0:00:05.521,0:00:07.621
Dear friends,

0:00:07.621,0:00:14.121
please enjoy your breathing one more [br]time as we listen to the sound of the bell

0:00:15.057,0:00:22.217
With the inbreath, just feel refreshed,[br]breathing in fresh oxygen

0:00:23.462,0:00:26.904
breathing out, letting go

0:00:35.928,0:00:39.830
[three sounds of the bell]

0:01:41.731,0:01:49.099
With all respect to our beloved teacher [br]Thay and to our other brothers

0:01:49.099,0:01:54.438
and sisters who are with us, and with [br]the sangha and our friends here

0:01:55.797,0:01:57.874
This is a happy moment

0:01:57.953,0:02:05.087
we are surrounded by all my brothers [br]and sisters here

0:02:05.583,0:02:11.262
my sister Dieu Nghiem next to me[br]and the sangha is gathered

0:02:11.549,0:02:14.947
and on behalf of our teacher, who is in [br]San Francisco

0:02:17.157,0:02:19.895
we thank you for coming to support the [br]sangha

0:02:20.333,0:02:22.537
and being here with us this evening

0:02:25.526,0:02:31.867
Our teacher's deepest wish has always been[br]to build a community

0:02:31.948,0:02:34.447
a beloved community

0:02:34.455,0:02:38.883
as he shared his conversation with Martin[br]Luther King

0:02:39.797,0:02:47.227
that's our teacher's deepest wish,[br]is to form a family, a spiritual family

0:02:47.694,0:02:52.437
and so, tonight, sitting here among my[br]brothers and sisters,

0:02:52.768,0:02:58.800
I think this is one of the few times where we manifest like this

0:02:59.129,0:03:04.529
to, in a way, continue our teacher [br]as he is not physically here

0:03:07.446,0:03:10.850
So we thank you for coming together

0:03:11.340,0:03:18.560
This is something our teacher always gets[br]nourished by, and so do we

0:03:27.706,0:03:32.334
Tonight we, my sister Dieu Nghiem, she's [br]my oldest sister

0:03:32.900,0:03:41.763
she's asked me to share first so I will,[br]I tried to get her to share for us

0:03:42.328,0:03:44.169
this is the first time we're doing this,

0:03:47.028,0:03:49.564
She was supposed to represent the Dharma

0:03:50.031,0:03:53.031
and I was supposed to represent the [br]humor, I guess

0:03:55.031,0:03:57.734
just to let you know that that's, [br]I guess, the intention

0:04:02.006,0:04:07.535
tonight, just being together already,[br]I think we know how powerful it is

0:04:08.069,0:04:10.908
when people gather with the same intention

0:04:12.234,0:04:15.494
To learn, to open up, to really touch [br]something deeper

0:04:15.494,0:04:18.638
than what we normally do outside

0:04:20.427,0:04:22.996
I think that's the truth that I'm feeling

0:04:25.168,0:04:29.356
This e vening, the talk we're supposed to[br]share,

0:04:29.356,0:04:39.539
the theme, “Stop waiting and start living”[br]is quite American

0:04:44.869,0:04:47.706
When I found out that's what it was,

0:04:48.059,0:04:53.957
I was quite “wow, this is like a subtitle [br]somewhere” but it is

0:04:55.458,0:04:59.152
and I reflected on the theme of waiting

0:05:00.628,0:05:07.466
this morning we had a walk in the park [br]over here

0:05:08.625,0:05:14.271
and we sat in front of, I think, George [br]Washington, the statue,

0:05:17.161,0:05:25.732
and there were people protesting, voicing [br]support for the Syrian people, refugees

0:05:27.267,0:05:30.829
We sat there, I don't know how long[br]but it was very peaceful,

0:05:30.829,0:05:39.102
to be sitting there and supporting that [br]effort and acknowledging and being there

0:05:39.102,0:05:43.622
and contributing our peace,[br]and then sharing lunch

0:05:45.661,0:05:48.531
I had the chance to touch deeply

0:05:48.531,0:05:52.633
and be reminded that I was a refugee [br]myself, our family,

0:05:57.827,0:06:08.033
In 1979, our family escaped Vietnam on a [br]boat with maybe 200, 300 people,

0:06:09.891,0:06:12.662
and I was maybe six, seven years old

0:06:15.007,0:06:18.058
I touched that, sitting there in the park,

0:06:18.745,0:06:22.339
'cause we heard some of the voice and some[br]of the speech

0:06:25.342,0:06:29.342
we also know that this country is built[br]on that,

0:06:29.661,0:06:33.671
refugee, we all come from somewhere,

0:06:34.008,0:06:38.963
but not from this land, this continent,[br]most of us at least

0:06:41.184,0:06:46.377
so I feel grateful to be here and

0:06:47.291,0:06:52.908
reflected on our time where we were in the[br]refugee camp, my family,

0:06:53.428,0:06:58.393
and we were waiting for some [br]country to sponsor us

0:06:59.797,0:07:03.882
I find out later, as a kid I was just [br]playing around in the refugee camp,

0:07:03.947,0:07:05.920
throwing rocks and things,

0:07:07.130,0:07:14.273
we were on an island off of Hong Kong,[br]and, reflecting,

0:07:15.296,0:07:21.269
there was this huge warehouse,[br]maybe the size of this auditorium

0:07:21.692,0:07:27.396
and we were all, each family had little [br]spots, mats on the floor

0:07:27.886,0:07:37.455
and that was our waiting spot [br]until someone, some country or some place

0:07:37.848,0:07:39.608
sponsor us

0:07:41.130,0:07:46.853
and we were sponsored by a [br]Christian family in Oregon

0:07:47.455,0:07:49.546
for us to come over

0:07:49.561,0:07:53.950
and I think this is, there was a lot of [br]movement back then

0:07:53.950,0:07:58.094
between the Buddhist community and [br]the Christian community, to help

0:07:59.274,0:08:06.625
so many churches rose to the occasion [br]to gather and sponsor one family

0:08:07.127,0:08:13.067
and I remember another family that [br]sponsored us, the church actually,

0:08:13.334,0:08:17.680
is not just one family but I remember [br]it was many families from that church

0:08:17.680,0:08:20.759
and they each contributed something,

0:08:20.961,0:08:25.903
they bought a hous e for our family,[br]it was a two story house

0:08:26.673,0:08:30.247
they bought it and they filled it up with [br]furniture and food and everything

0:08:30.247,0:08:37.800
and I remember opening the cabinet full of[br]food and canned food and all kinds of food

0:08:37.929,0:08:42.094
and I couldn't believe how much food [br]was in that house

0:08:43.099,0:08:45.966
as well as toys, there was a room [br]full of toys

0:08:46.701,0:08:50.021
I think they collected from other [br]church members

0:08:50.700,0:08:53.396
and I remember opening the door and [br]seeing toys

0:08:53.629,0:08:58.492
and didn't know how to play some [br]of them I remember, 'cause it was so new

0:08:59.831,0:09:06.899
and the top floor was maybe 4 or 6 rooms,[br]there was many rooms and they wanted,

0:09:07.190,0:09:13.130
my mom and dad, there was four of us,[br]so they gave us each a room

0:09:15.123,0:09:18.484
I had a room, my sister had a room, [br]my brother had a room

0:09:18.484,0:09:20.966
even though they were little, they each [br]had a room

0:09:21.322,0:09:25.423
but we ended up staying in one room[br]my parents' room

0:09:25.903,0:09:29.027
in fact, I think my two brothers, and [br]I think I did too

0:09:29.027,0:09:31.467
we slept on this huge bed

0:09:31.849,0:09:36.281
you know, that's what we were used to [br]at the refugee camp

0:09:36.325,0:09:39.233
So that's, you know, sitting there in the [br]park today,

0:09:39.233,0:09:46.683
these memories of, of you know, [br]of having a place to come back to

0:09:48.416,0:09:50.192
and feeling grateful,

0:09:50.722,0:09:54.312
my mom kept in touch with our, [br]they call them sponsors

0:09:56.137,0:09:59.896
I never actually learned their names, [br]because around the house

0:10:00.131,0:10:03.702
they were just mentioned as sponsors

0:10:06.763,0:10:12.453
and this is a beautiful image [br]of people coming together

0:10:13.101,0:10:15.429
to help those in need

0:10:15.897,0:10:19.103
and this is what I remember around the [br]house growing up

0:10:19.899,0:10:23.138
my mom once in a while [br]would take a trip up to Oregon

0:10:24.726,0:10:29.392
and meet with our sponsor [br]and many other families

0:10:30.462,0:10:31.207
this is,

0:10:34.293,0:10:38.170
so the theme of waiting came up,

0:10:38.592,0:10:43.366
of waiting for a place to come, [br]to take refuge in

0:10:44.781,0:10:48.668
this is an important theme for me

0:10:50.687,0:10:54.126
'cause it's been a theme for [br]my whole family, my parents

0:10:54.830,0:11:00.363
as well as my grandparents, they [br]had to escape China after the revolution

0:11:01.399,0:11:09.430
and then my parents escaping (to) America[br]and then I guess my turn is, I kind of,

0:11:10.061,0:11:13.423
my turn is to escape America I guess

0:11:14.134,0:11:20.367
in terms of actually growing up in [br]Los Angeles, in the city,

0:11:20.728,0:11:25.428
confronting a lot of suffering[br]as well as a young person

0:11:26.301,0:11:29.226
in a way, becoming a monk, now I see,

0:11:29.691,0:11:39.159
another way of looking at it is taking [br]refuge or how shall I, a full-time refugee

0:11:43.162,0:11:51.487
I'm a full-time refugee now [br]and I'm always taking refuge

0:11:53.122,0:11:58.429
and this is a wonderful way to remind [br]myself, as I was sitting there in the park

0:11:58.752,0:12:04.933
What am I taking refuge in?[br]What am I waiting for?

0:12:04.933,0:12:07.603
Am I waiting for another sponsor, [br]another country?

