0:00:00.130,0:00:03.070
Hello everybody

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Thank you so much for being here on what I[br]hope is a very lazy day or as lazy as possible

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day for us.

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We're very happy to be able to share with[br]you as a community a little bit chat - show style

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for what we hope will be a relaxed and enjoyable[br]session really touching the spirit of community

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and many of our collective memories with our[br]teacher.

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We are aware that many of us have arrived[br]in plum village at all sorts of different

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times and today we will be hearing from some[br]of us who arrived in the early 1980s, in the

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1990s.[br]And we also want to look forward to some of

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the life spirit of the sangha currently active[br]and looking forward maybe to the next decade

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or two as a beloved community.[br]So we hope that by hearing voices from different

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sangha members we will really see the river[br]that Sister Dinh Nghiem was talking about

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in her Dharma talk yesterday and we will also[br]get a sense of the spirit of community.

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I think Plum Village has always been made[br]of whoever is here and i think Thay's teachings

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have also been made from whoever is here.[br]Thay didn't create his teachings in a vacuum

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but in relationship with his community and[br]Thay's teachings have also evolved over time

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and Plum Village has evolved the atmosphere[br]has evolved. So today we will try to hear

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a little bit what some of those earlier chapters[br]of plum village might have been like and to

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see that evolution.

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And I brought with me a very very big bag[br]of Thay's books and this is not even a quarter

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of them. But I hope from time to time to show[br]you a book so you can start to see a bit how

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Thay's teachings evolved over time and how[br]his insights and experiences in community

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and largely here in Plum Village shaped his[br]teachings and what he was writing about at

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the time.

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We have a wonderful truck. We have a chance[br]to contemplate the compost that becomes the flowers

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In Sister Dinh Nghiem's talk she mentioned[br]the teachings of master Tang Hoi and she was

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saying that when Thay was in Paris he had[br]a chance to do research in the library there

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to discover the first zen teacher who came[br]from Vietnam and brought zen buddhism to China

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so I just wanted to give one advertisement[br]for this book if you are interested in the

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roots of our tradition, it's really wonderful[br]to understand how deep our roots go. Book

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number one. I think I'm going to need a big[br]pile.

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The title is Master Tang Hoi - first zen teacher[br]in Vietnam and China.

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And for those of you who haven't read about[br]Thay's years of activism and engagement in

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the 1960s when Sister Dinh was sharing about[br]how much Thay did in such a short period of

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time a lot of that is recorded in Thay's journals[br]Fragrant Palm Leaves. For many of us I think

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it's our favorite book by Thay, very personal[br]so you can discover more in this book, including

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some very powerful experiences and moments[br]of awakening

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when Thay was in the U.S. in the early 1960s.

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Okay final one. Sister Dinh Nghiem also mentioned: "Zen Keys", "Zen Keys".

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And in French, "Cles pour le Zen".

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Which was actually the first book published[br]by Thay here in the west.

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And it was published first in French and then[br]in English and it's very interesting because

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Thay was trying to express how his kind of[br]zen, the zen from our tradition in Vietnam

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was different from other flavors of Zen from[br]Japan or other countries. So this is a very

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early attempt of Thay to describe the practices[br]he was seeking to develop and offer in here in the West.

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So, that's it for the books for now.

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I would like to invite our bell master Sister TrueSound, Sister Khuong Am, to invite three sounds of the bell

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and then we will welcome our first guests to the sofa who arrived here in 1983.

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[Bell]

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[Bell]

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[Bell]

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We'd like to invite Jean-Pierre and Co Linh Tue[br]to come up and sit on the wonderful rustic sofa.

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Before we start to hear some different stories

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maybe Jean-Pierre and Co Linh Tue, would you[br]like to lead us in one of the first songs

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that you remember singing here in the sangha[br]when you arrived?

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Dear sister. During that era, there were only poems because for a while, it was a haven for refugees.

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Thay taught in Vietnamese to the refugees. So there were only childhood poems.

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So actually, at that time there weren't any Plum Village songs yet. He taught in Vietnamese to the children.

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okay

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So we will listen to a song.

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We will sing together? But I don't know full songs ... just the start [singing in Vietnamese] ... I don't remember anymore

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[Singing in Vietnamese]

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[Singing in Vietnamese]

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[Singing in Vietnamese] ... That's enough

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Very nice very nice. So in Plum Village since[br]the very beginning there was music and at

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first songs from Vietnam would be[br]sung around Plum Village because actually

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at the beginning Plum Village was really a[br]community in exile not only Thay in exile

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but also sister Chan Khong other monastics[br]who had fled Vietnam and also other refugees

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so many people who found themselves exiled[br]and ended up here in France started visiting

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Thay at the center outside Paris and then[br]when that as Sister Dinh Nghiem explained yesterday

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when that center became too small then they[br]found the land here in the southwest of France

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where the land was much more affordable.

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And in the summers Thay was offering not just[br]a place of spiritual refuge but also a place

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of cultural refuge where the children could[br]learn Vietnamese and how to write, speak and

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sing in Vietnamese. Where everyone could enjoy Vietnamese food and really have a sense of home away from home.

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So maybe we can enjoy one sound of the bell and we try to

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settle so we can continue. We're sorry that[br]the announcement wasn't made. Our apologies

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[Bell]

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So, dear Jean-Pierre, perhaps we will start with you.

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Can you say a little about how you landed in this part

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in the Southwest of France into a community in exile?

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It wasn't really that common.

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And what did you find when you arrived?

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That went very well.

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I knew about Plum Village thanks to the Vietnamese community.

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With young people my age, students in Lyon.

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Perhaps 5, 6 years before I arrived here

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I found myself taking part in cultural festivals

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with only "boat people". There you go.

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It wasn't a big deal. I was the only one with a car. So it was very practical for transporting things,

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clothes, people ...

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in the welcoming centers.

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And one day a friend said to me:

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"Jean-Pierre, would you like to meet a Vietnamese Zen master?"

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I said, "Yes, great! I am very interested!"

0:14:09.581,0:14:16.629
And I had the idea that I would find a relatively old man,

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with a white beard, and hair like what you find in Chinese films.

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I came here from Cantal, which is about 180km from here.

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And I found Loubes Bernac and Meyrac.

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The roads were tiny, even smaller than now.

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When I arrived, I first found a couple who lived in that first house there.

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So I met the man.

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He said to me, "But no. Plum Village is actually just there."

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But it wasn't Plum Village yet. It wasn't called that yet.

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He told me, "It's there. The Vietnamese people. They're somewhere at the back there."

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I came upon the building which is now the small meditation hall.

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I saw a Vietnamese lady who came out to meet me.

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When I said, "I am Jean-Pierre". She said, "Oh, you are Jean-Pierre, who welcomes the boat people!"

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I was very surprised, because I just arrived like that.

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No phone call, just an address, not telling anyone.

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I didn't know it, but the person who greeted me was Sister Chan Khong

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She wasn't a nun yet, but it was already her name as a member of the Order of Inter-being

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So that's how it all started.

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In the evening, I arrived in the afternoon, in the evening she said to me "Jean-Pierre, for the practice, you observe the others and imitate them."

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It was very simple. And everything was in Vietnamese

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There were no earphones, or microphone, or even someone to translate directly in my ear.

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Yes, I got used to that being in the Vietnamese community for 5, 6 years. No one translates.

0:17:03.870,0:17:10.839
I tried to understand by observing the movements. But no one translated for me.

0:17:10.839,0:17:17.329
But that suited me well, because I could sit somewhere, stay quietly.

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Someone would offer me a drink, something to eat. Everything went very well.

0:17:23.850,0:17:34.469
Thank you Jean-Pierre. Wonderful. And Co Linh Tue, how was it for you when you arrived here?

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The same year, but perhaps a different approach?

0:17:38.790,0:17:53.236
I met Jean-Pierre the same year. I was a student in a preparatory course to become a nurse.

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I boarded in a small room with a pastor.

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Between school and my room,

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there was a small pagoda,

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or more of an apartment. The venerable Nhu Tuan was there with Sister Trung Chinh.

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I went there every day to have dinner, because the pastor didn't want me to cook in the room.

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And to recite a sutra with them.

0:18:24.847,0:18:29.434
One day Ven. Nhu Tuan said to me, "Do you want to come first in your class?"

0:18:29.434,0:18:34.147
I said, "Of course!" "Then come with me", and she brought me here.

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I was amazed! I was born in Saigon, a cosmopolitan. I didn't know about the country side.

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Then I left Saigon when I was 14 and went to Lausanne, which is also quite a large city.

0:18:49.327,0:18:53.580
So it was the first time I discover the country side. I loved it!

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I discovered the fields, sunflowers, the crowing of roosters...

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And rice soup with peas. I haven't eaten that before!

0:19:05.966,0:19:14.320
And especially Thay. When I passed him, it was as if an electric current passed through me.

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He wasn't dressed as he did after receiving monastic students. He was just in jeans and a traditional short robe.

0:19:25.900,0:19:28.152
Just to check we have this in translation - what was Thay wearing?

0:19:30.154,0:19:35.284
When I passed him, he was coming from the Grange and I was near the bamboos.

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There were just a few bamboos. Lots of mud. There weren't trees and flowers then like now.

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Thay walked slowly, with jeans and his boots, and just a short robe - what monastics wear on the inside.

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I saw and I thought - oh, it's him, it's him.

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Then I came back 2, 3 times a year. It became my spiritual family. I came to see Thay, for the community, and for being in the country side.

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Pretty soon you started to live here, from which year?

0:20:17.905,0:20:28.747
Afterwards, I came to live here with Thay for 3 years.

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From 1986 to 1989.

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Then one more time from 1996 to 1999.

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Then the last time in 2013 Thay asked me to become a monastic.

0:20:46.513,0:20:56.981
He insisted, "Oh I am getting old. You have to taste the monastic life."

0:20:57.020,0:20:58.023
Well. I obeyed.

0:20:58.023,0:21:02.106
A good student. Thank you

0:21:02.106,0:21:07.450
During that era, there was a lot of simplicity and not much money.

0:21:07.450,0:21:16.104
The buildings were very simple and apparently there wasn't even heating. Is that true?

0:21:16.104,0:21:29.342
For me, I don't know. I only came in Summer. No, there was no heating. Just the wood oven in the kitchen, that was it.

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Winter was freezing.

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There weren't even rooms.

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The rooms were just, well, down there there's a building.

0:21:49.933,0:21:54.386
It's an ancient building for drying tobacco.

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Just a few separation walls, four bricks and a plank for a bed.

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There were no windows or necessarily doors. That was all.

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To imagine the Village at the start, you look at all that's here now, and you take out everything.

0:22:22.505,0:22:24.588
You take out everything.

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And you keep only the places with stones.

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You can still see the stones and you keep only those places.And whatever is inside, you also take them all out.

0:22:37.319,0:22:47.168
So my question is - what continued to draw you here if it was so simple and so humble here?

0:22:47.168,0:22:52.165
The food.

0:22:56.127,0:23:02.403
For me, it's more about "here".

0:23:06.539,0:23:14.268
It's very simple for me - what brought me back here was the Vietnamese community

0:23:18.271,0:23:24.777
Actually the meditation would not have brought me back here.

0:23:24.777,0:23:32.826
The morning after I arrived, Thay came to see me.

