Good morning
Dear respected Thay, dear brothers and sisters and dear friends
Today is Sunday the 18th of December in the year 2016
and we are in the New Hamlet.
In this winter retreat we are looking at the Noble Eightfold Path.
Today i would like to share with you a little bit about right livelihood.
Last week Brother Phap Lai spoke about right action
and mentioned something about Right Livelihood and monastics,
so as I sat down here, that thought came to me,
Am I practicing right livelihood, right now?
In my mind I see the Buddha going out on alms round
receiving alms to be nourished
and the Buddha will offer the Dharma
there is an exchange of dana and Dharma.
I guess I am continuing,
we are all continuing the career of the Buddha
and the Buddha practices Right Livelihood
offering Dharma for dana
so i guess that I'm practicing Right Livelihood.
It is possible for monastics
So, the Noble Eightfold Path.
There are times,
the Noble Eightfold Path is at times presented in three groups
One group for ethics, “Sila”,
one group for “Samadhi”, concentration
and one group for “Prajna”, insight.
Sila, or the mindfulness trainings
Thay teaches us that the mindfulness trainings
are a very concrete expression of mindfulness
and the logo of Plum Village is Smrthi, which is mindfulness,
Samadhi, concentration, Prajna, insight.
So, I would like to start with sharing with you
how the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path
are divided up in those three groups.
Maybe I'll write them on the board
Big and small inter-are
Right view, right livelihood
One, or two? One.
Mindfulness
Usually we present them in a circle
So, for ethics we have Right View and Right Thinking
Sila
excuse me,
I'm trying to look at the paper instead of looking into my mind
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood is ethics, Sila
Right Concentration, Right Mindfulness, Right Effort
is Right Concentration, samadhi
Right View, Right Thinking is Prajna, insight,
When our way of living is ethical,
if it goes in the direction of non-violence for ourselves and others
we feel joyful, we have energy, we're happy
And this is very easy for ourselves to check.
Right Speech for instance.
If the first thing we said to the person we met in the morning,
was kind, loving, understanding, you feel well
and we go to work, we feel happy and joyful
When we feel happy and joyful, it's very easy to concentrate,
to have concentration.
When we have concentration, we can look deeply and we get insight.
If the first thing we say when we get up in the morning,
makes another person feel awful, we will also feel awful
we may go to work but somewhere in the depths of our mind
is this uneasy feeling.
We have concentration, but it may not be the same kind of concentration
as when we're happy and at ease
When we look at this path, the Noble Eightfold Path
we can ask the question where to enter
What is the entry into the Noble Eightfold path?
Mindfulness,
that's the door through which we enter the Noble Eightfold path
When we practice mindfulness, we're bringing our mind home to our body.
There is a saying that goes 'working from home'
I like to think about 'living from home'
I bring my mind home to my body,
and I live from that place of being aware.
When we go back to ourselves, bring our mind home to our body,
we will notice what is happening inside of us and around us
and we will have the clarity and calm in order to know how to respond
to what is happening inside of us and around us.
Not just around us, in our direct environment
but also to the world and society at large
So let's practice with the bell
and do exactly that, bring our mind home to our body
and we will be able to find out
what is happening inside of us,
what are we doing, body and mind
and how are we doing it.
Two aspects, what and how
So, make yourself comfortable
bring your mind home to your body
to sort of sink into the present moment.
Just become aware of what is happening inside of us, in our body and mind
To stop being carried away by our thinking,
our feelings, our emotions,
and coming home to our body,
is the foundation of our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path
Traditionally, Right Livelihood
is described as having a profession
that does not harm human beings, animals, nature, mother earth
It doesn't cause any harm, physically or mentally, morally
which means not to deal in weapons, this is how it's mentioned.
Not to slaughter animals for consumption and meat,
not to deal in poisons or drugs,
no human trafficking for instance
and today I would like to look a little bit at Right Livelihood
in the light of our mindfulness trainings
We have the five mindfulness trainings
and the 14 mindfulness trainings of the Order of Interbeing.
Right Livelihood is,
looking at how we're making a contribution to the world
how do we interact with the world at large?
Also, looking to see and to become aware of the impact we have on the world
so that we can go in the direction of non-violence
not harming ourselves, others, animals, mother nature.
We practice being responsible citizens and consumers
So, Right Livelihood
There are two calligraphies by Thay
that, for me, express very beautifully
the state of mind that helps us to go in the direction of Right Livelihood
and one is: “You have enough”
I think we can all see how that relates to Right Livelihood
as well as: “Happiness is not an individual matter”
We have enough,
we do not take more from others and from mother nature
and we do not take more from others and mother nature than we need,
and we share what we have with others you don't take what belongs to them.