0:12:09.731,0:12:15.208
And as I follow my breath, I realize that [br]what my teacher has taught me is

0:12:16.118,0:12:19.377
I take refuge in my breath

0:12:20.187,0:12:23.362
and taking refuge in the island [br]within myself

0:12:24.656,0:12:26.617
and the breath that saved me

0:12:26.617,0:12:32.867
once, when I learned from my teacher[br]what the power of the breath is

0:12:33.767,0:12:36.808
when you simply take an inbreath,

0:12:37.498,0:12:41.669
conscious inbreath, we become aware [br]of the inbreath coming in

0:12:44.809,0:12:48.167
when we breathe out, we let go

0:12:48.527,0:12:51.757
we let that outbreath penetrate

0:12:51.947,0:12:54.984
let it come from every cell of your body

0:12:55.654,0:12:58.154
feel the lightness as you breathe out

0:12:58.814,0:13:02.926
and I remember training like that,[br]sitting still[br]

0:13:04.206,0:13:09.426
in the forest in France in our monastery[br]or in the bamboo grove

0:13:10.466,0:13:14.108
and I remember taking refuge in my breath

0:13:16.088,0:13:19.088
as I feel the breath into my body

0:13:20.658,0:13:24.880
every time we take a conscious breath[br]and we bring our mind to the breath

0:13:26.170,0:13:31.600
is a break from all of [br]the thinking, all the worries,

0:13:31.600,0:13:33.905
all the anxiety that we have,

0:13:34.333,0:13:40.865
that we're used to, we're so used to be [br]thinking and using our mind

0:13:40.972,0:13:43.579
and being constantly occupied

0:13:44.899,0:13:51.899
is always talking, a lot of [br]stimulation in our minds

0:13:51.899,0:13:56.979
and we don't know what it feels like [br]to actually just let it go

0:13:58.070,0:13:59.329
and just come back to the breath

0:14:00.761,0:14:02.367
When we come back to the breath

0:14:03.366,0:14:08.659
our minds come back to our body[br]return to our body

0:14:09.532,0:14:14.725
sometimes we are present, with our body[br]but our mind is somewhere else

0:14:14.998,0:14:18.128
and you can see that phenomenon [br]happening more and more

0:14:19.263,0:14:24.454
My brother and I, we walked the street [br]from Greenwich,

0:14:26.012,0:14:31.502
and sometime we come up and I see [br]all these shops, cafés, places

0:14:31.900,0:14:36.797
and place where people come to eat or [br]drink and I like to peek in there

0:14:38.933,0:14:43.928
and I've been finding that there is [br]a couple sitting there at the table

0:14:44.762,0:14:47.197
and it looks nice but they're both [br]you know, not present

0:14:48.835,0:14:51.025
I mean, they're present to their gadget

0:14:51.455,0:14:55.361
I think you're starting to see [br]that phenomenon

0:14:56.532,0:15:00.860
and so, this is our situation

0:15:03.705,0:15:10.401
This is the state that the coach of our [br]society is moving towards

0:15:10.982,0:15:14.147
This is something we need to look at,

0:15:15.398,0:15:21.958
there are wars and conflicts[br]between groups and nations

0:15:23.464,0:15:29.507
But we also need to look at where we're at[br]in the place we live, in our family

0:15:30.395,0:15:36.204
we have to look deeply and see: Are we [br]present? Are we present to ourselves?

0:15:36.379,0:15:39.493
Are we present to our loved ones?”

0:15:40.397,0:15:44.570
This is something I'm realizing [br]more and more

0:15:45.771,0:15:53.597
so when we come back to the breath,[br]it's a wonderful place for refuge

0:15:54.761,0:15:57.752
when we have a strong emotion

0:15:57.752,0:16:02.992
when we have something [br]that's coming up for us, difficult

0:16:03.555,0:16:06.835
we always have the breath to return to

0:16:07.404,0:16:09.424
take an inbreath

0:16:11.344,0:16:12.784
take an outbreath

0:16:12.844,0:16:16.394
take a break from that emotion,[br]take a break from that thought

0:16:18.240,0:16:19.360
(sound of the gong)

0:16:19.363,0:16:20.733
in

0:16:23.595,0:16:24.799
out

0:16:25.266,0:16:27.572
(sound of the gong)

0:16:51.433,0:16:55.539
In the monastery, when we hear [br]the sound of the bell,

0:16:56.958,0:17:00.566
we train to come back to our breath

0:17:01.602,0:17:04.540
I tell you now, and it sounds easy,

0:17:06.006,0:17:09.997
maybe you do it for a few minutes here

0:17:10.819,0:17:14.035
but I'm pretty sure, after this event, [br]you go outside,

0:17:14.663,0:17:22.464
and you go back to your habits and [br]tendencies to start thinking again

0:17:23.797,0:17:27.887
so the stopping, to come back [br]to the present moment

0:17:28.291,0:17:32.297
to be in touch with our body as it moves, [br]as it sits, requires training

0:17:33.431,0:17:39.938
So in the monastery, I remember in our [br]dining hall, we have a clock that chimes

0:17:40.969,0:17:45.943
I remember first being in Plum Village,[br]our monastery in France,

0:17:46.893,0:17:50.719
that it was difficult every time that[br]the clock chimed,

0:17:51.103,0:17:54.626
and I'm in the middle of a conversation,[br]like after lunch or something,

0:17:55.031,0:18:00.228
it was really annoying[br]and I always wonder, I always question

0:18:00.565,0:18:04.829
how did our teacher come up with this?

0:18:05.199,0:18:10.496
It's really a good hoop but [br]it was pretty radical

0:18:11.426,0:18:13.802
because, you know, the chime is [br]right there in the dining hall

0:18:14.968,0:18:17.332
and it was every fifteen minutes

0:18:17.774,0:18:21.762
And I remember trying to figure out [br]how to make it so it's a little longer

0:18:22.832,0:18:27.490
but I think, the brothers, I asked [br]permission and they didn't allow that

0:18:28.263,0:18:33.621
It was like an old one, it didn't [br]have options back then

0:18:33.932,0:18:36.366
but it was all fifteen minutes

0:18:37.129,0:18:41.741
but I remember, you're in the middle [br]of a conversation and it chimes,

0:18:42.696,0:18:46.735
and at first you're like “OK, you have [br]to do it” you know,

0:18:47.702,0:18:50.402
so you don't really enjoy it

0:18:51.264,0:19:01.032
and this is just from habit of not yet [br]used to a kind of clear thoughtless mind

0:19:02.197,0:19:07.270
you're used to always engage [br]and be in conversation

0:19:07.601,0:19:10.131
or always thinking of something, [br]you know, it's..

0:19:10.932,0:19:15.693
it requires training and I remember[br]I struggled with that in the beginning

0:19:16.696,0:19:21.043
so it's pretty typical for us [br]to have difficulty

0:19:21.758,0:19:26.329
but throughout the training, [br]as the years pass,

0:19:27.063,0:19:32.405
I begin to see more the value [br]of coming back to the breath

0:19:33.427,0:19:36.099
especially in meetings or, [br]we have gatherings

0:19:36.495,0:19:39.297
and a strong emotion will come up

0:19:40.130,0:19:43.902
and slowly I began to see [br]the benefits of taking a break

0:19:44.671,0:19:49.466
the delaying of continual thought, [br]having a pause

0:19:51.133,0:19:58.732
I began to see the benefit of that[br]so this is one of the refuges that I found

0:19:59.502,0:20:04.754
that slowly become more and more [br]deeper for me,

0:20:05.524,0:20:08.066
finding different ways that it helps me

0:20:08.865,0:20:11.975
So just take a break,[br]train yourself

0:20:13.094,0:20:17.100
I sometimes share with the young adults [br]during Wake Up school

0:20:18.825,0:20:27.027
that a restful mind, a clear mind,[br]a thoughtless mind,

0:20:27.824,0:20:30.896
it sounds weird, thoughtless,[br]you don't want to be thoughtless

0:20:31.929,0:20:35.367
but more and more I think[br]we will gonna want to,

0:20:37.742,0:20:40.993
to use terms like that, because [br]we're so always thinking

0:20:41.465,0:20:45.319
that we don't know what it feels like[br]and I tell the young people,

0:20:46.851,0:20:50.641
“do you know what it feels like [br]when you have a bad breath?”

0:20:50.641,0:20:58.051
You know? After a six hour, ten hours [br]plane ride you get off and you're like oh,

0:20:59.538,0:21:02.331
You know? You don't want to talk [br]to anybody, right?

0:21:02.998,0:21:07.808
And we were not born to brush [br]our teeth, you learn that,

0:21:08.572,0:21:10.998
and you learn what it feels like, [br]to kind of ...

0:21:14.270,0:21:18.288
it's something you learn, you don't want [br]to be near or talk to someone like that

0:21:18.766,0:21:24.938
so our mind is like that, our mind is [br]restless, is angry, it is full of tension

0:21:26.004,0:21:28.631
and we think that's the norm

0:21:29.263,0:21:32.433
So, I say this, because it's [br]a little graphic and visual

0:21:34.614,0:21:39.955
'cause it tells you, we're so used to [br]this being full of, you know, stuff

0:21:41.563,0:21:47.101
but the equivalent is restless, [br]angry, full of emotion

0:21:47.660,0:21:50.563
you don't want to be, what happens

0:21:51.765,0:21:56.226
I use it as an example, because young [br]people find it very easy to understand

0:21:57.026,0:22:01.433
so, training our mind to feel when [br]it's fresh, like a fresh breath

0:22:03.533,0:22:07.095
it requires some training, [br]it needs some effort

0:22:07.964,0:22:11.902
so sitting down, finding time, [br]once a day and so on,

0:22:12.259,0:22:16.693
to really find that refuge of a fresh mind

0:22:17.164,0:22:19.101
you know the word 'brainwash'?

0:22:20.690,0:22:22.638
I like to reuse that word, you know

0:22:23.036,0:22:26.229
people hate to be brainwashed, it's like [br]kind of like cultish and all that,

0:22:26.724,0:22:29.359
but actually, it's a nice term

0:22:31.624,0:22:33.557
think about it, brainwash

0:22:33.803,0:22:38.936
it means like your brain is full of stuff,[br]it needs a washing

0:22:43.861,0:22:48.002
You grew up in your family, [br]I think you know what I mean

0:22:50.397,0:22:53.900
(laughter) - sorry

0:22:55.802,0:22:58.639
she's going to save me after

0:23:00.725,0:23:03.367
(whispering) sister, can I use your clock?

0:23:04.235,0:23:06.071
Sure, but it's a little bit fast

0:23:08.361,0:23:10.733
(normal voice) [br]This is a training, to be up here,

0:23:11.159,0:23:15.238
for us to share with you, [br]and it's also a training for us

0:23:19.364,0:23:22.459
so, the topic of waiting,

0:23:22.825,0:23:32.372
I grew up in, educated in [br]California as an architect

0:23:32.528,0:23:38.704
and studied, and wanted to be good and,[br]you know, make a name for myself and so on

0:23:42.124,0:23:47.706
to have a house and two garages, [br]you know, the American dream

0:23:52.200,0:23:55.574
my mother and my father sacrificed a lot

0:23:56.671,0:24:00.396
for the children, [br]my two brothers and my sister,

0:24:01.544,0:24:06.672
they escaped with nothing[br]they had to leave everything

0:24:07.367,0:24:12.296
I remember giving away my toys[br]and I said why am I giving away my toys?

