WEBVTT

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Good morning

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Dear respected Thay, dear brothers 
and sisters and dear friends

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Today is Sunday the 18th of December
in the year 2016

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and we are in the New Hamlet.

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In this winter retreat we are looking 
at the Noble Eightfold Path.

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Today i would like to share with you 
a little bit about right livelihood.

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Last week Brother Phap Lai 
spoke about right action

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and mentioned something about 
Right Livelihood and monastics,

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so as I sat down here,
that thought came to me,

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Am I practicing right livelihood,
right now?

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In my mind I see the Buddha 
going out on alms round

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receiving alms to be nourished

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and the Buddha will offer the Dharma

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there is an exchange of dana and Dharma.

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I guess I am continuing,

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we are all continuing 
the career of the Buddha

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and the Buddha practices Right Livelihood

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offering Dharma for dana

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so i guess that I'm practicing 
Right Livelihood.

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It is possible for monastics

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So, the Noble Eightfold Path.

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There are times,

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the Noble Eightfold Path is at times 
presented in three groups

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One group for ethics, “Sila”,

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one group for “Samadhi”, 
concentration

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and one group for “Prajna”, insight.

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Sila, or the mindfulness trainings

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Thay teaches us that 
the mindfulness trainings

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are a very concrete 
expression of mindfulness

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and the logo of Plum Village is 
Smrthi, which is mindfulness,

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Samadhi, concentration, Prajna, insight.

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So, I would like to start 
with sharing with you

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how the eight elements 
of the Noble Eightfold Path

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are divided up in those three groups.

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Maybe I'll write them on the board

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Big and small inter-are

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Right view, right livelihood

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One, or two? One.

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Mindfulness

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Usually we present them in a circle

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So, for ethics we have Right View 
and Right Thinking

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Sila

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excuse me,

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I'm trying to look at the paper 
instead of looking into my mind

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Right Speech, Right Action, 
Right Livelihood is ethics, Sila

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Right Concentration, Right Mindfulness, 
Right Effort

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is Right Concentration, samadhi

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Right View, Right Thinking 
is Prajna, insight,

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When our way of living is ethical,

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if it goes in the direction of 
non-violence for ourselves and others

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we feel joyful, we have energy,
we're happy

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And this is very easy 
for ourselves to check.

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Right Speech for instance.

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If the first thing we said to the person 
we met in the morning,

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was kind, loving, understanding,
you feel well

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and we go to work,
we feel happy and joyful

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When we feel happy and joyful,
it's very easy to concentrate,

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to have concentration.

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When we have concentration,
we can look deeply and we get insight.

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If the first thing we say 
when we get up in the morning,

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makes another person feel awful,
we will also feel awful

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we may go to work but somewhere 
in the depths of our mind

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is this uneasy feeling.

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We have concentration, but it may 
not be the same kind of concentration

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as when we're happy and at ease

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When we look at this path, 
the Noble Eightfold Path

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we can ask the question where to enter

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What is the entry 
into the Noble Eightfold path?

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Mindfulness,

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that's the door through 
which we enter the Noble Eightfold path

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When we practice mindfulness, 
we're bringing our mind home to our body.

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There is a saying that goes 
'working from home'

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I like to think about 'living from home'

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I bring my mind home to my body,

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and I live from that place of being aware.

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When we go back to ourselves,
bring our mind home to our body,

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we will notice what is happening 
inside of us and around us

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and we will have the clarity and calm 
in order to know how to respond

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to what is happening inside of us 
and around us.

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Not just around us,
in our direct environment

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but also to the world and society at large

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So let's practice with the bell

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and do exactly that,
bring our mind home to our body

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and we will be able to find out

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what is happening inside of us,

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what are we doing, body and mind

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and how are we doing it.

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Two aspects, what and how

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So, make yourself comfortable

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bring your mind home to your body

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to sort of sink into the present moment.

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Just become aware of what is happening 
inside of us, in our body and mind

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To stop being carried away 
by our thinking,

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our feelings, our emotions,

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and coming home to our body,

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is the foundation of our practice 
of the Noble Eightfold Path

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Traditionally, Right Livelihood

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is described as having a profession

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that does not harm human beings, 
animals, nature, mother earth

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It doesn't cause any harm, 
physically or mentally, morally

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which means not to deal in weapons,
this is how it's mentioned.

