Dear Sangha, today is the 20th Nov. in the year 2008.
We are in the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, in the Assembly of Stars Meditation hall.
Today, we will listen to the first Dharma Talk
of the three months Winter Retreat 2008 – 2009.
Yesterday, the Sangha assembled in the Still Waters Meditation Hall
in Upper Hamlet for the Face-to-Face ceremony to open the Rains’ retreat.
I was informed that there are 52 lay practitioners
joining the three months with the monastics.
Usually, many lay friends are busy with their jobs
and are rarely able to set aside three months to practice the Rains or Winter Retreat.
And now in Plum Village there are 52 friends
who can follow the three months Rains retreat.
That is an improvement.
We heard that in Germany, at the Intersein Practice Center in Hohenau ...
there are also 50 lay friends practicing for the three months Rains retreat
under the guidance of our lay Dharma Teachers, Karl and Helga.
In the Buddha's time, the Rains retreat was only for monastics.
Now we have lay friends practicing with us during the Rains retreat.
That is an improvement!
We have done better than in the time of the Buddha.
So the Buddha must be very happy about this.
We should take the spirit of the Rains retreat seriously.
We should not leave the boundaries of the Rains retreat.
And we can practice in such a way
that each moment of the Rains retreat
becomes a moment of real practice.
Practice to touch peace, to touch happiness,
to transform the pain, the grief,
the difficulties in our heart.
Practicing with the Sangha is much easier than practicing alone,
because in the Sangha there is collective energy.
And if we know how to take refuge in that collective energy
we can easily give rise to a more powerful energy of mindfulness and concentration,
because all around us, there are people who are practicing,
both monastics and lay practitioners.
So while they practice mindful walking, standing, lying down or sitting,
they generate the energy of mindfulness
and concentration.
And those energies will support us and protect us,
and help us to come back to our own mindfulness and concentration.
That is why the collective energy is very beneficial for us.
When we gather in one place to practice dwelling peacefully —an cư—
we can benefit from that collective energy.
The venerable monks and nuns in Europe or America ...
are all aware of the necessity of the three months retreat.
They try their best
but in some places even if the monastics gather in one place
they are only able to practice together for a few weeks.
It is such a pity.
Because they have so much work to do
they have lost the tradition of the three months Rains retreat.
And it is a loss, a significant loss.
We are very happy that in Plum Village we've been able to keep the tradition of the three. months retreat.
And that is why yesterday in our Face-to-Face ceremony in Upper Hamlet,
I shared before the Buddha and ancestors.
I said: “Thank you, World Honored One,
for having established the tradition of three months retreat.
Thanks to that, I can stay put in the Sangha for three months.
Otherwise, people from different countries would invite me to go here and there to teach.
And so having this three months retreat is very good.
Thank you, World Honored One, for giving us a chance to not go anywhere for three months.
And we will try our best to hold on to this tradition.
At minimum, we'll have three months of not going anywhere.
And I also said that the bhikshu sangha
is a place of refuge for me,
and a source of happiness for me.
To have a place to take refuge in and to be happy for three months
is a real blessing.
So Thầy asks that the Sangha continue to be a refuge for Thầy
and a source of joy for Thầy.
So when we are aware that
we are so lucky to practice for the three months,
that awareness brings about a great deal of happiness.
Because in our world, even within the Buddhist congregation,
many people cannot afford
to stop and practice the three months retreat.
This morning,
while ...
turning on the water to wash my face,
I felt ...
the refreshing water flowing from the faucet on my fingertips,
and I was aware that water comes from the high mountain sources,
from deep sources in the Earth,
and comes right into our bathroom.
And because it is cold outside, the water from the faucet is also cold.
When I scooped water to wet my two eyes,
it felt very refreshing,
like drops of Dharma nectar.
And I felt the cold water made me fresher and more awake.
And in that moment I was very happy.
Just turning on the cold water,
just allowing the cold water to run over two fingers
and bringing it to our two eyes in mindfulness,
that alone can make us very happy.
And when we brush our teeth,
we can be free.
We take our time to brush our teeth,
we dwell peacefully in the present moment,
and we can be very happy in those few minutes.
