0:00:11.703,0:00:15.703
With respects to Thay, to Sakya Chan Khong,

0:00:15.995,0:00:19.095
and to all our ancestral teachers

0:00:19.135,0:00:22.345
through many generations.

0:00:23.900,0:00:26.830
Dear community

0:00:28.240,0:00:32.150
Today is the 7th of August,

0:00:32.150,0:00:35.006
in the year 2016.

0:00:35.006,0:00:38.916
And we are in our wake-up earth retreat

0:00:38.973,0:00:41.673
in the Still Water Meditation Hall

0:00:41.692,0:00:44.652
of the Upper Hamlet.

0:00:46.481,0:00:50.821
They call me Sister True Dedication,

0:00:50.834,0:00:55.034
and I'm made of non-me elements.

0:00:56.342,0:01:00.252
So it's not really me sitting here today,

0:01:00.291,0:01:04.291
but it is all the elements who have made me

0:01:04.437,0:01:07.643
including our wonderful sangha,

0:01:07.643,0:01:11.913
my sisters and brothers, our teacher,

0:01:15.792,0:01:19.792
and also my parents, my mother, my father.

0:01:20.880,0:01:25.170
I come from England, when the sangha had a

0:01:25.178,0:01:27.728
chance to visit my parents in England,

0:01:27.800,0:01:30.056
there were many brothers and sisters

0:01:30.056,0:01:34.521
who then said: "Ah!............ "

0:01:34.521,0:01:37.461
"Now I get it!"

0:01:38.811,0:01:43.181
"Now I know why you are like how you are."

0:01:47.324,0:01:51.324
We are made of our mother and our father.

0:01:51.425,0:01:54.975
And many of us have a beautiful aspiration

0:01:55.056,0:01:59.636
in our own lifetime to transform and heal

0:02:00.450,0:02:03.461
and repair some of the weaknesses

0:02:03.461,0:02:05.986
of our parents.

0:02:05.986,0:02:07.912
And my own experiences was that

0:02:07.912,0:02:10.692
I didn't spend enough time cherishing

0:02:10.692,0:02:13.238
their qualities well.

0:02:13.274,0:02:15.316
Our father and mother have transmitted

0:02:15.316,0:02:19.066
many wonderful qualities to us.

0:02:19.096,0:02:21.206
I can sit here because my father

0:02:21.206,0:02:23.846
transmitted courage.

0:02:25.462,0:02:30.642
And as I was breathing, my heart was

0:02:30.664,0:02:34.034
beating, and my breath was very short.

0:02:35.028,0:02:37.528
And we have a practise to breathe with

0:02:37.558,0:02:41.558
often our fathers' lungs Thay would invite us

0:02:42.508,0:02:45.356
as we sit in meditation.

0:02:45.356,0:02:48.588
I breathe with my father's lungs,

0:02:48.588,0:02:52.668
I sit with my father's back,

0:02:53.624,0:02:56.464
but my father has short breath.

0:02:56.511,0:02:58.401
So this morning

0:02:58.401,0:03:01.251
I breathe with my mother's lungs.

0:03:01.262,0:03:04.569
My mother has very big lungs,

0:03:04.569,0:03:08.649
and it help me a lot.

0:03:09.571,0:03:13.571
I am also here with the energy of the sunrise

0:03:14.925,0:03:18.925
from this morning.With the wonderful food

0:03:19.010,0:03:21.070
that have been eaten and

0:03:21.117,0:03:25.117
many of us have been preparing.

0:03:27.604,0:03:34.254
So we inter-are,I inter-am with you all.

0:03:34.341,0:03:37.201
And you all inter-are

0:03:37.244,0:03:41.244
with me and with everything in the cosmos.

0:03:42.238,0:03:45.758
Thay has a wonderful line that I really

0:03:45.758,0:03:46.801
like.

0:03:46.801,0:03:51.261
He says you can't be by yourself alone.

0:03:53.771,0:03:56.561
You have to

0:03:56.600,0:03:59.070
inter-be with the whole cosmos.

0:03:59.070,0:04:03.140
You inter-are with the whole cosmos.

0:04:05.409,0:04:07.431
Thay would often point to the flower

0:04:07.431,0:04:10.211
on the podium and say every flower

0:04:10.245,0:04:14.245
is made of non-flower elements.

0:04:17.231,0:04:19.731
And my first reaction I have to confess

0:04:19.762,0:04:23.763
is "but I'm not a flower".

0:04:27.545,0:04:29.191
But it is still true that

0:04:29.191,0:04:31.681
we are made of non-us elements.

0:04:31.706,0:04:34.714
And that is the good news

0:04:34.714,0:04:40.004
that is a delight, it is a joy, it is something

0:04:40.025,0:04:44.025
that we can discover and touch everyday.

0:04:48.857,0:04:52.387
I was very touched when I heard Thay say

0:04:52.396,0:04:57.116
that we all need a spiritual dimension in our life.

0:05:01.226,0:05:03.596
And hearing that I thought

0:05:03.662,0:05:07.582
"Yes,I am thirsty

0:05:07.611,0:05:11.131
for a spiritual dimension to my life".

0:05:11.170,0:05:15.170
My soul is thirsty.

0:05:17.914,0:05:21.554
And in our life here in a practise center

0:05:21.725,0:05:23.135
like Plum village,

0:05:23.176,0:05:26.256
we have so many opportunities to

0:05:26.266,0:05:30.366
keep the spiritual dimension of our life

0:05:30.385,0:05:34.645
alive, nourished and connected.

0:05:37.338,0:05:41.338
We have this meditation poems that we use

0:05:42.297,0:05:44.847
throughout the day.

0:05:44.892,0:05:48.442
When we touch running water,

0:05:48.501,0:05:51.141
perhaps we are taking some water to drink,

0:05:51.199,0:05:55.199
or we're opening the tap to wash our face,

0:05:57.036,0:05:59.176
and we comtemplate the water,

0:05:59.190,0:06:02.180
and we have a beautiful poem.

0:06:02.205,0:06:06.205
"Water comes from high mountain sources,

0:06:06.540,0:06:10.540
water runs deep in the earth,

0:06:11.824,0:06:15.574
miraculously water comes to us

0:06:15.688,0:06:19.418
and sustains all life.