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Not to slaughter animals 
for consumption and meat,

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not to deal in poisons or drugs,

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no human trafficking for instance

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and today I would like to look 
a little bit at Right Livelihood

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in the light of our mindfulness trainings

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We have the five mindfulness trainings

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and the 14 mindfulness trainings 
of the Order of Interbeing.

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Right Livelihood is,

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looking at how we're making 
a contribution to the world

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how do we interact 
with the world at large?

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Also, looking to see and to become aware
of the impact we have on the world

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so that we can go in the direction 
of non-violence

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not harming ourselves, others, 
animals, mother nature.

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We practice being responsible 
citizens and consumers

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So, Right Livelihood

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There are two calligraphies by Thay

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that, for me, express very beautifully 


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the state of mind that helps us to go 
in the direction of Right Livelihood

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and one is: “You have enough”

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I think we can all see 
how that relates to Right Livelihood

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as well as:
“Happiness is not an individual matter”

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We have enough,

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we do not take more 
from others and from mother nature

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and we do not take more from others 
and mother nature than we need,

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and we share what we have with others 
you don't take what belongs to them.

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These two calligraphies help us 
to look deeply into our Livelihood

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When we look at 
the five mindfulness trainings,

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they give us guidelines 
for our actions of body, speech

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Throughout the day we make many choices

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what to do, what not to do, 
what to say, what not to say

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what to buy, what not to buy, 
where to go or not to go

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how to go, how not to go.

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We make choices throughout the day, 
the whole time.

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The five mindfulness trainings are 
a very good point of reference,

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a guidance for us, to make choices

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that enhance not only our own well-being

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but also the well-being of others 
as well as the mother earth.

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So, the first mindfulness training
has the name “reverence for life”

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we practice protecting life.

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The second one is "true happiness"

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we practice sharing our time and energy

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with others and material resources.

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"True love,"
to live in a committed relationship

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we practice deep listening and loving 
speech to keep our relationships happy.

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And "mindful consumption" as nourishment 
and healing for healthy living

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The 14 mindfulness trainings 
of the order of Interbeing

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reflect the Noble Eightfold Path.

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The Noble Eightfold Path,

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when we write them in a list,

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they start usually with the mind.

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Right View, Right Thinking

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and the 14 mindfulness trainings 
also start with the mind.

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We have seven mindfulness trainings

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that are related to our mind.

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I pull out the book

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I will read some of that a little later.

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The first three mindfulness trainings 
of the order of Interbeing

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speak about our attitude of mind
what kind of attitude do we have.

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The first one is "openness", 
we call it openness

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and that is not to be bound 
to any doctrine.

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So many wars have been waged 
because of doctrines

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that we hold on to for many, many decades

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so doctrines or ideologies.

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The second one is 
"non-attachment to views"

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to be open to other people's 
views and opinions,

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to be inclusive

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to go in a direction 
of the collective insight.

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The third one is "freedom of thought"

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we do not impose our views onto others.

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Everyone has the right to look deeply 
and to decide for themselves

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what to do, how to be, what to choose 
what to believe, what to believe

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freedom of thought.

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When you look into 
this mindfulness training

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we see also that a lot of suffering 
has been caused

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by not allowing others to choose
what to believe.

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And the fourth and the seventh,

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they speak about a personal practice.

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We learn to take care of our suffering

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to look deeply into our suffering

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and look into the suffering of the world.

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And for the fifth,
we go in the direction of healthy living

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and for the sixth, 
we take care of our mind.

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These are our own personal practices

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like we take care of anger for instance

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and that can be anger, irritation

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upset

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so we take care of our anger

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And the seventh, how we can dwell
happily in the present moment

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and the eighth and the ninth are 
about communion and communication

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and truthful and loving speech.

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It's about interactions that we have 
with others

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and the tenth trough the 14th 
are for acting in society.

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We protect and nourish the Sangha.

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To bring about a change in society 
we need the sangha, we can't do it alone

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so a sangha is a precious jewel
it's a place of refuge

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it's where we get the support.

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We all know already that we may be 
on this path of mindfulness

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and when we go home, we look for others 
who also practice the same thing

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because standing alone in society 
is not so easy

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but having a sangha to practice with,

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we're able to stand by the choices 
we make in our life.

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As a sangha, we can do it.

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The 11th mindfulness training 
speaks of Right Livelihood

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The 12th about reverence for life

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The 13th about generosity

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and the 14 about Right Conduct,
about our intimate relationships,

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true love.

