, with great appreciation
and gratitude, let all of you know

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how important you are for our practice.

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And you were instrumental
in the time of the Buddha

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for helping formulate the appropriate
code of behavior for monastics.

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I want to add that other monastics
also went to the Buddha

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to share what they saw other monastics do.

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So it wasn't just the lay people going,

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it was monastics also
letting the Buddha know.

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I think the Buddha was very busy,
wasn't he?

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Not only teaching,
but receiving all of these reports

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on how people were acting,
and speaking, and thinking, et cetera.

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So the Buddha listened, I'm sure,
very deeply and then reflected.

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So from the time of the Buddha

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he established the fourfold sangha

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of the monastics and the lay people
practicing together

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and supporting one another
in their practice.

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So now I'd like to share with you
the origin story

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of this sutra.

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It is said that on one occasion,

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some 500 bhikkhus, meaning
fully ordained monks,

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after receiving some instruction
on meditation,

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such as awareness of the breathing,

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which is what Thay has chosen
for our basic meditation practice,

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the Anapanasati sutra,
they practiced that daily,

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aware of our in-breath and our out-breath,
aware of our body, relaxing our body.

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So the Buddha gave them some topics
for their meditation.

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Then, they went to a forest
in the Himalayas

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to practice this meditation.

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In those days, they didn't have
a practice center such as we know today.

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They went to the foot of a tree,
or they went into the forest

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to a quite, secluded area to practice.

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Mostly sitting meditation,
and slow walking meditation.

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But we know that they also ate mindfully.

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But there were some devas.

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Maybe a deva would be
someone comparable to an angel

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in the Christian tradition.

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Devas lived in the forest, in nature,
where there were trees

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and bushes, a lot of natural
flora and fauna.

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But there was some devas
already living there.

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Initially, the devas, devas are like

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beings that are not in a body form,

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but they have already developed
some certain amount of consciousness.

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But there were devas already living there.

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In the beginning, the devas tolerated
the presence of the monks.

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But they saw

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that the bhikkhus were planning
to stay there and practice meditation.

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And they had no intention to leave.

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So the devas realized that and became
upset and annoyed with the bhikkhus

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for taking their space, for moving in
occupying their territory.

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So what did they do?

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The devas made fearful sighs
and horrible sounds

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that agitated the six
sense organs of the monks.

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And they did this at night

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to frighten the monks,
so they would go away.

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The bhikkhus were so disturbed,

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that they got sick

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and they couldn't make any progress
in their meditation.

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So they decided to leave the forest
to return to the Buddha.

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And they reported their experiences
of what happened.

00:27:04.925 --> 00:27:08.702
So the Buddha received this report,

00:27:09.077 --> 00:27:11.610
and in his meditation,

00:27:11.987 --> 00:27:17.659
he surveyed the area
to find an alternative forest

00:27:18.616 --> 00:27:23.182
where the monks could practice in silence.

00:27:23.468 --> 00:27:28.646
But he found no other suitable forest
in that area.

00:27:29.190 --> 00:27:34.607
So what he told them
was to return to that forest.

00:27:38.589 --> 00:27:42.486
However, before returning to the forest

00:27:42.768 --> 00:27:49.648
the Buddha gave them, his monks,
this metta meditation.

00:27:51.067 --> 00:27:56.500
The Metta Sutra for them to chant
as a daily practice

00:27:56.764 --> 00:28:01.107
and then to offer as a meditation

00:28:01.625 --> 00:28:06.884
to make the devas more peaceful,
to appease them,

00:28:07.883 --> 00:28:12.176
and as well for the protection
of the monks.

00:28:12.781 --> 00:28:17.838
So the monks went back to the same forest
where the devas were,

00:28:18.434 --> 00:28:21.828
I imagine they were a little bit anxious,

00:28:22.017 --> 00:28:26.637
wondering if the Buddha's teachings
would be enough

00:28:27.389 --> 00:28:30.857
to make the devas calm.

00:28:31.044 --> 00:28:37.140
Because they had experienced
a lot of agitation from these beings.

00:28:38.263 --> 00:28:43.131
So the monks went back, and
daily chanted the Metta Sutra,

00:28:44.108 --> 00:28:49.342
and the metta meditation
throughout the day.

00:28:49.962 --> 00:28:52.962
And I believe throughout the night.

00:28:53.113 --> 00:28:56.423
They had brief periods of sleep.

00:28:56.595 --> 00:29:00.256
The result was transformative.

00:29:01.109 --> 00:29:05.163
By receiving this metta energy
from the monks,

00:29:05.383 --> 00:29:09.988
this energy of loving kindness
and compassion from the monks,

00:29:13.690 --> 00:29:19.344
the devas developed trust
and confidence in the monks.

00:29:22.169 --> 00:29:24.240
They welcomed them.

00:29:25.654 --> 00:29:31.571
They then had goodwill towards the monks
and even looked after them,

00:29:31.794 --> 00:29:36.999
making sure they had enough food,
and whatever they needed.

00:29:38.571 --> 00:29:44.147
And the monks were also able to
develop these qualities in themselves,

00:29:44.612 --> 00:29:51.673
and offer to the devas their friendliness,
their good wishes,

00:29:53.354 --> 00:29:57.896
their kindness
and their peaceful presence.

00:29:58.134 --> 00:30:04.012
That helped calm and watered
the best seeds in themselves,

00:30:04.213 --> 00:30:06.426
but also

00:30:06.898 --> 00:30:10.649
in the hearts and minds of the devas.

00:30:10.940 --> 00:30:15.459
So everybody benefited from this practice.

00:30:15.783 --> 00:30:18.887
And it is said, that

00:30:19.652 --> 00:30:23.599
after this three months period
of rains retreat,

00:30:23.855 --> 00:30:29.549
that the bhikkhus spent with this
meditation in the forest with the devas,

00:30:30.472 --> 00:30:35.313
it is said that all 500 bhikkhus
became arhats.

00:30:36.310 --> 00:30:42.182
And in the Theravada tradition
of Buddhism,

00:30:42.538 --> 00:30:49.704
an arhat is a person who has purified
all of their afflictions,

00:30:50.051 --> 00:30:53.598
such as greed, hatred, ignorance.

00:30:53.803 --> 00:30:57.843
He has developed
to the highest extent possible.

00:30:58.063 --> 00:31:01.748
Becoming arhat,
you have no more afflictions.

00:31:01.916 --> 00:31:05.564
I believe it's just
before becoming a buddha.

00:31:08.363 --> 00:31:13.077
Being an arhat is pretty good.

00:31:13.851 --> 00:31:19.221
So the good fruits of their practice
of this metta meditation.

00:31:26.294 --> 00:31:31.650
As practitioners in our daily life,
wherever we are living,

00:31:32.845 --> 00:31:35.221
in the forest,

00:31:35.994 --> 00:31:38.532
where there are trees.

00:31:38.792 --> 00:31:41.976
And incidentally, you know there are

00:31:43.286 --> 00:31:48.563
Greenpeace and organizations that
want to protect the life of trees,

00:31:49.367 --> 00:31:53.170
and not let people cut down
the ancient forests,

00:31:54.199 --> 00:31:57.609
which is happening in many countries.

00:31:57.864 --> 00:32:02.469
To cut down the ancient forests, and then,
what do they do?

00:32:02.835 --> 00:32:10.472
In some cases, they plant grass
to bring in the cattle.

00:32:11.722 --> 00:32:16.348
To grow - They make pasture land.

00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:24.698
But the ancient forests provide
beautiful fresh oxygen.

00:32:24.953 --> 00:32:30.890
The leaves of the trees give us oxygen
and they absorb the carbon dioxide

00:32:31.304 --> 00:32:34.636
in the process of photosynthesis.

00:32:35.172 --> 00:32:38.783
So, the ancient forests are precious.

00:32:39.254 --> 00:32:44.466
So whether we live in the ancient forest
or in the cities,

00:32:45.370 --> 00:32:52.276
there are practices that we can do
related to this metta sutra.

00:32:57.273 --> 00:33:02.688
I reflected on how I could
share this sutra this morning.

00:33:04.397 --> 00:33:08.041
And the only thing I could think of

00:33:08.405 --> 00:33:11.979
was to do what Thay did.

00:33:12.356 --> 00:33:16.604
Because during the winter retreat,
the three month rain retreat,

00:33:17.956 --> 00:33:21.755
Thay would chose a sutra.

00:33:22.368 --> 00:33:28.678
And them he would take
short sections of the sutra

00:33:29.653 --> 00:33:34.699
and then, share some commentary
on each section.

00:33:35.606 --> 00:33:41.709
So I hope that's alright with you
if I simply do what Thay did.

00:33:42.800 --> 00:33:49.242
We'll listen to some commentary
on this sutra,

00:33:49.902 --> 00:33:54.567
and then we'll learn about this meditation

00:33:55.440 --> 00:34:00.141
that is based on the sutra,
the metta meditation.

00:34:02.556 --> 00:34:07.651
Let us take a moment to stretch
or change your sitting position

00:34:08.987 --> 00:34:14.360
if you wish, or sit in a chair
if that will be more comfortable.