0:06:19.552,0:06:23.552
My gratitude is filled to the brim."

0:06:28.692,0:06:30.912
So we have the simple actions

0:06:30.931,0:06:34.931
to serve water, to draw water.

0:06:36.127,0:06:37.757
But somehow we look deeply and

0:06:37.809,0:06:41.209
with our mindfulness, we connect ourselves

0:06:41.245,0:06:43.735
to the true nature of the water.

0:06:43.735,0:06:46.185
It has come from the mountains,

0:06:46.242,0:06:48.632
it has come from the oceans,

0:06:48.687,0:06:52.687
and now it is becoming a part of us.

0:06:53.827,0:06:56.567
When I used to work in an office,

0:06:56.624,0:07:00.624
I recited this poem at the water cooler.

0:07:01.465,0:07:03.485
I was in 6th floor

0:07:03.509,0:07:07.380
in the center of the city of London.

0:07:07.380,0:07:10.580
And I felt connected to the whole cosmos.

0:07:10.622,0:07:14.622
I could have a magical minute.

0:07:14.784,0:07:16.804
No one knew I was doing it.

0:07:16.833,0:07:20.833
A magical minute as I drank my water.

0:07:25.826,0:07:29.606
When we take a shower, we can ask ourselves

0:07:29.662,0:07:33.662
whose body is this?

0:07:36.967,0:07:40.967
where has it come from?

0:07:42.042,0:07:45.042
what was the warmth,

0:07:45.140,0:07:48.410
the original warmth that made this body,

0:07:48.431,0:07:50.761
it has been handed from generation to

0:07:50.783,0:07:54.783
generation, and never got cold.

0:08:04.926,0:08:08.926
I am English, and I like to drink tea.

0:08:09.970,0:08:15.860
I invented the poem for boiling the kettle.

0:08:15.900,0:08:18.390
Often when we have a difficult moment,

0:08:18.422,0:08:21.481
culturally, we put the kettle on

0:08:21.481,0:08:24.554
It's our first response.

0:08:24.554,0:08:28.724
So having a moment to feel spiritual

0:08:28.884,0:08:33.433
about boiling the kettle enriched my life.

0:08:36.995,0:08:38.708
When we write a poem like this,

0:08:38.708,0:08:40.996
we look at all the different elements

0:08:40.996,0:08:44.827
that are coming together in the miracle of life

0:08:44.903,0:08:47.603
to support us.

0:08:47.738,0:08:52.430
So there is the water, there is the energy in the electricity,

0:08:53.401,0:08:55.763
where has it come from?

0:08:55.859,0:09:00.142
And there is me, where have I come from?

0:09:01.361,0:09:03.494
And we have all traveled

0:09:03.494,0:09:05.994
since beginningless time

0:09:06.048,0:09:09.058
to arrive in this moment,

0:09:09.107,0:09:13.107
of making a cup of tea.

0:09:14.699,0:09:16.833
So I invite all of us to

0:09:16.833,0:09:18.993
write our own poems,

0:09:19.014,0:09:20.699
choose one or two things

0:09:20.699,0:09:23.519
in your daily actions

0:09:23.616,0:09:26.656
that you like to become spiritual moments

0:09:26.673,0:09:29.053
for you and your day.

0:09:29.108,0:09:31.758
Where there is mindfulness,

0:09:31.836,0:09:35.836
where there is deep looking.

0:09:36.509,0:09:39.469
And Thay has said that any act we do can

0:09:39.516,0:09:42.056
become sacred when we have that energy

0:09:42.090,0:09:46.090
of mindfulness to enrich it.

0:09:50.721,0:09:52.764
In the early mornings here we have

0:09:52.764,0:09:55.268
the chance to come to practise

0:09:55.268,0:09:57.368
sitting meditation together and

0:09:57.368,0:10:00.642
enjoy the beautiful walking meditation

0:10:00.642,0:10:04.088
together in the silence of the morning.

0:10:04.088,0:10:06.968
And a few years ago in the winter retreat,

0:10:07.040,0:10:09.470
Thay was staying in his hut

0:10:09.470,0:10:12.080
on the side of the hill.

0:10:12.141,0:10:15.361
And that morning he stepped out,

0:10:15.416,0:10:19.416
and he saw the sky filled with stars,

0:10:19.416,0:10:23.416
and he felt such love for the earth,

0:10:23.708,0:10:27.708
for this planet and this beautiful cosmos.

0:10:28.572,0:10:31.037
And that day or the next day,

0:10:31.037,0:10:33.597
when he gave the Dharma talk,

0:10:33.656,0:10:35.096
he said that

0:10:35.157,0:10:36.969
he had fallen in love with the earth.

0:10:36.969,0:10:38.130
He had realized

0:10:38.130,0:10:42.400
he was in love with the earth.

0:10:44.880,0:10:46.520
I often ask myself

0:10:46.558,0:10:50.558
am I in love with the earth yet?

0:10:56.220,0:11:00.220
We speak about the wonders of life,

0:11:02.071,0:11:04.430
and when I look deeply and

0:11:04.430,0:11:08.580
see the wonderful diversity

0:11:08.847,0:11:12.327
of earth manifestations.

0:11:12.343,0:11:15.833
How many millions or billions of years

0:11:15.867,0:11:18.177
they have taken to evolve.

0:11:18.198,0:11:20.208
I have a kind of awe and

0:11:20.254,0:11:23.304
wonder of the fertility

0:11:23.386,0:11:26.726
and beauty of life.

0:11:26.880,0:11:28.970
And I am training myself

0:11:29.014,0:11:31.694
to cherish this as much as I can.

0:11:31.766,0:11:34.616
But sometimes it's not so easy.

0:11:34.655,0:11:40.085
I think I grew up in very cynical environment

0:11:40.116,0:11:44.116
in my society in my generation.

0:11:46.137,0:11:50.137
Somehow a tree just did't seem exciting.

0:11:53.325,0:11:55.575
But I am learning to look

0:11:55.634,0:11:59.634
with the eyes of wonder, and to see

0:11:59.697,0:12:05.587
the miracle that a tree is or a bug or any

0:12:05.613,0:12:08.053
kind of living being,

0:12:08.073,0:12:11.653
or even any human being.