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When we look at the Noble Eightfold Path,
we'll find the 14 mindfulness trainings

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when you look at 
the 14 mindfulness trainings

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you'll find all the elements 
of the Noble Eightfold Path

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we're looking into 
the mindfulness trainings

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so we can understand ourselves better.

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We all want to go 
in the direction of happiness

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not only for ourselves but for all others.

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And looking into ourselves in the light 
of the five mindfulness trainings

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we can see how we can...

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enhance our practice

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of going in a direction 
of non-violence and true happiness.

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Right Livelihood is expressed 
also in the way we think,

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and in the way we speak and 
how we spend our time and energy.

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At this point I'd like to read 
the 11th mindfulness training

00:28:37.145 --> 00:28:38.673
Right Livelihood

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“Aware that great violence and injustice

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has been done to our environment 
and society,

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we are committed 
not to live with a vocation

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that is harmful to humans and nature.

00:28:58.325 --> 00:29:01.010
We will do our best to select a livelihood

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that contributes to the well-being 
of all species on earth

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and helps realize our ideal 
of understanding and compassion.

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Aware of economic, political and 
social realities around the world

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as well as our interrelationship 
with the ecosystem,

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we are determined to behave responsibly
as consumers and as citizens.

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We will not invest in, 
or purchase from companies

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that contribute to the depletion 
of Natural Resources,

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harm the earth and deprive others 
of their chance to live.”

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So, in this training 
we see very clearly that

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it is not just what we do, 
as a profession

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but also, how do we live,

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what are the choices that we make.

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As i said before, choices that may,

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choices that support others 
in their livelihood

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For instance if we are a teacher

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we have the heart...

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to nurture our students

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in a way that will give rise 
to compassion and understanding in them

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and we can say we have Right Livelihood.

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Then afterwards, we go to the supermarket 
and we put things in our basket

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we may use products that have chemicals 
that pollute the environment

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and as long as we put those articles 
in our basket

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they will be produced.

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So in that way, we are supporting 
the livelihood of someone else

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that pollutes the environment

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and when we look at that way

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the choices we make in our life

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we can clearly see that Right Livelihood 
is not an individual matter.

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It is a collective matter

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and if we want to bring about a change

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then we need a collective awakening.

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Maybe we can have a bell 
before we continue?

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All our actions of body of speech of mind
have an effect on other people

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so when we go to work, go to the office 
or wherever we may be working

00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:18.585
the way we interact with others 
has an effect on others

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so we can practice Right Livelihood
to the way we speak.

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If we speak from understanding 
and compassion

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others will build up trust in us.

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They will be able to listen to us

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they will open up to us

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and they may see how we live.

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They may become aware 
of what choices we make

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and this may inspire them 
to look at their choices.

00:34:16.855 --> 00:34:20.024
When we practice being open to their views

00:34:21.979 --> 00:34:25.441
to allow them to believe 
what they want to believe,

00:34:28.555 --> 00:34:31.918
all that is part of Right Livelihood.

00:34:33.807 --> 00:34:37.990
Right Livelihood is not just 
the actual work that we do.

00:34:40.040 --> 00:34:42.058
When I was much younger,

00:34:42.477 --> 00:34:45.054
some 20 years old or so,

00:34:49.098 --> 00:34:54.482
and I did some job 
to earn some money in my holiday.

00:34:56.146 --> 00:35:03.504
So I went to one of those offices 
where you get temporary job, temps office,

00:35:06.398 --> 00:35:11.355
One day I was sent 
to an advertising agency

00:35:13.579 --> 00:35:19.648
Since I can type, 
they asked me to type the notes

00:35:20.100 --> 00:35:23.384
of the meeting they had the day before,

00:35:23.590 --> 00:35:27.858
because their secretary was sick,
I was replacing the secretary.

00:35:28.877 --> 00:35:30.628
As was typing these notes,

00:35:33.001 --> 00:35:36.327
there was a sentence, 
one input from one member

00:35:37.349 --> 00:35:43.656
that was sort of in the direction of,
we really would like this product to sell

00:35:47.992 --> 00:35:51.108
We cannot straight out say 
it's much better than other products

00:35:51.591 --> 00:35:55.638
because actually it's not exactly the case

00:35:57.277 --> 00:36:03.046
but we like to word it in a way 
that it sounds that it is better

00:36:04.287 --> 00:36:08.097
we cannot say it's better, but we'll 
word it so it sounds like it's better

00:36:08.994 --> 00:36:10.914
so I typed up all the notes.