00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:18.717
We'll have a sound of the bell
to reconnect us

00:34:19.653 --> 00:34:25.519
with ourselves and with one another.
Because when we all breathe together,

00:34:26.230 --> 00:34:32.681
at the same time, we're creating
a collective energy of mindfulness,

00:34:33.253 --> 00:34:37.792
a collective energy of concentration
that is shared.

00:34:38.321 --> 00:34:42.364
It's an interbeing experience.

00:34:42.839 --> 00:34:48.942
(Bell)

00:35:01.998 --> 00:35:05.786
So what we share on the sutra

00:35:06.647 --> 00:35:10.101
is a different kind of sharing sometimes.

00:35:10.492 --> 00:35:12.815
I appreciate

00:35:14.274 --> 00:35:19.869
just your willingness to listen,
and whatever results is also okay.

00:35:21.004 --> 00:35:25.840
It begins with: "He or she
who wants to attain peace

00:35:26.319 --> 00:35:33.856
should practice being upright, humble,
and capable of using loving speech."

00:35:37.057 --> 00:35:42.591
So the beginning of the sutra
gives us an opportunity

00:35:43.304 --> 00:35:48.948
to think about how we can live
simply and happily.

00:35:49.869 --> 00:35:53.222
How to speak lovingly.

00:35:53.893 --> 00:35:58.656
We know we have the mindfulness
trainings to help us speak lovingly.

00:36:03.269 --> 00:36:07.054
We have also the practice
of Beginning Anew,

00:36:07.286 --> 00:36:10.508
where we learn how to speak lovingly

00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:14.365
by sharing our appreciations of others,

00:36:14.580 --> 00:36:21.294
how much we have a lot of gratitude
for people in our life.

00:36:25.756 --> 00:36:29.600
When we are upright, what does that mean?

00:36:29.841 --> 00:36:33.124
It means that we have some ethical values.

00:36:33.813 --> 00:36:36.872
We live by our values.

00:36:37.261 --> 00:36:40.134
So, this person is upright,

00:36:40.371 --> 00:36:46.570
that suggests this person is reliable,
has ethical values.

00:36:50.641 --> 00:36:55.502
We can take refuge in this person
because of their honesty,

00:36:56.553 --> 00:37:00.780
their capacity to understand.

00:37:01.661 --> 00:37:07.350
And not do anything
that would be disappointing.

00:37:08.244 --> 00:37:10.794
We want not perfect, okay?

00:37:10.995 --> 00:37:16.888
But someone who is upright is someone
who practices, maybe we put it simply.

00:37:17.162 --> 00:37:22.293
Someone who loves the practice
and does it wholeheartedly.

00:37:22.641 --> 00:37:27.205
But we don't speak of perfect uprightness.

00:37:28.420 --> 00:37:32.268
There isn't perfect uprightness.

00:37:32.533 --> 00:37:37.643
But just human uprightness. Okay?
It is good enough.

00:37:41.712 --> 00:37:48.516
We don't covet or want what others have
in this simple lifestyle.

00:37:49.143 --> 00:37:54.278
We have enough. There is
the Sanskrit word 'samtusta'.

00:37:54.495 --> 00:37:58.073
We are content with what we have.

00:37:58.280 --> 00:38:03.053
It says: We know how to live simply
and happily, with senses calmed,

00:38:03.575 --> 00:38:09.991
without being covetous and carried away
by the emotions of the majority.

00:38:10.229 --> 00:38:15.081
So if we are in an environment
where there is a majority of people

00:38:16.278 --> 00:38:23.142
and we find that right now what I need
is to feel peaceful and calm,

00:38:23.413 --> 00:38:27.299
and maybe the environment is such that

00:38:27.699 --> 00:38:30.719
the majority of the people are

00:38:31.363 --> 00:38:35.525
a little bit agitated,
not so peaceful and calm,

00:38:35.875 --> 00:38:38.419
we can choose

00:38:40.679 --> 00:38:45.650
to not be carried away
by the emotions that are there.

00:38:46.346 --> 00:38:51.757
But we are not going to judge at all
the emotions of the majority.

00:38:52.082 --> 00:38:54.954
We simply observe.

00:38:55.186 --> 00:38:59.186
And that is bare attention.
We observe what is there,

00:38:59.384 --> 00:39:03.290
what are the emotions being expressed.

00:39:03.548 --> 00:39:10.869
We observe. We don't judge. And
if we wish to not be carried away

00:39:11.689 --> 00:39:16.385
by whatever the majority of
the emotions are,

00:39:16.654 --> 00:39:19.991
that we don't wish to experience,

00:39:22.872 --> 00:39:26.001
then we come back to ourselves

00:39:26.176 --> 00:39:30.334
and we can practice mindful breathing,
mindful walking.

00:39:30.576 --> 00:39:35.504
Sometimes, we feel
that we have to step outside.

00:39:36.062 --> 00:39:38.690
And that is certainly okay,

00:39:38.871 --> 00:39:42.076
to not be carried away
in certain environments,

00:39:42.259 --> 00:39:46.840
we can choose to find temporarily
another environment.

00:39:47.107 --> 00:39:52.113
We step outside and enjoy mindful walking,

00:39:52.881 --> 00:39:58.311
mindful breathing. We learned about
protecting our six sense organs.

00:39:58.672 --> 00:40:01.901
The sutra says, with senses calmed.

00:40:02.158 --> 00:40:06.804
That means that whatever we see, hear,

00:40:08.877 --> 00:40:16.974
taste or touch, if it has
the effect on us of creating

00:40:19.103 --> 00:40:25.178
agitation, or making us feel upset,
we are no longer peaceful,

00:40:25.489 --> 00:40:30.994
then we want to think of how can I protect
my eyes, or my ears,

00:40:31.964 --> 00:40:38.955
so they are not going to
continually receive this stimulation.

00:40:42.226 --> 00:40:45.206
And we learn how to do this gradually.

00:40:45.456 --> 00:40:51.305
We learn about the environment,
and how I'm feeling,

00:40:52.309 --> 00:40:55.972
and to do this,
we become aware of our body.

00:40:57.098 --> 00:41:01.642
And if we are having
emotions come up in us,

00:41:02.043 --> 00:41:07.368
such as worry, anxiety,
anger or fear.

00:41:07.558 --> 00:41:11.898
We can keep our stability.
We can keep our peace.

00:41:12.731 --> 00:41:15.824
And that is, in a sense,

00:41:16.449 --> 00:41:22.264
the practice of
keeping our six senses calm.

00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:26.296
We keep our stability
and we keep our peace.

00:41:26.458 --> 00:41:29.902
In a situation where I am the minority,

00:41:30.064 --> 00:41:33.802
and I am in an environment where
others are the majority,

00:41:33.914 --> 00:41:37.787
I accept being minority. Okay?

00:41:39.089 --> 00:41:44.600
In our daily lives,
you may be a minority at work.

00:41:45.384 --> 00:41:48.128
Or at school.

00:41:48.281 --> 00:41:54.745
And you are invited
to join your colleagues on Friday, for -

00:41:55.479 --> 00:41:59.019
They call it happiness hour
or something like that.

00:41:59.119 --> 00:42:01.829
It means going to the bar. Yes.

00:42:01.962 --> 00:42:03.700
(Laughter)

00:42:03.834 --> 00:42:07.599
And you are a practitioner.
And you practice the five trainings.

00:42:07.789 --> 00:42:09.875
Oh!, What do you do?

00:42:10.035 --> 00:42:13.221
You say: Okay, I'm a minority.
What do I do?

00:42:14.865 --> 00:42:20.691
So, if you know you -
If your practice is solid enough,

00:42:21.053 --> 00:42:25.721
and you won't be carried away
by spending some time in the bar,

00:42:25.900 --> 00:42:31.359
or a bistro, or wherever it is,
if you have confidence in your practice,

00:42:31.539 --> 00:42:34.823
then you can go. It's alright.

00:42:35.202 --> 00:42:39.362
But the big challenge is:
what do you order to drink?

00:42:39.556 --> 00:42:41.274
(Laughter)

00:42:41.352 --> 00:42:44.119
This is the challenge. Okay?

00:42:44.268 --> 00:42:46.813
I leave that to you.

00:42:46.950 --> 00:42:48.641
(Laughter)

00:42:48.752 --> 00:42:56.222
To find ways to be a minority with the
majority of your friends, or colleagues,

00:42:56.344 --> 00:42:59.042
or family members,

00:42:59.175 --> 00:43:02.306
when you share Christmas
or New Year with them.

00:43:02.659 --> 00:43:08.572
And maybe that would be something to share
in a Dharma sharing group at some point.

00:43:09.019 --> 00:43:14.698
How to be a minority and still
take refuge in our practice?

00:43:15.480 --> 00:43:18.972
But it's fine to be a minority.

00:43:19.149 --> 00:43:22.651
Don't feel upset,

00:43:22.874 --> 00:43:29.426
or feel that if I'm a minority,
I can't succeed in my practice. You can.

00:43:30.065 --> 00:43:36.328
It is just your experience
of yourself practicing

00:43:36.776 --> 00:43:39.974
mindful breathing and mindful walking

00:43:40.126 --> 00:43:45.436
that gives you the assurance that
my practice is there, in me.

00:43:46.347 --> 00:43:49.103
And we don't have to speak,

00:43:49.299 --> 00:43:51.921
for example while eating.