0:24:13.529,0:24:17.302
And I remember my dad [br]giving away his Honda

0:24:19.662,0:24:22.966
and slowly, our furniture, [br]we had to

0:24:23.333,0:24:26.260
but we had to do it secretively[br]so the neighborhoods don't know

0:24:26.590,0:24:30.262
we're going to escape one night [br]on a boat

0:24:30.698,0:24:33.853
and we left everything to come here

0:24:35.193,0:24:40.166
I remember there was a lot of push [br]from my mom especially,

0:24:40.463,0:24:45.594
to be successful and to make, you know,

0:24:47.390,0:24:50.869
and that's a dream for [br]all mothers and fathers

0:24:52.058,0:25:00.186
and I see as I grew up I saw there was a [br]lot of promotion and a lot of effort

0:25:00.456,0:25:06.626
to reach the diploma to become this [br]and that,

0:25:07.423,0:25:10.973
you know, all the awards and so on,

0:25:10.973,0:25:14.713
these stickers you get, I forget [br]what they're called, certificates

0:25:16.896,0:25:21.537
you get trained to be like [br]always be somebody

0:25:22.787,0:25:26.030
and then you become an architect, [br]you work in, and you look

0:25:27.197,0:25:31.627
you see whose office is closer to whose[br]and who's got the better project

0:25:35.007,0:25:41.002
that's the system I grew up in[br]and I was stuck in that

0:25:42.421,0:25:47.560
and also, growing up, [br]I had difficulties with my father

0:25:49.601,0:25:52.892
he struggled a lot coming over here,[br]losing everything

0:25:54.352,0:25:58.754
so for me, I had a lot of anger issues [br]with my father

0:26:00.826,0:26:06.034
I think this is something [br]that the practise helped me with

0:26:07.469,0:26:11.329
to learn to come back [br]and look at ourselves

0:26:12.230,0:26:16.101
and to really confront the suffering [br]that I was having as a young man

0:26:17.172,0:26:20.797
and it helped me become a little happier,

0:26:21.198,0:26:24.457
once the practise [br]helped me look at my father

0:26:25.100,0:26:29.464
and look at my relationship with him[br]to begin to understand him more

0:26:30.398,0:26:32.554
and to begin to understand [br]my own suffering

0:26:34.437,0:26:39.581
and this is what was [br]the benefit of sitting,

0:26:41.937,0:26:44.764
of silencing the mind a little

0:26:45.598,0:26:49.660
calming and having time to look deeply [br]at my emotions,

0:26:50.439,0:26:54.398
where I'm at,[br]and the goals I'm setting for myself

0:26:55.600,0:27:00.596
this helped me to understand more [br]of what true happiness was

0:27:01.996,0:27:06.426
once I was able to touch a little bit [br]of the root of my suffering

0:27:07.839,0:27:13.000
I was also able to touch, [br]so the things that I'm passing by

0:27:13.935,0:27:17.176
because of some future promise,

0:27:17.736,0:27:21.630
to become this, to become that, [br]always wanting more

0:27:22.162,0:27:28.093
and I think it's a kind of suffering[br]always thinking that you're lacking

0:27:29.366,0:27:34.072
and this is something that's kind of [br]underneath our culture a little bit

0:27:35.103,0:27:38.967
and with the practise, [br]I think it can help all of us to really,

0:27:40.368,0:27:43.673
to recognize, [br]“wow, I'm still alive”

0:27:46.369,0:27:48.392
there's my eyes,

0:27:49.176,0:27:53.176
my body is in good condition, [br]I'm healthy enough

0:27:56.068,0:27:57.792
my tooth-ache

0:27:58.920,0:28:03.838
my teacher shared with us [br]about the tooth-ache, it's very..

0:28:04.965,0:28:08.658
sorry, back to hygiene, but you know,

0:28:09.973,0:28:13.394
this moment is a Non-Toothache moment

0:28:15.726,0:28:21.366
it's kind of silly, 'what does that mean?'[br]but all you need to do is just reflect and

0:28:22.700,0:28:28.565
remember that tooth in the back,

0:28:30.361,0:28:35.024
remember when it was aching [br]and the gum was inflamed?

0:28:36.741,0:28:38.864
Just touching that,

0:28:39.332,0:28:42.333
even though it's not a great suffering, [br]it was suffering

0:28:43.292,0:28:46.153
and it reminds us like, [br]oh, how wonderful!

0:28:47.871,0:28:50.231
I don't have a tooth-ache now

0:28:52.695,0:28:57.493
And this is a practise, just like stopping, [br]to recognize the breath,

0:28:59.191,0:29:04.062
recognizing a thoughtless, [br]a mind that's clear

0:29:05.566,0:29:09.871
it's a training to actually be [br]present to this moment

0:29:09.871,0:29:11.401
to this present moment

0:29:11.401,0:29:14.971
and to recognize that wow, [br]the conditions are so many

0:29:15.951,0:29:20.451
I remember our teacher gave us homework, [br]to write down all the wonderful conditions

0:29:22.228,0:29:27.137
the happy moments in your life now,[br]and it's a wonderful exercise

0:29:29.364,0:29:32.702
and your loved one,[br]your brothers, your sisters

0:29:33.772,0:29:39.203
this is also something, we're there with [br]our loved ones, but we're not present

0:29:42.783,0:29:46.553
my brother made us some tea [br]before coming here

0:29:46.553,0:29:50.073
we were hanging out [br]at somebody's place

0:29:50.791,0:29:57.567
and he brought his tea-set and he made [br]one of my brothers, three of us, tea

0:29:58.901,0:30:03.994
and I recognized like 'wow'! [br]we haven't had tea for a while

0:30:05.700,0:30:08.973
and we sat there and drank tea together

0:30:09.872,0:30:15.002
so, to recognize that, [br]my younger brother is so sweet

0:30:15.703,0:30:19.596
he brought his tea material [br]and we'd just woken up from a nap

0:30:20.634,0:30:23.536
and the first thing he does is [br]make us tea

0:30:25.188,0:30:30.263
I was reading a book or something and [br]I closed it and we looked at each other

0:30:30.263,0:30:34.263
and we're drinking tea,[br]I mean, that sounds like really,

0:30:34.730,0:30:38.374
what does that have to do with [br]my happiness, my career?

0:30:39.796,0:30:46.266
but that moment actually is the building [br]block for the rest of ...

0:30:47.811,0:30:50.051
that's your living

0:30:50.725,0:30:55.093
so sometimes we put a lot of goals [br]and a lot of things that we want

0:30:55.375,0:30:57.290
but actually when we get there, [br]we want more

0:30:59.054,0:31:02.932
I give you an example, you have [br]a tea cup, you drink your tea

0:31:03.261,0:31:05.302
and you want to do the next thing, and [br]when you get to the next thing

0:31:05.732,0:31:09.236
you want to do, and so on,[br]and this is the way we've been trained

0:31:10.096,0:31:13.670
and this is where we're at as a coach[br]and we need to look

0:31:15.434,0:31:20.200
so when I say, I will become refugee

0:31:21.181,0:31:27.051
I mean, in my lifetime we'll see that we [br]will need, we will all become refugees

0:31:27.441,0:31:31.422
and it's a kind of different thing, [br]it's not about one nation and another

0:31:32.028,0:31:36.832
but we will all need a place where [br]we can escape a little bit of all that

0:31:37.534,0:31:44.166
online, and wifi, and you know, [br]all this stuff, it's everywhere now

0:31:45.803,0:31:52.933
and we have no time to be with ourselves[br]and to be present for our body

0:31:53.537,0:31:59.496
be present with the moment[br]to enjoy life as it is in the now

0:32:00.167,0:32:05.273
to be present with our loved one[br]and to be present with nature

0:32:06.362,0:32:10.504
this is where we're heading at

0:32:10.599,0:32:12.802
besides the climate change and all this

0:32:13.937,0:32:16.296
there's something happening to our culture

0:32:17.633,0:32:22.193
we're traveling around the world, [br]we see escalating faster and faster

0:32:24.403,0:32:29.308
and so, I hope you continue to train,

0:32:29.308,0:32:32.888
to find a refuge within

0:32:33.871,0:32:39.599
a refugee-camp within[br]we all will need that

0:32:40.370,0:32:43.540
and when you have a strong emotion[br]or when you need a break

0:32:44.194,0:32:47.732
you feel out of touch with [br]what you need to do

0:32:48.401,0:32:53.228
come back, everything you need, [br]everything you have is there

0:32:54.199,0:32:58.302
it's only from that place [br]that we can help change

0:32:58.305,0:33:03.976
where we're at as a society[br]as a human on this planet

0:33:05.991,0:33:10.296
we keep struggling, fighting that, [br]but we don't have this refuge,

0:33:10.561,0:33:13.237
then it will be difficult

0:33:13.933,0:33:19.264
my sister, Dieu Nghiem will continue [br]on this theme for us

0:33:20.298,0:33:23.236
please take a breath,

0:33:23.891,0:33:27.731
come back to that refugee-camp inside

0:33:28.454,0:33:32.014
we all need a refugee-camp [br]once in a while

0:33:36.995,0:33:40.735
(sounds of the gong)

0:34:29.896,0:34:32.916
There are times where I wonder

0:34:34.976,0:34:39.861
why can I not go back to my refugee-camp

0:34:40.130,0:34:44.738
or this place me that I like to call home

0:34:45.507,0:34:47.830
why can I not go back home?

0:34:48.531,0:34:52.358
What is preventing me [br]from going back home to myself

0:34:57.199,0:35:02.506
when my mind and body are in [br]the same place, I feel at home

0:35:04.130,0:35:08.495
I've been fortunate enough to always [br]have had a roof over my head

0:35:08.763,0:35:12.769
to have a home, [br]but I've not always been home

0:35:13.104,0:35:14.772
I'm not always home

0:35:15.401,0:35:18.263
I was reminded of this [br]as I walked to come here

0:35:19.199,0:35:23.308
and I see so many posters saying [br]“bring him home” the Martian

0:35:23.928,0:35:30.604
and I thought, when they bring him home,[br]will he be really and truly home?