0:12:11.696,0:12:15.316
So I'm training myself to fall in love

0:12:15.369,0:12:17.349
with the earth to learn more about

0:12:17.349,0:12:21.106
the earth.

0:12:21.106,0:12:23.440
And Thay had said that if we love the

0:12:23.440,0:12:29.130
earth enough,then we will know what to do

0:12:29.168,0:12:33.168
in order to help protect the earth.

0:12:34.249,0:12:37.119
And we will have the energy we need to

0:12:37.155,0:12:39.415
protect the earth because love is a

0:12:39.465,0:12:43.195
wonderful source of energy.

0:12:43.307,0:12:46.357
It sustains us,it nourishes us,

0:12:46.399,0:12:49.119
it keeps up happy,

0:12:49.203,0:12:53.203
it keeps our mind fresh and delighted.

0:13:04.813,0:13:08.813
(Bell sounds)

0:13:36.215,0:13:37.865
I came to Plum Village

0:13:37.894,0:13:41.894
when I was almost 22 years old.

0:13:42.548,0:13:45.408
And I had a lot of questions,

0:13:45.422,0:13:47.102
I just graduated,

0:13:47.189,0:13:48.849
and I had felt that

0:13:48.881,0:13:52.881
my education had cheated me.

0:13:55.839,0:13:59.839
I asked myself who am I,

0:14:05.724,0:14:08.824
and somehow my university degree

0:14:08.873,0:14:12.873
and my school hadn't told me.

0:14:14.029,0:14:18.029
I was asking myself what do I want,

0:14:20.146,0:14:26.366
what do I really want in my life?

0:14:30.350,0:14:32.580
Of course I asked the question

0:14:32.641,0:14:36.281
why am I here.

0:14:36.383,0:14:38.573
It means why I am here on this planet,

0:14:38.622,0:14:41.622
and what am I to do?

0:14:41.683,0:14:43.980
Why am I here?

0:14:43.980,0:14:45.700
The fact is I wasn't yet

0:14:45.700,0:14:47.040
practising mindfulness,

0:14:47.094,0:14:49.434
so I wasn't very present at all.

0:14:49.471,0:14:50.991
So I don't think I could say

0:14:51.061,0:14:52.471
I was even present here

0:14:52.580,0:14:56.580
when I ask the question why am I here.

0:14:56.700,0:14:58.300
But slowly I am learning

0:14:58.333,0:15:02.333
to be more present.

0:15:03.044,0:15:07.044
I also wanted to know what can I trust,

0:15:08.594,0:15:12.594
what can I count on,what can I rely on.

0:15:29.077,0:15:31.777
Mother nature is often smiling to us,

0:15:31.800,0:15:33.750
we can usually rely on

0:15:33.801,0:15:37.801
the fact nature is smiling to us.

0:15:39.405,0:15:42.455
In particular in difficult moments,

0:15:42.529,0:15:44.099
in moments of crisis,

0:15:44.111,0:15:46.431
in moments when I felt overwhelmed,

0:15:46.481,0:15:50.481
I wanted to know what can I rely on.

0:15:53.963,0:15:57.403
I also wanted to know where am I going,

0:15:57.462,0:16:00.852
what is the direction.

0:16:00.929,0:16:02.259
I had this feeling like

0:16:02.280,0:16:04.780
I'm being on a conveyor belt,

0:16:04.849,0:16:06.189
and I had to do this set of exam,

0:16:06.253,0:16:08.343
I have to go to this school and do that

0:16:08.423,0:16:12.216
exam and you have to go to a university,

0:16:12.216,0:16:16.816
I felt like I was sped out age 22,

0:16:17.909,0:16:20.659
the conveyor belt still have a lot of

0:16:20.714,0:16:23.794
energy telling me now you need to do this,

0:16:23.830,0:16:26.720
you need to have this kind of career,

0:16:26.794,0:16:30.794
you need to go there, learn this.

0:16:30.928,0:16:34.668
And I felt I hadn't yet stopped,

0:16:34.725,0:16:38.725
to really ask myself, where am I going,

0:16:39.525,0:16:45.235
and where do I want to go, how much

0:16:45.238,0:16:49.238
of these directions until now is me,

0:16:50.686,0:16:53.046
and how much is everything around me

0:16:53.083,0:16:56.323
pushing me.

0:16:56.571,0:17:00.071
We have a story in Buddhist tradition,

0:17:00.149,0:17:02.899
about someone on a horse,

0:17:02.937,0:17:06.057
riding very fast past cross-roads,

0:17:06.141,0:17:08.691
there is a man standing there, he says:

0:17:08.876,0:17:11.236
"Where are you going so fast?"

0:17:11.328,0:17:12.748
And the rider says:

0:17:12.792,0:17:16.792
"I don't know. Ask the horse."

0:17:21.195,0:17:23.406
Are we on a horse?

0:17:23.442,0:17:27.442
Do we know where our horse is going?

0:17:28.319,0:17:29.580
What are the elements

0:17:29.623,0:17:31.943
that have given energy to the horse?

0:17:32.088,0:17:34.488
What is pushing us?

0:17:34.624,0:17:38.624
Have we mastered the horse yet?

0:17:41.160,0:17:43.050
Since I've come to Plum village

0:17:43.069,0:17:44.449
and been living here,

0:17:44.535,0:17:46.465
I have learnt that it takes a while

0:17:46.553,0:17:49.743
to learn how to ride.

0:17:49.866,0:17:52.546
Take some traning and we can do it.

0:17:52.565,0:17:56.335
We can master the horse.

0:17:56.660,0:18:00.660
Another question I had was how can I help,

0:18:02.040,0:18:04.900
I had a sense that I have some energy

0:18:05.040,0:18:07.710
and I see there are problems in the world,

0:18:07.815,0:18:11.815
and I want to know what can I do to help?

0:18:17.086,0:18:19.716
So slowly here I think there is one peot

0:18:19.915,0:18:21.195
who once said

0:18:21.268,0:18:25.268
we live our way to the answers.