These two calligraphies help us to look deeply into our Livelihood
When we look at the five mindfulness trainings,
they give us guidelines for our actions of body, speech
Throughout the day we make many choices
what to do, what not to do, what to say, what not to say
what to buy, what not to buy, where to go or not to go
how to go, how not to go.
We make choices throughout the day, the whole time.
The five mindfulness trainings are a very good point of reference,
a guidance for us, to make choices
that enhance not only our own well-being
but also the well-being of others as well as the mother earth.
So, the first mindfulness training has the name “reverence for life”
we practice protecting life.
The second one is "true happiness"
we practice sharing our time and energy
with others and material resources.
"True love," to live in a committed relationship
we practice deep listening and loving speech to keep our relationships happy.
And "mindful consumption" as nourishment and healing for healthy living
The 14 mindfulness trainings of the order of Interbeing
reflect the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path,
when we write them in a list,
they start usually with the mind.
Right View, Right Thinking
and the 14 mindfulness trainings also start with the mind.
We have seven mindfulness trainings
that are related to our mind.
I pull out the book
I will read some of that a little later.
The first three mindfulness trainings of the order of Interbeing
speak about our attitude of mind what kind of attitude do we have.
The first one is "openness", we call it openness
and that is not to be bound to any doctrine.
So many wars have been waged because of doctrines
that we hold on to for many, many decades
so doctrines or ideologies.
The second one is "non-attachment to views"
to be open to other people's views and opinions,
to be inclusive
to go in a direction of the collective insight.
The third one is "freedom of thought"
we do not impose our views onto others.
Everyone has the right to look deeply and to decide for themselves
what to do, how to be, what to choose what to believe, what to believe
freedom of thought.
When you look into this mindfulness training
we see also that a lot of suffering has been caused
by not allowing others to choose what to believe.
And the fourth and the seventh,
they speak about a personal practice.
We learn to take care of our suffering
to look deeply into our suffering
and look into the suffering of the world.
And for the fifth, we go in the direction of healthy living
and for the sixth, we take care of our mind.
These are our own personal practices
like we take care of anger for instance
and that can be anger, irritation
upset
so we take care of our anger
And the seventh, how we can dwell happily in the present moment
and the eighth and the ninth are about communion and communication
and truthful and loving speech.
It's about interactions that we have with others
and the tenth trough the 14th are for acting in society.
We protect and nourish the Sangha.
To bring about a change in society we need the sangha, we can't do it alone
so a sangha is a precious jewel it's a place of refuge
it's where we get the support.
We all know already that we may be on this path of mindfulness
and when we go home, we look for others who also practice the same thing
because standing alone in society is not so easy
but having a sangha to practice with,
we're able to stand by the choices we make in our life.
As a sangha, we can do it.
The 11th mindfulness training speaks of Right Livelihood
The 12th about reverence for life
The 13th about generosity
and the 14 about Right Conduct, about our intimate relationships,
true love.
When we look at the Noble Eightfold Path, we'll find the 14 mindfulness trainings
when you look at the 14 mindfulness trainings
you'll find all the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path
we're looking into the mindfulness trainings
so we can understand ourselves better.
We all want to go in the direction of happiness
not only for ourselves but for all others.
And looking into ourselves in the light of the five mindfulness trainings
we can see how we can...
enhance our practice
of going in a direction of non-violence and true happiness.
Right Livelihood is expressed also in the way we think,
and in the way we speak and how we spend our time and energy.
At this point I'd like to read the 11th mindfulness training
Right Livelihood
“Aware that great violence and injustice
has been done to our environment and society,
we are committed not to live with a vocation
that is harmful to humans and nature.
We will do our best to select a livelihood
that contributes to the well-being of all species on earth
and helps realize our ideal of understanding and compassion.
Aware of economic, political and social realities around the world
as well as our interrelationship with the ecosystem,
we are determined to behave responsibly as consumers and as citizens.
We will not invest in, or purchase from companies
that contribute to the depletion of Natural Resources,
harm the earth and deprive others of their chance to live.”
So, in this training we see very clearly that
it is not just what we do, as a profession
but also, how do we live,
what are the choices that we make.
As i said before, choices that may,
choices that support others in their livelihood
For instance if we are a teacher
we have the heart...
to nurture our students
in a way that will give rise to compassion and understanding in them
and we can say we have Right Livelihood.
Then afterwards, we go to the supermarket and we put things in our basket
we may use products that have chemicals that pollute the environment
and as long as we put those articles in our basket
they will be produced.
So in that way, we are supporting the livelihood of someone else
that pollutes the environment
and when we look at that way
the choices we make in our life
we can clearly see that Right Livelihood is not an individual matter.
It is a collective matter
and if we want to bring about a change
then we need a collective awakening.
Maybe we can have a bell before we continue?
All our actions of body of speech of mind have an effect on other people
so when we go to work, go to the office or wherever we may be working
the way we interact with others has an effect on others
so we can practice Right Livelihood to the way we speak.