0:23:32.826,0:23:42.343
There were a few moments. Thay came to see me. We weren't not introduced to each other yet. He came up behind me,

0:23:42.343,0:23:47.130
He put his hand on my back and pushed me towards the children.

0:23:47.130,0:23:51.228
And he said to me, "Jean Pierre, learn to sing the songs in Vietnamese with the children."

0:23:51.228,0:23:57.598
Like Linh Tue said, "I obeyed".

0:23:57.598,0:24:08.843
The last day I was here, he asked me to sit down with him in front of the plum trees. The trees were already there by the road.

0:24:08.843,0:24:13.104
He asked me, "What do you think about my village?"

0:24:13.104,0:24:21.128
I said, "I think the people here need it.

0:24:21.128,0:24:23.415
And you will have many people."

0:24:23.415,0:24:29.263
So what made me come back was that.

0:24:29.263,0:24:36.104
As Linh Tue said, Thay did not look like a monk.

0:24:36.104,0:24:47.789
He wore trousers like everyone else, with boots, and a traditional Vietnamese (monastic) short robe.

0:24:47.789,0:24:58.130
That was it. I did not encounter a monk. I encountered a man with a great deal of humanity.

0:24:58.130,0:25:02.129
I don't know how to say it better.

0:25:02.129,0:25:09.570
I felt it a very deeply. And of course he is Vietnamese, and that meant a lot to me.

0:25:09.570,0:25:15.406
There you go. That was a motor for me - the Vietnamese community.

0:25:15.406,0:25:20.891
That was my motor. As for meditation, it was a lot more difficult.

0:25:20.891,0:25:24.512
The first week, my back ached.

0:25:24.512,0:25:28.396
Just five minutes and I felt it was already an hour.

0:25:28.396,0:25:30.355
So it wasn't great at all.

0:25:30.355,0:25:38.099
I observed, yes I observed. But I told myself - impossible, I cannot do that!

0:25:38.099,0:25:45.025
So it wasn't something that would have made me come back.

0:25:45.025,0:25:57.203
Thank you. The pull of the Vietnamese community, the richness, the friendship, the gentleness, the creativity...

0:25:57.203,0:26:06.909
Co Linh Tue, can you tell us a little what a typical day looked like back then? Was the schedule like how it is now?

0:26:06.909,0:26:09.582
Not at all.

0:26:14.551,0:26:19.648
Thay did not want to lose the Vietnamese culture.

0:26:19.648,0:26:26.580
There were just Thay, and Sister Chan Khong who was still a lay person.

0:26:26.580,0:26:29.931
We called her "Aunty Number 9".

0:26:29.931,0:26:33.360
Thay and Aunty #9 did everything.

0:26:33.360,0:26:42.638
The two of them did 200 turns an hour. Thay taught us how to meditate. He was there for the morning sitting.

0:26:42.638,0:26:50.751
He held the stick of a meditation observer and gave us a smack if we fell sleepy. Like in the Japanese tradition.

0:26:50.751,0:26:54.562
Let's wait and make sure the translator understood that bit.

0:26:54.562,0:26:58.802
The Zen stick, for sitting meditation.

0:26:58.802,0:27:07.807
Then we had breakfast. I'm afraid to say, it wasn't an abundant breakfast like we have now.

0:27:07.807,0:27:15.076
We had broken dried bread that Sister Chan Khong asked for at L'Eclerc (supermarket). Out of date.

0:27:15.076,0:27:25.309
It wasn't because Thay was poor. But they always, always thought of others.

0:27:25.309,0:27:30.830
They sent money to help the writers,

0:27:30.830,0:27:37.537
the elite of Vietnam, because for him the writers were the treasures of Vietnamese culture.

0:27:37.537,0:27:44.380
Every month we prepared small packets to send to Vietnam.

0:27:44.380,0:27:51.197
There was medicine inside so the families could sell them.

0:27:51.197,0:27:54.046
To raise the children.

0:27:54.046,0:27:58.909
Because in general the head of family was imprisoned by the Communist.

0:27:58.909,0:28:04.432
So Thay wanted to help, anonymously. They didn't know who was behind it all.

0:28:04.432,0:28:11.685
Actually I was still young and so hungry. One day I said, "Thay, I am too hungry."

0:28:11.685,0:28:16.383
Because there wasn't enough to eat, right?

0:28:16.383,0:28:20.563
We lived very very modestly.

0:28:20.563,0:28:29.034
There was just one toilet in 1983. Only one shower that went with it. To take a shower one had to get up at 4 in the morning.

0:28:29.034,0:28:37.638
But we were very happy to be by Thay's side.

0:28:37.638,0:28:44.517
We were filled with happiness, with serenity, with peace. His presence captivated us. His personality.

0:28:44.517,0:28:53.185
So that comes back to what you asked before - what was the motivation, the motor that brought us back here.

0:28:53.185,0:29:05.953
Thank you. As Linh Tue had shared, Thay and Sr. Chan Khong said it wasn't possible to save everyone in Vietnam.

0:29:05.953,0:29:20.903
They chose to focus their energy on the cultural personnels like the writers, philosophers, artists, the intellectuals...

0:29:20.903,0:29:29.261
Thanks to these small medical packets; because it wasn't possible to directly send money;

0:29:29.261,0:29:38.072
but the medicine was "hidden money" because they could sell it for money and buy food for their family.

0:29:38.072,0:29:44.069
That sustained the people who were truly the treasure of Vietnamese culture.

0:29:44.069,0:29:56.674
It was a part of all the activities of the so called social engagement for Vietnam of that time, the small packets of medicine.

0:29:56.674,0:30:06.603
Yes the exile of boat people was very present at the time. There were many deaths on the South China Sea.

0:30:06.603,0:30:12.385
Thay and Sister Chan Khong rented boats to save those people.

0:30:12.385,0:30:20.138
They couldn't continue that work and had to come to France. They purchased Thenac in 1982.

0:30:20.138,0:30:27.683
They continued their work in the spirit of saving the Vietnamese culture.

0:30:27.683,0:30:40.189
The days unfolded a little like now. In joy, in gaity.

0:30:40.189,0:30:45.274
Thay wanted us to practice in joy, not in suffering.

0:30:45.274,0:30:50.783
Even if there was a great deal of suffering in our depth,

0:30:50.783,0:30:57.184
because with the arrival of the Communists, many families including mine were broken.

0:30:57.184,0:31:06.993
A lot of loss. Thay and Sister Chan Khong, "Aunty #9", did everything.

0:31:06.993,0:31:15.358
Thay guided the walking meditation, tea meditation, Dharma sharing...

0:31:15.358,0:31:18.166
Sister Chan Khong did everything

0:31:18.166,0:31:21.912
the transport, cooking, shopping

0:31:21.912,0:31:24.760
and even took care of the sick.

0:31:24.760,0:31:32.254
When I caught a cold, I said, "Aunty #9, I think I'm sick." She said, "Oh, I will do the spooning massage for you."

0:31:32.254,0:31:36.623
She took out the oil and a spoon and did spooning massage for me.

0:31:36.623,0:31:40.221
She did everything! Spoon massage.

0:31:40.221,0:31:55.913
Her and Thay did everything. It was only in 1988 that Sr. Chan Khong, then Sr. Chan Duc and Sr. Chan Vi. It was also a surprise for us.

0:31:55.913,0:32:05.332
Three of us stayed back. Thay brought them to India. Before leaving they were lay and on returning they were in robes!

0:32:05.332,0:32:15.424
Only from that moment on that Thay started to wear the long robe and receive monastic disciples.

0:32:15.424,0:32:31.990
We have Shantum here and we will hear from him about the 1988 trip, when Thay started to have monastic disciples.

0:32:31.990,0:32:38.123
It's such a shame because we don't have 5 hours to be together.

0:32:38.123,0:32:45.021
And we will see a few glimpses into several periods of Plum Village history.

0:32:45.021,0:32:51.240
To prepare the appetite ... I don't know how to say it in French ...

0:32:51.240,0:32:56.989
To have a sense of appetite, for how we can have more conversations.

0:32:56.989,0:33:01.893
Just to close this chapter

0:33:01.893,0:33:12.252
Jean-Pierre, what was it that brought the greatest happiness to Thay? What was his greatest dream at that time, at the start?

0:33:21.010,0:33:26.389
Hard to say.

0:33:26.389,0:33:32.682
If I look back...

0:33:32.682,0:33:35.970
If I look at Thay and I see him clearly,

0:33:35.970,0:33:43.328
I see that his dream was only for peace to exist.

0:33:43.328,0:33:46.499
Deeply

0:33:46.499,0:33:50.829
And that peace could exist in each of us.

0:33:50.829,0:33:53.047
That's very clear.

0:33:53.047,0:33:57.884
That's what he has transmitted to us.

0:33:57.884,0:34:03.134
Linh Tue had said that the days passed in joy.

0:34:03.134,0:34:07.407
In songs.

0:34:07.407,0:34:14.145
Even though the songs of bygone days are not the same as today, but that's nothing.

0:34:14.145,0:34:31.278
Me, I am French. The French went to Vietnam and for sure didn't do only great things. But Thay received me as a child.

0:34:31.278,0:34:36.082
He told me, "Sit down with the children."

0:34:36.082,0:34:44.168
Today, I understand that it wasn't to learn to sing, but to learn peace.

0:34:44.168,0:34:47.724
That's what I learned.

0:34:47.724,0:34:57.803
Thank you so much. Thank you Jean-Pierre and Co Linh Tue. Can we offer flowers for our elder brother and sister in the community.

0:34:57.803,0:35:02.608
Thank you so much.

0:35:02.608,0:35:10.543
And I would like to invite Françoise and Shantum to come up to our "hot seat" or our "cool seat"

0:35:10.543,0:35:15.969
for the next chapter, a little bit later in the 1980s.

0:35:15.969,0:35:28.557
And maybe we can enjoy a sound of the bell

0:35:28.557,0:35:48.326
[Bell]

0:36:01.317,0:36:06.989
Thank you for being here. Maybe I will start with Françoise.

0:36:07.020,0:36:13.650
In English if I may. So you came a few years on.

0:36:13.650,0:36:18.170
What brought you here to Plum Village

0:36:18.170,0:36:21.380
and what did you find when you got here?

0:36:21.380,0:36:28.300
Ok. I'd moved in 79 to the Netherlands

0:36:28.300,0:36:31.302
And I worked for the International Fellowship of Reconciliation

0:36:31.302,0:36:36.315
And the general secretary at that time was Jim Forrest.

0:36:36.315,0:36:45.366
From Jim I learnt about Thay because Jim was the one who had spent a lot of time with Thay

0:36:45.366,0:36:54.167
in the 60s when Thay did all those tours in the United States to talk about the war in Vietnam

0:36:54.167,0:36:57.036
the "American war" as it was known then,

0:36:57.036,0:37:06.064
and the need for peace, saying - Vietnamese people did not want the war to continue, they want peace.

0:37:06.064,0:37:12.210
It's not a question of Communism or Capitalism. They want peace.

0:37:12.210,0:37:20.129
Jim, he passed away 10 days before Thay, that's interesting,

0:37:20.129,0:37:27.391
he wrote a little book called "Eyes of Compassion", about all this period, which is very nice.

