(Bell)
(Dutch) Why is my brother so annoying?
(English) Why is my brother always so nasty towards me?
(Laughter)
That is a good question!
(Loud laughter)
Why is my brother always nasty to me?
Before answering, Thây would like to ask you a question.
Are you nasty to your brother?
(Laughter)
Sometimes?
No.
(Loud laughter)
Are you sure?
(Laughter)
Are you sure? That is another question.
(Laughter)
I believe that when we are fresh, smiling, lovable
people will not be nasty to us.
Do you agree?
When we are fresh, smiling, kind, lovely, people will not be nasty to us.
In any case...
that is what usually happens.
It is very difficult for someone to be nasty to us
when we are so lovable and fresh and loving.
And then when you are fresh and lovable, you can help the guy to be less nasty.
Right?
You can help a fellow to be less nasty.
That is something we can say.
When we are fresh, when we are loving, when we are pleasant,
we can help another person not to be nasty.
And then...
We can do more.
Someone who is nasty,
is someone who is not very happy.
If you are happy, you are not nasty.
And we can look to see what makes that person unhappy and nasty.
That is meditation.
Meditation is to look and ask the question:
"Why is that fellow nasty? Why is that fellow unhappy?"
We ask the question.
And then we try to look deeply to find the answer.
There must be a reason.
And that is meditation.
Meditation is to have the time to look and to listen
to see why someone is not happy, why he is always nasty.
When we come to Plum Village, we learn that.
We learn to sit quietly and to look to see why a person is nasty,
why a person is not kind, why a person is unhappy.
And we will find the answer.
And when we have found the truth, we may do something
or say something to help him or her suffer less.
And that person will not be nasty anymore.
This is the practice.
And that is what we try to learn when we come to Plum Village.
Come again next year.
(Laughter)
And learn more about this.
This is very important!
And not only children can learn that, but adults can learn that also.
Thank you for asking this very interesting question.
Do you think that is a good answer?
(Laughter)
Or is it not good enough?
(Bell)