0:18:26.569,0:18:28.369
So I am living my way to

0:18:28.534,0:18:30.834
answer these questions.

0:18:30.951,0:18:32.901
I hope that we can all actively

0:18:32.992,0:18:36.992
live our way to answer these questions.

0:18:37.930,0:18:40.320
Some of you may know we have a five year

0:18:40.321,0:18:44.321
monastic training program in Plum Village.

0:18:44.359,0:18:47.599
It wasn't an option when I ordained

0:18:47.646,0:18:49.646
So as we learned yesterday,

0:18:49.694,0:18:50.884
I didn't have to suffer

0:18:50.934,0:18:54.334
from having too much choice.

0:18:54.397,0:18:58.397
Just made a lifetime commitment.

0:19:05.533,0:19:08.433
But when it came to five years,

0:19:08.472,0:19:10.452
and Thay was convinced that five years is

0:19:10.470,0:19:12.610
more than enough to be able to

0:19:12.661,0:19:14.001
learn a lot of things,

0:19:14.016,0:19:15.976
and then go out into the world,

0:19:16.034,0:19:20.034
and continue to be a teacher in lay society.

0:19:21.217,0:19:23.777
So when I got to five years,

0:19:23.814,0:19:26.744
I had to do a reality check.

0:19:26.825,0:19:30.825
and I ask myself what have I learned?

0:19:31.403,0:19:35.403
This is what I discovered,

0:19:36.206,0:19:40.206
I have learned how to eat.

0:19:41.314,0:19:45.184
It's harder than you think.

0:19:45.273,0:19:47.333
How to listen to my body?

0:19:47.396,0:19:50.246
How to choose the right foods?

0:19:50.317,0:19:54.317
How to feel connected when I eat?

0:19:54.951,0:19:57.161
How to nourish and joy

0:19:57.184,0:20:00.314
myself and others with food.

0:20:00.407,0:20:04.237
How to respect life as I eat?

0:20:04.403,0:20:08.403
How to nourish my compassion as I eat?

0:20:08.997,0:20:12.417
So I maybe have completely mastered it.

0:20:12.569,0:20:16.069
I have made good progress.

0:20:16.219,0:20:19.759
How to sleep?

0:20:19.864,0:20:21.894
I think only by arriving and living in the

0:20:21.955,0:20:23.795
monastry did I discover

0:20:23.848,0:20:25.908
how unstable my life was

0:20:25.930,0:20:29.310
and I imagine it's the case for many of us.

0:20:29.404,0:20:32.564
Are you getting enough sleep?

0:20:32.701,0:20:35.721
Are you getting good quality sleep?

0:20:35.858,0:20:38.158
Do you know how to prepare yourself

0:20:38.198,0:20:42.198
to have a good night's sleep?

0:20:42.402,0:20:46.402
How to wake up without headache?

0:20:48.307,0:20:50.277
How to smile to yourself

0:20:50.323,0:20:53.283
as you wake up in the morning?

0:20:53.333,0:20:55.993
I have made good progress on this one.

0:20:56.077,0:20:57.987
But I am not a master yet.

0:20:58.030,0:20:59.890
As my sisters in the last week

0:20:59.890,0:21:04.160
can tell you.

0:21:04.837,0:21:07.387
I also somehow learned something about

0:21:07.393,0:21:10.243
taking care of my body and mind,

0:21:10.432,0:21:13.382
handling my body and mind,

0:21:13.438,0:21:17.438
listening to my body and mind.

0:21:19.251,0:21:21.011
So it's something about energy,

0:21:21.073,0:21:23.513
life is energy,

0:21:23.592,0:21:26.842
that horse pushing us is a kind of energy.

0:21:27.085,0:21:29.355
And have we learned how to listen to

0:21:29.465,0:21:33.465
our unique combination of energies?

0:21:34.808,0:21:38.118
So that we can master them

0:21:38.219,0:21:40.549
like riding a horse.

0:21:40.623,0:21:42.233
So that we can live beautifully,

0:21:42.268,0:21:46.268
peacefully,happily as much as possible.

0:21:53.113,0:21:54.983
And this is what Thay has said,

0:21:55.073,0:21:56.623
what's more important than to know

0:21:56.691,0:22:00.221
ourselves,how to generate happiness

0:22:00.242,0:22:01.852
in our daily life,

0:22:01.859,0:22:05.889
and how to handle difficulties,suffering.

0:22:07.347,0:22:11.347
Thay has reassured us, this is possible.

0:22:11.827,0:22:14.147
We can learn how to generate

0:22:14.181,0:22:17.571
moments of happiness in our day.

0:22:17.739,0:22:19.599
We can also learn how to

0:22:19.706,0:22:23.706
handle our suffering,our difficulties.

0:22:27.360,0:22:31.080
How to not feel overwhelmed?

0:22:31.118,0:22:32.538
How we can learn

0:22:32.582,0:22:36.582
what to do in difficult moments.

0:22:37.602,0:22:40.482
When I first came here,I didn't know

0:22:40.499,0:22:44.499
any of these things as a 20, almost 22 year old.

0:22:45.196,0:22:48.636
I didn't know how to generate happiness,

0:22:48.754,0:22:52.034
I didn't know how to handle my suffering.

0:22:52.130,0:22:54.370
Sometimes our suffering may have

0:22:54.440,0:22:57.554
come to us from previous generations.

0:22:57.554,0:23:01.354
It's not exactly US.

0:23:01.393,0:23:04.043
Perhaps the seed of sadness or

0:23:04.086,0:23:07.646
despair, this is what I'd discovered.

0:23:07.862,0:23:10.032
My seed of sadness and despair

0:23:10.085,0:23:12.705
had been transmitted to me.

0:23:12.750,0:23:16.460
I'd done a fair bit of helping it grow too.

0:23:16.501,0:23:19.431
But I had received a strong seed already

0:23:19.453,0:23:23.453
from my parents and from my grandparents,

0:23:24.141,0:23:26.961
and probably their parents.

0:23:27.001,0:23:28.785
Because even our parents

0:23:28.785,0:23:30.885
are not just themselves.

0:23:30.885,0:23:32.935
They're also their parents.

0:23:32.935,0:23:41.305
Each of us has a treasure trove of elements that we've received from our ancestors.