0:37:27.391,0:37:32.591
I remember he came here in 82 actually, Jim,

0:37:32.591,0:37:39.646
when he came back he said, or maybe in 83,

0:37:39.646,0:37:47.097
he said, "I've just been to Plum Village where Thay is living. I think you should go. You might enjoy it."

0:37:47.097,0:37:54.686
In 84 we had a council meeting, which is an international meeting.

0:37:54.686,0:38:00.188
It was in the community of the Arc, which is not very far from here.

0:38:00.188,0:38:12.182
We decided we needed a car to bring material. And I said, oh maybe we can make a little detour by Plum Village and... check what it is

0:38:12.182,0:38:13.526
and so we did for three days.

0:38:13.526,0:38:18.835
I was sold, basically.

0:38:18.835,0:38:27.117
Jim had already given me a version of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings, the "Precept" at that time.

0:38:27.117,0:38:31.963
Which began with "Do not" in all of them

0:38:31.963,0:38:42.861
But, you know, having been brought up Catholic, it was not special or specific or ...

0:38:52.950,0:39:00.240
spend time because the buddha used to go up[br]there to watch the sun yeah it's mentioned

0:39:00.240,0:39:06.830
that the buddha loved the sunset there also[br]mahakashapa the first zen master was transmitted

0:39:06.830,0:39:14.190
the awakening by the flower sermon but for[br]thai he just even the last time he came he

0:39:14.190,0:39:20.030
just spent the whole day in a hammock spending[br]the enjoying himself so i think vulture peak

0:39:20.030,0:39:27.200
has become a symbol of our our community in[br]fact after his illness i think when we had

0:39:27.200,0:39:33.480
our first gathering it is called the bulger[br]peak gathering so when the transmission took

0:39:33.480,0:39:39.680
place for me it was just i was just organizing[br]but i think that moment of seeing the uh the

0:39:39.680,0:39:45.050
hair being shaved of chiang kong of and you[br]know uh stan annabelle and than men and then

0:39:45.050,0:39:50.230
a few people taking the five of 14 trainings[br]on interest it was very moving because for

0:39:50.230,0:39:55.890
me it was like i could it was a very moving[br]ceremony for everyone it was tears and it

0:39:55.890,0:40:02.490
was but it was for me also it's just like[br]that memory is very very strong so each time

0:40:02.490,0:40:08.069
the monastics and others come and when thai[br]came again and again every time everyone got

0:40:08.069,0:40:11.780
reshaved and mrs gina being reordained in[br]a way on the belcher peak and it's become

0:40:11.780,0:40:18.339
a tradition of plum village and when we talk[br]about plum village you know 40 years of plum

0:40:18.339,0:40:23.339
village i don't see plum village only here[br]for me this is my spiritual home but i see

0:40:23.339,0:40:33.750
plum village on balcha peak and you know in[br]the bay area and you know it's it's another

0:40:33.750,0:40:37.430
dimension of plum village and so yeah i think

0:40:37.430,0:40:42.970
to start the the monastic tradition for thai[br]was very important but i think for us as lay

0:40:42.970,0:40:48.650
people he gave so much he really i think put[br]a lot of energy into us as lay people hoping

0:40:48.650,0:41:00.510
that we would come up to whatever whatever[br]that was and in the beginning you know there

0:41:00.510,0:41:11.550
was very strong uh sort of energy of lay people[br]but as the monastics started after this first

0:41:11.550,0:41:18.520
monastic ordination and then more then slowly[br]slowly that tradition became stronger and

0:41:18.520,0:41:23.089
that was what thai word thai was a monastic[br]he knew that the best and he was experimenting

0:41:23.089,0:41:32.390
in the west with a lay thing which is culturally[br]very different for him anyway so we we used

0:41:32.390,0:41:40.080
to come and go you know so i think i think[br]that moment of the monastic order starting

0:41:40.080,0:41:45.890
on plum on vulture peak is very important[br]for our history because when i see this 300

0:41:45.890,0:41:56.210
years from now i see that's i i for me it's[br]clear it's a fourfold sangha that's the charter

0:41:56.210,0:42:03.540
of the tipian that's the revolution of thai[br]is the fourfold sangha i mean the buddha said

0:42:03.540,0:42:14.359
it too but it's not just high but it's very[br]much so i think he's always encouraged us

0:42:14.359,0:42:15.569
in that way

0:42:15.569,0:42:22.130
yeah i'm sorry i don't know whether that's[br]one answer but it's not the yeah it's just

0:42:22.130,0:42:27.920
when you watch the sunset you know you're[br]watching the sunset like the buddha watched

0:42:27.920,0:42:34.690
and thai watched and you sit there for me[br]it's always in the footsteps of thai it's

0:42:34.690,0:42:39.829
i call it for such a buddha but i can see[br]thai everywhere when i go on pilgrimage you

0:42:39.829,0:42:49.610
know where he sat and i work out where buddha[br]would have sat but i know where thai's at

0:42:49.610,0:42:54.390
and where thai's you know had his which rock[br]he sat under and how you know it's so he's

0:42:54.390,0:43:00.890
imprinted in india and he's a child in india[br]you should see some photographs actually i

0:43:00.890,0:43:08.680
brought a photograph of him in india it's[br]in your dining room that one which is with

0:43:08.680,0:43:17.940
the mic with a broken mic i think he's like[br]he was like a little child like meeting his

0:43:17.940,0:43:26.790
teacher and his eyes would light up in each[br]place he was like so i think here he was a

0:43:26.790,0:43:31.030
bit of a sage you know after a while everyone[br]saw him but there was even when he came last

0:43:31.030,0:43:36.849
time he was like a young boy meeting his own[br]teacher yeah thank you shantim and i would

0:43:36.849,0:43:42.274
always say he was so proud of the book old[br]pathway clouds because he felt he was able

0:43:42.274,0:43:46.540
to give give back the buddha his humanity[br]and so um through thai studies through his

0:43:46.540,0:43:52.000
time researching in the libraries and through[br]tai's own practice and being in community

0:43:52.000,0:44:02.210
it became so important for him that the buddha[br]is not a god but is really a human being and

0:44:02.210,0:44:09.010
i think what all our speakers have shared[br]so far is thai's own humanity and tai's own

0:44:09.010,0:44:14.790
humility and joy that really came through[br]thank you dear francoise and shantum we have

0:44:14.790,0:44:22.329
i have to be a little bit vigilant with the[br]time so these are just taster uh words uh

0:44:22.329,0:44:29.500
thank you for sharing your hearts and your[br]experience with us so we would like to offer

0:44:29.500,0:44:34.480
you our flowers of gratitude and the conversations[br]can continue as the retreat continues thank

0:44:34.480,0:44:35.520
you so much

0:44:35.520,0:44:43.190
thank you thank you [Music] so from this period[br]of tai we have books like the sun my heart

0:44:43.190,0:44:47.780
which is a very deep book and also the favorite[br]of many of the monastics if you haven't read

0:44:47.780,0:44:49.950
this one this is a wonderful book

0:44:49.950,0:44:57.250
and then we have uh being peace and really[br]the theme of peace in thai's writings so we

0:44:57.250,0:45:05.809
would like to invite our next uh ones to come[br]up first of all we will start with sister

0:45:05.809,0:45:12.910
gina and steffy and then we would like to[br]invite sister benim and bettina to join you

0:45:12.910,0:45:14.839
so dears a ghost in muay

0:45:14.839,0:45:23.309
so around the time that uh uh sister gina[br]was coming and steffy was coming in the very

0:45:23.309,0:45:29.550
early 1990s as we as we were here tai was[br]really beginning to teach about the sutra

0:45:29.550,0:45:32.760
on the full awareness of breathing so his[br]first commentary on this is called breathe

0:45:32.760,0:45:40.710
you are alive and it went on towards the end[br]of the 1990s tai then offered a 21-day retreat

0:45:40.710,0:45:45.910
on the 16 exercises of mindful breathing in[br]vermont in the us and that book is called

0:45:45.910,0:45:53.800
the path of emancipation so you get a sense[br]of the sorry oh sorry this was in florida

0:45:53.800,0:46:02.960
so uh you get it in key west so you get a[br]sense of the uh the ripening of ty's teachings

0:46:02.960,0:46:09.730
about breathing but maybe we would like to[br]hear a little bit how sister gina appeared

0:46:09.730,0:46:15.300
in plum village how did this happen and sister[br]gina was already a monastic at this time in

0:46:15.300,0:46:19.960
the japanese soto tradition so dearsoco how[br]how did you get here

0:46:19.960,0:46:25.839
part of the way on foot not by choice though

0:46:25.839,0:46:40.010
um so i want yeah and which year was it yeah[br]thank you 19 the first 21 day retreat in june

0:46:40.010,0:46:41.010
uh

0:46:41.010,0:46:47.020
1990 1990 yeah so yes um so i was already[br]ordained in the japanese tradition and after

0:46:47.020,0:46:58.270
three years in a japanese temple sotto school[br]in japan and i had a great need to study the

0:46:58.270,0:47:04.470
dharma more because my japanese was not enough[br]not good enough to follow all the teachings

0:47:04.470,0:47:11.460
that were given of course in japanese so i[br]came to the west and somewhere in one of i

0:47:11.460,0:47:18.150
visited certain centers and in one of the[br]centers i found a magazine called the mindfulness

0:47:18.150,0:47:19.520
bell number one

0:47:19.520,0:47:28.200
yes and i opened it read it and i thought[br]that's where i want to go and in it it was

0:47:28.200,0:47:38.309
the announcements in a three-week retreat[br]what was it what is psychology i think buddhist

0:47:38.309,0:47:59.480
psychology in this place called plum village[br]merak france so i registered and um i knew

0:47:59.480,0:48:12.809
emme so i looked up and somehow i figured[br]out i can't remember how that it was near

0:48:12.809,0:48:21.200
eme which is not very far from here so that[br]okay i'll just go to email and then i'll go

0:48:21.200,0:48:30.309
to this place called mirak so i fly in bordeaux[br]take a train you know end up in mma and then

0:48:30.309,0:48:35.620
um realized there was no way there was no[br]transportation direction mirak so i looked

0:48:35.620,0:48:44.539
in the telephone book and i looked for plumbers[br]from finnish property in oakland village so

0:48:44.539,0:48:54.720
and then i looked at every entry and i then[br]i found um buddhist initiation something something

0:48:54.720,0:49:00.480
something so the unified buddhist church or[br]something in french and i thought well i'll

0:49:00.480,0:49:07.200
try that one there can't be many buddhist[br]centers it it may just be that one so i called

0:49:07.200,0:49:10.579
and um a friendly lady lady's voice let's[br]put it that way answer the phone answered

0:49:10.579,0:49:20.589
and i said well you know i'm on my way to[br]plum village and i am in emme and how do i

0:49:20.589,0:49:35.550
get to where you are and she said well you're[br]not supposed to be there we only go to century

0:49:35.550,0:49:40.099
i don't know where central is so she said[br]sorry we have no car available so i said don't

0:49:40.099,0:49:49.320
worry i'll walk and then she said well as[br]soon as a car comes back we sent you away

0:49:49.320,0:49:56.730
i said oh compassion [Laughter] and it was[br]a very hot day i had a backpack not too big

