9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Bell 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Dear community, we are August [br]the 10th in the year 2023, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we are celebrating, savoring[br]the last day of our Wake Up retreat, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Love in Action", here [br]in the Upper Hamlet, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the Still Water meditation hall. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm having an interesting [br]moment sitting here. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When we first started creating[br]youth retreats, about 15 years ago, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it was a real challenge to try and[br]find enough young people 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to have a retreat. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And first there was forty, then[br]the next year there was like 65, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and then I remember [br]the year we hit 100, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we were so excited that[br]we had 100 registrations! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And we went to report to Thay.[br]This must have been around 2010. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thay, there's a hundred [br]young people in Europe 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that want to learn about mindfulness. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Can you believe it? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And he was like - well done! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And then, we started to [br]create the Wake Up movement. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I said (to Thay) it's a little [br]bit overwhelming! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And he said, and he lit up with sparkles, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 excellent, it should feel overwhelming! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and then I'm sitting here and I[br]don't know how many hundreds 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of you there are, overwhelming[br]so I guess Thay's smiling with 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a sparkle in his eyes, be careful what[br]you wish for, because it may come true. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I hope that's going to make it easier,[br]but hey I think speaking in front of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 spiritual friends, and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is both challenging and wonderful,[br]because on the one hand 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I feel I want to share my heart[br]with you all, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and on the other, I have the[br]same feeling that we all do. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of whether I can be enough[br]in this moment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But I will share from my, my joy[br]my experience and my practice 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that is my best.[br]We will see. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We had some little flowers here[br]thank you, thank you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Emotional support flowers,[br]we also have an emotional 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 support cello, that we might[br]need to call on. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was 21 when I first came [br]to Plum Village 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I was one of the people[br]who as soon as there was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a chance to receive the five[br]mindfulness trainings, I 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 wanted to do it. And I was[br]here for three weeks that summer] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 ]and I was also one of the people[br]who was like I am going to wait 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 until the last week. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So I know some have[br]been here through the summer 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and have received the five[br]mindfulness trainings 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this morning, and some of us[br]are here for the first time 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we also made that commitment[br]and I have to say, getting on the train 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in some form, with the five mindfulness[br]trainings in my pocket, in some form 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in my back pack, my life was different.[br]It just was! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I felt that I had a path.[br]I felt that I knew what was important to me. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I felt that what the experience was[br]I can't fall that far anymore. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It felt like the mindfulness trainings[br]were a safety net or something. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like, I'm held in their embrace[br]that has been my experience. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And although I was sharing[br]with my dharma sharing famiy 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 like the path of the five mindfulness[br]trainings is not exactly 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 `like a straight highway, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 its more like this, and thats[br]definitely been my experience. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That it has been an adventure,[br]an experiment, a work in progress 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a challenge and also a training,[br]like really a training. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And as many of us know whatever[br]kind of training we do, we learn 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 by making mistakes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And by trying things out, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and by realizing ... oops, [br]that was not in alignment or 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I have strayed far off my path[br]at this point 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But it was wonderful and has been wonderful to[br]feel that they are part of my life 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I don't know if your facilitators[br]shared with you 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but the dharma name we get[br]with our five mindfulness trainings 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is the dharma name for your life. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So even if you become monastcs[br]your monastic name is not as important 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as your five mindfulness trainings name. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because we are kind of born into our[br]spiritual path with this practice and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with this training. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And so this morning, definitely[br]more than a hundred of us, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 maybe more than a hundred and fifty[br]possibly closer to two hundred of us 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 across