0:35:30.871,0:35:33.608
Will he find his true home?[br]

0:35:35.398,0:35:37.042
So I've reflected on that

0:35:38.668,0:35:42.395
my true home as my brother said, [br]brother Phap Dung, brother Embrace,

0:35:46.265,0:35:48.736
really truly home with ourselves

0:35:51.072,0:35:55.635
many years ago, there was a lady from [br]Austria that came to Plum Village

0:35:57.736,0:36:01.596
and at the end of her stay, [br]at the end of the retreat

0:36:02.330,0:36:07.196
we asked some friends to give some input, [br]how it had been for them

0:36:08.536,0:36:12.399
and this lady said [br]she came to Plum Village because

0:36:12.933,0:36:18.396
she had read somewhere [br]Thomas Morton's words that said

0:36:20.467,0:36:25.406
you can see Thich Nhat Hanh is a monk [br]by the way he closes a door

0:36:26.297,0:36:29.836
so she had come to watch us closing doors

0:36:33.006,0:36:36.333
we didn't know[br]maybe just as well

0:36:38.737,0:36:42.695
however, she must have [br]been impressed, because

0:36:43.085,0:36:46.233
she was scheduled to stay one week [br]and she stayed two

0:36:48.840,0:36:55.236
so, closing a door, [br]for me that became like a practise

0:36:55.590,0:36:58.360
how do I close doors?

0:36:58.760,0:37:02.366
I think we all have doors somewhere [br]that we can close

0:37:02.733,0:37:06.774
either where this is a swing door [br]so, open if you act

0:37:06.774,0:37:10.864
but closing a door or [br]opening a door by taking the knob,

0:37:11.784,0:37:13.474
turning it, or the handle,

0:37:13.698,0:37:16.704
and pushing it down[br]and pushing open the door

0:37:18.207,0:37:22.267
so it's very interesting to observe [br]how do we open a door?

0:37:22.737,0:37:26.639
And how do we close a door?[br]It's just a door

0:37:28.164,0:37:32.392
but it is a wonderful way [br]to bring us back to our home

0:37:34.127,0:37:36.196
to put our hand on the knob

0:37:36.698,0:37:40.903
to feel the knob in our hand, already [br]brings our mind back to our body

0:37:41.605,0:37:45.865
so I turn the knob [br]or I push the handle down

0:37:46.733,0:37:50.638
and I'm aware of [br]how much force I use to open the door

0:37:51.594,0:37:53.463
and to close the door

0:37:54.399,0:37:58.227
so if you don't have time [br]to sit, and breathe

0:37:59.239,0:38:02.133
maybe, since you're going [br]through the door anyway,

0:38:03.498,0:38:06.904
you can make that your practise [br]of going home

0:38:08.729,0:38:11.032
but coming home also is something else,

0:38:11.866,0:38:17.531
like coming home to that place [br]where it's quiet

0:38:18.896,0:38:22.857
I've noticed, here in New York [br]it's quite noisy, outside

0:38:24.727,0:38:27.932
and as I was walking, [br]I came here on foot

0:38:29.967,0:38:33.893
I thought, yes, it's very noisy, [br]but let me see

0:38:37.229,0:38:41.492
if I just let the noise be, [br]then, is it then quiet?

0:38:46.731,0:38:49.200
And I realized, I'm thinking

0:38:51.327,0:38:54.997
and sometimes I find, [br]even if there's no noise around me,

0:38:55.463,0:38:58.225
it's quite noisy inside

0:38:58.822,0:39:02.563
maybe the most noise is inside, [br]the outer noise not so much

0:39:04.599,0:39:10.596
and when I listen to this noise, [br]I see most is just unuseful thinking

0:39:11.099,0:39:12.965
not helpful at all

0:39:15.963,0:39:18.895
and then I think, ok, can I close a door?

0:39:19.664,0:39:22.001
Why am I thinking so much?

0:39:22.360,0:39:27.762
I've just come out of a meeting and [br]I carry things out of the meeting with me

0:39:28.061,0:39:32.932
I've already closed the door, right? [br]Physically, but in my head, no

0:39:34.085,0:39:36.728
why did she say this in that way?

0:39:36.909,0:39:38.832
Why didn't she flow along, etcetera

0:39:41.068,0:39:44.440
the meeting was closed, but not everywhere

0:39:47.165,0:39:49.535
I continued the meeting in my head

0:39:50.727,0:39:54.767
so, close the door, the meeting is over [br]close the door

0:39:57.102,0:40:02.131
and then, as I closed the door, [br]it's the same as opening a door

0:40:02.965,0:40:08.073
it means: new possibilities, [br]new challenges

0:40:08.436,0:40:12.332
and can I be there for the possibilities [br]or for the challenges

0:40:18.926,0:40:22.991
maybe we can close the door for a moment [br]with the sound of a bell?

0:40:23.534,0:40:25.459
Just close the door

0:40:26.340,0:40:28.631
and enjoy an in- and an outbreath

0:40:29.095,0:40:31.734
and just let the world be for one moment

0:40:36.763,0:40:42.192
(sound of the gong)

0:41:05.690,0:41:08.935
closing the door as we hear [br]a sound of the bell

0:41:09.122,0:41:11.495
or as we stop for a traffic light

0:41:11.495,0:41:14.088
closing the door when we leave the office

0:41:18.060,0:41:21.499
one retreatant came, [br]she would like to have a consultation

0:41:22.365,0:41:25.373
and she said, my problem is,

0:41:26.647,0:41:33.483
I feel I'm married [br]to my husband's business

0:41:35.617,0:41:38.760
she said, when he comes home, [br]he brings the whole business with him

0:41:41.035,0:41:42.850
and of course, when we come home,

0:41:42.872,0:41:45.498
there may be something that happened [br]in the office, we want to share,

0:41:45.798,0:41:50.560
but it was not just that, like something[br]shared, and 'this is how I feel about it',

0:41:50.855,0:41:55.233
it was all about the problems and about [br]the things, business, business, business

0:41:55.599,0:41:58.192
she said, [br]I think I'm married to a business

0:42:00.039,0:42:04.698
so when we closed the door of the office [br]and we go home

0:42:04.932,0:42:11.865
and then we open the door [br]of our apartment or house,

0:42:16.103,0:42:19.329
and we close the door behind us [br]and truly close the door,

0:42:19.831,0:42:22.469
then we can be truly present [br]for our loved ones

0:42:23.438,0:42:26.161
for our children, our partner[br]we can be there

0:42:28.061,0:42:31.802
we can share with them from our heart[br]and we can listen with our heart

0:42:32.797,0:42:35.240
and we can enrich each other's lives

0:42:39.334,0:42:47.433
I am of Irish and Dutch decent,[br]of an Irish mother and ad Dutch father

0:42:51.294,0:42:53.732
and it took me a while when I started to

0:42:54.901,0:42:56.769
we lived in Ireland and then [br]in the Netherlands

0:42:57.392,0:42:59.997
it took me a while to find out [br]where I belonged

0:43:01.596,0:43:04.633
I was kind of a little bit up-rooted[br]am I Dutch? Am I Irish?

0:43:05.466,0:43:08.538
Inside the house, it's Irish, [br]outside the house it's Dutch

0:43:09.962,0:43:12.199
where are my roots?

0:43:13.973,0:43:17.433
And, if we want to live, [br]we need to have roots

0:43:17.860,0:43:19.563
trees have roots

0:43:21.066,0:43:25.297
if you cut the tree from its root, [br]it won't continue to live

0:43:25.763,0:43:29.668
rivers have a source[br]if we cut the river from the source,

0:43:30.539,0:43:32.597
the river will stop living

0:43:33.997,0:43:36.303
so if we want to start living

0:43:36.836,0:43:40.963
we also need to nourish our roots, [br]our ancestors

0:43:43.467,0:43:47.340
so I would say, stop waiting [br]and start living

0:43:47.906,0:43:54.124
also in a way of, start celebrating life[br]celebrating our ancestors

0:43:55.026,0:44:00.232
our blood ancestors[br]our adopted ancestors

0:44:01.130,0:44:04.740
our spiritual ancestors[br]our land ancestors

0:44:07.528,0:44:12.306
to bring them, to reconnect with them[br]to be nourished by them

0:44:12.604,0:44:15.664
we cannot take our ancestors out of us

0:44:16.565,0:44:21.737
our youngest ancestors, our parents[br]they are our ancestors

0:44:22.039,0:44:24.464
we cannot say, [br]I have nothing to do with you

0:44:24.897,0:44:27.666
no, we have all and [br]everything to do with them

0:44:28.163,0:44:34.836
we are their continuation[br]all our ancestors are within us

0:44:37.799,0:44:43.671
connecting with them inside of ourselves

0:44:44.562,0:44:48.034
to recognize all their strength [br]they have transmitted to us

0:44:48.432,0:44:50.460
and also all the weaknesses

0:44:50.737,0:44:55.566
and to nourish their strength and [br]to take care of their pain and suffering

0:44:55.720,0:44:58.793
of the wounded child that was [br]in them as well

0:44:59.057,0:45:01.229
and that is now also in us

0:45:01.493,0:45:04.001
it's not just our child, our wounded child

0:45:04.334,0:45:08.091
when we say 'our', [br]we mean all our ancestors

0:45:11.532,0:45:14.868
so, to connect with our ancestors

0:45:15.867,0:45:18.940
in Plum Village we have Ancestors Festival

0:45:21.399,0:45:23.398
where we honor our ancestors

0:45:24.235,0:45:27.606
and where we express gratitude[br]to our ancestors

0:45:30.335,0:45:34.858
recognizing that we are their continuation[br]they are our roots

0:45:41.904,0:45:49.367
we all may like to look into our ancestors[br]and find ways to celebrate our ancestors

0:45:49.517,0:45:51.326
to celebrate our roots

0:45:51.538,0:45:55.932
in order to find stability[br]in order to find freedom

0:45:57.168,0:46:00.004
in order to be able to be truly there [br]and truly alive

0:46:00.973,0:46:02.997
for ourselves and for our loved ones

0:46:06.232,0:46:11.764
I know that in New York, you celebrate [br]St Patrick's Day much much bigger

0:46:12.031,0:46:15.089
than in Ireland I've ever seen

0:46:16.567,0:46:19.723
I think there are many Irish people, [br]here also

0:46:20.300,0:46:22.262
maybe also refugees

0:46:23.164,0:46:29.873
but staying connected to their roots[br]in this way, our roots are tradition

0:46:33.098,0:46:35.569
a tradition can be renewed, refreshed

0:46:36.125,0:46:39.698
but a tradition is also our refuge [br]and our root

0:46:45.491,0:46:46.707
so, celebrate

0:46:46.967,0:46:49.464
in Plum Village, [br]we celebrate also the Earth

0:46:50.533,0:46:54.024
we celebrate Spring, the Daffodil Festival

0:46:54.760,0:46:58.765
we celebrate Plum Blossom Festival

0:46:59.165,0:47:02.757
we have Full Moon Festival[br]the Solstice

0:47:04.995,0:47:09.678
they're roots we share all of us, [br]and we can celebrate together