Happiness depends on us,
depends on whether we are mindful and concentrated.
A moment ago, before the Dharma Talk,
I heard the sound of the bell invited by sister Thi Nghiêm.
Listening to the bell, I came back to the present moment,
and I saw clearly outside, the bamboo grove on the left
and the woods on the right.
And I saw clearly that I'm here.
The bell brings me back to my true home.
Listen, listen. This wonderful sound of the bell brings me back to my true home.
In Vietnam for a long time people have loved singing this song:
Home is the sweet star fruit tree, where I climbed and picked the fruits every day.
Home is the path from school to home…
Home is the kite flying in the blue sky... [part of a poem by Đỗ Trung Quan]
In the spirit of our practice,
home is different than that.
Home is not just a memory
that we carry with us.
Because the bunch of sweet star fruits
may only belong to the past.
The kite in the blue sky may only belong to the past.
Of course, for many of us
we've had happy moments in our childhood.
When we grow up,
we are busy with the demands of life.
That is why whenever we remember those childhood moments,
times when we were able to fly a kite ...
or climb the starfruit tree and pick the fruits,
or catch butterflies on the way to school.
And perhaps in those moments of flying kites or chasing butterflies,
we were truly happy,
but we may not have been aware that we were happy.
To be happy is one thing,
but to be aware that we are happy is another thing.
To be fortunate is one thing,
but to be aware that we are fortunate is another thing.
To be aware here means to be mindful.
When we sing the song home is a bunch of sweet star fruits,
a kite flying in the blue sky,
a little ferry boat,
we are nostalgic,
we remember the paradise of the past.
And that is why such a home is a lost home,
the home of our childhood.
That home is only in our memory; it is not a reality in the present.
Meanwhile, as a practitioner,
our home is the present.
The home of the past may have a banana tree, but there are no banana trees here.
Here, there are oak trees, apple trees.
So home is not just a banana tree or a banyan tree,
it can be an oak tree or an apple tree.
That is why right in the present moment,
on this land, we can be in contact with our true home.
When we listen to the bell, we come back to our breathing,
we see that we are truly present
and the wonders of life are there all around us.
The white clouds, the blue sky, the apple tree, the oak tree,
friends who are practicing around us,
all these things belong to home.
All these things are there in the present moment,
even though the sweet starfruits and the little ferryboat are not there.
And so to practice is to touch our true home right in the present moment.
Wherever we are we can be at ease,
wherever we are we can be at home.
That true home is life itself.
In the present moment, there are so many things that we do not cherish.
Only when they are no longer there
or when we are separated from them that we start to appreciate them.
And if we only appreciate it after having parted with it,
it already belongs to the past.
It is the home of the past.
For a practitioner, home must be in the present moment.
That is what we mean by our true home.
"Quê hương đích thực" means true home,
not just nostalgia for the past.
And so we should practice in such a way that the Sangha becomes our home.
The Sangha is everywhere, the Sangha is our joy.
Already at the start of the three months retreat, we see many
brothers, sisters and lay friends from other places gather here,
and we feel the joy of reuniting as a sangha.
And we kick start our three months winter retreat with that joy.
And so for the three months retreat
we should find a way for our true home to be present right here right now.
For this rains retreat Thầy has two new attendants,
brothers Đức Tạng and Pháp Thuyên.
I heard that brother Đức Tạng can only stay in Plum Village for this winter.
After, his master has asked him to go back to take care of their monastery,
maybe to become an abbot.
Thầy told him: “You should tell your master that
you must graduate from Plum Village first,
you must stay until you become a Dharma teacher in training
and receive the lamp transmission before going back.
You must write to your master."
If we take refuge in the Sangha to practice,
if we see the setting of the retreat as our home,
we will have a lot of happiness.
The theme for the three months retreat this year is "The path of the Buddha."
"The Path of the Buddha"
The path that the Buddha has taken ...
and the path that the Buddha has shown us.
The path that leads to happiness,
the path that leads to the transformation of suffering.
The path of the Buddha or “Phật đạo”.
The Path of the Buddha.
We have had retreats with the themes “The Heart of the Buddha”,
“The Eye of the Buddha”,
“The Feet of the Buddha”,
now we have “the Path of the Buddha”.