0:49:56.730,0:50:04.820
and i was started to walk and sometimes i[br]get migraine when i haven't had enough to

0:50:04.820,0:50:11.290
drink and it's very hot and i developed a[br]migraine as i walked and every time i put

0:50:11.290,0:50:21.160
my foot down it went in my head so i walked[br]very carefully i mean you know the way i put

0:50:21.160,0:50:31.980
my foot on the earth and i walked in and then[br]a certain point i came to a tree and i thought

0:50:31.980,0:50:40.290
i have to sit down it was very hot and i sat[br]down and then a little beaten up uh cream

0:50:40.290,0:50:47.510
renoka french car arrived and uh somebody[br]opened windows and said you must be centered

0:50:47.510,0:51:00.180
sister gina i thought oh saved [Laughter][br]so they turned around and then drove me to

0:51:00.180,0:51:13.480
the lower hamlet here i was welcomed by an[br]western sister and then we walked to um two

0:51:13.480,0:51:20.119
roomers going to stay or something and she[br]said i have to follow my breathing when i'm

0:51:20.119,0:51:25.859
walking and i thought does she have a migraine[br]too [Laughter] it was just the annabelle who

0:51:25.859,0:51:28.160
welcomed me so

0:51:28.160,0:51:36.330
a very very diligent um [Music] and very kind[br]sister as i got to know her i mean i i am

0:51:36.330,0:51:47.070
how did i say this i perceived her as a very[br]kind and and diligent sister and i thought

0:51:47.070,0:51:49.480
oh she's going to be a role model for me um[br]yes so that was my arrival here and then towards

0:51:49.480,0:51:57.730
the end of the 21-day retreat could you share[br]a little bit about that retreat was it can

0:51:57.730,0:52:04.599
you rem what was thai teaching was and how[br]did tai seem when you met him because this

0:52:04.599,0:52:11.730
would have been the first time you met him[br]in person yes um so i was very impressed i

0:52:11.730,0:52:15.619
wondered whether this teacher was touching[br]the earth at all it seemed to be floating

0:52:15.619,0:52:17.829
just above the earth and and

0:52:17.829,0:52:20.480
what really struck me was that tyra's speaking[br][Music]

0:52:20.480,0:52:24.460
using a very simple language for a very deep[br]teaching

0:52:24.460,0:52:32.520
and i realized i understand the words and[br]i need to be careful not to think because

0:52:32.520,0:52:36.180
i understand the words i have realized it[br]and that there is a life of practice and looking

0:52:36.180,0:52:44.020
deeply and things behind those words so that[br]was my my my um first impression and a lot

0:52:44.020,0:52:49.846
of gratefulness you know for a teacher like[br]thai able to to teach in that way and this

0:52:49.846,0:52:54.730
would have been one of thai's first retreats[br]in english as well yes of course that i wasn't

0:52:54.730,0:52:59.940
aware of [Laughter] here in plum village yes[br]uh it was the first uh retreat in english

0:52:59.940,0:53:55.690
and the first 21 day retreat um and many many[br]people who've been here before many from different

0:53:55.690,0:54:04.760
traditions also the japanese sotho tradition[br]rinzai many many different traditions came

0:54:04.760,0:54:08.859
together here to study with thai that also[br]made me look ah because i only knew the subtle

0:54:08.859,0:54:15.099
tradition and only the japanese from japanese[br]so i thought well this teacher offers something

0:54:15.099,0:54:22.440
obviously that many people are looking for[br]and i don't mean to say all than to step over

0:54:22.440,0:54:29.420
to to to the privileged tradition but to deepen[br]or understand their own tradition they were

0:54:29.420,0:54:38.600
in better yeah and so what struck you about[br]the atmosphere that you found here then in

0:54:38.600,0:54:45.470
1990 what what was i mean obviously we've[br]heard the buildings were very very simple

0:54:45.470,0:54:53.430
does not look like a japanese zen temple and[br]what else struck you about that atmosphere

0:54:53.430,0:54:57.230
here and what was different but also still[br]zen yes

0:54:57.230,0:55:01.720
it was the most diverse group i'd encounter[br]on retweets

0:55:01.720,0:55:09.240
and the atmosphere was one of i would not[br]have called it at that time but sister and

0:55:09.240,0:55:14.940
brotherhood a family you know yeah although[br]from very different uh traditions uh different

0:55:14.940,0:55:20.460
nationalities that never been to a retreat[br]with so many different nationalities although

0:55:20.460,0:55:26.220
the americans were i think very well represented[br]shantam was there i thought oh india is here

0:55:26.220,0:55:30.750
too is that oh india is here too yes i was[br]very very impressed by um the diversity because

0:55:30.750,0:55:38.039
i had not seen that before anywhere else yeah[br]and so you left after the 21 day retreat no

0:55:38.039,0:55:45.319
in fact i never left [Laughter] um i i had[br]lived my life um moving from country to country

0:55:45.319,0:55:52.490
i lived in 11 countries out of my own choice[br]not because of jobs and things like that so

0:55:52.490,0:56:01.460
towards the end of the 30 the three-week retreat[br]uh one of the um sisters who lived there approached

0:56:01.460,0:56:05.660
me and said it i said we should invite you[br]to stay indefinitely i thought that's that

0:56:05.660,0:56:07.280
word is not in my dictionary

0:56:07.280,0:56:12.180
but we'll see so that was in 1990 i'm getting[br]me close to indefinitely

0:56:12.180,0:56:15.700
i'm still here quite close i'm still here[br]and that is because um

0:56:15.700,0:56:21.790
it is always new in some way or another or[br]maybe i have learned through thai's teaching

0:56:21.790,0:56:28.181
to look at all that is always new is never[br]the same it's the impermanence maybe and the

0:56:28.181,0:56:34.869
non-self i think those that teaching really[br]um yeah spoke to me and speaks to me and is

0:56:34.869,0:56:40.580
really expressed in the sangha that continues[br]to evolve depending who is here and how the

0:56:40.580,0:56:44.150
atmosphere is changed by the people that are[br]here and so i think at the beginning of your

0:56:44.150,0:56:46.950
era there were then the summer retreats that[br]were more international with international

0:56:46.950,0:56:53.369
guests coming to the upper hamlet yes right[br]and the vietnamese guests were in the lower

0:56:53.369,0:57:03.300
hamlet here really and so i think that was[br]one of the few times when nuns were living

0:57:03.300,0:57:04.520
in the upper hammond and then so hosting a[br]very international diverse community uh up

0:57:04.520,0:57:08.329
in the upper hamlet so then the two rivers[br]we start to get the sense of different rivers

0:57:08.329,0:57:11.220
coming into the community and that international[br]river may be growing every summer

0:57:11.220,0:57:12.220
yes

0:57:12.220,0:57:15.020
and it has grown a lot that river and also

0:57:15.020,0:57:21.480
when when you all arrived i think i said and[br]i saw all of you i thought ty is so happy

0:57:21.480,0:57:26.500
because um i don't think there's one person[br]who can continue thai but as a sangha we can

0:57:26.500,0:57:32.710
continue thai and and i also see the sangha[br]is the most precious gift that thai has offered

0:57:32.710,0:57:39.619
us yeah i'm very grateful so thai is very[br]happy as always very happy to see all of you

0:57:39.619,0:57:40.619
here

0:57:40.619,0:57:46.809
thank you dears ago so we have steffi here[br]sitting next to you and steffy you arrived

0:57:46.809,0:57:53.789
at a similar time and would you like to share[br]what kind of community you found in which

0:57:53.789,0:57:55.109
year you came

0:57:55.109,0:58:01.060
yes it's i just can relate to the to the sangha[br]because margaret and i we arrived in the first

0:58:01.060,0:58:12.030
time in september 93 and we just came here[br]for one week and it was in september and tai

0:58:12.030,0:58:17.740
was on a long tour in america so thai was[br]not even here and what we encountered was

0:58:17.740,0:58:29.500
a beautiful sangha and even sister gina was[br]not here because he was in america um and

0:58:29.500,0:58:33.320
i remember the the moment we arrived um helga[br]from germany she was sitting in front of the

0:58:33.320,0:58:38.260
person building where she was living together[br]with her husband carl and she was very friendly

0:58:38.260,0:58:45.850
and she received us very openly and and it[br]was a small sangha and i remember as well

0:58:45.850,0:58:52.120
when we we did uh we got an introduction for[br]walking meditation by sister ellini she now

0:58:52.120,0:59:00.319
lives in new hamlet and we were with the three[br]of us just sister ellie margaret and i and

0:59:00.319,0:59:05.650
she was teaching us how to do walking meditation[br]and we walked through the forest and then

0:59:05.650,0:59:08.859
in the middle of the forest we stopped there[br]and we sang the song being an island unto

0:59:08.859,0:59:12.740
myself and then i fall in love um completely[br]with plum village after the first dharma sharing

0:59:12.740,0:59:21.390
i think what really really touched my heart[br]was that we bow to each other that was really

0:59:21.390,0:59:26.220
a completely new experience to sit in a group[br]and that someone really was deeply listening

0:59:26.220,0:59:42.920
to me and margaret and i by the time we lived[br]in a community in holland and we had a quite

0:59:42.920,0:59:50.450
a challenging community life there and not[br]so well listening to each other and we came

0:59:50.450,0:59:58.670
to plum village be because we read an article[br]in a dutch newspaper and the title was the

0:59:58.670,1:00:03.510
village of peace in france and we thought[br]oh that sounds good we really need peace so

1:00:03.510,1:00:12.780
and then after this one week we decided this[br]is a good place we want to stay here longer

1:00:12.780,1:00:19.940
we want to be a permanent resident of plum[br]village and so we organized our lives and

1:00:19.940,1:00:24.380
we came back in the following year march 94[br]and we stayed on then for two years being

1:00:24.380,1:00:33.030
part of the of the resident community of plum[br]village and so at this time thai the community

1:00:33.030,1:00:41.740
was very small just maybe a couple of dozen[br]guests and a couple of dozen monastics and

1:00:41.740,1:00:49.869
i think you were sharing earlier that everyone[br]could fit in the small red candle hall for

1:00:49.869,1:00:56.340
dharma talks or for meditations and so on[br]and would you like to share a little bit how

1:00:56.340,1:01:01.380
tai was teaching you at that time and something[br]i would love to hear about what happened one

1:01:01.380,1:01:05.470
day when you went to the upper hamlet for[br]a day of mindfulness and something unexpected

1:01:05.470,1:01:09.640
unfolded oh yes something very unexpected[br]unfolded it was at the end of the winter retreat

1:01:09.640,1:01:16.670
and i think it was a winter retreat 90 at[br]the end of 1994-95

1:01:16.670,1:01:22.580
and entirette asked us during the winter retreat[br]very often please write letters i would like

1:01:22.580,1:01:29.450
to know how the practice is going i need your[br]feedback i need your feedback from my talks

1:01:29.450,1:01:35.760
and he asked us several times and then quite[br]at the end of the winter retreat we came up

1:01:35.760,1:01:47.590
to the upper hamlet and the torque would take[br]in the small transformation hole so not in

1:01:47.590,1:01:54.960
the big hole so you can imagine that big was[br]the winter retreat so we all fit it in in

1:01:54.960,1:01:59.750
the transformation hall and then we entered[br]the hall and it was a completely different