00:43:52.107 --> 00:43:59.118
Suppose you are invited to join everyone,
the majority group, for a lunch or dinner.

00:44:00.029 --> 00:44:05.727
And you say, how can I practice
mindful eating? I'm a minority.

00:44:06.220 --> 00:44:13.867
You can. You can chew mindfully,
gently, taste the food, and smile.

00:44:14.996 --> 00:44:19.417
But you can keep your silence
for a little bit.

00:44:19.604 --> 00:44:22.534
And we know we are flexible
in our practice.

00:44:22.677 --> 00:44:25.371
You may say a few words.

00:44:25.575 --> 00:44:30.482
But I've learned, while practicing
mindful eating with a group,

00:44:30.601 --> 00:44:36.526
and they may not be practitioners,
I've learned not to ask questions.

00:44:37.526 --> 00:44:41.348
That means I'm going to be talking,
and then, they may want,

00:44:41.537 --> 00:44:45.319
Please, tell us, clarify your question.

00:44:45.485 --> 00:44:51.497
And then I'm caught. I'm talking more
during a mindful meal with friends,

00:44:51.660 --> 00:44:56.873
or with people who may not know
the practice so well.

00:45:00.165 --> 00:45:05.370
So, we know that
we can live simply and happily

00:45:07.314 --> 00:45:11.301
with a lifestyle of a practitioner.

00:45:11.508 --> 00:45:16.725
And you can keep your religious tradition,
if you are not Buddhist,

00:45:16.877 --> 00:45:19.711
you don't have to be Buddhist.

00:45:19.855 --> 00:45:23.982
Thay encourages everyone
to keep their root tradition,

00:45:24.125 --> 00:45:27.704
whatever it is, you can continue.

00:45:27.838 --> 00:45:32.152
And just add your mindfulness practices.
That's it.

00:45:32.331 --> 00:45:35.283
So, without being covetous.

00:45:35.421 --> 00:45:39.377
That means without wanting
what you see other people have.

00:45:39.969 --> 00:45:44.021
Maybe someone has a new pair of shoes,
or they are nice,

00:45:44.133 --> 00:45:48.976
but you know they cost 150 euros, so
we let go of wanting that.

00:45:50.229 --> 00:45:55.845
Or a new car, or whatever that is new.

00:45:56.946 --> 00:45:59.056
Or old.

00:45:59.325 --> 00:46:06.227
So we don't covet, we are not envious.
Envious of wanting what other people have.

00:46:07.359 --> 00:46:12.571
And then, not being carried away
by the emotions of the majority.

00:46:12.720 --> 00:46:15.826
We take refuge in our practice.

00:46:16.869 --> 00:46:19.126
Okay. It continues:

00:46:19.283 --> 00:46:24.958
May everyone be happy and safe,
and may all hearts be filled with joy.

00:46:29.009 --> 00:46:32.676
So we want everyone to experience joy.

00:46:32.818 --> 00:46:39.377
You know, we can say these words even if
we don't feel the joy in our heart.

00:46:40.872 --> 00:46:45.269
Because as we continue
to repeat these words,

00:46:45.624 --> 00:46:50.298
we are opening a neural pathway
in our brain.

00:46:52.391 --> 00:46:56.589
And we are going to let joy
walk down the pathway.

00:46:57.018 --> 00:47:01.113
We are going to let loving kindness
walk down the neural pathway.

00:47:01.374 --> 00:47:05.228
We are going to let compassion,
joy and equanimity

00:47:05.536 --> 00:47:12.823
walk down this new neural pathway that
we are creating when we say words.

00:47:13.000 --> 00:47:15.539
When we repeat them.

00:47:17.266 --> 00:47:22.324
So our heart and mind are
in a beautiful state of awareness

00:47:23.915 --> 00:47:28.835
when we repeat these words
and we wish to share this energy,

00:47:29.566 --> 00:47:36.580
our wish, our volition, with all beings.
May everyone be happy and safe.

00:47:38.972 --> 00:47:44.754
So how can we help contribute
to the happiness and safety of everyone?

00:47:47.536 --> 00:47:51.811
One of the practices I do
to protect the safety

00:47:52.945 --> 00:47:55.346
of small beings.

00:47:55.600 --> 00:48:00.493
It doesn't have to be this big act that
is going to protect the whole world.

00:48:00.889 --> 00:48:05.775
But of course, we do it when we
are protecting Mother Earth.

00:48:06.334 --> 00:48:11.083
If I see a snail, something so tiny,
or a slug,

00:48:11.422 --> 00:48:14.546
we know what the slugs are, the 'limaces',

00:48:14.698 --> 00:48:18.546
sometimes I see them
trying to cross the road.

00:48:19.967 --> 00:48:22.137
And they're slow.

00:48:22.313 --> 00:48:24.070
(Laughter)

00:48:24.280 --> 00:48:26.332
So,

00:48:26.589 --> 00:48:30.017
what I do? I really try to do this.

00:48:30.275 --> 00:48:32.852
I look for a leaf, because I -

00:48:33.192 --> 00:48:39.338
You know, they are cold and slimy,
so I try to find a leaf or a twig.

00:48:39.584 --> 00:48:43.755
Or a worm. We can see worms
trying to cross the road.

00:48:44.414 --> 00:48:47.366
I pick them up with my hand, no problem,

00:48:47.559 --> 00:48:51.405
but I pick them up and
I take them to the other side.

00:48:52.077 --> 00:48:54.332
To the other shore.

00:48:54.509 --> 00:48:56.204
(Laughter)

00:48:56.379 --> 00:48:58.472
Shore of non suffering.

00:48:58.688 --> 00:49:02.020
The shore of the grass is greener
on the other side.

00:49:02.170 --> 00:49:07.258
They usually try to go to the other side
of the road where there is grass.

00:49:07.972 --> 00:49:12.741
And when I see them,
they're walking slowly on the pavement.

00:49:13.044 --> 00:49:17.307
So I pick up the snails,
the slugs, and the worms.

00:49:17.519 --> 00:49:20.610
And take them to the other side.

00:49:21.163 --> 00:49:25.909
That is helping something be safe.
And happy.

00:49:28.427 --> 00:49:33.640
We know when we live in the present moment
we have many opportunities

00:49:33.925 --> 00:49:37.115
to see what is really there.

00:49:37.282 --> 00:49:42.312
We've let go of the past, where
maybe there wasn't too much happiness,

00:49:42.963 --> 00:49:47.084
and we come back to
what is in front of us,

00:49:47.286 --> 00:49:51.558
what is so beautiful.
We have the autumn leaves.

00:49:52.174 --> 00:49:55.844
This morning there was the beautiful fog,

00:49:56.196 --> 00:49:58.329
when we came from.

00:49:58.490 --> 00:50:01.875
There was mist
and everything was so soft.

00:50:02.837 --> 00:50:05.696
There was greatness and softness,

00:50:06.056 --> 00:50:09.601
and the mist was very beautiful.

00:50:10.262 --> 00:50:16.160
So it brings a lot of happiness
when we are able to simply be there.

00:50:17.381 --> 00:50:20.176
To be there in the present moment.

00:50:20.381 --> 00:50:26.388
And for that, we let go of our thinking.
I've discovered that helps a lot

00:50:26.756 --> 00:50:31.847
to not think. Instead of thinking,
I breathe in and out.

00:50:33.710 --> 00:50:38.285
When I notice a thought arising,
I think: Oh! A thought is there.

00:50:38.477 --> 00:50:42.706
Hello, my thought. Hello, my worry
about the future.

00:50:44.048 --> 00:50:50.009
Hello, my regret about the past. Because
all of this comes up naturally.

00:50:50.716 --> 00:50:58.564
The store consciousness continually sends
these messengers up to our mind.

00:50:59.255 --> 00:51:02.465
These little messengers from the past

00:51:02.933 --> 00:51:06.204
if something waters that seed.

00:51:06.370 --> 00:51:09.622
The store consciousness,
the deepest level, alaya,

00:51:09.799 --> 00:51:14.595
will always let a seed
manifest if we've watered it.

00:51:15.659 --> 00:51:19.959
So, to help protect us,
to be happy and safe,

00:51:20.623 --> 00:51:27.748
we can be aware of what kind of seeds
in my environment are being watered

00:51:30.134 --> 00:51:32.778
by what people say,

00:51:32.923 --> 00:51:38.235
what I listen to, what I hear,
what I see, okay?

00:51:39.158 --> 00:51:45.667
So to be happy, I really enjoy the
practice of living in the present moment.

00:51:46.030 --> 00:51:48.921
I see the beautiful orchid.

00:51:49.097 --> 00:51:52.340
The orchid is there, just being an orchid.

00:51:53.117 --> 00:51:58.801
He or she doesn't have to do anything else
but be, be present.

00:51:59.140 --> 00:52:02.550
And the orchid is there for all of us.

00:52:02.774 --> 00:52:07.011
So life is available for all of us.

00:52:09.419 --> 00:52:14.206
Thay would quote André Gide,
the French writer,

00:52:14.403 --> 00:52:19.602
who said that God is available
24 hours a day.

00:52:20.927 --> 00:52:25.357
The question is, are we available to God?