We have to ask, have we ever NOT learned about the path of the Buddha?
It is not only this year that we learn about the path of the Buddha.
Everything we've studied from the sutras, the vinaya, the abhidharma,
are part of the Buddha's path, so why are we talking about the path of the Buddha this year?
It is because there is a new need.
It is because our world is moving into a new order called “globalization”.
There is a new order called “ global order”.
A new global order.
It is because the economy is moving towards globalization.
Politics is moving towards globalization.
And education ...
is also on the path of globalization.
That is why ethics also needs to go on the path of globalization.
A global order requires a global ethics,
an ethics that is accepted by the whole of humanty.
Because up to now different cultures, different nations have their own ethics.
And each set of ethics has its own values and criteria.
So how can we move toward
acknowledging the values that we hold in common,
our common values,
in order to establish a global ethics.
That is why a new global order calls for a new global ethics.
A new global order calls for a new global ethics.
(repeat)
As Buddhist practitioners,
we have the responsibility to speak out ...
about the Buddhist contribution to the new global ethics.
What does Buddhism have to offer
to contribute to the new global ethics?
Of course, there are many different wisdom traditions in the world.
And each tradition has their own insights, wisdom ...
and experience of ethics and morality.
Each religion or philosophy
also has its own insights, wisdom and experience
and each can contribute their part to a global ethic.
So from a Buddhist standpoint,
what gems do we have
that can be a contribution to that new global ethic?
That is the theme of this year’s winter retreat.
The Path of the Buddha,
the Buddhist contribution to a global ethic.
That is why our theme for this year's Winter Retreat
is the "Path of the Buddha" –
Buddhist contribution to a global ethic.
And we have three months to go deeply into these topics.
Thầy's teachings and Dharma talks will be in Vietnamese ...
and will be translated into English, French.
Then next year, in the 21-Day Retreat,
we will also use this theme but we will condense
these teachings into the 21-Day Retreat setting.
The 21-Day Retreat will be taught in English with the same theme:
The Path of the Buddha - Buddhist contribution to a global ethic.
We study now in Vietnamese and next year we study again
in English with the compact version of 21-Day Retreat.
We have as many as 90 days now - isn't that wonderful?
And we can go deeply.
In the past, we had a retreat with the theme, “The Heart of the Buddha”
for more than 90 days, in Vietnamese.
Then we condensed it into the 21-Day Retreat in English.
So if we can master the content of the 90-Day Retreat,
then when the 21-Day Retreat comes in June,
we can contribute a lot in Dharma sharing sessions by sharing ...
and guiding newly arrived friends.
Our way of study should not be the same way as one studies in universities.
At universities you need to read many books and read them really fast ...
because there are so many materials to read.
Because at universities the emphasis is on knowledge,
conceptual knowledge.
Here ... the emphasis is more on looking deeply.
If there are too many readings, there wouldn't be time for deep looking.
You could read one page very quickly in a few minutes,
but you only pick up a few ideas.
You don't have a chance to contemplate these ideas.
So our way of study is very different to that of universities.
We read very little, but we contemplate a great deal.
In this retreat you will be given some reading materials...but very few.
First, there will be material from a parliament of the world's religions in Chicago.
The Parliament of the World's Religions was convened in Chicago in 1993.
That parliament of religions brought out a declaration -
the "Declaration toward a global ethic". It's only 10 pages of reading.
You read to reflect; read to look deeply;
read to see the ways in which we can contribute to that global ethic.
The material is in English.
You might find the German online, so there is no need for translation.
It may be in French, too.
So I ask the brothers and sisters to download the English and French versions.
I don't think it is in Vietnamese.
We might need a Vietnamese translation.
The German theologian Hans Küng summarized the meetings
of world's religions from that parliament in this booklet -
The Declaration of the Parliament of World's Religions Toward a Global Ethic.
This is one material we will use to look deeply.
While using the material, our seeds of insight and experience
will be touched; they will sprout.
And these sprouts will be our contribution toward a global ethic.
Now I entrust this to Thầy Pháp Hữu:
Please find a way to have it in English, French, German and Vietnamese.
