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(bell)

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(bell)

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How do I stay in the present moment[br]when it feels unbearable?

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Because in Plum Village we always say that

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"Let us not get caught in[br]the past and the future"

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"Let us go back to the[br]present moment"

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And this is a question about "How can[br]I stay in the present moment

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when the present moment[br]feels unbearable?"

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That's a good question.

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(Laughter)

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Anyone who knows the[br]practice of mindfulness

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knows that you have to[br]go home to the present moment.

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When you go home to the present[br]moment, you can find...

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two kinds of situations:

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The first kind of[br]situation is

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there are so many conditions[br]of happiness available

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in the here and the now

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When you breathe in and bring[br]your mind home to your body

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you establish in the[br]present moment.

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And you notice there are so many[br]refreshing and healing elements

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available in the present moment.

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There are also many conditions of[br]happiness available in the present moment.

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And with that awareness,

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to generate the feeling of joy[br]and happiness is very easy.

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That you can do in order[br]to nourish yourself.

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To nourish yourself with[br]joy and happiness.

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So, that is the first thing you encounter[br]when you go back to the present moment.

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The second situation is that when you go[br]back to the present moment

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you might encounter a[br]feeling of pain,

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a feeling of a[br]painful emotion,

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that is in you.

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In fact a painful feeling,[br]a painful emotion,

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manifests from time to time.

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But when it begins to manifest,[br]you don't like to be there.

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So you try to run away,

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pretending that it's not there.

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So no one is there in order to take care of[br]the painful feeling or the painful emotion.

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So, going back to the present moment[br]here, is no longer to recognize

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the elements of joy and happiness,

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but to have a chance to take care[br]of the pain in ourselves.

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And to transform it.

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So, even if the present moment[br]is unbearable,

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to go back to that moment[br]is the only chance for us

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to do something in order[br]to calm it down

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and to transform it.

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Most of the people[br]don't do that

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because they're afraid that[br]when they come home to themselves,

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and touch their pain inside,

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they will be overwhelmed[br]by the suffering

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and that is why their practice[br]is to run away,

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imagine something about the[br]future to forget

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go back to the past[br]to forget

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but the past and the future,[br]they are like images.

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Not reality.

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Only the present[br]moment is real.

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Many people try to cover[br]up the pain inside

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not only by going back to the past[br]or running to the future,

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to imagine that there will[br]be some hope,

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some end of suffering[br]in the future

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but that cannot last long

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And most people try to cover[br]up the suffering inside

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by the practice of consumption.

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We read magazines and[br]watch television

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we try and find something to eat

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we listen to the music, we pick[br]up the phone to talk,

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everything we do, we do because[br]we hope by doing these things,

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we don't have to confront the[br]suffering in us.

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And we allow that pain to[br]continue to grow in us.

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So the practice of mindfulness helps us[br]to go home to the present moment.

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Even if the moment is not pleasant,

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but it is in that very moment,

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that we can understand the suffering,

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and that we can find a way[br]in order to calm it down.

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And to transform it.

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So, next time when you find the present[br]moment not pleasant,

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don't think that running away[br]from it is the best way.

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No, it may be a chance.

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So, stay in that moment. Look deeply[br]into the nature of your suffering.

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If you know how to practice[br]mindful breathing,

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or mindful walking,

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you're generating the energy[br]of mindfulness

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and then that energy of[br]mindfulness generated by the practice

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helps you to be strong enough

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to recognize and counter[br]the pain and embrace it tenderly.

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And embracing your pain[br]tenderly

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in a few minutes,[br]you can calm it down

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And...

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if there are practitioners practicing[br]with you

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and then you can profit from[br]their energy of mindfulness

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and compassion.

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Getting in touch with the[br]suffering,

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brings about understanding[br]of suffering.

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And...

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the energy of compassion -[br]understanding and compassion -

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has the power to heal.

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To heal you and to heal the people[br]who happen to be around you at that time.

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And if there is a group of[br]people practicing,

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together, embracing the suffering[br]with tenderness,

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they will experience that collective[br]energy of compassion that will heal them.

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And when they suffer less, they are[br]in the situation to help other people

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to do the same.

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There is a Bodhisattva whose name[br]is Kṣitigarbha [?]

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the vow of Kṣitigarbha [?] is to[br]go to the places where

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there's a lot of suffering

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in order to have a chance[br]to serve, to help.

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And there are many doctors, nurses, social[br]workers, they are doing the same

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they volunteer to go to painful spots[br]of Mother Earth

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in order to help the people

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so Bodhisattvas Kṣitigarbha -[br]they are real, they are not just images.

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Very young people are serving as[br]Bodhisattvas Kṣitigarbha.

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They are not afraid[br]of suffering.

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Because they know that[br]they can bring relief

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And Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha has a[br]strong power or source of energy

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that is the aspiration

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the third kind of nutriment,[br]volition

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You know you are there - alive

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And you want to do[br]something with your life

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You want your life[br]to be useful, meaningful.

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So, you make a strong vow to[br]go to help people who suffer.

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So, you are not afraid of going[br]to the situations of suffering.

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And these Bodhisattvas should[br]be supported by us.

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You want to support them so they do not[br]lose their aspiration after a few years of service.

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We have to send them our energy[br]of encouragement

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They need nourishment[br]and healing

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So, after six months of working in a very[br]difficult situation, they go home

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and they have us[br]taking care of them,

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time to heal, so they will go out again[br]the second time and the third time

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Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha needs help also.

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So, we're there to help young[br]Kṣitigarbhas to continue their work

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in the world.

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So, if you have compassion,

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you don't mind being in a[br]difficult, suffering situation.

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And if you have enough[br]compassion

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then you are protected. You will not be[br]overwhelmed by the collective energy

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of suffering emitted by the[br]people around.

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And Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha knows that[br]they, that he needs a Sangha

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in order to continue[br]for a long time.

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So, the practice should not[br]only be individual

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the practice should be[br]collective also.

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So, let us try to convince people in[br]our family to join the practice.

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And the best way to do it is to become[br]more and more pleasant, every day.

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More smiling, more sweet...[br]sweeter

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and they'll believe that the practice[br]will work for them also.

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So, when your family, your community,[br]enjoy more harmony,

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health, brotherhood, sisterhood,

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and then your aspiration can be more[br]easily realized.

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Without a Sangha, without a group[br]of people

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our dream cannot come true.

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So, not only we try as a person,

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but we know that operating as [br]a group of people, as a Sangha,

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it is always much better.

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(bell)