00:36:12.224 --> 00:36:15.314
I had to breathe when I came to that part,
you may understand.

00:36:16.970 --> 00:36:22.853
When I was ready, I went to the person 
who'd asked me to type

00:36:24.461 --> 00:36:25.638
and I gave it back

00:36:25.856 --> 00:36:27.568
She said “well that's all for today”

00:36:27.615 --> 00:36:29.154
and I said “thank you very much”

00:36:29.154 --> 00:36:30.554
and I didn't bow because..

00:36:31.656 --> 00:36:35.813
I said “thank you very much, 
have a nice day”, and I left

00:36:36.323 --> 00:36:40.503
and on the way to the station
I stopped at the agency and I said to them

00:36:40.869 --> 00:36:45.423
“I don't think I'll go back there, could 
you please give me something else to do?”

00:36:46.325 --> 00:36:48.258
And the lady said “No,

00:36:48.956 --> 00:36:53.612
they want someone for an X number of days
and that is what we give you."

00:36:53.612 --> 00:36:56.154
I said “well, I'm sorry, I cannot take it,

00:36:58.900 --> 00:37:02.116
I will go somewhere else”, I said,

00:37:02.755 --> 00:37:04.689
and she said,

00:37:05.156 --> 00:37:10.433
“you may not find something else 
to do elsewhere.”

00:37:10.842 --> 00:37:15.282
I said “it's ok, I'll find a job, 
I'll clean toilets

00:37:18.737 --> 00:37:24.524
but, I don't feel comfortable 
working for this company”

00:37:26.099 --> 00:37:30.489
so I went home and I told my mother,
“don't believe anything you see in an ad.”

00:37:35.876 --> 00:37:38.310
And at that time, you know, 
I didn't realize,

00:37:38.505 --> 00:37:40.902
I could have gone back, 
the people were very nice

00:37:41.829 --> 00:37:44.170
and maybe at some way or another,

00:37:44.750 --> 00:37:52.538
I could have helped and raise 
their awareness of Right Livelihood

00:37:54.755 --> 00:37:58.204
They're there, you know they need a job 
they have a family to feed

00:38:02.579 --> 00:38:04.192
they are doing their best

00:38:13.245 --> 00:38:16.841
I still type things from time to time, 
but it is all about the Dharma

00:38:18.553 --> 00:38:20.672
so I feel very comfortable typing it.

00:38:22.742 --> 00:38:26.918
But this is just to say that 
if we are in a job, we need a job,

00:38:27.174 --> 00:38:32.662
we need something to do, we need 
to have some bread on our plate, or rice.

00:38:40.089 --> 00:38:44.858
What impact do we have on the world 
and the people around us

00:38:45.992 --> 00:38:48.090
this is not about going about and

00:38:52.469 --> 00:38:54.361
you know, moralizing,

00:38:54.361 --> 00:38:58.361
going about and telling everybody 
they're not ethical etc

00:39:00.160 --> 00:39:04.623
but, what is our intention in life?

00:39:04.691 --> 00:39:06.931
From where do we live?

00:39:09.380 --> 00:39:12.911
What is our intention 
when we interact with our co-workers?

00:39:14.664 --> 00:39:16.502
What do we water in them?

00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:20.680
Do we water something in them 
that helps all of us

00:39:20.887 --> 00:39:25.908
to go in the direction 
of non-harming, non-violence?

00:39:31.396 --> 00:39:33.726
What do we do?

00:39:34.536 --> 00:39:37.038
As teachers, we can do many things.

00:39:40.505 --> 00:39:43.171
As a secretary we can do many things.

00:39:44.458 --> 00:39:47.458
Maybe one day we will be 
the director of the company

00:39:49.803 --> 00:39:54.970
we can look and see what kind of products

00:39:56.014 --> 00:39:59.520
or how would we like 
to promote the market.

00:40:00.866 --> 00:40:06.322
There's many, many possibilities
to practice Right Livelihood

00:40:14.784 --> 00:40:21.247
Today, we have a little bit 
of a different program for this morning

00:40:22.742 --> 00:40:25.492
not quite the same as the days before.

00:40:27.351 --> 00:40:30.576
I've just shared a little bit with you 
about Right Livelihood

00:40:31.203 --> 00:40:34.291
for you to reflect...