A copy for each of us.
In Vietnamese there is the word “đạo đức”,
and also the word “luân lý”.
Often we translate “luân lý” as "morality".
The word “đạo đức” can also be translated as "morality" or "ethic".
The word “luân lý” is of Chinese origin: 倫理.
“Luân lý” (倫理)...
“Luân” means the way of conduct between people.
How to conduct ourselves to not have suffering but to have happiness.
A code of behavior.
A way of behavior between humans
to reduce the sufferings and difficulties,
to be happy.
We have the word “nhân luân”.
“Nhân” means human -
“nhân luân” (人倫) means human ethics.
And “Lý” (理) means the principles,
there are basic principles ...
for actions and rules.
These principles are the foundation for the rules, actions, conduct.
“Luân lý” ...
could be the abbreviation of “luân thường đạo lý”.
“Luân thường đạo lý” (倫常道理)
“Thường” (常) means "common",
it means "in general",
accepted by everyone, common for everyone.
And it continues like that, not changing from time to time.
“Luân thường” (倫常)
is a principle of conduct between humans
that is accepted by everyone and maintained throughout time.
“Đạo” (道) is "path".
"Lý” (理) is “lý trí” (reason) ...
or “nguyên lý”, principles, or reasons.
“Lý” (理) has at least two meanings:
One is...
“nguyên tắc", principles, "nguyên lý”.
Two is “lý luận”, reasoning,
because we need to use our wisdom to examine things.
We cannot just use faith, but to use wisdom.
“Luân lý đạo đức” (ethics, morality) must involve wisdom.
“Trí tuệ”, la raison, reason - in order to contemplate,
to examine and discover the basic principles,
which form the foundation of our conduct.
To be more correct, it should be called “luân thường đạo lý” -
the basic principles that create a path forward.
“Đạo” (道) is the path.
A path that is manifested as the way human beings behave towards each other,
and is accepted by everyone. That is “luân thường đạo lý” (倫常道理).
It is morality in the sense of Eastern ethics.
The guiding principles, the reasonings that lead to a path,
manifested as the conduct between humans and are accepted by everyone.
These are two meanings of ethics and morality of people in the East.
And this word “đạo đức” (道德)
can also be translated as "morality" or "ethics".
It contains the the word “đạo” (道) - the path,
and “đức” (德) - virtues or good qualities.
Đức means virtues, les vertus,
such as integrity, charity...
The qualities that bring us happiness
and do not bring suffering to others.
These are virtues, virtuous conduct,
a path,
the virtues
that can show us a path of conduct
where we do not make ourselves or others suffer.
Where we can be happy and help others be happy. That is called “đạo đức”.
"Đạo" and "đức" - path and virtue, or the path of virtue.
We can translate the word “đạo đức” as the path and the virtues,
or as the virtues ...
that show us the way to behave.
The virtues that show us...
the way to act,
to behave.
The virtues
that shine the light for us,
to show us the way to act
so that we do not suffer, and do not make others suffer.
For us to be happy and from there, bring happiness to others.
That is the Eastern definition of “luân lý” (倫理) and “đạo đức” (道德).
When the World Honored One was enlightened, “thành đạo”,
he immediately thought of the path.
We have the expression “thành đạo”,
(成道)
which can be called “realizing the way”,
or ...
“became enlightened”.
The Tathagatha became enlightened under the bodhi tree. What does "became enlightened" mean?
It means complete awakening.
Awakened. Free.
That is why “đạo” (道) here does not just mean "path".
It also means "truth".
"Thành đạo" is to see the truth.
Realization of the truth.
"Đạo" here is truth, reality, a great wisdom.
A vision, a great insight that can free us.
That is “đạo” (道).
In the East, the first meaning of “đạo” is "path".
Then it means the ultimate and deepest wisdom.
We can say that "đạo" is the great wisdom,
as well as the path to that great wisdom.
“Đạo” is the great wisdom, freedom, awakening.
“Đạo” is also the path leading to that great wisdom.
We often translate ...
“tông giáo” as "religion".
But the word “tông giáo” (宗教) does not mean "religion".
”Tông” means "tradition".