0:47:23.367,0:47:26.562
let's celebrate a moment together

0:47:29.065,0:47:32.037
by just getting in touch with our roots

0:47:32.467,0:47:40.502
you can just close your eyes [br]and see our roots as the Earth,

0:47:40.937,0:47:44.930
we're part of the Earth [br]and everything that's in and on it

0:47:45.204,0:47:50.057
although we don't have roots like a tree, [br]we are rooted in the Earth

0:47:50.923,0:47:53.607
we have come from the Earth

0:47:53.926,0:47:58.235
the Earth is also our roots with [br]all and everything that's on the Earth

0:48:01.163,0:48:03.130
so, just for a moment,

0:48:03.931,0:48:07.569
connect with our roots of the Earth[br]with our land ancestors

0:48:08.535,0:48:12.443
our spiritual ancestors[br]our adopted ancestors

0:48:13.166,0:48:15.323
and our blood ancestors

0:48:21.828,0:48:27.242
(sound of the bell)

0:49:08.765,0:49:12.557
we, the monastics, [br]we're rooted in the Plum Village tradition

0:49:17.698,0:49:22.303
we celebrate every breath[br]we celebrate every step

0:49:23.673,0:49:25.998
whenever we walk, where we walk

0:49:26.698,0:49:30.257
we walk on the Earth with love [br]and with compassion

0:49:30.991,0:49:36.033
we walk as if we're kissing the Earth [br]with our feet, even here in New York

0:49:37.456,0:49:40.469
as I was walking, I was kissing the Earth [br]with my feet,

0:49:41.662,0:49:43.699
saying “dear Earth, we love you

0:49:43.940,0:49:48.125
I know we have covered you with stone, [br]with asphalt, with tarmac

0:49:48.305,0:49:49.739
with a lot of things

0:49:50.296,0:49:53.366
we love you[br]we're here for you

0:49:53.934,0:49:55.256
we want to be here for you

0:49:55.601,0:49:57.805
because you're here for us always

0:50:00.374,0:50:04.933
and this walking gave me stability [br]and gave me freedom

0:50:05.768,0:50:08.238
as I was aware of my steps [br]I felt the contact

0:50:08.426,0:50:12.399
between my feet and the Earth[br]I created some space

0:50:13.133,0:50:14.935
some space inside

0:50:15.203,0:50:17.673
I created some silence inside

0:50:20.332,0:50:24.705
space to be there [br]when our heart is small,

0:50:25.203,0:50:27.365
Thay says, [br]sometimes it's like a peanut

0:50:27.793,0:50:29.767
I think, [br]sometimes my heart is like a mung bean

0:50:30.568,0:50:34.194
there's no space, neither for myself [br]nor for anybody else

0:50:35.028,0:50:38.370
but walking like this, my heart opened [br]and there's space

0:50:38.659,0:50:42.196
there's space for everything I meet, [br]for everybody I meet in the street

0:50:42.590,0:50:45.136
and I can smile

0:50:45.987,0:50:48.840
so you walk like this, it's our root

0:50:50.428,0:50:54.037
in the early years, in the early 1990s

0:50:56.104,0:50:59.767
friends of Plum Village, practitioners, [br]they went to Vietnam

0:51:00.098,0:51:03.326
and they visited Thay's root temple

0:51:04.426,0:51:07.732
and as they were walking there, [br]they practised walking meditation

0:51:09.601,0:51:12.339
and a young monastic, a young novice [br]came up to them and said

0:51:12.667,0:51:14.876
“you must be from Plum Village”

0:51:15.232,0:51:17.201
and they said “yes, how do you know?”

0:51:17.503,0:51:19.803
and he said, I can see it by your walking

0:51:20.638,0:51:22.939
it's our roots, our spiritual roots

0:51:23.231,0:51:28.236
it's our walking, our breathing[br]our listening and our speaking

0:51:29.231,0:51:33.166
we listen to ourselves [br]with compassion to others

0:51:34.668,0:51:42.004
we speak lovingly[br]we learn how to truly love

0:51:43.839,0:51:49.168
how to truly love, how to offer compassion[br]how to be loving and kind

0:51:49.902,0:51:51.904
how to share our joy

0:51:52.239,0:51:54.902
and how to embrace each other [br]with equanimity

0:51:55.496,0:52:00.202
that is true love[br]and we learn how to be truly happy

0:52:00.558,0:52:03.364
as my brother already said, [br]not running after things

0:52:03.929,0:52:08.638
but to see that we have more than enough [br]conditions to be happy already

0:52:11.195,0:52:16.790
we do not need that other ice-cream[br]not the coffee,

0:52:17.131,0:52:19.630
although we had coffee before we came here

0:52:24.722,0:52:25.771
we can have coffee,

0:52:26.026,0:52:29.132
but it's not because we don't have [br]enough conditions to be happy

0:52:29.331,0:52:32.502
it's to enjoy the conditions [br]for happiness we have

0:52:41.773,0:52:46.926
so, celebrate our spiritual roots, [br]whatever our spiritual roots may be

0:52:47.463,0:52:49.303
discover the beauties

0:52:50.234,0:52:54.107
everything that contributes [br]to our own well-being,

0:52:54.764,0:52:58.098
to the well-being of the others[br]and the well-being of the world

0:52:58.395,0:53:00.136
and the Earth

0:53:00.902,0:53:03.039
celebrate, connect

0:53:03.872,0:53:06.265
and we can do this altogether

0:53:08.200,0:53:10.961
I think my brother wanted [br]to add something to this

0:53:16.033,0:53:19.259
I'm his souffleur

0:53:21.963,0:53:24.686
she's giving another chance [br]to share something

0:53:24.748,0:53:25.744
yes, please

0:53:26.419,0:53:30.419
so I'll take this opportunity[br]I'll stop being nice

0:53:37.998,0:53:42.206
our teacher, you know, he was a radical monk

0:53:42.418,0:53:44.978
he grew up in a time of war

0:53:44.978,0:53:49.791
he saw the French come [br]and the Americans come

0:53:50.666,0:53:56.697
this is what produced this practise, [br]this tradition

0:53:58.268,0:54:00.805
you know, the classic images of a monk

0:54:01.190,0:54:05.032
is not sitting in there,[br]praying and doing the gong

0:54:05.736,0:54:10.596
hoping that there will be a better world [br]that we can be reborn into

0:54:11.632,0:54:15.338
but he stood up [br]and he gathered the monastics

0:54:15.862,0:54:19.498
as well as his elder monks and venerables

0:54:20.431,0:54:25.171
and they went into the villages to help,[br]they actively

0:54:26.202,0:54:30.302
so this is what has moved our teacher

0:54:30.566,0:54:32.540
and now he's come to the West

0:54:32.990,0:54:37.203
and he's seeing that some of the roots [br]of why those wars happen,

0:54:39.392,0:54:43.296
and I just want to throw that out there, [br]just so

0:54:43.863,0:54:46.868
as we been around our teacher [br]he sees like, you know, what people ask

0:54:47.265,0:54:51.429
why are you guys speaking against war [br]and going out there?

0:54:51.864,0:54:56.738
like going to the warring countries [br]and doing what your teacher did

0:54:57.492,0:55:03.600
and there is a real teaching to it, [br]to ask and to keep that awareness

0:55:04.069,0:55:08.208
like, why is Thay teaching us to breathe [br]and smile, what is that?

0:55:09.763,0:55:12.265
Some people say that's like Buddhism, [br]right?

0:55:13.703,0:55:15.559
Like, what is that, you know?

0:55:16.536,0:55:19.731
There is a real challenge [br]for our community

0:55:20.332,0:55:22.936
as we struggle between engagement

0:55:23.205,0:55:25.938
and also taking, not losing ourselves

0:55:26.863,0:55:31.861
'cause the war starts when we're actually[br]we've lost our roots, lost our refuge

0:55:32.076,0:55:36.698
we are not happy with just being alive [br]on this planet

0:55:37.332,0:55:38.767
you're going to die,

0:55:40.290,0:55:43.331
the world will go on, you're going to die,[br]you know,

0:55:43.798,0:55:48.693
so our teacher teaches to really come [br]from a deeper,

0:55:49.767,0:55:51.897
of course you do the social change

0:55:52.437,0:55:54.365
you do these activities

0:55:54.599,0:55:58.170
but don't lose these deep moments [br]for yourself

0:55:59.439,0:56:00.898
and to do it together

0:56:01.240,0:56:07.138
and this is our teacher's challenge [br]to our next century

0:56:09.440,0:56:11.297
I think maybe some of you heard,

0:56:11.540,0:56:16.921
our teacher sharing about the last [br]century as a century of individualism

0:56:19.172,0:56:23.999
you know, everyone, me and my nation [br]and my people and so on

0:56:24.636,0:56:28.238
and it's caused a lot of stuff happen

0:56:28.962,0:56:32.365
so the teacher is really emphasizing [br]on the collective

0:56:33.689,0:56:37.594
and it's tough to be in the collective, [br]part of this community

0:56:37.797,0:56:39.732
you know, it's not easy

0:56:39.964,0:56:42.704
you have to conform and [br]you have to be like the rest

0:56:43.000,0:56:47.532
and kind of like, lose your identity[br]I just tell you some of the truth about it

0:56:49.502,0:56:52.135
it challenges every L.A. seed in me!

0:56:54.663,0:56:57.868
I want to go out there and [br]change L.A. you know,

0:56:58.203,0:56:59.468
and the brothers say, no,

0:56:59.669,0:57:03.364
you're going to go breathe and [br]walk in the woods

0:57:08.026,0:57:09.735
sorry my sisters and brothers

0:57:12.165,0:57:14.533
it's a challenge to be part of a community

0:57:14.762,0:57:19.064
it is, because it goes [br]against everything we know,

0:57:19.195,0:57:20.766
you know, I have rights,

0:57:20.998,0:57:26.743
especially when you're right[br]you have to just..

0:57:28.332,0:57:34.392
and this is the root of war[br]“I'm right”

0:57:35.895,0:57:38.598
and to live in a collective, [br]to live in a community

0:57:39.634,0:57:43.627
to live in a family, you know that,[br]that's a small little community there

0:57:43.672,0:57:48.522
in the family, around the kitchen[br]around the dining table

0:57:49.698,0:57:51.361
I was witness to that

0:57:52.269,0:57:57.031
because we're not able to let go and see[br]the 'come on, it's just'

0:57:58.862,0:58:00.870
so this is the training for us

0:58:01.091,0:58:04.532
to learn to let go of [br]our own ideas or notions

0:58:05.565,0:58:07.901
of what is right, what is wrong, [br]what is just

0:58:07.901,0:58:08.679
sometimes,

0:58:08.679,0:58:11.969
even fighting for a just cause, [br]we cause a lot of suffering

0:58:13.130,0:58:16.902
so we have to be careful [br]as we come together and help

0:58:18.125,0:58:20.863
and remind ourselves [br]to check in with each other

0:58:21.463,0:58:23.930
to see that 'hey, is this where we want to go?”