00:52:27.082 --> 00:52:31.976
And Thay would then say:
"Life is available to us.

00:52:32.136 --> 00:52:35.240
The beauties, the wonders.

00:52:40.264 --> 00:52:47.861
The happiness is available to us 24 hours
a day. But are we available to life?"

00:52:49.664 --> 00:52:57.296
And Thay would often begin his talks by
saying: "Breathing in, I know I'm alive.

00:52:58.440 --> 00:53:04.525
Breathing out, I smile to life
in me and around me."

00:53:06.086 --> 00:53:12.541
So our practice can be,
let us smile to life in us and around us.

00:53:13.841 --> 00:53:18.891
Life is all forms of life.
All forms of life.

00:53:20.851 --> 00:53:24.883
One of the practices I love to do
to be happy,

00:53:27.951 --> 00:53:32.588
to water my seeds of happiness
and feel at peace,

00:53:33.034 --> 00:53:37.119
is whenever I come to Upper Hamlet,
if time permits,

00:53:37.279 --> 00:53:41.514
I enjoy walking around the lotus pond
you have here.

00:53:41.743 --> 00:53:45.535
It's so beautiful in all seasons.

00:53:45.883 --> 00:53:47.811
And,

00:53:48.423 --> 00:53:51.916
I love to look in the water
and see the fish.

00:53:52.133 --> 00:53:54.383
There are fish there.

00:53:54.707 --> 00:53:58.681
Gold fish you call them? Carp? Carp.

00:54:01.471 --> 00:54:04.040
They travel together, they are a sangha.

00:54:04.885 --> 00:54:09.097
You usually don't see one alone.
They're together.

00:54:09.650 --> 00:54:13.479
There is a nice history of the fish
in that pond.

00:54:13.939 --> 00:54:17.047
There was a time when after breakfast

00:54:17.456 --> 00:54:21.245
the residents here

00:54:21.701 --> 00:54:25.685
would give them some of the bread.

00:54:26.637 --> 00:54:30.435
So there was a time when we would see
pieces of bread floating

00:54:30.787 --> 00:54:34.121
everywhere in the pond.
But that stopped.

00:54:35.042 --> 00:54:41.026
And I enjoy looking how the fish grow,
you know? They grow, and I wondered,

00:54:41.165 --> 00:54:45.744
how do they grow? What is their nutriment?
What is feeding them?

00:54:46.067 --> 00:54:48.875
But apparently
they don't need much to eat.

00:54:52.595 --> 00:54:57.138
So we want all beings,
their hearts to be filled with joy.

00:54:57.303 --> 00:54:59.662
And we send out this energy.

00:54:59.843 --> 00:55:04.976
May you be happy and safe,
and may your heart be filled with joy.

00:55:06.783 --> 00:55:11.362
It continues: May all beings
live in security and in peace.

00:55:13.503 --> 00:55:16.480
So we want this for everybody.

00:55:16.637 --> 00:55:22.485
We want our children to experience
security and peace in society.

00:55:23.121 --> 00:55:27.269
Of course, at home, and at school.

00:55:27.946 --> 00:55:30.518
We want our sanghas,

00:55:31.644 --> 00:55:34.150
our family, our friends.

00:55:34.379 --> 00:55:38.314
So we discover with our practice
of being peaceful,

00:55:39.066 --> 00:55:43.381
and knowing how to transform
our strong emotions

00:55:43.922 --> 00:55:46.825
into peace and happiness

00:55:47.021 --> 00:55:53.039
we can contribute to the security
and peace of all beings.

00:55:56.588 --> 00:56:00.923
We want to contribute to the peace
and happiness of Mother Earth,

00:56:01.207 --> 00:56:07.156
because we know that Mother Earth
is in us, all the elements

00:56:08.352 --> 00:56:12.340
that are in the food we eat,
that's Mother Earth.

00:56:13.603 --> 00:56:19.628
And we are in Mother Earth, of course.
We're living on Mother Earth.

00:56:19.784 --> 00:56:23.082
So there is a real,
deep connection that we have,

00:56:23.249 --> 00:56:26.746
an interbeing connection
with Mother Earth.

00:56:27.265 --> 00:56:30.870
And we want to live
in security and in peace,

00:56:31.359 --> 00:56:34.898
and provide this for Mother Earth.

00:56:35.193 --> 00:56:42.309
Beings who are frail or strong, tall or
short, big or small, visible or invisible,

00:56:42.592 --> 00:56:47.676
near or faraway, already born,
or yet to be born.

00:56:48.613 --> 00:56:53.104
May all of them dwell
in perfect tranquility.

00:56:53.795 --> 00:56:57.510
Nothing is left out.
That's everything.

00:56:57.709 --> 00:57:00.919
All forms of life, everywhere.

00:57:01.169 --> 00:57:09.437
Whether they're frail, poor health,
good health, tall, short, big, tiny,

00:57:10.441 --> 00:57:13.561
visible, we can see them,
or we can't see them,

00:57:13.759 --> 00:57:17.216
like the 'aoûtats' in August,
if you have been here.

00:57:17.765 --> 00:57:20.222
Do we know about these little

00:57:21.927 --> 00:57:26.157
harvest mites, in other countries
their live in the grass,

00:57:26.370 --> 00:57:30.393
and when it's hot, they love us.
They bite.

00:57:30.717 --> 00:57:32.891
And then we itch.

00:57:33.003 --> 00:57:35.902
Okay, whether we can see them,
or can't see them,

00:57:36.106 --> 00:57:41.691
like the flu virus. Has it arrived yet?
We can't see it, but we see the effects.

00:57:41.871 --> 00:57:47.130
Visible or not visible,
near or faraway,

00:57:50.173 --> 00:57:55.581
already born or yet to be born.
They are on their way to manifesting.

00:57:56.365 --> 00:58:02.066
May everyone dwell in perfect tranquility.

00:58:02.969 --> 00:58:06.279
That means tranquility to be

00:58:07.497 --> 00:58:11.622
free of fear, anxiety, worry,

00:58:13.335 --> 00:58:17.062
related to being discriminated against.

00:58:17.229 --> 00:58:20.562
That is, there is
discrimination in the world,

00:58:20.774 --> 00:58:26.684
discriminated against based on their size,
or other characteristics,

00:58:27.271 --> 00:58:33.013
such as race, nationality,
religion, or gender.

00:58:34.381 --> 00:58:39.978
Discrimination can take many forms
and expressions.

00:58:41.703 --> 00:58:46.030
So, we are bodhisattvas, awakened beings.

00:58:46.519 --> 00:58:50.233
We want to wish everyone well-being.

00:58:51.878 --> 00:58:54.099
No harm.

00:58:54.291 --> 00:58:59.108
And we send this energy
of love and well-being to everyone,

00:58:59.388 --> 00:59:07.769
near or far, already born,
visible, not visible, the whole cosmos.

00:59:09.924 --> 00:59:12.955
I want to mention something that -

00:59:13.832 --> 00:59:17.020
There are bodhisattvas everywhere now.

00:59:17.568 --> 00:59:20.458
So, it's very encouraging.

00:59:21.537 --> 00:59:25.624
We know there have been
many refugees worldwide.

00:59:25.806 --> 00:59:29.739
And the United Nation's
High Commission on Refugees

00:59:29.876 --> 00:59:38.550
has published the figures that now there
are 68.5 million people around the world

00:59:38.951 --> 00:59:41.363
who are refugees.

00:59:42.007 --> 00:59:47.678
25.4 million have had to settle
in different countries.

00:59:48.782 --> 00:59:52.887
And more than half of them
are now under 18.

00:59:54.857 --> 01:00:01.621
And we've learned that the United Nation's
High Commission on Refugees has a staff

01:00:02.876 --> 01:00:10.202
of 11,517 people,
and I've called them bodhisattvas.

01:00:10.788 --> 01:00:16.349
But they are out there, helping.
They are rescue at sea,

01:00:16.950 --> 01:00:20.320
in boats out there rescuing people.

01:00:20.532 --> 01:00:24.054
We know during the War in Vietnam
Thay and su co Chan Khong,

01:00:24.262 --> 01:00:28.155
perhaps were the first
to start the rescue at sea,

01:00:29.439 --> 01:00:34.925
hiring big boats to go out at sea
and save the refugees.

01:00:35.862 --> 01:00:39.785
So this bodhisattva practice continues.

01:00:40.510 --> 01:00:45.861
And you know, some of these bodhisattvas,
we have the honor to meet at Plum Village.

01:00:47.659 --> 01:00:52.867
You may be those bodhisattvas already.
You are there, you are bodhisattvas.

01:00:53.144 --> 01:00:55.769
It's just we don't know it.

01:00:56.085 --> 01:01:01.934
But during the summer retreat,
we had the honor of meeting some of them.

01:01:02.490 --> 01:01:07.274
They are ordinary human beings,
but, they have a great heart.

01:01:08.520 --> 01:01:14.591
There was one retreatant,
she and her family adopted

01:01:16.294 --> 01:01:21.619
a family of four refugees
from a war torn country,

01:01:21.836 --> 01:01:26.163
from a war devastated country.
The family fled

01:01:26.434 --> 01:01:29.915
and she and her husband and family
adopted them.