”Tông” is "tradition".
“Giáo” means "teachings".
A tradition of teachings, of practices.
Meanwhile, the word "religion" in Western literature relates to God,
the creator,
and faith in God, in the creator.
But with the word “tông giáo”,
there doesn't necessarily need to be a god or faith in a god.
”Tông giáo” is the "tradition of a teaching".
“Giáo” (教) here means "to teach", "teaching".
Sometimes we translate "religion" as “đạo”, like “đạo Bụt” (Buddhism),
“đạo Chúa” (Theistic religions).
The word "đạo" just means "path".
It is not so correct to use “đạo” for "religion".
Because in religion, there often has to be a creator, a god.
But “đạo” may not refer to god or creator.
That's why it is not so correct to translate religion as “tông giáo”,
or as “đạo”.
However, in "đạo Bụt" (Buddhism),
the idea of a path is very clear.
“Con đường” is "magga" ("path" in Pali).
We are learning the path of the Buddha in this retreat.
Buddha’s magga. Buddha magga.
The first teaching that the Buddha offered to his five spiritual friends ...
set the foundation for an ethic.
In that teaching, called the "Discourse on Turning the Wheel of the Dharma",
he taught about the Four Noble Truths,
and the path of the Eight Right Practices.
When we speak of Buddhist ethics or Buddhist morality,
we should remember this sutra.
After realizing the path, the Buddha wanted to share his insight.
After enlightenment,
he enjoyed his time, visiting the lotus pond,
going to the forest and playing with the children.
Maybe during those few weeks he was thinking of ...
how to share the insights he had realized.
He might have thought, “Whom should I share with?”
And he thought of his five companions,
the five friends including Kondana.
From Deer Park in Sarnath ...
he walked on foot, ah no, from Bodhgaya –
the bodhi tree at Bodhgaya ...
he walked on foot to Deer Park in search of his five old spiritual friends.
He must have walked for at least two weeks before arriving.
He walked on paths through the rice paddies.
Searching. A teacher searching for his disciples.
The first five disciples.
On our recent tour in India, our sangha...
went by bus from Sarnath or the old Deer Park ...
where the World Honored One gave his first teaching to his five friends,
to the Bodhi Tree.
The trip was quite tiring, even though we sat properly on the bus.
How long did it take us? Six hours on the bus.
In the past, the Buddha had walked, step by step, in mindfulness
from the foot of the Bodhi Tree to Deer park.
He heard that his five friends were at Deer park;
so he set out to find them.
He wasn't certain if they were still there or not, but he kept on going.
Fortunately for him and fortunately for the five friends,
they were still there and the Buddha met them.
He sat down and shared with them
about the Four Truths and the path of Eight Right Practices.
That is the content of the "Discourse on Turning the Wheel of the Dharma".
This sutra could be the foundational material for Buddhist ethics.
It is very practical.
It is not philosophy.
It is not science.
It is teaching on ethics and morality.
The Buddha spoke of human suffering and
how to transform suffering.
And he offered the methods of practice,
a path to transform suffering.
That is the essence of the Four Noble Truths or the four wondrous truths.
"Tứ Diệu Đế" (四妙諦)
are the four noble, wondrous truths.
“Diệu” (妙) means "wondrous".
It is sometimes translated as the "Four Holy Truths" (Tứ Thánh Đế, 四聖諦).
"The four holy truths."
And sometimes as the "Four Real Truths" (Tứ Chân Đế, 四真諦).
“Chân” (真) means ...
real, not fake, authentic.
It is not fake, it is genuine.
The words “Diệu” (wondrous), “Thánh” (holy), and “Chân” (real)
are different translations of the word “Arya”.
"Arya" means "noble" and "true".
Catvari Arya Satyani
"Catvari" is "four". "Arya" is "holy" or "noble".
"Satya" is "truth".
During our tour in India,
I was invited to give a talk in the Indian Parliament
on the topic of leadership.
How to lead with non-fear and compassion?
It was a teaching, a presentation about the path and
the virtues essential to a political leader.
Leading with courage and compassion.
The person who wrote the letter of invitation was
the President of the Indian Council for International Cultural Relations.