0:58:25.172,0:58:30.464
so this is a challenge our teacher has [br]for our community,[br]for our next

0:58:30.765,0:58:37.341
you know, he's famous for having said[br]our teacher has a saying that's pretty,

0:58:39.495,0:58:40.901
I haven't heard it anywhere

0:58:41.168,0:58:45.130
“the next Buddha will be your community”

0:58:45.798,0:58:48.435
that's very beautiful, you know[br]can you imagine that,

0:58:48.636,0:58:51.606
you don't look for somebody leading[br]and charging, and

0:58:51.907,0:58:54.199
oh well the Buddha will [br]probably do something

0:58:54.895,0:58:59.091
but the community that actually [br]deals with challenges, suffering

0:59:00.038,0:59:03.157
but it checks itself, it helps each other

0:59:03.363,0:59:07.370
there's a sense of love [br]and understanding, of septance

0:59:07.489,0:59:09.706
cause this is all the energy,

0:59:10.206,0:59:16.172
all the difficulties that we're facing[br]as a family as a group of people

0:59:16.289,0:59:19.873
as a work place right, [br]where you look, and your company

0:59:20.965,0:59:24.337
what are the most challenging things [br]at your work place

0:59:24.495,0:59:25.624
it's all about that,

0:59:25.900,0:59:28.363
people don't know how to work together[br]you have to let go

0:59:29.231,0:59:33.419
so the collective for us is a challenge,[br]

0:59:33.736,0:59:38.498
how to learn these practises [br]so we don't lose our center,

0:59:38.687,0:59:42.902
our harmony within[br]and then working ways,

0:59:43.001,0:59:45.229
finding ways to build community

0:59:45.763,0:59:50.855
because to resist this other energy, [br]we need to do it as a community

0:59:51.464,0:59:56.026
and we need everyone to have [br]this kind of training so that you feel

0:59:56.794,1:00:00.031
I don't need another sweater, [br]just because it's a new season

1:00:00.729,1:00:02.867
or they change color on me again

1:00:07.831,1:00:12.937
sorry, I remember, it's brown season, [br]it's yellow season

1:00:13.125,1:00:16.496
you know, you got to change your whole [br]wardrobe just because they say so

1:00:18.063,1:00:20.204
so they know, I don't want to say 'they'

1:00:21.126,1:00:25.746
maybe some of us are in [br]advertising media now

1:00:27.797,1:00:32.604
but they know how the mind works[br]and if you don't know how your mind works

1:00:33.067,1:00:38.136
and if we don't come together[br]we're just, you think you're free

1:00:41.770,1:00:46.565
I'm sorry to kind of lay it out there[br]'cause this is our last chance

1:00:48.968,1:00:53.164
but this is what I've learned from my teacher[br]and I just wanted to share with you

1:00:53.532,1:00:58.941
we need to come together and really [br]resist all these temptations

1:00:59.640,1:01:04.935
these kind of temporary pleasures[br]these moments, right

1:01:05.402,1:01:09.533
more consuming, more stimulation, entertaining yourself

1:01:09.806,1:01:14.558
this is what is happening

1:01:15.361,1:01:19.965
we need to find ways to come together, [br]to resist

1:01:20.569,1:01:24.161
so, have a refugee-camp but do it together

1:01:24.562,1:01:29.070
that's the addition I think [br]my sister was inviting me to add

1:01:29.689,1:01:33.933
so not just you alone on the [br]island in a refugee-camp

1:01:34.161,1:01:39.774
but bring friends, make friends[br]come together and make that island, expand

1:01:41.230,1:01:45.240
and if we can do this together [br]here a little bit

1:01:45.240,1:01:48.240
and a little bit around the planet

1:01:48.240,1:01:50.965
I think, I'm pretty hopeful

1:01:52.035,1:01:57.963
and we need to keep that,[br]don't let it drag you down

1:01:59.198,1:02:01.199
we were at the Huffington Post

1:02:01.404,1:02:04.294
and we learned that they have a [br]department for Good News

1:02:06.763,1:02:07.998
yeah, that is pretty cool

1:02:08.563,1:02:12.739
and I asked them, so what do you guys do, [br]make stories up?

1:02:14.469,1:02:19.950
'cause I don't see any good news [br]in the news and they say, yeah, we shared,

1:02:20.365,1:02:26.515
they have a small team and actually [br]they look at stories out there, and

1:02:26.515,1:02:31.665
they try to find something positive [br]and they go do more research

1:02:31.866,1:02:35.207
and that's beautiful and [br]I was really moved,

1:02:35.471,1:02:39.260
there was like four or five in that [br]department, and that's their work

1:02:39.589,1:02:43.963
we need to do that, we need to do that [br]in our family, within ourselves

1:02:44.132,1:02:47.401
look, there's something [br]happening that's good for today

1:02:47.968,1:02:51.303
and accentuate it, do it in the family, [br]do it at your work,

1:02:51.806,1:02:54.464
please, do it in your work

1:02:56.322,1:03:00.413
it's tough to work at a hard place, [br]but do it there

1:03:00.413,1:03:02.689
and then create your work, [br]become a community

1:03:04.003,1:03:07.233
and then begin to come together[br]build a sangha

1:03:07.374,1:03:11.251
a sangha is just a group of people [br]coming together

1:03:11.251,1:03:14.741
to remind each other with the practise

1:03:15.003,1:03:18.430
so this is our teacher's deepest wish

1:03:19.164,1:03:25.339
to have a little bit around [br]every place for us

1:03:25.529,1:03:29.132
to remind ourselves and [br]remind others

1:03:31.467,1:03:33.234
thank you

1:03:34.105,1:03:35.828
I believe there's something

1:03:40.869,1:03:49.500
oh yes, we now open the mike [br]for any questions or any comment or

1:03:51.672,1:03:54.297
I think there's a microphone around,

1:03:54.965,1:03:56.500
I think there's some brothers and sisters

1:03:56.734,1:04:02.768
who'll come up here to join us to add a [br]different perspective

1:04:06.373,1:04:08.697
is there a mike around?

1:04:09.700,1:04:18.466
Yes, you can come up here if you'd [br]like to share or make a comment

1:04:29.733,1:04:31.471
oh, they have a mike right there

1:04:35.967,1:04:38.170
I just wanted to thank you

1:04:39.640,1:04:46.191
gratitude for sharing your love and your [br]light with us here,

1:04:47.226,1:04:52.599
and bringing your stories, your honesty, [br]your experience, your humor

1:04:53.101,1:05:00.634
really grateful for that, it's really [br]refreshing to embrace the reflection

1:05:00.821,1:05:07.232
we all know that we have within us [br]and to see a collective

1:05:10.302,1:05:17.700
as you say, this community that does exist[br]and I just wanted to say thank you,

1:05:17.700,1:05:20.006
I'm really grateful

1:05:25.668,1:05:27.862
and congratulations

1:05:48.660,1:05:52.464
sister Jang Nghiem and Phap Hai [br]have joined us

1:05:53.165,1:05:56.533
and they will take personal questions too, [br]so if you

1:06:01.833,1:06:04.169
yes, questions from the heart

1:06:07.106,1:06:12.534
hi, welcome, I'm actually new to the city,[br]I'm from Philadelphia

1:06:13.037,1:06:17.329
so I drove up this morning, three hours,[br]I took the back roads

1:06:18.897,1:06:28.249
and I go to Weltran Unitarian church and [br]every Sunday I'm blessed to have a quote,

1:06:28.734,1:06:32.090
like there is up on the screen, [br]by Thich Nhat Hanh

1:06:32.134,1:06:34.734
that leads us [br]into meditation for five minutes

1:06:36.156,1:06:39.200
all you need to enter heaven on earth [br]is one conscious step,

1:06:39.200,1:06:40.670
one conscious breath

1:06:41.375,1:06:44.638
and I really appreciate [br]this opportunity to be here with you

1:06:45.893,1:06:50.566
and my question, it takes me a long time [br]to get to my question, is

1:06:51.837,1:06:55.464
as you talk about refuge inside and [br]refuge in community,

1:06:56.833,1:07:02.404
I'm blessed to have a small community [br]that really is building on mindfulness,

1:07:03.463,1:07:07.969
it's probably the most rapidly growing[br]Unitarian church in the country which is

1:07:08.579,1:07:13.314
tremendous, because it's very open, [br]spiritually and we embraced

1:07:13.314,1:07:17.002
a lot of things, including [br]Thich Nhat Hanh's mindfulness

1:07:19.279,1:07:24.109
How can we, I'm sure everyone in this [br]room is from a different place,

1:07:25.903,1:07:33.301
in our society, in our jobs that are [br]not sitting mindfully all day long,

1:07:34.749,1:07:46.929
how can we bridge this experience into [br]the world of wifi and phones,

1:07:48.432,1:07:51.925
thinking of myself last night when I was [br]on my phone with my boyfriend

1:07:52.124,1:07:57.867
at the restaurant, how do we actually [br]try to do that more?

1:08:21.383,1:08:24.034
So, dear family, life's full of surprises,

1:08:24.034,1:08:27.824
I stood up to walk off the stage [br]to stretch my legs

1:08:30.475,1:08:34.591
and I was invited, is the kind [br]way to put it,

1:08:34.834,1:08:37.095
to be part of the question-[br]and-answer panel

1:08:37.296,1:08:42.269
so I'm very happy to be sitting here [br]and as I received that invitation

1:08:43.117,1:08:47.749
to be part of the Q&A-panel [br]I realized that as a practitioner,

1:08:49.137,1:08:54.101
the most central practise for me,[br]is to learn how to say 'yes'

1:08:56.005,1:08:59.062
not only to say yes with my mouth,

1:09:00.265,1:09:06.238
but to say yes to the experience [br]that I'm invited to have in this moment

1:09:07.229,1:09:09.765
to look at the places that I close down

1:09:10.032,1:09:15.300
or the ways that I try to manufacture [br]this moment into something

1:09:15.348,1:09:18.430
that I believe it should be

1:09:20.903,1:09:23.370
in our tradition, in the Plum [br]Village tradition, we practise

1:09:23.370,1:09:27.995
what we call 'Engaged Buddhism' [br]and we've all heard the stories about

1:09:27.995,1:09:32.545
going out to bombed out villages, [br]building schools,

1:09:33.766,1:09:37.905
doing flood-work relief work, we've done [br]all of those things

1:09:38.341,1:09:40.397
and we do all of those things

1:09:40.897,1:09:43.466
and yet, at its core, [br]Engaged Buddhism means,

1:09:43.769,1:09:48.664
choosing to engage in this moment, [br]whatever this moment is

1:09:49.664,1:09:52.033
as a moment of practise

1:09:54.114,1:09:55.962
we're coming into the Jewish New Year

1:09:55.962,1:09:59.962
and I'm thinking of somebody called Victor Franco,

1:10:02.263,1:10:05.532
who wrote in 'Men's search for meaning'

1:10:05.958,1:10:08.866
something that we also find to be true [br]in Buddhism as well

1:10:09.702,1:10:13.796
we can't always, or very often, [br]choose our circumstances

1:10:14.128,1:10:17.201
but as human beings

1:10:17.324,1:10:21.518
the one choice we truly have, [br]is the choice of how we respond

1:10:24.734,1:10:30.130
so when we say that we can't [br]sit all day mindfully, why not?