1:01:59.750,1:02:09.500
setup all no cushions only tables with shares[br]like in a school and i no it was it was an

1:02:09.500,1:02:10.820
upper hand at margaret

1:02:10.820,1:02:13.550
you would like to come sit next to me

1:02:13.550,1:02:18.690
okay it was an upper hamlet and he was already[br]in the room and on each table there was a

1:02:18.690,1:02:26.400
stack of paper with a plum village mark on[br]it very official you know and i was looking

1:02:26.400,1:02:27.579
very seriously and he said so examination[br]today

1:02:27.579,1:02:32.099
and and then we all sat at the table it's[br]a little bit um said okay there's a final

1:02:32.099,1:02:35.559
examination after the winter retreat you have[br]to sit down and then you write this examination

1:02:35.559,1:02:39.010
take out your pencil it was really like a[br]very very serious teacher and then we sat

1:02:39.010,1:02:46.220
down and he wrote 10 questions on the white[br]board the first was how is your sitting meditation

1:02:46.220,1:02:52.410
how is your walking meditation how is your[br]eating meditation how do you practice with

1:02:52.410,1:02:58.320
strong emotions have you practiced uh beginning[br]a new are you in harmony with the sangha so

1:02:58.320,1:03:01.960
ten questions and we said oh you really could[br]feel a very dense uh energy and then all in

1:03:01.960,1:03:05.640
a sudden he turned around and with this really[br]big smile he smiled at us and he said so uh

1:03:05.640,1:03:08.820
you haven't wrote me a letter i have not received[br]enough letters so this is now my way i need

1:03:08.820,1:03:13.520
some feedback because my teachings depend[br]very much on what you are sharing with me

1:03:13.520,1:03:22.710
and so let's enjoy writing this letter to[br]me and then he smiled and all in a sudden

1:03:22.710,1:03:30.599
this energy of of being very serious with[br]just one smile and one sentence he dissolved

1:03:30.599,1:03:36.619
it and yeah you just could see that ty had[br]a lot of fun uh by himself to have uh put

1:03:36.619,1:03:43.250
us first in this place and then giving us[br]this relaxation and and you did all have to

1:03:43.250,1:03:50.829
do then sit there and actually do it yes we[br]did it all and then and it took two hours

1:03:50.829,1:03:57.349
or even three hours to answer all these questions[br]and then and then in the next dumber talks

1:03:57.349,1:04:01.869
he kind of gave us a feedback on what we had[br]written and i know one friend she had written

1:04:01.869,1:04:07.589
on the question how was your eating meditation[br]she wrote my eating meditation is good and

1:04:07.589,1:04:12.500
then i said in the summer talk okay listen[br]this is not enough you can write that that

1:04:12.500,1:04:17.070
the food is good and delicious but only writing[br]my eating meditation is good that's not enough

1:04:17.070,1:04:23.529
reflection [Laughter] so this is so wonderful[br]because we really get the sense of a teacher

1:04:23.529,1:04:29.319
really wanting to develop the practices and[br]the way to train his students and so you're

1:04:29.319,1:04:36.369
part of the kind of laboratory of teachings[br]and practices as tai was developing all of

1:04:36.369,1:04:42.020
the dharma doors that he was in the 1990s[br]the particular way of walking meditation here

1:04:42.020,1:04:48.869
in plum village the particular way of offering[br]guided meditation which is one of the things

1:04:48.869,1:04:55.630
that tai has really offered the west and didn't[br]exist in the west before thai started to create

1:04:55.630,1:04:59.130
these ways to combine key phrases with the[br]breathing and of course a relaxed way of eating

1:04:59.130,1:05:05.569
meditation that's not as rigid as in many[br]buddhist traditions and so on so and i think

1:05:05.569,1:05:09.890
tai was at this point also very excited in[br]all the communication practices around deep

1:05:09.890,1:05:16.069
listening loving speech beginning anew and[br]also the peace treaty so i would like to invite

1:05:16.069,1:05:21.230
bettina and sister binyum also if sister binyum[br]you're still here wonderful to come up we

1:05:21.230,1:05:26.950
can have maybe could someone help bring one[br]more chair would be wonderful can we squeeze

1:05:26.950,1:05:35.340
three in the sofa can we be cozy in the sofa[br]bettina do you think you can fit in very intimate

1:05:35.340,1:05:37.260
sisterhood you can manage okay wonderful

1:05:37.260,1:05:44.130
you get the sense of the sisterhood spirit[br]from the 1990s in lower hamlet

1:05:44.130,1:05:52.069
so uh sister binyam would you like to share[br]a bit about your arrival here to lower hamlet

1:05:52.069,1:05:56.039
and what community did you find in which year

1:05:56.039,1:06:03.480
well i first arrived in 1993 as a lee person[br]in upper hamlet in summer retreat and was

1:06:03.480,1:06:10.040
very very beautiful experience i fell in love[br]with i fell in love with blood village right

1:06:10.040,1:06:16.260
away i had met tai already in germany on a[br]retreat that spring and i fell in love with

1:06:16.260,1:06:23.230
it there already but then with the community[br]here again yeah i just already when i met

1:06:23.230,1:06:29.240
tai just from i don't know five day retreat[br]i think it was i felt i want to be a nun and

1:06:29.240,1:06:34.890
i can't be what isn't done you don't even[br]know what a nun is you don't you can't say

1:06:34.890,1:06:42.430
that but it was in me and i came here now[br]wow the free the freedom the peace peace as

1:06:42.430,1:06:53.390
freedom not freedom doing crazy things but[br]the peace here and also sought away from civilization

1:06:53.390,1:06:58.819
in a good way sort of not the stress and you[br]have to like this and you have to do this

1:06:58.819,1:07:03.200
but to live from the inside was very very[br]very important to me

1:07:03.200,1:07:12.230
i didn't become a nun right away because i[br]didn't trust myself with this inner voice

1:07:12.230,1:07:20.520
for a while but i came back regularly to plum[br]village and to thai at that time came to germany

1:07:20.520,1:07:24.529
every year so i came to retreat with thai[br]and this deepened my practice my life for

1:07:24.529,1:07:29.290
thai for plum village i had my own little[br]sangha at home and at some point i knew yes

1:07:29.290,1:07:50.720
i really want and i can trust that i want[br]to be a nun and was in mulhat too with my

1:07:50.720,1:07:54.460
mother who was old and sick i decided to stay[br]with her and let go of that dream for the

1:07:54.460,1:08:00.880
moment but it really developed or became stronger[br]that i really trusted it well while i was

1:08:00.880,1:08:07.650
with my mother four was a wish between but[br]then it was yes that's what i want to after

1:08:07.650,1:08:14.200
my mother died i came to plum village in december[br]96 and there we had just bought or blameless

1:08:14.200,1:08:21.120
had just bought the new hamlet i've been used[br]to the upper hamlet and the west hamlet and

1:08:21.120,1:08:27.640
i almost stayed in the west hamill but everything[br]was in the upper hamlet under linden tree

1:08:27.640,1:08:37.270
and then i was in the new helmet that year[br]was the first year of the new hamlet and no

1:08:37.270,1:08:44.460
lay friends were allowed that time because[br]the nuns should first nuns before when the

1:08:44.460,1:08:49.600
lower hamlet should sort of find their their[br]uh fight together again in this new place

1:08:49.600,1:09:03.220
and well there were lots of things to do also[br]i have one one not just the winter between

1:09:03.220,1:09:15.140
sort of one year nearly a few months they're[br]in the new hamlet just being on their own

1:09:15.140,1:09:16.350
to to

1:09:16.350,1:09:23.470
to become the new hamlet sangha and that was[br]very good for me i could really be with the

1:09:23.470,1:09:33.600
nuns right away otherwise i would have been[br]with the lay friends and some where the nuns

1:09:33.600,1:09:41.310
but so i could be there from the beginning

1:09:41.310,1:09:49.980
so the the dawn of having of some plum village[br]expansion um because i think there was um

1:09:49.980,1:09:55.429
plum village was a little bit illegal at the[br]beginning i think the paperwork in france

1:09:55.429,1:10:02.860
was quite complicated and i think in the summer[br]retreat of 2005-6 suddenly um i think lower

1:10:02.860,1:10:13.700
hamlet was shut down and that is the origin[br]to why new hamlet was bought because they

1:10:13.700,1:10:20.920
had hundreds of people we heard those numbers[br]from sister dinium hundreds of people coming

1:10:20.920,1:10:30.600
for the summer retreat and it was illegal[br]to have it here and there was an old i think

1:10:30.600,1:10:39.571
it was some kind of children's home that was[br]up for sale and they managed to find a donor

1:10:39.571,1:10:45.760
to buy new hamlet so they could still have[br]a summer retreat so it was a last minute purchase

1:10:45.760,1:10:48.929
and that's the origin and then they took that[br]opportunity of having different environments

1:10:48.929,1:10:55.580
to then create a monastic environment there[br]in the new hamlet and sistibenium as a aspirant

1:10:55.580,1:11:02.940
to be was able to join that atmosphere and[br]then here in the lower hamlet it became a

1:11:02.940,1:11:10.390
lay community for a couple of years and so[br]bettina i wonder if you would like to share

1:11:10.390,1:11:14.890
a little bit about the effect of that here[br]in the lower hamlet um so when the new hamlet

1:11:14.890,1:11:21.290
was bought and all the sisters of laura hamlet[br]has been invited to move to new hamlet the

1:11:21.290,1:11:25.600
lower hamlet was a place where we could live[br]together as a lay community for up to i think

1:11:25.600,1:11:31.409
nearly two years 98 and there have been a[br]german dharma teacher couple karl enter garidel

1:11:31.409,1:11:36.550
who now was the indesign sangha in germany[br]in design center and the vietnamese dharma

1:11:36.550,1:11:45.080
teacher couple an huang tintri now fabloo[br]and sister queen yem and also juan and and

1:11:45.080,1:11:50.480
duke have been there and we yes the daughter[br]and some other friends and so we've we were

1:11:50.480,1:11:55.710
suddenly yeah in this situation to run the[br]hamlet and it was a wonderful time because

1:11:55.710,1:12:00.960
we felt a lot of trust from the community[br]from thai to really make that possible and

1:12:00.960,1:12:08.410
it was really wonderful to do and yeah on[br]all levels worked together as a sangha and

1:12:08.410,1:12:14.280
we had guests it was a normal life like in[br]all the other hamlets with the two days of

1:12:14.280,1:12:21.080
mindfulness and in the beginning very exciting[br]the first mindfulness day the first christmas

1:12:21.080,1:12:27.580
festival and all that and it was a day of[br]a lot of a time of lot of learning and coming

1:12:27.580,1:12:33.570
together and yeah giving a lot of empowerment[br]and also beautifully in this time being together

1:12:33.570,1:12:39.190
with a monastic community on these days and[br]chai was often coming on lazy days around

1:12:39.190,1:12:46.320
resting a little bit in his room and walking[br]around and asking us when he met us are you

1:12:46.320,1:12:47.320
lazy enough

1:12:47.320,1:12:56.680
and we felt really good taken care by him[br]by this question and showing up and yeah also

1:12:56.680,1:13:05.560
like you said the community was so small in[br]this time and we had not access to thai as