00:40:36.210 --> 00:40:41.940
on how to bring 
this aspect in your daily life

00:40:43.035 --> 00:40:48.314
or to say, how to bring a spiritual 
dimension in your daily life

00:40:50.100 --> 00:40:55.358
through the practice 
of the Noble Eightfold Path,

00:40:56.353 --> 00:40:58.269
maybe the five mindfulness trainings

00:40:58.504 --> 00:41:02.391
and 14 mindfulness trainings 
of the Order of Interbeing.

00:41:10.821 --> 00:41:14.067
Maybe we can enjoy a sound of the bell?

00:41:57.937 --> 00:42:03.797
To go in the direction of non-harming,
in Plum Village, we also follow this path.

00:42:08.373 --> 00:42:11.718
When i first came to Plum Village,
we were vegetarian

00:42:13.119 --> 00:42:14.523
we had cheese.

00:42:19.239 --> 00:42:23.450
In France, at the time at least,
you could buy a bar of cheese

00:42:23.633 --> 00:42:25.726
a square bar, about this size.

00:42:28.327 --> 00:42:35.313
On the table in the morning, there were 
neatly cut slices of square cheese

00:42:36.882 --> 00:42:42.500
square slices of cheese that we could have

00:42:44.692 --> 00:42:50.542
and then when we became aware 
of the dairy industry

00:42:53.406 --> 00:42:55.675
we became vegan

00:42:57.637 --> 00:43:00.694
going in the direction 
of being totally vegan.

00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:12.679
Slowly also we became aware 
of the impact on the earth

00:43:13.300 --> 00:43:20.818
of the products that we use in our hamlets

00:43:24.044 --> 00:43:28.262
so we looked into biodegradable products

00:43:30.295 --> 00:43:32.566
and we're still going in that direction.

00:43:32.707 --> 00:43:33.908
Sometimes we have many

00:43:34.068 --> 00:43:35.415
sometimes a little bit less

00:43:35.586 --> 00:43:38.783
but we're going in the direction 
and that's very important.

00:43:53.593 --> 00:43:59.902
Nowadays, when we travel from one 
hamlet to another, we have buses

00:44:01.123 --> 00:44:05.935
before, we asked everybody to please 
use their car and fill them up with people

00:44:07.143 --> 00:44:09.197
until we realized that's many cars.

00:44:10.197 --> 00:44:15.528
So now we use buses, it's just one big 
vehicle for many people to go into

00:44:19.955 --> 00:44:26.441
We're going in the direction of trying 
to combine trips to the town

00:44:27.344 --> 00:44:29.945
This usually works around Christmas

00:44:32.967 --> 00:44:39.663
when we have one day when we can go and
buy some material to make some presents

00:44:40.199 --> 00:44:42.416
if we don't find materials here.

00:44:44.034 --> 00:44:49.859
So the important mindset is 
to go in the direction

00:44:53.539 --> 00:44:56.787
to go in the direction 
is very compassionate.

00:45:00.285 --> 00:45:05.404
It also avoids us from becoming dogmatic

00:45:05.988 --> 00:45:10.628
we go in the direction of Right Livelihood.

00:45:12.288 --> 00:45:14.248
The Buddha walked everywhere

00:45:15.723 --> 00:45:20.302
for us, it's a bit far to walk from the 
Lower and Upper Hamlet to the New Hamlet

00:45:21.267 --> 00:45:23.031
so, we drive.

00:45:26.212 --> 00:45:31.189
We also try to look into vehicles that 
are not so polluting for the environment

00:45:35.197 --> 00:45:38.001
so the choices we make are very important.

00:45:42.125 --> 00:45:47.585
When we have a profession 
that is in the media

00:45:48.829 --> 00:45:50.810
we reach many, many people.

00:45:53.041 --> 00:45:57.280
It's very clear, 
the impact we have on the world

00:46:02.052 --> 00:46:05.589
When we are an artist 
we also reach many people

00:46:06.592 --> 00:46:09.195
We also have an impact on the world

00:46:10.093 --> 00:46:16.050
We know that art has always been 
a messenger to educate people

00:46:19.025 --> 00:46:24.794
So, for today we have invited two 
of our friends, two practitioners

00:46:26.539 --> 00:46:31.977
to share with us a little bit 
about their personal spiritual journey

00:46:35.460 --> 00:46:39.164
I would like to invite Paz and Jo

00:46:40.300 --> 00:46:49.572
and Sister True Dedication who will be the
facilitator of this part of our program