He invited me to his house for tea.
And invited me to go upstairs to visit the altar.
He belonged to the Brahmana caste.
In the old days, he was the crown prince of a Kashimiri kingdom.
He could have become a king, but he chose the path of democracy
and became a member of Congress - one of its most senior members.
On his altar there was also a Buddha statue.
He said, “Dear Thầy, I also recite the Three Refuges.
I read: 'Buddham saranam gacchami, Dharmam saranam gacchami.
But I don’t read Sangham saranam gacchami, there is no Sangha in India.
So I read: Satyam saranam gacchami."
That is - I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma,
and I take refuge in the Truth.
Instead of "Sangham saranam gacchami", he read "Satyam ...
saranam ...
gacchami."
I take refuge in the Truth.
Sadly, there is no Sangha for him to take refuge in,
so he had to take refuge in the Truth.
Truth, “đế”, (諦),
satyam.
According to the Buddha's first teaching,
the First Truth is that there are real sufferings in life.
"Dukkha" - we translate it as "ill being".
“Khổ đế” (苦諦) - the truth about suffering.
Right from this First Truth, we can see that the Buddha was a very practical person.
Practical.
He did not spend time talking about the universe and all phenomena,
about who created this world.
He brought us back to the truth that there are sufferings in our heart and in society.
It is a truth.
It is the object of our attention.
It is the work we have to do -
to recognize the presence of suffering in order to resolve it.
Ethics or morality (“đạo đức học”, “luân lý học”) is like that.
Instead of casting our mind out to research the universe and the stars,
we bring our mind home to re-examine our sufferings:
the frustrations, the difficulties; to find a way to resolve them.
Ethics and morality is to find a path.
How to act,
what we ought to do,
what we ought to be.
So philosophy here is the philosophy of action and not of theory.
A few of the Buddha's disciples did not fully understand his intention.
When they heard him teach that "suffering is a truth",
they wanted to prove that suffering is a truth.
They spent all their time to prove that everything is suffering.
Being born is suffering.
Ageing is suffering. Illness is suffering. Dying is suffering.
Everything is just suffering!
In order to prove the Buddha’s words.
But the Buddha's purpose was not to say that everything is suffering.
He just wanted to say that suffering is there,
we need to take care of it, to transform it.
Buddha did not say that everything is suffering,
that there is no joy whatsoever.
There are many people who follow that reasoning and say
that there are three kinds of suffering.
The first kind is the "suffering of suffering",
which means the suffering itself is suffering.
For example, toothache is a "suffering of suffering".
Losing a loved one is a "suffering of suffering".
It is true to say that a suffering itself is painful.
Then there is the "suffering of formations".
“Hành” here refers to phenomena.
The word "hành" here is translated into English as "formation".
"All formations are suffering."
For example, having a toothache is suffering,
but not having a toothache is also suffering,
because our tooth is a formation.
"Formation" in Sanskrit is
"samskara".
"Formation" is a technical term in Buddhism.
All phenomena that gather due to conditions are formations.
For example, this flower is a formation.
In it are the seed, clouds, the sun, soil, fertilizer, the gardener...
all of which are conditions that have brought about the flower.
Anything that manifests as a result of conditions is called a "formation".
It is said that "all formations are impermanent"in the sutras.
All formations are impermanent. This is a truth.
There is no formation, no phenomenon that is not impermanent.
Not only is our toothache impermanent, our tooth is also impermanent.
It's very true. There is nothing that is not impermanent.
"All formations are impermanent" is something the Buddha really said.
But then people said, "all formations are suffering,
wherever there are formations, there is suffering."
Toothache is suffering and no toothache is also suffering.
When our tooth aches we suffer, but when it stops aching we still suffer.
This is to push the words of the Buddha too far.
If all formations are suffering, what is there that is not suffering?
Then there's the third kind - the "suffering of decay" (壞苦).
It means everything is decaying.
If it has not yet decayed, it will decay,
that is why there is the "suffering of decay".
Not yet decayed is also suffering.
That idea shows that people really wanted to prove
that the Buddha's words were right.
"Everything is suffering."
But the Buddha did not intend to say that.