1:10:31.032,1:10:33.068
What does mindfully mean?

1:10:34.068,1:10:39.598
Does it mean we need to go to a [br]mountainside or go to a cave or a hut,

1:10:40.198,1:10:42.403
a nice retreat-hut somewhere

1:10:42.769,1:10:46.796
that was my view of what monastic life is[br]or life in the practise

1:10:47.163,1:10:50.902
and it's only ever happened once, [br]in twenty years

1:10:53.970,1:11:00.260
how do I use this moment as a moment [br]that I can be fully present in my body

1:11:01.558,1:11:05.899
with the experience that I'm having [br]with the person who's in front of me

1:11:06.835,1:11:12.664
Can I choose, when the phone rings,[br]to take an in-breath and an out-breath

1:11:13.295,1:11:15.901
bring myself back to my body and [br]pick up the phone

1:11:16.766,1:11:21.665
can I choose to, rather than [br]just run from here to the coffee-maker,

1:11:21.794,1:11:29.528
can I choose to take a few steps [br]with each breath, to arrive with each step

1:11:30.094,1:11:34.035
these are ways that it is possible for us

1:11:34.193,1:11:36.938
to bring the practise of mindfulness[br]to our daily lives

1:11:37.149,1:11:42.635
so our spiritual life is not something [br]compart mentalized to one side

1:11:42.793,1:11:45.193
that we do inbetween things

1:11:46.370,1:11:50.268
but it is actually our life itself

1:11:50.268,1:11:54.206
that's the invitation of Engaged Buddhism

1:11:55.332,1:11:59.705
to see what we can do, where we're [br]planted in this very moment

1:12:00.101,1:12:02.997
this is something that's possible for us

1:12:03.765,1:12:07.369
there are some of us, there are maybe [br]a few hundred of us in this room

1:12:08.696,1:12:11.749
we're all sharing the same space together

1:12:13.001,1:12:16.771
and yet, there are some of us in this room[br]who are thinking

1:12:17.104,1:12:19.198
oh, this talk was so interesting tonight,

1:12:19.665,1:12:24.255
it was so wonderful to hear from a half-[br]Irish, half-Dutch senior disciple of Thay

1:12:24.255,1:12:26.453
and our brother Phap Dung

1:12:26.453,1:12:28.476
there are so many interesting spirits

1:12:28.476,1:12:30.534
and then there's others who are thinking

1:12:30.534,1:12:33.823
I can't wait until this is over[br]why did I come here tonight?

1:12:35.160,1:12:36.270
This kind of thing

1:12:36.420,1:12:38.350
some of us are in heaven, [br]some of us are in hell,

1:12:38.350,1:12:40.490
who's right, who's wrong?

1:12:42.297,1:12:44.534
Now, I mean, some of you might think [br]it's a cheap shot,

1:12:44.802,1:12:46.850
but it really does depend on you, doesn't it

1:12:46.975,1:12:50.300
it really does depend on our mind [br]and the way we interpret things

1:12:50.966,1:12:53.127
so I invite you to look at that

1:12:53.500,1:12:57.766
I invite you to engage with that practise [br]and see if it's possible for you

1:12:57.876,1:13:00.135
to make just a small change

1:13:00.868,1:13:05.732
not ten small changes, [br]but a small change in your daily life

1:13:06.794,1:13:08.698
good luck

1:13:23.728,1:13:29.092
(sound of the bell)

1:13:44.000,1:13:46.038
I want to thank you for being here

1:13:46.338,1:13:49.229
and I'm really grateful for your [br]presence here

1:13:49.729,1:13:54.703
and your presence in the world [br]and I think about if there was

1:13:55.659,1:14:01.132
a beloved community of more people,[br]like in this room

1:14:02.435,1:14:04.503
how much empathy and how [br]much compassion

1:14:04.792,1:14:06.173
could really be present in the world

1:14:06.763,1:14:09.600
and you've in a way answered [br]what my question was but

1:14:10.924,1:14:13.838
someone like me, I feel overwhelmed [br]when I read the news

1:14:14.239,1:14:16.766
really overwhelmed by for example

1:14:16.999,1:14:19.335
what's happening to our brothers [br]and sisters in Syria

1:14:20.703,1:14:28.068
how do you balance being internal [br]and having compassion internally

1:14:30.127,1:14:33.698
and balancing that with being engaged [br]in the world

1:14:34.129,1:14:37.302
and something as small as [br]keeping up with the news

1:14:37.536,1:14:41.665
I could easily feel overwhelmed[br]and I know we have really beautiful

1:14:41.964,1:14:44.568
examples with Thich Nhat Hanh and [br]Martin Luther King

1:14:44.834,1:14:48.906
so we can reflect on their example [br]but how do you find that balance

1:14:49.261,1:14:53.734
when it's easy to feel overwhelmed [br]by the suffering and the violence

1:14:53.869,1:14:56.664
and the pain that we know that a [br]lot of people are dealing with

1:14:57.596,1:14:59.433
thank you so much

1:15:16.601,1:15:19.772
yes, that's a very important question

1:15:20.375,1:15:26.338
in terms of the amount of information [br]that we should expose ourselves to

1:15:28.572,1:15:33.201
the important thing is, maintaining [br]compassion in our heart

1:15:34.825,1:15:39.228
but more practically, [br]I think our human mind is not meant to

1:15:39.235,1:15:43.335
actually be constantly bombarded [br]with so much suffering

1:15:45.035,1:15:47.985
you hear it in your car or your subway, [br]you're driving here

1:15:48.734,1:15:51.404
you hear it in the morning, [br]you hear it while you take a break

1:15:52.044,1:15:55.396
in the afternoon you hear it,[br]I mean when I was driving in L.A.

1:15:56.538,1:15:59.762
an hour and a half to work in the[br]morning I listened to NPR

1:16:00.396,1:16:05.636
cause people said I should be informed[br]I have friends from Berkeley you know

1:16:08.766,1:16:11.937
so every time they come back [br]they always ask me to go to,

1:16:12.738,1:16:14.998
these picket things,[br]they were good

1:16:15.793,1:16:19.090
it was my way of my getting out of [br]my anger, now that I remember back

1:16:21.043,1:16:25.424
so, we put so high on a pedestal [br]'being informed'

1:16:26.434,1:16:32.044
you got to be 'up to date'[br]but how much more do you want?

1:16:34.957,1:16:37.900
I mean, you hear it in the morning and [br]then in the afternoon when driving back

1:16:37.900,1:16:40.378
it's the same news, but I keep hearing it

1:16:40.849,1:16:43.759
before I even get to work, [br]I'm already angry

1:16:46.554,1:16:48.797
I haven't seen that secretary yet

1:16:51.037,1:16:55.364
it's a good question, you have to know [br]how to take care of yourself

1:16:56.602,1:16:59.239
and question the 'being informed',

1:16:59.506,1:17:04.203
how much should you keep inflicting, [br]it's a scar you keep picking

1:17:05.166,1:17:10.197
ok, this is a balance you need to find, [br]each one of us

1:17:10.697,1:17:13.197
in our workplace as well as in society

1:17:16.659,1:17:23.634
we had a session, two days ago, [br]with news people,

1:17:24.836,1:17:29.407
it was at the Columbia University for [br]journalists at the Dart Center

1:17:30.797,1:17:35.393
where they take care of journalists [br]who have to go to,

1:17:39.144,1:17:44.461
conflicting sites or tragedy, [br]and then have to report

1:17:44.461,1:17:48.001
and then come back and[br]they can't handle it,

1:17:48.001,1:17:53.403
so this Dart center was formed [br]to take care of and bring more awareness

1:17:53.403,1:17:57.403
to the suffering that journalists face [br]as they come back

1:17:57.493,1:18:02.207
it's kind of like veterans[br]and I learned a lot from that

1:18:02.761,1:18:07.038
and the Dart Center is trying to bring [br]more mindfulness and wellness

1:18:07.504,1:18:11.932
to take care of the journalists[br]'cause after you see these images and

1:18:12.263,1:18:17.105
you've been in places like that[br]you see, the mind needs healing

1:18:17.559,1:18:19.661
it's kind of like, getting inflicted

1:18:20.530,1:18:22.667
and you know, that's journalists

1:18:23.234,1:18:27.303
but we ourselves as readers [br]we have take care of that as well

1:18:27.995,1:18:30.667
so be informed, be intelligent,

1:18:31.566,1:18:36.507
but know what you're doing to yourself[br]and what that is causing

1:18:37.095,1:18:42.226
because that can actually spill out to your[br]loved ones who had nothing to do with it

1:18:43.060,1:18:46.030
but because you keep watering the seeds,

1:18:46.664,1:18:49.637
in our practise we call, [br]we each all have a seed,

1:18:51.104,1:18:57.769
a seed of anger, a seed of discrimination, [br]a seed of blame and so on

1:18:58.639,1:19:03.032
and if these keep being watered, [br]you become immobile

1:19:03.335,1:19:09.664
you can't really be an activist [br]if you are not, like, solid

1:19:10.596,1:19:14.670
so this is something for us all [br]as we want to change

1:19:15.372,1:19:17.863
and help effect the world in a better way

1:19:18.329,1:19:22.491
we also need to take care and nourish [br]our happiness, our joy

1:19:23.871,1:19:26.930
so it's how you say, [br]pay attention to the mud,

1:19:27.396,1:19:31.256
but don't forget to also pay attention [br]to the flower, to the lotus

1:19:32.168,1:19:33.996
that's also there

1:19:34.629,1:19:38.134
so we keep reading books on negativity,

1:19:38.801,1:19:44.630
and it makes you really,[br]you can't move and your mind becomes tight