0:23:41.312,0:23:44.152
And we need to know what they are.

0:23:44.243,0:23:46.423
We need to know how to handle them.

0:23:46.504,0:23:48.944
at least, I needed to know what they were.

0:23:49.044,0:23:51.824
I needed to know how to handle them.

0:23:51.979,0:23:54.069
So that I can feel free in my life.

0:23:54.179,0:23:55.579
So that I could answer

0:23:55.747,0:23:59.747
some of these questions.

0:24:05.820,0:24:07.480
We learn here that

0:24:07.492,0:24:12.072
we are made of many different elements.

0:24:12.255,0:24:16.255
And I would like to draw something

0:24:16.385,0:24:20.385
on the board to illustrate this.

0:24:24.609,0:24:35.129
We can see ourselves as five different rivers,we have our physical body.

0:24:35.216,0:24:42.784
Thay often like to draw this with segments of clementine, tangerine

0:24:59.994,0:25:03.930
So we have our body

0:25:05.250,0:25:09.132
This has been transmitted to us from many generations

0:25:09.132,0:25:13.982
That we nourish with everything we eat.

0:25:13.988,0:25:17.988
I wish it was a 360 degrees board, but it is not

0:25:17.988,0:25:21.988
Body

0:25:24.238,0:25:28.238
And the next segment is our feelings

0:25:30.422,0:25:34.422
They may come from the body or from our emotions

0:25:39.745,0:25:43.982
Our perceptions

0:25:51.100,0:25:54.362
So our perceptions is how we are perceiving things,

0:25:54.362,0:25:57.362
how we are perceiving the world,

0:25:57.362,0:25:59.130
ourselves,

0:25:59.130,0:26:00.930
other people,

0:26:00.930,0:26:03.314
situations.

0:26:04.201,0:26:07.474
Generally most of them are wrong

0:26:17.004,0:26:19.777
And then we have our mental formations

0:26:19.811,0:26:21.808
so based on our perceptions

0:26:21.808,0:26:23.263
and feelings

0:26:23.263,0:26:25.679
we give rise to a state of mind,

0:26:25.679,0:26:28.038
a mental formation.

0:26:36.378,0:26:38.450
It could be something like frustration

0:26:38.450,0:26:41.450
or anger

0:26:41.450,0:26:45.064
or depression, sadness,

0:26:45.064,0:26:46.436
or joy

0:26:46.436,0:26:48.719
some positive ones

0:26:48.719,0:26:50.762
hope

0:26:55.128,0:26:58.374
And then we have consciousness

0:27:03.950,0:27:06.390
which is the ground of our beeing

0:27:08.056,0:27:11.190
So to share a little more about consciousness

0:27:14.793,0:27:17.175
our teacher likes to draw a circle.

0:27:17.175,0:27:20.061
But I'm not very good at drawing circles

0:27:20.171,0:27:22.272
So I've got some help

0:27:40.603,0:27:42.892
I think that was been my English ancestors

0:27:42.892,0:27:45.100
rather than my Vietnamese ancestors.

0:27:49.319,0:27:52.153
So, our body and our mind

0:27:53.708,0:27:56.280
Thay often speaks about two levels of the mind

0:27:59.409,0:28:02.030
So we have the upper part of our mind

0:28:02.030,0:28:04.235
and the lower part.

0:28:04.235,0:28:07.400
And we call the upper part "mind consciousness"

0:28:10.414,0:28:12.854
and the lower part "store".

0:28:18.500,0:28:20.402
So, here...

0:28:20.611,0:28:23.377
we are talking a lot about store consciousness.

0:28:23.377,0:28:25.765
And this is were we have all the seeds.

0:28:26.289,0:28:28.981
These elements that have been transmitted to us

0:28:30.288,0:28:31.377
that we carry

0:28:32.282,0:28:37.698
and that are potentials in life

0:28:38.388,0:28:40.381
So we have seeds like ...

0:28:42.690,0:28:44.183
Joy

0:28:44.439,0:28:46.086
and Hope,

0:28:47.258,0:28:48.569
Mindfullness,

0:28:50.117,0:28:51.152
Peace,

0:28:52.568,0:28:55.367
and some other ones like .... Anger,

0:28:58.618,0:28:59.893
Fear,

0:29:01.130,0:29:02.638
Anxiety.

0:29:04.688,0:29:06.434
Any others we can think of ?

0:29:09.152,0:29:10.706
Jealousy .... very good,

0:29:13.670,0:29:15.265
Sadness,

0:29:17.468,0:29:19.971
Compassion,

0:29:21.401,0:29:23.390
Desire, Craving.

0:29:26.323,0:29:28.360
Sometimes we crave

0:29:28.484,0:29:31.026
we usually crave sensual pleasures

0:29:31.597,0:29:37.852
but we may also crave money, status, fame, power... craving...

0:29:39.889,0:29:42.231
So it is a little bigger than the other ones

0:29:45.935,0:29:47.184
Any more ?

0:29:48.213,0:29:49.545
Doubt,

0:29:52.325,0:29:54.426
Pride ... oh, wonderful,

0:29:54.832,0:29:56.768
How big is that ?

0:29:58.042,0:29:59.078
And we have Doubt.

0:29:59.078,0:30:00.727
So we have a lot of seeds.

0:30:04.013,0:30:06.450
And somehow our store consciousness

0:30:06.452,0:30:09.715
is both individual and collective.

0:30:11.364,0:30:12.939
We also share it.

0:30:14.230,0:30:18.153
So, when the seed of fear in society is very strong,

0:30:18.658,0:30:21.740
our own seed of fear will be

0:30:24.896,0:30:27.181
will take more place, will be more active.