1:13:05.560,1:13:12.770
not monastics but he was somehow he was very[br]present and available and walking around and

1:13:12.770,1:13:19.810
a little here there and a little how it's[br]going there and

1:13:19.810,1:13:30.740
yeah he even visited us on the chat visiting[br]room thing it was climbing up persimmon up

1:13:30.740,1:13:34.870
there and so it was a wonderful wonderful[br]time this period and what would you feel with

1:13:34.870,1:13:39.870
the kind of em the place the teaching that[br]tai was highlighting most at this time what

1:13:39.870,1:13:47.620
was he speaking about in the talks what was[br]he guiding you all on i guess it's very very

1:13:47.620,1:13:53.480
very personal of course what i choose to say[br]now i think in this year there have been a

1:13:53.480,1:14:02.100
lot of this basic practices like the sutra[br]anapanasati and a lot of living in harmony

1:14:02.100,1:14:05.940
together and we were not asked to have a test[br]but we got sometimes homeworks i remember

1:14:05.940,1:14:12.890
in this years like writing about what did[br]you do when you had a crisis did you really

1:14:12.890,1:14:20.800
take refuge into the buddha in you and the[br]sangha or did you start to judge and do all

1:14:20.800,1:14:35.590
these things so this kind and um for me it's[br]it's the most i think through all these years

1:14:35.590,1:14:49.280
of this big treasure of ty's teachings to[br]embody always inviting us to embody what he

1:14:49.280,1:14:56.520
was talking about like to really then practice[br]beginning you or to really breathe when you

1:14:56.520,1:15:00.750
are excited and so um yeah i feel very basic[br]living in the moment living the teachings

1:15:00.750,1:15:02.940
and also i've had a lot of

1:15:02.940,1:15:13.530
relaxation you know this are you lazy enough[br]it's for me also a sentence of this time of

1:15:13.530,1:15:24.800
uh really we had a lot to do of course with[br]the hamlet but the main thing was how is the

1:15:24.800,1:15:32.590
energy you are doing things always coming[br]back to what is your energy and how is your

1:15:32.590,1:15:39.300
being and then to move out and do your activities[br]i thought somehow it was very fundamental

1:15:39.300,1:15:40.510
very basic very grounding

1:15:40.510,1:15:49.620
a good a good memory to have the art of being[br]peace and also while in action and sister

1:15:49.620,1:15:54.940
binyum do you have similar memories of this[br]time what struck you most about this special

1:15:54.940,1:15:56.410
period in the 1990s

1:15:56.410,1:16:08.360
well after one year i came to the lower hamlet[br]sister gina had been come the abbas and

1:16:08.360,1:16:17.100
it was no longer hamlet then was it two years[br]from all i know it was 98 probably and then

1:16:17.100,1:16:23.880
they were only 12 there i think they started[br]with eight and then four of us came down came

1:16:23.880,1:16:31.280
from new hamlet here and we were 12 and summer[br]retreat people came it was full here and 12

1:16:31.280,1:16:38.290
of us had to do several things not just pot[br]washing but this and then that but i loved

1:16:38.290,1:16:49.800
it very much it was very beautiful for me[br]when you asked bettina what was the teaching

1:16:49.800,1:17:07.190
there all of a sudden it popped up to me i[br]mean thai i can't say i remember that when

1:17:07.190,1:17:15.320
i came as a aspirant the first two winters[br]tai was teaching the sutras that i know he

1:17:15.320,1:17:23.989
just took the chanting book and and taught[br]sutra after sutra and i remember that sometimes

1:17:23.989,1:17:31.310
some in the middle of the suit were teaching[br]he's talked about sister so-and-so doing this

1:17:31.310,1:17:41.830
and that he always his teaching was very personal[br]he never just taught a sutra but he explained

1:17:41.830,1:17:53.110
then with the problem of a system it was very[br]very applied sutra that unknown ties uh never

1:17:53.110,1:18:02.690
we should never just study the sutras uh any[br]texts if they don't apply to our life if we

1:18:02.690,1:18:07.940
don't practice it there's no sense in knowing[br]them and when you asked patina came up in

1:18:07.940,1:18:09.139
me that at that time tai was sort of for a[br]while

1:18:09.139,1:18:13.969
advancing the idea that every not just every[br]country but every big city should have a mindfulness

1:18:13.969,1:18:16.920
practice center without monastics just lay[br]people and that's when

1:18:16.920,1:18:22.040
karl schmidt brought asked karen helga to[br]leave plum village to come and he bought intersign

1:18:22.040,1:18:27.310
center in germany and they are to this day[br]the the dharma teachers of intersign that

1:18:27.310,1:18:32.360
was they left here i think two thousand i'm[br]not totally sure 90 i ordained in february

1:18:32.360,1:18:47.290
98 i think they might have left 99 and i think[br]worldwide it's the only one that at least

1:18:47.290,1:18:58.830
that stayed longer but that was a big thing[br]for thai at that time so tai is sort of developing

1:18:58.830,1:19:03.870
the practices here in the community context[br]and setting of plan village and then really

1:19:03.870,1:19:10.350
inviting everyone to experiment back in their[br]home towns and cities and i think the 1990s

1:19:10.350,1:19:17.050
was also a period when a lot of sanghas started[br]all over europe and all over the u.s so it

1:19:17.050,1:19:21.750
was around this time that tai was teaching[br]the heart of the buddha's teachings so from

1:19:21.750,1:19:26.480
his research the elements that he felt were[br]the most important for all his students to

1:19:26.480,1:19:32.440
understand and this remains on amazon one[br]of the best-selling buddhist books in in the

1:19:32.440,1:19:35.710
english language

1:19:35.710,1:19:38.920
and it was around this time we have the book[br]uh touching peace the art of mindful living

1:19:38.920,1:19:45.460
in community the book of the poems the gatters[br]that you see posted around in the bathrooms

1:19:45.460,1:19:51.690
and the bedrooms these are translated from[br]the tradition and then really applied here

1:19:51.690,1:20:02.190
in plum village this book is called present[br]moment wonderful moment and there's a new

1:20:02.190,1:20:10.719
edition of that out now and thai's kind of[br]number one uh book next to the miracle of

1:20:10.719,1:20:15.440
mindfulness peace is every step also came[br]out at this time so there was really with

1:20:15.440,1:20:19.170
the presence of the community around tai he's[br]really exploring what would a community of

1:20:19.170,1:20:21.960
peace look like and what would practices of[br]peace look like

1:20:21.960,1:20:27.910
so i think we're halfway through the books[br]we wish we would have more time i have two

1:20:27.910,1:20:36.420
more sofas of people i would love just to[br]to bring up here and i hope we can get through

1:20:36.420,1:20:43.450
everyone by dinner so thank you so much to[br]our sisters lay and monastic from the 1990s

1:20:43.450,1:20:48.719
thank you so much and i would like thank you[br]yes flowers and gratitude for you all being

1:20:48.719,1:20:59.630
here thank you so i would like to invite lisa[br]renika and jesse to come up so we will fast

1:20:59.630,1:21:06.520
forward a little bit uh through the 2000s[br][Music] and we will look at some of the ways

1:21:06.520,1:21:13.659
that thai's engagement and socially engaged[br]buddhism applied buddhism has expressed itself

1:21:13.659,1:21:20.930
we will be cozy on the sofa this is an intimate[br]sisterhood sofa

1:21:20.930,1:21:32.321
maybe we can listen to a sound of the bell[br]to refresh our hearts and our breathing and

1:21:32.321,1:21:34.739
arrive into this precious moment

1:21:34.739,1:21:35.739
[Music]

1:21:35.739,1:21:41.860
so before this panel started i said it will[br]be a challenge with the time you'll have at

1:21:41.860,1:21:47.620
least three minutes maybe four or five but[br]i think we're down to three so

1:21:47.620,1:21:54.540
um lisa you are from jerusalem and you first[br]encountered tai i'd i'm not sure whether it

1:21:54.540,1:22:01.190
was when he came to israel um but if you would[br]like to share a bit about his um powerful

1:22:01.190,1:22:04.580
trip to israel in i believe 1997 and the impact[br]that had

1:22:04.580,1:22:12.080
thank you dear tai dear sangha it was remarkable[br]1997 he must have touched thousands of people

1:22:12.080,1:22:17.610
in throughout israel we had a five-day retreat[br]silent retreat that was really incredible

1:22:17.610,1:22:21.330
to have a thousand silent jews for five days

1:22:21.330,1:22:30.580
and as a result of his visit oh my goodness[br]dozens of sanghas sprang out sprung up all

1:22:30.580,1:22:36.350
over all over israel and practice very dedicated[br]practices started all over the country that

1:22:36.350,1:22:44.500
was 1997 and at the time i was a war correspondent[br]for the boston globe working in jerusalem

1:22:44.500,1:22:50.150
and i had covered many suicide bombings and[br]months before they arrived one of the suicide

1:22:50.150,1:22:55.429
bombings ended up with me feeling incredible[br]love for this suicide bomber and i didn't

1:22:55.429,1:23:02.890
understand why and when i met tai and sister[br]chen kong sister chen kang explained to me

1:23:02.890,1:23:09.851
that my heart had discovered its buddha nature[br]so that was a revolution in my life and from

1:23:09.851,1:23:16.740
then on i [Music] i left journalism and i[br]became a peace activist and i helped to found

1:23:16.740,1:23:22.010
a peace academy in a palestinian school in[br]in east jerusalem which was a really remarkable

1:23:22.010,1:23:29.020
experience and and time [Music] and then sister[br]luke neem and brother fab lai and a few other

1:23:29.020,1:23:37.830
monastics came to do a day of mindfulness[br]with us in the school and then i saw what

1:23:37.830,1:23:41.100
teaching really was and i saw how the kids[br]who normally turned the classroom upside down

1:23:41.100,1:23:46.870
or turned upside down themselves in a really[br]good way and i realized that's what i want

1:23:46.870,1:23:52.830
to do i want to i want to work with mindfulness[br]with with they worked with all ages it was

1:23:52.830,1:24:00.989
it was a drastic change from the way the school[br]normally was and so i brought a team of palestinian

1:24:00.989,1:24:07.850
of my students here to a wake up retreat a[br]couple of years ago before before the pandemic

1:24:07.850,1:24:17.990
hit and that was that was it that was so remarkable[br]the first thing is palestinians are very much

1:24:17.990,1:24:22.551
i think like the vietnamese they only want[br]their own cooking so they took over the kitchen

1:24:22.551,1:24:27.600
and they cooked for 500 young people from[br]around the globe and they were received with

1:24:27.600,1:24:32.040
such warmth um the monastics were so lovely[br]they they set up our dinner underneath the

1:24:32.040,1:24:36.340
trees the thai planted on upper hamlet and[br]they had the musicians playing classical music

1:24:36.340,1:24:40.170
and we ate maklouba it's called upside down[br]we ate it in silence listening to this music

1:24:40.170,1:24:45.750
and it was it was this massive prayer for[br]palestine and for everybody and then at the

1:24:45.750,1:24:50.420
end of the wake up retreat our palestinian[br]youngsters uh were gonna dance their their

1:24:50.420,1:24:56.190
debka their their national dance but none[br]of them could dance you know so they stood

1:24:56.190,1:24:59.560
there and they heard the music and they had[br]the rhythm in them but they couldn't they