He said that suffering is present and we must find ways to resolve it.
We have be a little more intelligent.
We should not be dogmatic. We should not misunderstand the Buddha's words.
His purpose was not to say that everything is suffering
and so let's just die to end it.
He said - suffering is present, we need to take care of it.
So now, when you teach about the First Truth, you need to be skillful.
Don't be carried along by the idea that everything is suffering.
It is true that "everything is impermanent; everything is without a separate self".
But “everything is suffering”, I'm afraid is not true.
In our society, when a child is born, it is a joy.
Giving birth to a child is a joy.
And when the birthday comes, we celebrate and sing “Happy birthday”.
Then why do we say birth is suffering?
If we accept that birth is suffering, then let's stop singing
“happy birthday to you”, don't celebrate anymore.
"Everything is suffering". Growing old is also suffering.
Growing old is sometimes very joyful. I am old, so I know.
Growing old can be very joyful. When we grow old, in our body
there are no more the excessive exuberance or frustrations of youth.
Old age is very relaxed.
It is very calm, we can live deeply, we have wisdom.
So growing old is not necessarily suffering.
Don’t be afraid. Growing old is wonderful.
When young, we are like a stream dancing high on the mountain -
we are restless, wanting to reach the ocean
as soon as possible.
But as we descend to the plain and become a river, we slow down.
As the river slows, we start to see the clouds reflected in our midst.
The river can reflect the blue sky and white clouds. There is tranquility.
Not only being a stream is joyful. Being a slow flowing river is also very joyful.
"Illness is suffering."
Now we might agree that illness is suffering.
But we can look again more carefully.
In the sutras it also says that illness helps us to have insight.
If we do not know of illness, we are too far removed from reality.
If as a child
we were not sick from time to time, our immune system would be very weak
and we could die at any moment.
Thanks to the child being sick from time to time,
the body could create a strong immune system.
And thanks to that strong immune system, as the child grows up
they can resist the invasion of countless pathogens from outside.
So illness helps a child to grow stronger and able to resist diseases.
Illness is not necessarily something negative.
In the “Jewel Cloud Samādhi” commentary, it is said that
if there is no illness, sensual desire can arise.
And so being sick once in a while is very good.
The monks, nuns and lay friends have seen that.
When we are sick, we have the time to lie still and reflect back -
we realize how good it is to be healthy.
So don't be so sure that illness is only suffering.
It can also be a favorable condition for our happiness to grow.
So illness is not necessarily suffering.
It can also be a favorable condition for happiness.
Death is also like that.
We usually say death is suffering. But without death, how can there be life?
Without death, where would we find the land for our children to live?
How could our children have a future?
We would grow very old: 100, 500, 5000 years old.
The earth would be full of hunched up people
who go around coughing as they walked.
There wouldn't be room for the children on the land.
We see clearly that in our body, if no cells die,
how can new cells be born, for us to grow?
So death is very crucial.
When we die with the insight that we are not really dying
but are leaving room for future births; such a death is not suffering.
So the old ways of explaining the First Truth of suffering is too out of date.
Birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, illness is suffering,
death is suffering, this is and that is suffering.
We need to recognize the sufferings of now.
In the past there was not the phenomenon of global warming,
which is a great human suffering now.
A catastrophe.
We have to present the Noble Truth of suffering in terms
of what is happening now - that the earth is heating up,
climate change.
It is a threat.
And we need time to look deeply and find ways to transform it.
Now, there is a great deal of violence in society.
Violence and terrorism are new kinds of suffering
that were not there in the old days.
There are many people with mental illness. There are many religious wars.
These are the sufferings that we need to note down
in order to look deeply into them.
We need to recognize these sufferings:
fanaticism, division,
violence, terrorism,
economic crisis,
environment destruction... all these sufferings need to be recognized.
We must have a new way of seeing the Noble Truth of suffering.
We need to know the path, to see the path
that leads to the transformation of this suffering.
This is the truth of suffering. The first truth is to recognize
and call our sufferings by their name.
The real sufferings,
collective sufferings of humans, of all beings, and our personal sufferings.
There are of course personal sufferings that are connected to that of the entire Earth -
including human beings and other species.