If we speak from understanding and compassion
others will build up trust in us.
They will be able to listen to us
they will open up to us
and they may see how we live.
They may become aware of what choices we make
and this may inspire them to look at their choices.
When we practice being open to their views
to allow them to believe what they want to believe,
all that is part of Right Livelihood.
Right Livelihood is not just the actual work that we do.
When I was much younger,
some 20 years old or so,
and I did some job to earn some money in my holiday.
So I went to one of those offices where you get temporary job, temps office,
One day I was sent to an advertising agency
Since I can type, they asked me to type the notes
of the meeting they had the day before,
because their secretary was sick, I was replacing the secretary.
As was typing these notes,
there was a sentence, one input from one member
that was sort of in the direction of, we really would like this product to sell
We cannot straight out say it's much better than other products
because actually it's not exactly the case
but we like to word it in a way that it sounds that it is better
we cannot say it's better, but we'll word it so it sounds like it's better
so I typed up all the notes.
I had to breathe when I came to that part, you may understand.
When I was ready, I went to the person who'd asked me to type
and I gave it back
She said “well that's all for today”
and I said “thank you very much”
and I didn't bow because..
I said “thank you very much, have a nice day”, and I left
and on the way to the station I stopped at the agency and I said to them
“I don't think I'll go back there, could you please give me something else to do?”
And the lady said “No,
they want someone for an X number of days and that is what we give you."
I said “well, I'm sorry, I cannot take it,
I will go somewhere else”, I said,
and she said,
“you may not find something else to do elsewhere.”
I said “it's ok, I'll find a job, I'll clean toilets
but, I don't feel comfortable working for this company”
so I went home and I told my mother, “don't believe anything you see in an ad.”
And at that time, you know, I didn't realize,
I could have gone back, the people were very nice
and maybe at some way or another,
I could have helped and raise their awareness of Right Livelihood
They're there, you know they need a job they have a family to feed
they are doing their best
I still type things from time to time, but it is all about the Dharma
so I feel very comfortable typing it.
But this is just to say that if we are in a job, we need a job,
we need something to do, we need to have some bread on our plate, or rice.
What impact do we have on the world and the people around us
this is not about going about and
you know, moralizing,
going about and telling everybody they're not ethical etc
but, what is our intention in life?
From where do we live?
What is our intention when we interact with our co-workers?
What do we water in them?
Do we water something in them that helps all of us
to go in the direction of non-harming, non-violence?
What do we do?
As teachers, we can do many things.
As a secretary we can do many things.
Maybe one day we will be the director of the company
we can look and see what kind of products
or how would we like to promote the market.
There's many, many possibilities to practice Right Livelihood
Today, we have a little bit of a different program for this morning
not quite the same as the days before.
I've just shared a little bit with you about Right Livelihood
for you to reflect...
on how to bring this aspect in your daily life
or to say, how to bring a spiritual dimension in your daily life
through the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path,
maybe the five mindfulness trainings
and 14 mindfulness trainings of the Order of Interbeing.
Maybe we can enjoy a sound of the bell?
To go in the direction of non-harming, in Plum Village, we also follow this path.
When i first came to Plum Village, we were vegetarian
we had cheese.
In France, at the time at least, you could buy a bar of cheese
a square bar, about this size.
On the table in the morning, there were neatly cut slices of square cheese
square slices of cheese that we could have
and then when we became aware of the dairy industry
we became vegan
going in the direction of being totally vegan.
Slowly also we became aware of the impact on the earth
of the products that we use in our hamlets
so we looked into biodegradable products
and we're still going in that direction.
Sometimes we have many
sometimes a little bit less
but we're going in the direction and that's very important.
Nowadays, when we travel from one hamlet to another, we have buses
before, we asked everybody to please use their car and fill them up with people
until we realized that's many cars.
So now we use buses, it's just one big vehicle for many people to go into
We're going in the direction of trying to combine trips to the town
This usually works around Christmas
when we have one day when we can go and buy some material to make some presents
if we don't find materials here.
So the important mindset is to go in the direction
is very compassionate.
It also avoids us from becoming dogmatic
we go in the direction of Right Livelihood.
The Buddha walked everywhere
for us, it's a bit far to walk from the Lower and Upper Hamlet to the New Hamlet
so, we drive.
We also try to look into vehicles that are not so polluting for the environment
so the choices we make are very important.
When we have a profession that is in the media
we reach many, many people.
It's very clear, the impact we have on the world
When we are an artist we also reach many people
We also have an impact on the world
We know that art has always been a messenger to educate people
So, for today we have invited two of our friends, two practitioners
to share with us a little bit about their personal spiritual journey
I would like to invite Paz and Jo
and Sister True Dedication who will be the facilitator of this part of our program