1:19:45.632,1:19:48.462
and you start actually [br]causing others suffering

1:19:48.462,1:19:50.113
in a way that's toxic

1:19:51.259,1:19:55.465
so, nothing is lost, everything you read, [br]everything you come in through the sens,

1:19:55.681,1:20:00.272
the eyes, the things you hear, the conversations I used to have with my friends

1:20:00.605,1:20:03.474
they didn't make me happier, [br]they actually made me more angry

1:20:04.266,1:20:06.671
and sometimes anger is useful

1:20:08.036,1:20:13.331
but as my brother or my sister shared [br]one time, maybe 5%

1:20:14.500,1:20:17.872
but I'm still trying to figure [br]how much of that energy

1:20:18.872,1:20:24.437
you know, I know, there's a,[br]sometimes it's useful to speak out

1:20:24.957,1:20:29.498
but how can we do it in a way [br]that has a little bit more understanding,

1:20:29.829,1:20:30.934
more compassion

1:20:31.335,1:20:35.830
more of that sense of [br]embracing the other person rather than

1:20:37.865,1:20:42.605
so this is what happens [br]when we get informed

1:20:43.104,1:20:44.862
and it's over our limit

1:20:45.431,1:20:50.938
we actually start to cause more [br]trouble than helpful

1:20:51.472,1:20:57.367
and this is each one of us through the [br]practise of taking care of ourselves,

1:20:58.391,1:21:02.299
nourishing ourselves with good news, [br]nourishing ourselves with moments

1:21:02.463,1:21:06.268
of actually recognizing[br]taking a walk in the park

1:21:07.057,1:21:09.473
recognizing, hugging a tree

1:21:10.930,1:21:15.958
watching, you know, sitting there [br]in front of a flower and feeling,

1:21:16.134,1:21:17.995
recognizing that flower

1:21:18.462,1:21:24.428
so these are things that I found helpful [br]in my practise in terms of engaging the

1:21:25.173,1:21:28.765
world as we travel and we hear people [br]suffering

1:21:29.769,1:21:33.471
you know, I have to take a walk in nature [br]after a consultation or something,

1:21:33.906,1:21:39.367
I can't do consultations six right away[br]'cause my mind is no longer present

1:21:39.537,1:21:41.237
for the third person

1:21:41.638,1:21:44.097
I mean, it looks like I'm there [br]but it's too much for me

1:21:44.696,1:21:50.639
so I'd only do one, and then I go take [br]a nap or I go walk in nature

1:21:51.208,1:21:53.265
and this is just the truth of our mind

1:21:53.765,1:21:56.795
we're not meant to actually [br]know everything that's happening

1:21:57.103,1:22:01.065
around the world[br]I mean, the internet now, you think, oh,

1:22:01.370,1:22:04.872
we have access, but, [br]look what it's doing to you

1:22:07.041,1:22:13.705
you have access but you're like, [br]you're afraid, and you're suspicious,

1:22:14.005,1:22:16.264
you're fearful

1:22:16.496,1:22:20.102
and this, you cannot help the world [br]in that state of mind

1:22:21.104,1:22:30.238
so please take a look at your, at the balance, [br]we need balance in terms of information

1:22:42.176,1:22:43.945
we have one last question

1:22:45.509,1:22:48.263
may we listen to one sound of the bell

1:22:49.023,1:22:50.040
(sound of the bell)

1:22:50.640,1:22:56.900
breathing in[br]everything we need is here and now

1:22:58.505,1:23:01.332
breathing out[br]we let go

1:23:02.068,1:23:05.962
this moment, without expectation

1:23:08.549,1:23:12.654
(sound of the bell)

1:23:34.602,1:23:35.559
Hi there

1:23:39.765,1:23:43.170
you know, it's kind of intimidating[br]talking to you guys

1:23:44.072,1:23:47.200
but what I love in the nature [br]of how you spoke today

1:23:48.234,1:23:52.202
was that you're still embracing [br]that whole studentness about you

1:23:53.073,1:23:56.499
'cause sometimes when people that don't [br]live in the kind of environment

1:23:56.931,1:23:58.300
that you live in

1:24:02.630,1:24:05.832
I guess I'm speaking for myself but I [br]have talked to a few other people

1:24:06.666,1:24:13.898
there's a way that we can feel not [br]as spiritual or not as worthy

1:24:14.966,1:24:20.795
and what I love what you brought here was[br]that you're still learning

1:24:21.630,1:24:26.959
and that you're still figuring it out[br]and that you're still on your journey

1:24:28.471,1:24:31.899
and that's really inspiring to hear

1:24:32.500,1:24:36.540
because some of us are a little bit [br]further back in the road on the journey

1:24:37.806,1:24:42.884
one of the things I do is I go into [br]companies, into the dark, deep scary

1:24:42.884,1:24:46.234
territory of corporate America[br]and I try to bring

1:24:46.234,1:24:48.894
a tiny bit of mindfulness with me

1:24:49.602,1:24:53.764
but what you've inspired me to do today [br]is, to take it further

1:24:54.266,1:24:57.535
you know, some of the little teachings [br]or some of the things you said

1:24:57.792,1:25:02.664
like, and I love what you said about [br]how being right is the root of war

1:25:03.864,1:25:08.205
and how we can bring a little bit of [br]non-violence to how we talk

1:25:08.676,1:25:11.600
to each other every day[br]by not trying to be so right

1:25:13.067,1:25:15.237
and trying to be more compassionate

1:25:17.529,1:25:20.733
trying to be more vulnerable, [br]which you guys exhibited today,

1:25:21.067,1:25:23.826
the vulnerability of showing [br]that you don't know it all

1:25:24.092,1:25:26.432
you're still a student, [br]you're still on your journey

1:25:26.930,1:25:29.166
so I want to thank you for that[br]and to let you know

1:25:29.366,1:25:34.728
there are warriors out here, [br]working for the same cause,

1:25:34.929,1:25:39.169
we might not look the same way[br]that outfit would definitely make me look

1:25:39.322,1:25:42.406
a lot chubbier and that would really [br]annoy me

1:25:43.039,1:25:47.400
but, you know, we're out here [br]warriors on the front line,

1:25:47.577,1:25:52.294
with you and supporting you[br]and loving you from our place,

1:25:52.816,1:25:54.853
so thank you

1:26:02.534,1:26:04.202
Hi, thank you for being here tonight

1:26:05.102,1:26:09.631
I've been exploring the value of mindfulness [br]in organizations and I was wondering if you

1:26:09.797,1:26:12.368
could speak a little bit more about the [br]benefits that you see

1:26:13.926,1:26:19.333
to bringing mindfulness into workplaces[br]and I'm particularly interested in

1:26:19.568,1:26:21.937
how it might help to build trust

1:26:48.761,1:26:55.457
For me, being a monastic is [br]something I always wanted to do

1:26:56.372,1:26:58.597
but in another way this,

1:26:59.075,1:27:02.180
I agree with my brother, [br]there's challenges

1:27:02.907,1:27:08.001
so when I entered the community[br]you know, I love to do art,

1:27:08.234,1:27:14.498
to sing songs and write poetry[br]but I've always been asked to do things

1:27:14.498,1:27:22.775
that is out of the ordinary[br]you know, is not my field, is not my,

1:27:24.555,1:27:27.608
I feel like it's not even my capacity

1:27:27.831,1:27:34.271
but recently, the sangha invited me [br]to join the finance team and

1:27:34.602,1:27:41.402
to work with all these figures, [br]and it's not what I imagined I would do

1:27:42.334,1:27:48.131
so I think the practise of mindfulness [br]just helps me to just be present

1:27:48.900,1:27:56.498
and to take things as they are [br]and not to have expectation or

1:27:56.764,1:28:02.072
to have to struggle with it

1:28:02.606,1:28:05.863
at first I struggled a lot, [br]but I feel like

1:28:06.230,1:28:11.367
when I can just come back to my breathing[br]just to be what it is, I can just let it go

1:28:11.933,1:28:17.040
and whatever comes, I learn from it[br]and I build my experience on it

1:28:18.060,1:28:24.906
so I think that in the workplace, [br]we can apply mindfulness

1:28:25.771,1:28:30.134
for instance, when I am working [br]on something that is very challenging

1:28:30.870,1:28:33.605
for my brainwork

1:28:34.240,1:28:37.065
then I just take a deep breath [br]and come back and smile,

1:28:37.397,1:28:40.625
and take a break[br]and we have the time-out on a screen

1:28:40.971,1:28:46.068
or a bell of mindfulness that we [br]install into the PC or the computer

1:28:46.935,1:28:51.064
and we just take a break, you know[br]you close your eyes and breathe

1:28:51.394,1:28:53.031
and then smile

1:28:53.399,1:28:57.876
and I find that also working in a team [br]or in a group is very helpful

1:28:58.061,1:29:02.835
because I see that I have my brothers and [br]sisters who have experience in finance

1:29:03.437,1:29:05.994
and they have all kinds of experiences

1:29:06.628,1:29:09.531
and when we come together, [br]we really make things work

1:29:10.001,1:29:12.899
without, you know, one having [br]to think too hard

1:29:13.833,1:29:17.595
so I think that try to learn from the [br]experience of the others

1:29:19.128,1:29:21.364
and be mindful, be open

1:29:22.099,1:29:25.270
and, you know, things can [br]become easier that way

1:29:25.861,1:29:28.095
rather than taking on everything [br]on ourselves

1:29:30.499,1:29:34.503
and also create a space for nurturing [br]brotherhood and sisterhood

1:29:36.281,1:29:41.523
in our monastery, at Blue Cliff, [br]when we have finance meeting,

1:29:41.523,1:29:47.055
I'm always the team-master[br]I make sure, I prepare tea and bring some

1:29:47.055,1:29:52.725
snacks and cookies or some healthy snacks[br]and then we start the meeting that way

1:29:52.725,1:29:56.725
we don't just start by saying [br]'ok, what's the agenda'

1:29:57.024,1:30:01.024
of course somebody will say that, [br]but I always do the tea part first

1:30:02.525,1:30:07.566
and it's so light and nourishing and then [br]people feel like, oh, there's a connection

1:30:08.202,1:30:14.965
you are here for being together, it's [br]not just about trying to work something out

1:30:15.268,1:30:19.030
or trying to go forward with the result,

1:30:19.632,1:30:24.958
so I think that teamwork and nourishing [br]brotherhood, sisterhood

1:30:25.673,1:30:29.599
and to build the energy of mindfulness,

1:30:29.977,1:30:32.250
to share that together is very helpful

1:30:32.520,1:30:34.216
thank you