0:30:27.543,0:30:32.149
And if our parents have transmitted to us a strong seed down here

0:30:32.049,0:30:34.409
then it will be more strong perhaps than in

0:30:34.409,0:30:41.059
other people and our mind is receiving

0:30:41.059,0:30:46.760
information from sense doors from our

0:30:46.760,0:30:55.699
eyes our ears, our ears, our nose, our tongue,

0:30:55.699,0:31:05.250
and from our body

0:31:18.355,0:31:22.936
So information is coming in all the time

0:31:30.930,0:31:33.990
So when we watch a news bulletin, or we

0:31:33.990,0:31:37.340
listen to the radio, that will come in

0:31:37.340,0:31:40.620
and it may water the seeds of fear in us,

0:31:40.620,0:31:44.660
or the seed of anger in us, and that seed

0:31:44.660,0:31:49.990
will then come up and manifest in the

0:31:50.910,0:31:54.260
upper level of our consciousness. So when

0:31:54.260,0:31:56.430
we want to learn how to handle our mind,

0:31:56.430,0:31:59.570
we need to know what to do when this

0:31:59.570,0:32:01.920
happens. First of all we need to know

0:32:01.920,0:32:04.170
anger has come up.

0:32:04.170,0:32:08.000
Fear has come up. Sadness has come up.

0:32:08.000,0:32:11.120
So we have to recognize, we have to identify

0:32:11.120,0:32:13.700
that it happened. And that's why we need

0:32:13.700,0:32:15.900
the energy of mindfulness. Mindfulness

0:32:15.900,0:32:20.960
helps us to know what is going on.

0:32:20.960,0:32:22.960
So the energy of mindfulness is another seed

0:32:22.960,0:32:25.180
and if we say that it's the seed of

0:32:25.180,0:32:27.100
anger that has come up, we can say that

0:32:27.100,0:32:32.480
mindfulness comes up and embraces

0:32:32.480,0:32:36.290
the anger. So you have one energy which is

0:32:36.290,0:32:41.080
anger, and we have the other energy which

0:32:41.080,0:32:46.310
is our compassion. I said compassion

0:32:46.310,0:32:50.360
because the antidote to anger is

0:32:50.360,0:32:51.530
compassion.

0:32:51.530,0:32:55.320
So we have mindfulness embracing anger

0:32:55.320,0:32:58.790
and if we can generate an energy of

0:32:58.790,0:33:01.580
compassion that will help cool the anger.

0:33:04.514,0:33:06.410
So what I have been learning here is to

0:33:06.410,0:33:08.390
have a strategy for when different

0:33:08.390,0:33:11.380
mental formations come up and to know

0:33:11.380,0:33:15.920
how to invite certain seeds to come up

0:33:15.920,0:33:22.700
in order to embrace the one that has manifested.

0:33:22.770,0:33:26.977
So many different seeds have different antidotes.

0:33:29.884,0:33:31.570
We could say that

0:33:31.570,0:33:36.780
when we have restlessness, the antidote

0:33:36.780,0:33:41.040
might be relaxation.

0:33:41.040,0:33:46.030
If we feel restless maybe we could spend 10 or 20 minutes to relax.

0:33:49.603,0:33:55.190
If we feel sadness, perhaps five or

0:33:55.190,0:33:57.780
ten minute bath in the present moment

0:33:57.780,0:34:02.310
will refresh us. We can nourish ourselves

0:34:02.310,0:34:05.350
with the wonders of life. But if the

0:34:05.350,0:34:08.480
sadness is a bit stronger and it takes

0:34:08.480,0:34:12.719
the form of despair, we have to have a

0:34:12.719,0:34:17.089
even stronger strategy.

0:34:17.089,0:34:21.880
And I've learned that the antidote to despair we have a

0:34:21.880,0:34:26.770
bodhisattva who is fearless and persevering.

0:34:28.311,0:34:29.709
So we have an energy of hope

0:34:29.709,0:34:33.120
and we are fearless and we don't give up

0:34:33.120,0:34:36.620
And that is how we handle our seed of

0:34:36.620,0:34:39.040
despair. That is how i have learned to

0:34:39.040,0:34:44.300
handle my seed of despair.

0:34:44.300,0:34:46.380
And we have many wonderful practices to cultivate

0:34:46.380,0:34:50.100
non fear, like the five remembrances

0:34:52.315,0:34:54.750
aware that we are of the nature to grow

0:34:54.750,0:35:00.000
old, to get sick, and to die and to be

0:35:00.000,0:35:02.100
separated from those we love. We have a

0:35:02.100,0:35:04.770
contemplation on that, and that helps us

0:35:04.770,0:35:07.720
strengthen our non-fear. We accept the

0:35:07.720,0:35:12.050
reality and we cultivate courage and non-fear.