1:24:59.560,1:25:03.830
couldn't quite get the steps out and so 500[br]young people from around the globe rushed

1:25:03.830,1:25:11.560
the stage and jumped up and down shouting[br]free free palestine free we you know we we

1:25:11.560,1:25:20.760
can't change the world but we can change the[br]world but we can dance for you thank you lisa

1:25:20.760,1:25:29.080
for this beautiful testimony and tai um as[br]some of you may know in 2003 hosted an incredible

1:25:29.080,1:25:30.800
encounter with people from both palestine[br]and from israel practicing deeply together

1:25:30.800,1:25:36.360
for two weeks first separately and then after[br]about a week or ten days of practice creating

1:25:36.360,1:25:45.480
moments for the groups um to be able to speak[br]to one another of their own suffering and

1:25:45.480,1:25:53.540
i think a lot of the sort of interventions[br]that tai has made at the international level

1:25:53.540,1:25:58.090
around how dialogue is possible between warring[br]parties comes from tai's work of compassion

1:25:58.090,1:26:00.900
with the israelis and palestinians and lisa's[br]continuing to work to bring more palestinians

1:26:00.900,1:26:04.580
here every year and also coming this summer[br]so this is one way in which thai's peace work

1:26:04.580,1:26:11.700
uh is continuing and we're very happy to support[br]you in that lisa thank you so much thank you

1:26:11.700,1:26:18.880
so dear renika you would like to start about[br]your share your journey um which i guess both

1:26:18.880,1:26:22.570
your personal journey and then how your own[br]practice has expressed itself in engaged uh

1:26:22.570,1:26:26.730
action within the sangha and beyond thank[br]you um the thai de beloved community um [Music]

1:26:26.730,1:26:32.960
so this is a journey really that um started[br]with both of us so it's really a journey of

1:26:32.960,1:26:37.330
um both of our beginning of what i'm going[br]to say and it started at plum village 2004

1:26:37.330,1:26:42.500
and actually i remember the conflict resolution[br]that happened and 2004 was like an exploration

1:26:42.500,1:26:49.130
to oh meditation yes i've heard of meditation[br]it's it's part of my culture but i'm not quite

1:26:49.130,1:26:55.650
sure what that means because it was kind of[br]lost because i was i grew up in england and

1:26:55.650,1:27:02.600
there was not a lot of meditation going on[br]there and the things that i did understand

1:27:02.600,1:27:07.080
was um was kind of a bit mystic so i didn't[br]really understand any of it so then i went

1:27:07.080,1:27:14.130
in search for what meditation was and it's[br]what brought me to plum village and um on

1:27:14.130,1:27:18.860
that year i also um recognized that there[br]wasn't many teachers that were not like from

1:27:18.860,1:27:28.219
the east in the west and so that was kind[br]of my personal journey really to kind of explore

1:27:28.219,1:27:33.989
that side of practice and take that home really[br]did speak to me in many ways um and so did

1:27:33.989,1:27:38.440
a lot of the monastics and one of the monastics[br]i'd like to mention is sister jewell kyra

1:27:38.440,1:27:41.989
jewel she's now deroged and she's doing a[br]lot of the practice and teachings out in the

1:27:41.989,1:27:47.780
uh us and she was kind of like a mentor to[br]me in a way that she really uh

1:27:47.780,1:27:53.330
she kind of she had an eye on on on people[br]like me let's put it this way and she asked

1:27:53.330,1:27:58.300
she invited me to kind of speak about my practice[br]and my trainings one of the five mindfulness

1:27:58.300,1:28:03.230
trainings in the uk and it's not something[br]i do it's this is really not me i do not do

1:28:03.230,1:28:10.080
big presentations i'm pretty shy but it was[br]it was an opportunity to recognize that this

1:28:10.080,1:28:16.140
wasn't just me speaking it was for my ancestors[br]and for the future generations like me who

1:28:16.140,1:28:17.320
don't have access to this practice

1:28:17.320,1:28:22.330
so that was my vision back in 2004 three and[br]four and um there was many barriers really

1:28:22.330,1:28:29.590
i mean i'm going to go and talk about the[br]heart of london sanger is that okay okay well

1:28:29.590,1:28:35.239
i'll just quickly say that um natasha was[br]part of asanga at in london heart of london

1:28:35.239,1:28:40.290
at heart of london sanger known as natasha[br]then and we're very excited that she was going

1:28:40.290,1:28:47.369
to become a monastic and we've we bid her[br]farewell and here she is and um part of that

1:28:47.369,1:28:54.150
entering the sangha in london was not diverse[br]believe it or not even though london is a

1:28:54.150,1:28:58.739
very diverse city it wasn't very diverse at[br]all and it didn't feel like um a home it wasn't

1:28:58.739,1:29:07.390
a home for me and one of the dharma seals[br]as we've heard is i am home i have arrived

1:29:07.390,1:29:17.040
and so i really wanted to create that in the[br]sangha so it took um quite a lot of efforts

1:29:17.040,1:29:23.510
and a lot of stops and starts and i i found[br]a friend that was able to do that with me

1:29:23.510,1:29:28.500
so i'm going to pass it on to jesse if we've[br]run it out of time

1:29:28.500,1:29:37.520
thank you yeah um we met at that retreat in[br]2004 here and actually at that retreat was

1:29:37.520,1:29:47.310
one of the retreats where palestinians and[br]israelis are invited to come and practice

1:29:47.310,1:29:56.790
together and i remember i knew nothing about[br]plum village and i saw that happening and

1:29:56.790,1:30:03.730
i thought ah okay this is what i want i want[br]something that's engaged with the world that

1:30:03.730,1:30:12.770
can give me a path and yes we met here and[br]um i think that um something that happened

1:30:12.770,1:30:18.239
for me is that i had enough for various causes[br]and conditions i had just enough awareness

1:30:18.239,1:30:23.850
to realize what it what a challenge it would[br]be um to be in the sangha um as such a minority

1:30:23.850,1:30:31.590
in that environment and um and me and renika[br]just clicked and we became very good friends

1:30:31.590,1:30:37.960
and um she has built the colours of compassion[br]sanger in in the uk and in the in the heart

1:30:37.960,1:30:42.330
of london to really make a home and it's been[br]a long journey where we we had many times

1:30:42.330,1:30:46.460
of coming together not just us but us and[br]others slowly slowly slowing in organically

1:30:46.460,1:30:52.239
to build friendships and and to um build both[br]awareness um with the with the white people

1:30:52.239,1:31:01.530
in the sangha and just to slowly build that[br]and i know we haven't got time to tell the

1:31:01.530,1:31:12.060
whole story so i'm not going to go into detail[br]but i think that um i really want to honor

1:31:12.060,1:31:21.180
you because you've done something that i haven't[br]seen anywhere else i don't know if it's happening

1:31:21.180,1:31:28.750
anywhere else but so far i haven't seen in[br]this tradition in europe which is to build

1:31:28.750,1:31:35.370
that home where people can um just come and[br]find their solidity to be part of this sangha

1:31:35.370,1:31:36.720
in europe yeah

1:31:36.720,1:31:41.860
veronica would you like to share a little[br]bit about the joy of creating the colours

1:31:41.860,1:31:42.860
of compassion sangha

1:31:42.860,1:31:46.960
joy and colours of compassion are synonymous[br]because um we practice in the um spirit of

1:31:46.960,1:31:53.400
honoring our ancestors and if you have together[br]we are one you'll book you'll see that um

1:31:53.400,1:31:58.489
in that book there's many stories of people[br]um who are not white sharing their stories

1:31:58.489,1:32:08.000
of um healing from the hurts of of the oppression[br]of the racial oppressions and um you know

1:32:08.000,1:32:11.560
this is 52 of the population we're talking[br]about so it's it's it was really honorable

1:32:11.560,1:32:18.030
to know that things that we could have voices[br]we could have that voice and also practice

1:32:18.030,1:32:22.810
in the spirit of honoring and respecting our[br]own root tradition alongside this tradition

1:32:22.810,1:32:28.340
and it had many meanings and it's very eclectic[br]it's not just one homogenous group so we have

1:32:28.340,1:32:33.310
very many cultures and richness and times[br]of celebrating our own practices alongside

1:32:33.310,1:32:38.900
thai's practices so it's been very joyful[br]to have the retreats that we did have in the

1:32:38.900,1:32:47.070
uk led by um kyra jewell and we had three[br]of those it was filled out and i do believe

1:32:47.070,1:32:56.580
that when the first um bipod poc retreat happened[br]um there was that was filled out to about

1:32:56.580,1:33:05.440
500 people um in the u.s and it was all um[br]approved i guess by tai he he really supported

1:33:05.440,1:33:11.210
this practice he supported these um retreats[br]he saw the um the amount of um healing that

1:33:11.210,1:33:21.199
was taking place yeah thank you so much renika[br]jesse and lisa so we hope that uh this very

1:33:21.199,1:33:29.670
brief testimony um can also inspire many of[br]us in our local sanghas to really see how

1:33:29.670,1:33:35.530
we can support and empower the non-white members[br]in our sangers to have safe spaces uh to really

1:33:35.530,1:33:44.280
ask how we can be of support how we can trust[br]and interest so that those spaces can take

1:33:44.280,1:33:52.040
place and we hope here in plum village to[br]be able to create more such spaces for people

1:33:52.040,1:33:58.750
of color so that we really have the representation[br]the diversity that is reflective of the world

1:33:58.750,1:34:05.660
and so all of us can also and especially those[br]of us who have been socialized as white or

1:34:05.660,1:34:10.409
present as white that we have a chance also[br]to look deeply and to really practice non-discrimination

1:34:10.409,1:34:15.060
compassion and generosity from a real place[br]of deep understanding [Music] of racial inequity

1:34:15.060,1:34:19.650
in the world and that's part of our path as[br]thai students and for me when we speak about

1:34:19.650,1:34:22.239
this as a community i feel we're really honoring[br]the legacy of thai's friendship with dr martin

1:34:22.239,1:34:27.280
luther king so if we see ourselves as thai[br]student this is also part of our work to do

1:34:27.280,1:34:31.360
and to support so thank you so much to our[br]wonderful sofa here present and uh we heard

1:34:31.360,1:34:40.410
the we heard the dinner bell but if uh if[br]you would like to return to your seats i would

1:34:40.410,1:34:46.920
just like to introduce to you uli annika and[br]dorote if you're still here dojote

1:34:46.920,1:34:52.469
yes please just come up briefly and i would[br]just like to to introduce you we wanted to

1:34:52.469,1:34:59.060
show also the future of plum village and many[br]of the directions where thai's work is going

1:34:59.060,1:35:03.619
so we have anika representing the international[br]wake up community dojote representing our

1:35:03.619,1:35:11.139
happy farms which are organic vegetable farms[br]that thai insisted we should start developing

1:35:11.139,1:35:17.670
here in plum village and uli from germany[br]representing our earth holder community uh

1:35:17.670,1:35:23.980
and tai's teachings to bring uh love and peace[br]and healing to the earth so i wonder if i

1:35:23.980,1:35:28.830
can give you each one minute with the microphone[br]and then we promise we'll go and serve our

1:35:28.830,1:35:30.410
dinner so annika a few lines

1:35:30.410,1:35:39.680
um dear tadia sanger one minute well maybe[br]what i can say is that