But we do have our individual sufferings.
We need to recognize them. It could be despair,
hatred,
anxiety.
We need to acknowledge our suffering in order to find a path to transform it.
It's not about finding ways to prove that life is suffering.
But to call the suffering by its true name,
acknowledging that it is real in order to find a path to transform it.
If we want to see a path
to transform the suffering, we must see the roots of the suffering.
For example, if we want to reverse the situation of global warming,
we must see why this phenomenon exists.
Our way of daily consumption,
car use,
deforestation,
raising cattle for meat...
all these are contributing to global warming.
So we have to see the Second Truth, tập đế.
"Samudaya".
"Accumulation".
"Roots of suffering".
Tập đế (集諦).
"Tập" is to accumulate.
It also means to converge (chiêu tụ, 招聚).
That is, to gather, an accumulation.
We use cars too much,
we burn and destroy too many forests,
we eat too much meat, we consume too much,
we cause too much CO2 emission, etc.,
that is why the phenomenon of global warming is there.
We have to discover the causes.
This is the Second Truth. If we cannot see the Second Truth,
we cannot hope to transform the suffering.
It means looking into the nature of the suffering to find its root causes -
"the making of ill-being".
The First Truth is ill-being.
The Second Truth is about where the ill-being comes from -
"the making of ill-being".
We must see it, see it clearly!
This is already a Buddhist contribution to a global ethic. It is very practical.
We are not speaking vastly about everything under the sun.
But to bring people back to the truth that there is real suffering here.
We need to find ways to recognize the roots
that have brought about that real suffering.
These are the basic principles that can give us a clear vision of a global ethic.
The First and Second Truths on suffering and its roots can also be applied individually.
We have our own pain and suffering, physically and spiritually.
We need to look deeply to see where they come from.
Only then we can resolve them.
It is similar to the principles of medicine.
We are sick. What are the causes of that sickness?
Sometimes it is our diet; sometimes it is too much anxiety;
sometimes it is working too much with no time to relax.
We need to discover all these causes.
There is no hope of transforming our suffering if we cannot see its roots.
It is true for ourselves and for the world.
What sufferings and difficulties are there right now in the world?
Not only the world of humans, but also the world of all beings.
Where are the sources of the world's pains and sufferings?
Why is there an economic crisis now?
Why is the environment being polluted now?
Why is there the situation of global warming now?
Why is there so much violence and hatred?
We ask these questions and find the Second Truth –
the Truth about the roots of suffering.
"Khổ đế" (苦諦), the Truth about suffering, is the First Truth.
The Second Truth is “Tập đế” (集諦),
the Truth about the roots (of suffering). Strictly speaking it should be
“Khổ tập đế” (苦集諦)
The truth of the accumulation of sufferings.
Suffering is the First Truth.
The Second Truth is the roots, the accumulation,
the build up or the making of suffering, or the causes of suffering.
We often say that the First Truth is "khổ" (suffering), the Second Truth is tập (the accumulation).
But strictly speaking it should be "khổ tập" - the root causes that have led to suffering.
"The making of suffering".
The making of suffering.
We also invite those of other ethical and religious paths to look deeply.
Whether our friends are Christian, Jewish, or Muslim,
you also acknowledge that the sufferings there are real.
And these sufferings have their root causes near and far.
We can sit down together to find out those causes.
It is not because you are Christian, Jewish or Muslim
that we cannot work together or agree collectively on this matter.
That is why first of all, we need to name the sufferings
that are present in us and around us.
Secondly, we need to look carefully and deeply to see the root causes ...
that have brought about the sufferings. This is the Buddhist way.
It does not require us to have faith in anyone.
We don’t need to believe in the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, in God, in anyone.
We just use our insight to acknowledge that there are sufferings,
and there are causes for those sufferings.
That is why Buddhist contribution is not religious in nature.
It is based on insight and experience.
The Chicago Declaration Towards a Global Ethic was signed
by representatives of many different religions.
You can read it and see.
While reading, we need to contemplate - what can Buddhism contribute?
We should read in a spirit of free enquiry.
When we read it in that spirit we will have insight.
We can then complement it and contribute from a Buddhist perspective.