0:35:13.810,0:35:16.220
And sometimes the seeds that come up are

0:35:16.220,0:35:20.840
very big and overwhelming and some of us

0:35:20.840,0:35:23.280
may have had that experience there's not

0:35:23.280,0:35:27.140
even space for mindfulness to intervene

0:35:27.140,0:35:30.120
and those are the moments when we need

0:35:30.120,0:35:34.800
to practice a kind of emergency practice

0:35:34.800,0:35:38.550
and for me my emergency practice has

0:35:38.550,0:35:40.580
been something that has taught us to do

0:35:40.580,0:35:46.940
which is deep belly breathing. So when

0:35:46.940,0:35:53.590
our mind has a seed running riot we have

0:35:53.590,0:35:57.810
to come down from here which has become

0:35:57.810,0:36:01.550
a chaos of a thunderstorm and we have to

0:36:01.550,0:36:04.280
bring our energy down to our breathing

0:36:04.280,0:36:09.190
so we take our energy down from the

0:36:09.190,0:36:10.990
upper level of our consciousness and we

0:36:10.990,0:36:15.330
just breathe and we trust in

0:36:15.330,0:36:17.540
the good seeds down here who have some

0:36:17.540,0:36:19.820
space to help respond to the situation

0:36:19.820,0:36:24.840
so if necessary we lie down we take

0:36:24.840,0:36:27.950
ourselves out of this situation that has

0:36:27.950,0:36:32.640
triggered our anger or sadness or our

0:36:32.640,0:36:35.520
despair and we put our hand, I put my

0:36:35.520,0:36:40.250
hands on my belly and I'm bring all my

0:36:40.250,0:36:45.720
attention 100-percent to the rising and

0:36:45.720,0:36:51.760
the falling of my abdomen

0:36:51.760,0:36:55.000
And I often give myself the challenge

0:36:55.000,0:36:59.870
that I have to follow the breath all the

0:36:59.870,0:37:03.370
way through and all the way back again

0:37:03.370,0:37:09.320
strictly no thinking and it's not very

0:37:09.320,0:37:12.340
easy but if we have our hands on our

0:37:12.340,0:37:15.040
belly and we are fascinated by the

0:37:15.040,0:37:17.899
experience of our in-breath and are out

0:37:17.899,0:37:18.810
breath

0:37:18.810,0:37:22.210
I've discovered that with practice

0:37:22.210,0:37:27.030
it's possible to breathe 10 times in and

0:37:27.030,0:37:30.990
out with not a single thought and I do

0:37:30.990,0:37:33.580
it like snakes and ladders so if I have

0:37:33.580,0:37:35.070
a thought I have to start again and

0:37:35.070,0:37:40.280
count from one. And i started doing this

0:37:40.280,0:37:42.550
because i thought if i cannot even

0:37:42.550,0:37:44.520
master my breathing

0:37:44.520,0:37:46.890
Who am I to know what to do in this

0:37:46.890,0:37:48.140
situation

0:37:48.140,0:37:51.860
my mind is not clear. I haven't

0:37:51.860,0:37:55.870
got a grip on my mind. So I shouldn't

0:37:55.870,0:37:59.050
trust my mind in this situation it has

0:37:59.050,0:38:02.510
no right to have a voice until it has

0:38:01.650,0:38:05.840
breathed 10 times

0:38:05.840,0:38:09.420
and the amazing thing is that after ten

0:38:09.420,0:38:13.000
breaths there's clarity there is

0:38:13.000,0:38:16.450
stability it made on a bad day it may

0:38:16.450,0:38:20.670
take 20 minutes or 25 minutes to have 10

0:38:20.670,0:38:22.110
clear breaths

0:38:22.110,0:38:25.970
but after that there is clarity and we

0:38:25.970,0:38:29.980
know what to do and what not to do. So

0:38:29.980,0:38:33.060
somehow i have learned not to trust my

0:38:33.060,0:38:36.560
mind but to trust my breathing

0:38:36.560,0:38:44.750
if in doubt breathe. And it has never

0:38:44.750,0:38:48.320
failed me and that has given me a real

0:38:48.320,0:38:50.600
solid basis something I always know I

0:38:50.600,0:38:52.750
can trust and I don't need to be afraid

0:38:52.750,0:38:55.750
because I always know that the breathing

0:38:55.750,0:39:00.440
when I breathe fully 100-percent will

0:39:00.440,0:39:07.034
help calm clarifying and give me courage

0:39:18.047,0:39:21.314
(bell sound)

0:39:56.740,0:39:59.560
So what we are taking in, through our

0:39:59.560,0:40:01.480
sense organs

0:40:01.480,0:40:05.810
it's a kind of food. And that is going to

0:40:05.810,0:40:08.590
affect how our mind is going to operate.

0:40:08.590,0:40:14.540
so our sense impressions, what we watch

0:40:14.540,0:40:23.790
movies, websites, what we listen to, music,

0:40:23.790,0:40:30.190
or even conversations, what we smell

0:40:30.190,0:40:33.230
you'll notice that some you are very

0:40:33.230,0:40:36.630
sensitive to certain kinds of smell, what

0:40:36.630,0:40:40.750
we eat, so the kinds of foods edible

0:40:40.750,0:40:46.120
foods that we eat, they are nourishing

0:40:46.120,0:40:51.820
something in us, so if we eat food that

0:40:51.820,0:40:57.200
has violence or suffering in it then

0:40:57.200,0:40:59.730
somehow we r that is becoming a part of

0:40:59.730,0:41:04.440
us and that is affecting who we are but

0:41:04.440,0:41:06.880
if we are able to eat with compassion

0:41:06.880,0:41:09.970
then our seed of compassion here will grow

0:41:09.970,0:41:13.790
so every day you can have a day without

0:41:13.790,0:41:17.710
meat you can say to yourself I have

0:41:17.710,0:41:20.089
nourished my seed of compassion today,

0:41:20.089,0:41:23.260
and i have not nourished my seed of

0:41:23.260,0:41:27.040
violence or suffering, and we know that

0:41:27.040,0:41:30.149
the animals suffer deeply when they are

0:41:30.149,0:41:33.310
killed, and that is what we are eating,

0:41:33.310,0:41:37.990
and when we eat meat that it is

0:41:37.990,0:41:40.730
destroying our planet to cultivate that

0:41:40.730,0:41:44.760
meat, then we are also eating something

0:41:44.760,0:41:47.119
that is not wholesome, we are not

0:41:47.119,0:41:50.480
nourishing our compassion and our care,

0:41:50.480,0:41:57.179
so we can learn about four kinds of

0:41:57.179,0:42:03.160
nutriments

0:42:08.399,0:42:13.487
so the first is edible foods

0:42:17.580,0:42:20.684
edible foods and drink,

0:42:25.826,0:42:29.690
so this includes orange juice and alcohol

0:42:29.690,0:42:34.840
okay so we know that it takes a lot of

0:42:34.840,0:42:40.420
grain to make liquor and maybe that

0:42:40.420,0:42:42.460
grain could be better used for something

0:42:42.460,0:42:47.829
else. Our earth is in need for our help.

0:42:51.390,0:42:59.500
Our sense impressions, that's all the movies,

0:42:59.500,0:43:04.680
the movies, the music and so on.

0:43:04.680,0:43:06.940
even now I still remember movies I

0:43:06.940,0:43:10.830
watched 20 years ago. they come up

0:43:10.830,0:43:13.919
sometimes even in my meditation and i

0:43:13.919,0:43:16.640
think god how did I let that come in.

0:43:16.640,0:43:19.990
because once its come in, it's somehow

0:43:19.990,0:43:22.899
they're in our memory and it's very

0:43:22.899,0:43:27.150
trusting of us we go into a cinema we

0:43:27.150,0:43:31.040
even pay for the privilege for someone

0:43:31.040,0:43:35.169
else to then put all this stuff into our

0:43:35.169,0:43:40.080
consciousness that may be violent or

0:43:40.080,0:43:44.710
disturbing unpleasant. so we have to be

0:43:44.710,0:43:47.490
very careful when we choose what to

0:43:47.490,0:43:52.250
watch and feel free to walk out i guess

0:43:52.250,0:43:55.389
i didn't have enough courage to walk out

0:43:55.389,0:43:57.950
of cinemas or to switch off movies but I

0:43:57.950,0:43:59.740
think we need to be able to switch them

0:43:59.740,0:44:04.059
off

0:44:07.347,0:44:13.162
Third Kind is volition.