01:01:30.879 --> 01:01:36.609
And, believe it or not, this summer
two dogs arrived at New Hamlet.

01:01:37.844 --> 01:01:42.524
It seems to be in the summer,
the cats, the dogs, they arrive.

01:01:42.933 --> 01:01:44.778
So,

01:01:45.210 --> 01:01:49.148
two dogs were abandoned,
they arrived to the New Hamlet

01:01:49.298 --> 01:01:53.377
and you know what?
She drove home with one of these dogs,

01:01:53.617 --> 01:01:56.381
and her daughter, in a small car.

01:01:56.536 --> 01:01:58.405
That's -

01:01:58.609 --> 01:02:01.675
That's metta. That's this love.

01:02:03.139 --> 01:02:06.991
We learned there is a water company,
a mineral water company,

01:02:07.196 --> 01:02:11.890
in the Auvergne region of France.

01:02:13.507 --> 01:02:19.174
And they have been in partnership
with UNESCO for more than 12 years

01:02:19.882 --> 01:02:25.901
to make clean, drinkable water available
to the children and families in Africa.

01:02:26.538 --> 01:02:30.535
And the drought ridden areas of Africa.

01:02:30.880 --> 01:02:36.797
And they say, for every 1 liter
of their water that we buy,

01:02:37.230 --> 01:02:44.328
they provide 10 liters
of fresh drinkable water in Africa.

01:02:45.609 --> 01:02:47.949
So this is metta.

01:02:48.143 --> 01:02:52.236
Making it possible for everyone
to be happy and safe,

01:02:52.449 --> 01:02:55.250
and to protect their lives.

01:02:57.118 --> 01:03:02.626
Just as a mother loves and protects her
only child at the risk of her own life,

01:03:02.986 --> 01:03:11.222
let us cultivate boundless love to offer
to all living beings in the entire cosmos.

01:03:14.456 --> 01:03:20.991
We learn from the neuroscientists
there is a region in the brain

01:03:21.668 --> 01:03:25.767
where compassion is located,
so to speak.

01:03:27.473 --> 01:03:30.979
And this area of the brain

01:03:31.675 --> 01:03:35.206
that they identified as compassion

01:03:35.428 --> 01:03:40.234
is very, very close to the center
for maternal love.

01:03:41.264 --> 01:03:43.953
That's interesting.

01:03:44.232 --> 01:03:49.578
So just as a mother will protect her
only child, this is the love

01:03:50.423 --> 01:03:55.311
that can be instinctual perhaps.

01:03:55.478 --> 01:04:00.266
I've seen pictures of lionesses
protecting their cubs,

01:04:01.548 --> 01:04:06.222
mother dogs protecting their puppies,
et cetera.

01:04:07.981 --> 01:04:11.070
And in my own personal experience,

01:04:11.516 --> 01:04:17.248
in listening to consultations,
when retreatants want to share

01:04:17.932 --> 01:04:22.238
about something in their life,
how to practice with it,

01:04:23.474 --> 01:04:27.940
I have listened to many mothers
and also fathers.

01:04:29.068 --> 01:04:34.996
And I've learned that they really love
their daughters and their sons.

01:04:35.327 --> 01:04:38.068
There is really love there.

01:04:38.279 --> 01:04:41.762
No matter what age their children are,

01:04:42.378 --> 01:04:47.210
or no matter what their children are up to
or have done,

01:04:48.046 --> 01:04:52.544
or if their children haven't talked
to them for 5 years, 10 years, whatever.

01:04:53.572 --> 01:04:58.529
There can be suffering, of course,
but I've had heard

01:04:59.483 --> 01:05:05.353
and learned there is love, there,
there is this maternal and paternal love.

01:05:06.355 --> 01:05:09.232
But the difficulty is

01:05:09.477 --> 01:05:13.458
that sometimes the parents' suffering
is just too great.

01:05:13.611 --> 01:05:19.409
The mother's suffering has just been
too great over a long period of time,

01:05:19.709 --> 01:05:23.443
or she received this suffering
from her parents,

01:05:23.620 --> 01:05:27.641
an ancestor's suffering
has been transmitted.

01:05:27.975 --> 01:05:32.774
So that is why they haven't learned
how to express their love.

01:05:34.503 --> 01:05:38.032
And their sons and daughters may believe

01:05:38.218 --> 01:05:42.292
that their mother doesn't love them,
or their father doesn't love them.

01:05:42.979 --> 01:05:46.033
But it's my belief

01:05:46.394 --> 01:05:49.714
the parental love is there.

01:05:50.242 --> 01:05:58.101
And that deep down inside of us
we can learn to forgive, if necessary,

01:05:58.320 --> 01:06:02.690
and love our parents
when we understand and learn more.

01:06:07.818 --> 01:06:12.639
So this love, this boundless love
is developing now

01:06:13.372 --> 01:06:15.829
to the point where the Buddha said:

01:06:15.984 --> 01:06:20.423
Let our boundless love
pervade this whole universe,

01:06:21.517 --> 01:06:27.119
in all directions, above,
below, and across.

01:06:27.586 --> 01:06:30.393
In the ten directions.

01:06:30.562 --> 01:06:33.270
That is northwest, southwest,
you know,

01:06:33.453 --> 01:06:36.720
northeast, southeast,
you know that, okay.

01:06:37.034 --> 01:06:40.879
All the directions
let this boundless love.

01:06:41.709 --> 01:06:48.092
We can have this thought and
this intention, and this volition,

01:06:48.745 --> 01:06:54.986
even if it hasn't been
developed yet in us. Okay?

01:06:55.366 --> 01:07:00.573
So, please, believe me.
It's enough to say the words.

01:07:03.398 --> 01:07:08.469
This love is perhaps like the love
that is described in the New Testament,

01:07:08.662 --> 01:07:11.571
the King James version.

01:07:11.792 --> 01:07:16.449
The love that Jesus offered and spoke of.

01:07:16.947 --> 01:07:22.420
When the new Testament was translated
into the Greek language,

01:07:22.517 --> 01:07:27.242
the word used was 'agape', 'agape'.

01:07:27.953 --> 01:07:33.418
So this was the word used to describe
this spiritual love.

01:07:34.212 --> 01:07:37.033
And we know there are many kinds of love.

01:07:37.980 --> 01:07:40.647
You have many relationships,

01:07:40.886 --> 01:07:45.652
and you can reflect on the nature
of the love in your relationships.

01:07:45.816 --> 01:07:49.672
But the boundless love is like

01:07:49.971 --> 01:07:54.566
the love that we read about in the Bible,
the 'agape',

01:07:54.769 --> 01:07:59.490
and in the Old Testament there is a word
from the Hebrew language called

01:08:01.575 --> 01:08:04.865
'chesed', I don't know
if I pronounce it correctly,

01:08:05.490 --> 01:08:08.431
c-h-e-s-e-d.

01:08:09.416 --> 01:08:11.234
[xesed]?

01:08:11.378 --> 01:08:14.636
Yes, [xesed], we have a resource here.

01:08:14.819 --> 01:08:20.757
Good. And that means for love, goodness
and kindness, like metta.

01:08:21.225 --> 01:08:25.427
So this kind of love,
this boundless love is found

01:08:26.111 --> 01:08:33.526
in other spiritual traditions, it has its
counterpart in other spiritual traditions.

01:08:35.373 --> 01:08:39.485
So, there are no obstacles to this love.

01:08:39.684 --> 01:08:44.340
Even if in our mind we have anger,
and hatred arising.

01:08:44.546 --> 01:08:48.483
Okay, they are just mental formations.

01:08:48.675 --> 01:08:50.730
Don't be -

01:08:50.916 --> 01:08:53.548
Don't water them.

01:08:53.993 --> 01:08:57.088
Don't be too attached to all of this,

01:08:57.346 --> 01:09:01.303
these mental formations called
anger, and hatred, and all that.

01:09:01.434 --> 01:09:04.519
They are mental formations,
and they will arise.

01:09:04.660 --> 01:09:08.210
They are there, in the depth
of our consciousness, okay.

01:09:08.417 --> 01:09:12.430
They arise when conditions are favorable.

01:09:12.606 --> 01:09:15.609
And then, we let them go back.

01:09:15.793 --> 01:09:21.385
But now we want to help arise this metta,
this boundless love.

01:09:22.835 --> 01:09:27.740
So what is this boundless love?
How can we help it arise?

01:09:29.901 --> 01:09:33.870
He said there are no obstacles, really.

01:09:34.040 --> 01:09:37.488
The first thing we want to do
is to convince our mind

01:09:37.793 --> 01:09:40.492
that there is boundless love.

01:09:40.697 --> 01:09:45.237
Because the mind consciousness sometimes
says: "No, there is no love in the world.

01:09:45.424 --> 01:09:48.631
Read the news, look at
all of that. No love."

01:09:48.786 --> 01:09:52.753
We want to convince our mind.
Yes, there is love.

01:09:52.914 --> 01:09:57.393
All right. So, as I've hinted to so far,

01:09:57.549 --> 01:10:02.072
there is this boundless love
and what will help is

01:10:02.562 --> 01:10:05.999
reciting the sutra.

01:10:07.700 --> 01:10:11.670
There is a poem Thay wrote called
'Alone Again'.