1:35:39.680,1:35:44.280
i'm probably not representing wake up i can[br]only i'm happy to coordinate for wake up and

1:35:44.280,1:35:49.260
to see that it's growing and flourishing that[br]the pandemic has given rise to even more

1:35:49.260,1:36:02.230
the river growing or becoming even stronger[br]and wake up sanghas all over the world opening

1:36:02.230,1:36:08.170
their doors to just everyone instead of just[br]functioning locally

1:36:08.170,1:36:15.611
i've seen lian in many online meetings who[br]is now he's sitting here as an aspirant and

1:36:15.611,1:36:22.690
is so engaged also with extinction rebellion[br]and i think showing very beautifully the the

1:36:22.690,1:36:27.600
spirit of wake up of young people who are[br]happy to find belonging in a uh and empowerment

1:36:27.600,1:36:32.989
through mindfulness through the practice um[br]yeah who find a home in the practice as well

1:36:32.989,1:36:39.960
as like-minded people who want to work and[br]engage for a better world and i'm deeply grateful

1:36:39.960,1:36:47.520
to tai and the sangha for having given rise[br]to that and it's an honor to support this

1:36:47.520,1:36:57.150
movement and i'm sad to grow out of it soon[br][Laughter] [Music] yes thank you thank you

1:36:57.150,1:37:06.210
annika so ty started the wake up movement[br]in 2008 in a summer retreat i wonder was anyone

1:37:06.210,1:37:13.340
here in that summer retreat in that moment[br]so you may remember this funny moment when

1:37:13.340,1:37:19.710
tai insisted that some of us stand up and[br]announce the creation of young buddhists and

1:37:19.710,1:37:28.080
non-buddhists for a healthy and compassionate[br]society and i had to say this so many times

1:37:28.080,1:37:32.179
and then i had to read out this announcement[br]and say the ybhcs which doesn't have the same

1:37:32.179,1:37:38.750
ring to it as the ymca so so then we came[br]up with the phrase the wake up movement and

1:37:38.750,1:37:48.119
tai was inspired to do this as we heard from[br]sister dinimum yesterday because tai had been

1:37:48.119,1:37:54.630
working with young people since the beginning[br]of his career as a monk and he knew that young

1:37:54.630,1:38:00.780
people can practice meditation young people[br]can practice mindfulness and that the aspiration

1:38:00.780,1:38:07.230
of young people to be of service in the world[br]when supported by a mindfulness practice can

1:38:07.230,1:38:13.121
really help young people serve as a community[br]as a collective and he did that in vietnam

1:38:13.121,1:38:16.120
with the school of youth for social service[br]and was experimenting with the wake up movement

1:38:16.120,1:38:20.770
here in the west to see how young people can[br]practice together to be seeds of change in

1:38:20.770,1:38:24.100
the world so thank you anikaf and we have[br]also jazz in the upper hamlet who on a volunteer

1:38:24.100,1:38:28.580
basis have been supporting this incredible[br]network of young people and we're so grateful

1:38:28.580,1:38:33.910
to you annika for that and for doherty so[br]a couple of years after starting the wake

1:38:33.910,1:38:39.460
up movement tai wanted to see how we can have[br]more young people in plum village and with

1:38:39.460,1:38:45.880
the brothers he had the idea to create vegetable[br]farms so that we can really come and have

1:38:45.880,1:38:55.180
time healing with the earth our hands in the[br]soil nurturing the seeds in the land so dojote

1:38:55.180,1:39:01.260
one minute about the happy farms thank you[br]sister um dear hall um i don't know really

1:39:01.260,1:39:13.330
how to start um of course plum village doesn't[br]wait the happy farm to manifest to grow food

1:39:13.330,1:39:26.310
and to garden but i think we are also helping[br]with the happy farm the monastic community

1:39:26.310,1:39:36.350
who doesn't have the time as a gardener to[br]spend so much time in the garden so that's

1:39:36.350,1:39:43.600
also one of the aspects of the happy farm[br]who started in her parliament in 2012 and

1:39:43.600,1:39:51.219
i did my first retreat in 2013 and i fall[br]in love with the practice and with the project

1:39:51.219,1:39:57.849
of the happy farm i think at that time i see[br]my first eggplant plant aubergine plant and

1:39:57.849,1:40:06.360
i was so amazed and so amazed about yeah what[br]what they share about this project is not

1:40:06.360,1:40:15.099
obviously only about growing food but it's[br]also um yeah the linked with all the the metaphor

1:40:15.099,1:40:22.760
that we can find in thai stitching uh with[br]the seeds you know is um yeah growing um nourishing

1:40:22.760,1:40:31.300
ourselves and all yeah all the metaphors about[br]nature that we can find uh on his teaching

1:40:31.300,1:40:40.560
we try to um to be with those teaching in[br]the garden i often uh tell myself that the

1:40:40.560,1:40:45.360
the happy happy farm is my meditation hall[br]because sometimes i miss uh some of the other

1:40:45.360,1:40:51.989
activity with the sangha because yeah may[br]and june are really um busy at the garden

1:40:51.989,1:41:00.179
and i i really enjoy just knowing that the[br]song i also is practicing and i'm i'm practicing

1:41:00.179,1:41:05.460
um in the happy farm yeah it's also a place[br]for transmitting and to inspired of um yeah

1:41:05.460,1:41:12.340
from where come the food and maybe we can[br]all start growing our own food in any scale

1:41:12.340,1:41:19.659
and yeah that's for me so uh important and[br]inspiring thank you thank you and what i i

1:41:19.659,1:41:24.500
find fascinating is how tai was still experimenting[br]with what a healthy community looks like and

1:41:24.500,1:41:29.410
a healthy community grows its own vegetables[br]in mindfulness and a healthy community is

1:41:29.410,1:41:38.230
a place where young people can come and touch[br]peace and touch meaning and i feel also that

1:41:38.230,1:41:49.180
with the wake up movement and the happy farm[br]thai was also seeing what he can offer the

1:41:49.180,1:41:56.160
young generation who will face so many challenges[br]ahead in the coming decades what are the skills

1:41:56.160,1:42:04.710
the the physical skills but also the inner[br]resilience and learnings that the young generations

1:42:04.710,1:42:11.980
will need to survive the challenges ahead[br]so i feel it's a great gift that we're experimenting

1:42:11.980,1:42:21.830
with in the wake up movement and with our[br]happy farms so thank you both and uli this

1:42:21.830,1:42:30.380
is connected also to thai's teachings on the[br]earth and thai gave so many teachings on the

1:42:30.380,1:42:41.900
earth i have we'll just show some of the books[br]that we may recognize the first one was called

1:42:41.900,1:42:51.960
the world we have where tai really started[br]raising the alarm bell he described the climate

1:42:51.960,1:43:00.310
crisis as a bell of mindfulness in this book[br]and then tai went further and said we need

1:43:00.310,1:43:11.000
to fall in love with the earth and some of[br]us may remember these teachings in 2011 2012

1:43:11.000,1:43:20.220
and they became the book love letters to the[br]earth and then more recently and the teachings

1:43:20.220,1:43:29.490
that i gave to young people have become this[br]book zen and the art of saving the planet

1:43:29.490,1:43:39.010
where we also have all of thai's teachings[br]on engaged action and ecology and thai's vision

1:43:39.010,1:43:45.280
for how the young generation can protect our[br]world so ali what would you like to share

1:43:45.280,1:43:46.980
about the earth holder community

1:43:46.980,1:43:51.989
first i want to share that i'm reading this[br]book you mentioned the last and it's not only

1:43:51.989,1:43:58.100
from tai it's also from sister to dedication[br]she writes many interesting parts in this

1:43:58.100,1:43:59.400
book it's very inspiring

1:43:59.400,1:44:07.170
one motivation to leave my beloved teacher[br]in the japanese center edition was that i

1:44:07.170,1:44:13.720
could not uh combine this experience so like[br]this like this like this i could not combine

1:44:13.720,1:44:19.489
this meditation practice with my political[br]activism i could not share it with my family

1:44:19.489,1:44:25.500
and i could not share it with my students[br]in the university and i was a political activist

1:44:25.500,1:44:31.080
since i started with my studies but i was[br]motivated by hate by fear and [Music]

1:44:31.080,1:44:32.080
also filled with despair

1:44:32.080,1:44:40.300
and to encounter ties teachings about activism[br]in a different kind it inspired me a lot being

1:44:40.300,1:45:08.440
active out of love being active and at the[br]same time caring for yourself being active

1:45:08.440,1:45:11.650
and not opposing someone not uh

1:45:11.650,1:45:23.350
say you are guilty and i'm right no we are[br]in the same boat and the ones who make the

1:45:23.350,1:45:36.270
coal mines in australia i'm fighting they[br]are in me and this is uh the poem

1:45:36.270,1:45:52.330
of thai call me by my true names is the poem[br]for every activist you have no opponent the

1:45:52.330,1:46:41.540
opponent is in your heart and this is a very[br]very deep teaching and i'm so grateful to

1:46:41.540,1:46:49.520
have this teacher and to have a community[br]that shares this concern for mother earth

1:46:49.520,1:47:06.000
thank you thank you uli so if you haven't[br]yet heard about

1:47:06.000,1:47:31.580
the earth holder sangha or the gardian de[br]la terre here in france they have

1:47:31.580,1:47:56.119
a wonderful website full of resources and[br]we're just starting in the last couple of

1:47:56.119,1:48:07.650
years to develop earth holder groups here[br]on in europe and there are many already in

1:48:07.650,1:48:35.840
america and they do a lot of online activities[br]which are wonderful to join discussions presentations

1:48:35.840,1:48:57.909
and study study groups and it's a wonderful[br]way to express our love for the earth as tai

1:48:57.909,1:49:03.100
has encouraged us to do

1:49:03.100,1:49:18.369
so voila we arrive somewhere through some[br]kind of arc we've had a beautiful uh journey

1:49:18.369,1:49:23.320
and we arrive to activism engagement and love[br]for the earth thank you for being up here

1:49:23.320,1:49:29.710
our final cushion sofa group you can return[br]to your seats thank you so much and thank

1:49:29.710,1:50:20.590
you everyone for your patience and generous[br]listening we've had a journey along the river

1:50:20.590,1:50:33.460
of

1:50:33.460,1:51:33.980
the sangha and [br]i hope you have felt the spirit of community

1:51:33.980,1:52:23.889
that shines through the people that really[br]make the sangha and of course there are so

1:52:23.889,1:53:12.270
many ways to still tell the story of plum[br]village maybe as many people as have experienced

1:53:12.270,1:53:31.040
plum village that's how many stories there[br]are so we're just presenting a brief glimpse

1:53:31.040,1:53:54.750
of flavor of the arc of growth and especially[br]as told by those who've practiced here in

1:53:54.750,1:54:21.650
the lower hamlet so we will enjoy listening[br]to three sounds of

1:54:21.650,1:54:49.420
the bell to close our session thank you so[br]much we can enjoy feeling feeling connected

1:54:49.420,1:56:34.179
to one another and feeling enriched by everything[br]we've heard

1:56:34.179,1:56:56.360
as [br]we enjoy these sounds of the bell

1:56:56.360,1:56:56.860
you