01:10:11.786 --> 01:10:14.797
It's a beautiful poem.

01:10:14.951 --> 01:10:20.818
Some of the words towards the end are:
"Knowing the immortality of love,

01:10:21.033 --> 01:10:24.927
those who love you will behold you,

01:10:25.116 --> 01:10:31.831
will continue to behold you across
ten thousand worlds of birth and dying."

01:10:32.464 --> 01:10:38.969
Bodhisattvas never abandon anyone.
We keep this love in our heart

01:10:39.140 --> 01:10:42.777
no matter what is happening.

01:10:42.961 --> 01:10:47.884
No matter what we see, or what we hear.

01:10:48.365 --> 01:10:52.120
We cultivate this love,
the immortality of love.

01:10:54.550 --> 01:10:58.528
You know, people loving, practicing love,

01:10:58.914 --> 01:11:03.057
we are impermanent.
People come and go, right?

01:11:03.521 --> 01:11:07.950
But love has continued.
It continues to manifest.

01:11:08.888 --> 01:11:11.661
People playing the guitar,

01:11:11.805 --> 01:11:15.472
their hands come and go.
Different hands play the guitar.

01:11:15.598 --> 01:11:18.554
But guitars stay.

01:11:18.709 --> 01:11:21.465
So love stays.

01:11:22.605 --> 01:11:25.287
People breathe in and out.

01:11:25.438 --> 01:11:29.102
The lungs come and go.
They are different lungs, right?

01:11:29.241 --> 01:11:33.926
But breath has continued.
Mindful breathing has continued.

01:11:34.090 --> 01:11:38.766
Mindful walking has continued.
The feet change,

01:11:38.883 --> 01:11:44.486
people doing the mindful walking,
their feet change, right?

01:11:45.028 --> 01:11:49.423
But mindful walking has continued.

01:11:51.828 --> 01:11:58.268
So: "Living in beauty and realizing
Perfect Understanding,

01:11:58.446 --> 01:12:04.278
those who practice boundless love
will certainly transcend birth and death."

01:12:05.256 --> 01:12:09.701
Living in beauty and realizing
Perfect Understanding.

01:12:09.926 --> 01:12:12.660
How can we live in beauty?

01:12:12.821 --> 01:12:17.773
There is a Native American song,
Now I Walk in Beauty.

01:12:17.984 --> 01:12:21.989
Beauty is before me,
beauty is above me,

01:12:22.334 --> 01:12:26.576
beauty is around me,
above and below me.

01:12:26.808 --> 01:12:30.041
So there is beauty in the ten directions.

01:12:30.204 --> 01:12:36.423
We can live in beauty, as I mentioned,
by living in the present moment.

01:12:37.489 --> 01:12:40.531
And the Perfect Understanding.

01:12:40.701 --> 01:12:46.184
To understand, we want to
be able to stop for a minute,

01:12:46.572 --> 01:12:51.472
to practice stopping with each step.
It's vipassana, okay?

01:12:51.654 --> 01:12:54.817
In the southern tradition we stop,

01:12:54.960 --> 01:12:58.364
come back to ourselves
with mindful breathing,

01:12:58.485 --> 01:13:01.247
and then, we look deeply.

01:13:01.400 --> 01:13:04.612
And this is the understanding
that will come

01:13:04.753 --> 01:13:09.023
when we have mindfulness,
concentration, and then

01:13:09.186 --> 01:13:12.397
that will lead to insight.

01:13:12.552 --> 01:13:17.848
So let us practice now
the first vipassana, the stopping.

01:13:18.094 --> 01:13:21.839
We will stop for a minute and breathe.

01:13:24.137 --> 01:13:27.368
And we will hear a sound of the bell.

01:13:27.495 --> 01:13:33.016
The bell is always this voice
inviting us to come back to ourselves.

01:13:33.718 --> 01:13:39.746
(Bell)

01:13:50.812 --> 01:13:53.355
So -

01:13:55.179 --> 01:13:59.458
And now we are ready
for the shorter version of this sutra.

01:13:59.615 --> 01:14:04.258
It has been written on the board.
It is the metta meditation.

01:14:04.416 --> 01:14:10.479
The monks practiced the longer sutra,
every single sentence of that sutra,

01:14:10.641 --> 01:14:13.429
and then it was shortened.

01:14:13.716 --> 01:14:18.020
The shortened version actually was first

01:14:19.424 --> 01:14:23.912
created by Buddhaghosa. He was

01:14:27.284 --> 01:14:32.319
a commentator, he was a monk
who lived in the 5th century in Sri Lanka,

01:14:33.153 --> 01:14:36.679
more that 1,500 years ago.

01:14:36.879 --> 01:14:42.274
He was a scholar who wrote commentaries
on the Buddhist teachings.

01:14:42.815 --> 01:14:49.625
He wrote a book called the Visuddhimagga,
which is The Path of Purification.

01:14:50.161 --> 01:14:55.840
And it is the most important manual
of Buddhist meditation

01:14:56.397 --> 01:15:00.938
for the Theravada school of Buddhism.

01:15:01.324 --> 01:15:06.199
That is the Buddhism that is practiced
in the southeast Asian countries

01:15:06.424 --> 01:15:09.090
that I mentioned.

01:15:09.265 --> 01:15:12.019
Buddhaghosa,

01:15:12.828 --> 01:15:19.391
he gave this teaching
on the four Brahmaviharas,

01:15:19.770 --> 01:15:23.308
the four unlimited minds.

01:15:23.497 --> 01:15:28.197
And it's in the part two
in the section on concentration,

01:15:28.343 --> 01:15:31.458
because it helps us concentrate.

01:15:31.600 --> 01:15:37.309
And Thay has based this metta meditation
that we have written for you,

01:15:37.521 --> 01:15:40.151
it's Thay's version

01:15:40.298 --> 01:15:45.101
of the meditation that was offered
by the Buddhaghosa

01:15:45.393 --> 01:15:49.002
on the four unlimited minds,

01:15:49.154 --> 01:15:56.957
which are loving kindness, as I mentioned,
compassion, equanimity - Excuse me,

01:15:57.359 --> 01:16:03.841
loving kindness, compassion,
joy, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

01:16:05.197 --> 01:16:09.887
We use all four of
these expressions of love

01:16:10.045 --> 01:16:14.435
when we practice this meditation.

01:16:14.986 --> 01:16:18.943
I want to share
from my personal experience

01:16:19.171 --> 01:16:22.992
why I offer this meditation to you.

01:16:23.174 --> 01:16:27.534
Because it has been a practice
I do every morning

01:16:27.856 --> 01:16:30.943
for about a year and a half.

01:16:31.073 --> 01:16:34.534
And I share this very often.

01:16:34.725 --> 01:16:40.188
Because I've experienced
that I had a lot to transform.

01:16:40.515 --> 01:16:48.022
With seeds of anger, ill-will,
or irritation, getting upset easily,

01:16:48.328 --> 01:16:51.007
all of that.

01:16:51.181 --> 01:16:55.069
Maybe you have some of that too.
I don't know.

01:16:55.257 --> 01:16:57.805
But I decided,

01:16:57.991 --> 01:17:03.182
after hearing I think our lay friends
and some monastics say

01:17:04.009 --> 01:17:08.522
that first of all they begin by reading
this sutra every morning.

01:17:08.656 --> 01:17:12.506
So I started doing that.
I woke up a little bit earlier,

01:17:12.626 --> 01:17:17.012
I read this sutra to myself,
that was very good,

01:17:17.144 --> 01:17:20.359
and then, I got our of bed.

01:17:20.493 --> 01:17:24.547
So I do this practice
before getting out of bed.

01:17:24.723 --> 01:17:27.647
It's my first action.

01:17:27.832 --> 01:17:30.798
My first thoughts of the day.

01:17:30.942 --> 01:17:33.110
For me,

01:17:33.269 --> 01:17:37.094
the firsts moments
of every day are so important.

01:17:37.228 --> 01:17:39.762
Before I brush my teeth.

01:17:39.909 --> 01:17:42.800
Because usually I have to wait.

01:17:42.886 --> 01:17:46.073
Many people share
the bathroom, so we wait.

01:17:46.203 --> 01:17:49.613
I start my practice before that.

01:17:49.835 --> 01:17:54.198
Sit up in bed, I started
by reading this sutra.

01:17:54.543 --> 01:17:58.456
And then I noticed,
how can I help my mind?

01:17:58.552 --> 01:18:01.974
Because reading the sutra was helpful.

01:18:02.153 --> 01:18:05.102
So, then I decided to try

01:18:05.303 --> 01:18:11.218
this guided meditation:
May I be happy, may I be peaceful.

01:18:11.795 --> 01:18:18.336
Very good. I was sending this good energy
to myself before starting the day.

01:18:18.868 --> 01:18:22.371
That was very nice.
I was giving myself

01:18:24.300 --> 01:18:30.093
a good start before the mental
formations were watered.

01:18:32.347 --> 01:18:37.045
So that unwholesome mental
formations would manifest.

01:18:37.311 --> 01:18:41.893
So I would start by watering
the good mental formations,

01:18:42.090 --> 01:18:45.157
bringing up the wholesome thoughts.

01:18:45.330 --> 01:18:48.659
And then I noticed that
sometimes in the sangha

01:18:48.787 --> 01:18:51.722
there were situations where there was

01:18:52.417 --> 01:18:57.786
disharmony, or two people were
having difficulty in their relationship.

01:18:58.257 --> 01:19:02.138
Or another sister wasn't happy with me.

01:19:02.337 --> 01:19:07.475
And I knew by the way she acted,

01:19:07.650 --> 01:19:12.347
she would turn away when she saw me,
she would run away.

01:19:12.816 --> 01:19:17.909
And I knew that doing Beginning Anew
was not the right time.

01:19:18.072 --> 01:19:25.427
Because words were not acceptable,
were not possible.

01:19:25.641 --> 01:19:29.369
Sometimes people's suffering is so great,

01:19:29.525 --> 01:19:33.544
that whatever you say
can water their suffering.

01:19:33.760 --> 01:19:37.481
You have the intention of helping,

01:19:37.701 --> 01:19:41.432
and you speak lovingly
and with good words.

01:19:41.569 --> 01:19:49.407
However, how people receive
is based on how they perceive. Okay?

01:19:50.406 --> 01:19:55.560
How they hear what you say
is based on their perception.

01:19:56.037 --> 01:19:59.588
And what determines our perception?

01:20:00.127 --> 01:20:02.887
Past experiences.

01:20:03.064 --> 01:20:06.295
So we have past experiences,

01:20:06.911 --> 01:20:10.391
with the tone of voice people have used,

01:20:10.574 --> 01:20:13.360
or what words they have used.

01:20:13.572 --> 01:20:18.199
And all of these past experiences
are in store consciousness.

01:20:18.973 --> 01:20:21.759
They are sleeping.

01:20:21.909 --> 01:20:29.082
So even if approach someone who runs away,
and I say with kind words and gentle voice,

01:20:29.187 --> 01:20:32.361
she may hear it differently.

01:20:32.505 --> 01:20:37.562
Because in her past, people spoke
with a loud voice and angrily.

01:20:38.654 --> 01:20:42.892
So I cannot control how people perceive.

01:20:43.677 --> 01:20:50.789
I have my intention, my motivation,
but how people will perceive it,

01:20:51.157 --> 01:20:53.699
I don't know.

01:20:53.812 --> 01:20:56.135
But I observe.

01:20:56.310 --> 01:21:00.969
And if I see that words are not
the best thing at this moment,

01:21:01.170 --> 01:21:05.915
what I started to do is this meditation.

01:21:06.130 --> 01:21:10.230
In the morning I would say,
I would have this person,

01:21:10.820 --> 01:21:14.268
I would see her, whatever.

01:21:14.422 --> 01:21:18.270
You can do this for family members,
for roommates,

01:21:19.474 --> 01:21:22.490
for politicians.

01:21:22.753 --> 01:21:25.104
Anyone.

01:21:25.323 --> 01:21:28.331
You think of this person,
you have this person.

01:21:28.508 --> 01:21:33.161
And then you send this energy. So there
is a part of this meditation that says:

01:21:33.271 --> 01:21:37.571
May you be happy, may you be peaceful.

01:21:37.783 --> 01:21:41.246
And you say every single line.

01:21:41.365 --> 01:21:45.219
May you be safe and free from accidents.

01:21:45.369 --> 01:21:51.231
May you be free from your anger,
your fear, your anxiety.

01:21:51.398 --> 01:21:56.818
And you can specify whatever it is
you wish for this person

01:21:57.062 --> 01:22:00.204
that they can transform.

01:22:00.375 --> 01:22:05.608
May you learn to look at yourself
with the eyes of understanding and love.

01:22:05.754 --> 01:22:11.567
Very often we don't know how to look
at ourselves with understanding and love.

01:22:11.706 --> 01:22:14.992
So we send this wish for this person:

01:22:15.170 --> 01:22:21.735
May you be able to begin to look at
yourself with understanding and compassion.

01:22:22.673 --> 01:22:28.901
May you be able to look at
whatever is causing your suffering,

01:22:29.109 --> 01:22:34.439
begin to look at it. Because sometimes
we can't. It's too scary.

01:22:34.818 --> 01:22:38.793
We can say:
When the time is right for you,

01:22:38.923 --> 01:22:44.644
may you begin to look at your source
of what makes you upset.

01:22:45.323 --> 01:22:48.259
And then we send the wish:

01:22:48.429 --> 01:22:54.751
May you learn how to recognize
what will bring you happiness and joy.

01:22:57.197 --> 01:23:01.161
And may you learn how to nourish

01:23:02.232 --> 01:23:06.633
and be in contact with
what brings you happiness and joy.

01:23:07.814 --> 01:23:12.577
When you are able to do this, then
you may continue to live

01:23:12.762 --> 01:23:16.713
with freshness, solidity and freedom.

01:23:16.901 --> 01:23:21.646
You feel fresh, more fresh,
when you wake up.

01:23:22.431 --> 01:23:25.014
You have more solidity,

01:23:25.187 --> 01:23:31.468
in terms of doing your practice
and knowing the practice is helping.

01:23:31.815 --> 01:23:37.070
And you are more free
from these moments of suffering.

01:23:38.007 --> 01:23:42.382
So I started to do this,
with a particular situation,

01:23:42.550 --> 01:23:47.510
and I continued even though
the present moment was difficult.

01:23:47.827 --> 01:23:53.944
I did not go out of my way
to have contact, I respected.

01:23:54.193 --> 01:23:57.539
I gave distance and space.

01:23:57.698 --> 01:24:03.179
And, you know? After 21 days,
one day she came up to me, and she said:

01:24:03.398 --> 01:24:05.951
"Good morning."

01:24:06.068 --> 01:24:10.455
So it has proven to be effective.

01:24:10.585 --> 01:24:14.377
There was this one situation
that was really -

01:24:14.921 --> 01:24:20.457
Brought me a lot of confirmation
that the practice helps.

01:24:21.301 --> 01:24:25.794
And I've seen it how it helps in general.

01:24:26.068 --> 01:24:29.490
So, if you don't know what to do,

01:24:29.871 --> 01:24:35.371
and really there is nothing
to be done for the moment in a situation,

01:24:35.746 --> 01:24:41.072
there is something you can do. There is
this practice of metta meditation.

01:24:45.341 --> 01:24:50.540
So it's just offered as a possibility.
You don't have to.

01:24:51.292 --> 01:24:58.777
You can take it step by step
or read just one sentence of the sutra.

01:24:59.093 --> 01:25:02.198
You can choose what sentence.

01:25:02.354 --> 01:25:05.990
Or you don't read the sutra at all,
you don't have to.

01:25:06.139 --> 01:25:10.493
And if you want to choose one sentence

01:25:10.742 --> 01:25:13.241
from the meditation,

01:25:13.805 --> 01:25:16.306
that's possible.

01:25:16.498 --> 01:25:19.778
Remember we don't have to do
everything all at once.

01:25:19.993 --> 01:25:22.891
Like the 5 mindfulness trainings.

01:25:23.059 --> 01:25:26.323
We don't have to practice
everything all at once.

01:25:26.515 --> 01:25:30.612
We can choose that which resonates in us.

01:25:32.279 --> 01:25:38.987
And we remember that this sutra and
this metta meditation of universal love,

01:25:38.987 --> 01:25:41.900
sending our love everywhere,

01:25:42.015 --> 01:25:46.269
made it possible for the monks
to go back to the forest

01:25:46.429 --> 01:25:50.128
and continue their practice
for three months.

01:25:50.532 --> 01:25:54.393
It calmed that negative energy.

01:25:55.671 --> 01:26:02.686
We can offer this metta meditation
in many situations.

01:26:02.941 --> 01:26:06.674
Any difficult relationship.

01:26:06.984 --> 01:26:10.751
It doesn't have to be that
you are in a difficult relationship.

01:26:10.872 --> 01:26:15.538
It can be our parents,
your brothers and sisters, whatever.

01:26:15.685 --> 01:26:19.313
It's possible. People who are ill.

01:26:23.336 --> 01:26:25.570
It is possible to apply this.

01:26:25.896 --> 01:26:30.933
I mentioned also a metta practice
of the four mantras of love

01:26:31.091 --> 01:26:34.834
that Thay has created.
You may also know these.

01:26:35.227 --> 01:26:39.986
We say: I am here for you.
You say that to someone.

01:26:40.636 --> 01:26:44.412
And that is your bringing happiness
to the other.

01:26:44.594 --> 01:26:48.454
That is the first, that's loving kindness.

01:26:48.614 --> 01:26:51.367
You say this to someone who likes you.

01:26:51.550 --> 01:26:55.700
You doesn't say it to someone
who doesn't like you. They won't be happy.

01:26:55.849 --> 01:27:00.866
Someone that you love, it's the mantra
of love, four love mantras. Okay.

01:27:02.184 --> 01:27:07.260
Second one: I know you are there
and I am happy. Okay?

01:27:10.146 --> 01:27:14.656
So this is the joy,
and the loving kindness.

01:27:14.900 --> 01:27:18.964
I know you are there,
and I am joyful, I am happy.

01:27:19.158 --> 01:27:22.726
Your presence brings me joy and happiness.

01:27:22.878 --> 01:27:25.178
Third mantra:

01:27:25.357 --> 01:27:29.478
I know you suffer, and that is why
I am here for you.

01:27:29.693 --> 01:27:32.635
So now we are going to practice compassion

01:27:32.764 --> 01:27:38.349
of the four unlimited minds of love,
compassion. I see you are suffering.

01:27:38.660 --> 01:27:43.008
Compassion is wanting to relieve
the suffering of others.

01:27:43.718 --> 01:27:47.181
You want to and you are capable.

01:27:47.807 --> 01:27:51.982
Loving kindness is wanting
to bring happiness to others.

01:27:52.141 --> 01:27:55.469
You want to bring happiness,
and you are capable.

01:27:55.645 --> 01:27:59.844
So the third mantra of love is:
I know you suffer,

01:27:59.984 --> 01:28:03.169
that is why I am here for you.

01:28:03.661 --> 01:28:07.752
You have compassion,
you want to relieve their suffering,

01:28:08.066 --> 01:28:14.427
and you offer enough of your happiness
to be able to relieve their suffering.

01:28:14.849 --> 01:28:20.467
I can be there for you.
I have enough happiness and compassion.

01:28:21.550 --> 01:28:26.694
I want to relieve your suffering,
that is why I come to be with you,

01:28:26.884 --> 01:28:29.750
or I call you, or whatever.

01:28:31.549 --> 01:28:37.900
The fourth mantra of love is:
I suffer, please help. Please, help me.

01:28:38.834 --> 01:28:45.372
This is when we are suffering and
we need other's compassion to help us.

01:28:46.274 --> 01:28:52.361
But we want to ask people who like us.
Okay? Alright.

01:28:52.772 --> 01:28:57.793
We call on others, our sangha,
our friends, our loved ones.

01:28:58.272 --> 01:29:02.019
We let them know.
I'm in a difficult situation.

01:29:03.230 --> 01:29:07.830
You can help me by doing the following.

01:29:08.796 --> 01:29:12.676
So we call on not only compassion,

01:29:12.841 --> 01:29:16.125
but their loving kindness.

01:29:17.005 --> 01:29:20.819
And their joy at being able to help us.

01:29:21.010 --> 01:29:26.598
So loving kindness, compassion,
joy, the equanimity is

01:29:26.798 --> 01:29:34.140
the practice of non discrimination.
Not taking sides, and including everyone.

01:29:34.950 --> 01:29:40.061
That's the fourth aspect
of unbounded love,

01:29:40.675 --> 01:29:48.202
is that our heart is wide and big,
it includes everyone, no discrimination.

01:29:49.264 --> 01:29:54.828
We don't take sides,
we have a balanced attitude.

01:29:55.275 --> 01:30:00.050
We have equanimity, which is balance.

01:30:05.136 --> 01:30:08.391
We've heard about
the beginning a new practice

01:30:08.594 --> 01:30:11.552
and that is also practicing.

01:30:11.732 --> 01:30:16.223
Loving kindness, bringing happiness
with our words, with listening.

01:30:16.508 --> 01:30:19.977
Being able to say: "I'm sorry".

01:30:20.138 --> 01:30:25.573
We are practicing compassion
by apologizing for mistakes,

01:30:25.756 --> 01:30:30.160
so we can relieve their suffering
at our mistake.

01:30:30.335 --> 01:30:34.113
We have compassion enough to apologize.

01:30:34.585 --> 01:30:41.698
And we share our difficulties so that
gives them a possibility of understanding

01:30:42.331 --> 01:30:46.203
and opening their heart of equanimity.

01:30:46.315 --> 01:30:53.974
They will understand and have a better
possibility of accepting our difficulty.

01:30:55.167 --> 01:30:58.283
Share our suffering, our hurts,

01:30:58.412 --> 01:31:01.848
so we call on their compassion for that.

01:31:01.955 --> 01:31:05.482
And their understanding and equanimity.

01:31:05.617 --> 01:31:09.781
So loving kindness, compassion,
joy, and equanimity

01:31:10.277 --> 01:31:15.542
are seeds that we have, all of us.
They are in the store consciousness.

01:31:16.433 --> 01:31:20.627
We just want to be able
to water them daily,

01:31:21.142 --> 01:31:26.810
if you wish, so that they will manifest
and become stronger and stronger.

01:31:27.438 --> 01:31:33.356
We know when a seed manifests, because
it has been watered in store consciousness

01:31:33.622 --> 01:31:38.711
when it manifests it becomes
stronger, well-developed.

01:31:39.767 --> 01:31:43.799
So instead of letting
our anger and resentment, and

01:31:44.611 --> 01:31:50.073
judgementalness, fear, all of that

01:31:50.389 --> 01:31:54.446
come up so often so that
it gets so strong and big,

01:31:54.545 --> 01:32:01.525
we want to let those seeds of suffering
go back and invite other seeds to come up.

01:32:02.454 --> 01:32:10.412
We know now that the metta meditation,
the Discourse on Love is one way

01:32:11.975 --> 01:32:18.323
to do selective watering of the most
wholesome and beneficial seeds

01:32:19.063 --> 01:32:21.669
in our store consciousness,

01:32:21.864 --> 01:32:25.356
so they will manifest
in our mind consciousness

01:32:25.569 --> 01:32:28.668
and become stronger
and more solid.

01:32:28.825 --> 01:32:32.794
And the result will be happier.

01:32:33.528 --> 01:32:36.087
We will have more peace.

01:32:36.268 --> 01:32:41.285
And we will be able to transcend
our fear of birth and death.

01:32:41.955 --> 01:32:49.756
That means we will have so much confidence
and trust in this metta meditation,

01:32:50.545 --> 01:32:54.948
that we will see that
everything is just manifesting.

01:32:55.159 --> 01:32:57.954
Our love, our peace, our joy.

01:32:58.106 --> 01:33:02.918
Everything just manifests,
and then ceases to manifest.

01:33:03.733 --> 01:33:10.246
The love, and the boundless love
and the four aspects

01:33:11.167 --> 01:33:15.032
will become our experience of life.

01:33:17.558 --> 01:33:22.328
We will understand that birth and death
are just ideas.

01:33:22.526 --> 01:33:25.135
They are just concepts.

01:33:25.273 --> 01:33:30.128
I read that Thay said that
birth and death exist

01:33:31.180 --> 01:33:35.353
only because we think they exist.

01:33:35.686 --> 01:33:38.038
That is very deep.

01:33:38.207 --> 01:33:41.277
Just because we think they exist.

01:33:41.467 --> 01:33:45.071
What is there instead of birth and death
there is manifestation

01:33:45.222 --> 01:33:52.119
and ceasing to manifest because the causes
are no longer there for manifestation.

01:33:53.788 --> 01:33:58.362
But I do want to honor the translations,

01:33:58.628 --> 01:34:02.961
the 19 other translations
that have been made of this sutra.

01:34:06.644 --> 01:34:09.946
And they say: Those who practice
boundless love

01:34:10.112 --> 01:34:13.968
will no longer be born again in a womb.

01:34:15.054 --> 01:34:19.830
So that is how the traditional translation
of the Pali words means

01:34:19.969 --> 01:34:23.082
you won't have rebirth.

01:34:23.368 --> 01:34:29.852
Okay? You will not be subject to
coming to remanifesting in the world.

01:34:31.140 --> 01:34:35.137
But Thay and sister Chan Duc translated,
instead of saying:

01:34:35.298 --> 01:34:38.915
"You won't be reborn in a womb",
they said:

01:34:39.527 --> 01:34:45.462
If you practice boundless love, you will
certainly transcend birth and death.

01:34:45.804 --> 01:34:48.646
That is very beautiful.

01:34:48.954 --> 01:34:51.877
Dear friends, I thank you
for your patience,

01:34:52.031 --> 01:34:54.890
which is a sign of love.

01:34:55.301 --> 01:34:58.922
I must say you have to love me,
it's been long.

01:34:59.100 --> 01:35:02.857
Thank you for your patience
and for your listening.

01:35:03.025 --> 01:35:06.786
I have provided for each hamlet CTC

01:35:08.538 --> 01:35:12.327
some copies of the sutra,
both in French, and English,

01:35:12.489 --> 01:35:17.078
and also the guided meditation
that we wrote on the board.

01:35:17.235 --> 01:35:22.764
Maybe the CTCs can make
more copies available to our friends

01:35:22.994 --> 01:35:26.154
who are here for another five weeks.

01:35:26.406 --> 01:35:30.887
And if you won't be here for another
five weeks, you may be able

01:35:32.524 --> 01:35:37.036
to take a picture of that,
because everyone has devices now,

01:35:37.378 --> 01:35:39.966
or write it down.

01:35:40.124 --> 01:35:42.974
Now we will listen
to three sounds of the bell,

01:35:43.094 --> 01:35:46.622
and maybe there are some announcements.
Thank you, dear friends.

01:35:46.745 --> 01:35:50.479
It's been my happiness and joy
to be with you.

01:35:54.592 --> 01:36:00.505
(Bell)

01:36:17.687 --> 01:36:24.143
(Bell)

01:36:40.372 --> 01:36:48.124
(Bell)

01:37:27.580 --> 01:37:29.477
(Bell)