0:44:17.079,0:44:21.190
This volition comes from the world will, like

0:44:21.190,0:44:24.319
"volonté" (in French). it's a kind of technical word

0:44:24.319,0:44:28.009
but it just means our deepest desire

0:44:33.004,0:44:34.430
do you know what you want to do with

0:44:34.430,0:44:38.849
your life what you really really want to

0:44:38.849,0:44:41.009
do with your life?

0:44:41.009,0:44:48.139
what is your deepest desire, and our

0:44:48.139,0:44:50.359
deepest desire is like a seed that we've

0:44:50.359,0:44:54.089
planted in our consciousness and when we

0:44:54.089,0:44:57.670
can identify it and take care of it it

0:44:57.670,0:44:59.829
will be a great source of energy in our

0:44:59.829,0:45:03.650
life, and we need to know what we want to

0:45:03.650,0:45:04.819
do.

0:45:04.819,0:45:07.759
life is precious we don't know how much

0:45:07.759,0:45:12.739
of it we have. we would like to think

0:45:12.739,0:45:15.159
that we will all live to 80 but maybe

0:45:15.159,0:45:18.199
that won't be the case. so what do you

0:45:18.199,0:45:22.339
want to do, we have this one body, we had

0:45:22.339,0:45:24.799
this life, and what we do with it.

0:45:24.799,0:45:30.259
A terrorist is someone who has the

0:45:30.259,0:45:38.499
intention to revenge vengeance.

0:45:38.499,0:45:42.809
That is a kind of deep desire. A terrorist

0:45:42.809,0:45:45.549
also have seeds of compassion, of

0:45:45.549,0:45:50.439
kindness, of peace, of joy, of love. but

0:45:50.439,0:45:52.369
they have watered another kind of seed

0:45:52.369,0:45:54.289
that drives them to do something very

0:45:54.289,0:45:58.699
violent. so we can see the power of this

0:45:58.699,0:46:01.839
kind of energy and each of us we need to

0:46:01.839,0:46:07.889
know what we want to do with our life.

0:46:07.889,0:46:13.220
how would we like to live. what talents

0:46:13.220,0:46:16.180
that we have been transmitted would we

0:46:16.180,0:46:20.420
like to cultivate. we are a wonder of the

0:46:20.420,0:46:24.500
earth, and how will our particular flower

0:46:24.500,0:46:28.650
in the garden of humanity sing her song.

0:46:28.650,0:46:32.750
what is your song? How will you be a flower

0:46:32.750,0:46:33.940
on this earth?

0:46:33.940,0:46:35.639
what would you like to cultivate and to

0:46:35.639,0:46:40.059
offer? and its deepest desire, our volition

0:46:43.648,0:46:45.299
I came here because I wanted to

0:46:45.299,0:46:50.470
transform and to live

0:46:50.470,0:46:54.010
leanly we have a wonderful word in English.

0:46:59.002,0:47:04.389
It means some simply, just what

0:47:04.389,0:47:07.199
is necessary in order to have more

0:47:07.199,0:47:13.769
energy to act, to help, to not destroy

0:47:13.769,0:47:17.569
with my way of consuming. and the final

0:47:17.569,0:47:22.637
one is consciousness

0:47:27.300,0:47:29.460
so we've been learning the consciousness

0:47:29.460,0:47:32.250
is both individual and collective and

0:47:32.250,0:47:34.530
here it's mostly we're talking about

0:47:34.530,0:47:39.740
collective consciousness.

0:47:39.740,0:47:43.640
The environments we are exposed to, our kind

0:47:43.640,0:47:46.710
of food coming into our being,

0:47:46.710,0:47:51.390
if you've ever been on a protest for

0:47:51.390,0:47:54.330
social justice when everyone is

0:47:54.330,0:47:56.820
collectively having a very strong energy

0:47:56.820,0:47:59.660
sometimes in in a protest there is also

0:47:59.660,0:48:02.750
an energy of anger of demanding and you

0:48:02.750,0:48:04.680
may feel that you are carried by this

0:48:04.680,0:48:08.580
collective consciousness or like now we

0:48:08.580,0:48:12.640
have a lot of fear and anxiety in the

0:48:12.640,0:48:15.320
world at the moment, so that is coming in

0:48:15.320,0:48:18.330
and triggering our own fear and anxiety

0:48:20.630,0:48:22.890
or in our family, if something is

0:48:22.890,0:48:25.950
happening in our family, certain seeds

0:48:25.950,0:48:28.180
may be stronger at one time then another.

0:48:28.180,0:48:35.360
jealousy or anger, or at work, or in our

0:48:35.360,0:48:37.420
friendship group is a kind of collective

0:48:37.420,0:48:40.760
energy and we need to be aware what is

0:48:40.760,0:48:43.150
being triggered in us by our environment

0:48:43.150,0:48:47.430
so we need to learn when to walk away,

0:48:47.430,0:48:51.910
when to step out of the room, when to

0:48:51.910,0:48:54.910
switch off the television. that is our

0:48:54.910,0:48:58.700
freedom, that is empowering us to be the

0:48:58.700,0:49:01.990
kind of person would like to be. that is

0:49:01.990,0:49:04.810
how we protect our mind and our body.

0:49:04.810,0:49:08.730
because when we have things that make us

0:49:08.730,0:49:12.630
tense or afraid or anxious, we live that

0:49:12.630,0:49:16.721
also in our body.

0:49:25.639,0:49:27.859
this evening we will have a presentation

0:49:27.859,0:49:31.220
on the five mindfulness trainings and

0:49:31.220,0:49:35.500
they are a wonderful path of practice

0:49:35.500,0:49:40.690
showing us how in our daily actions we

0:49:40.690,0:49:47.490
can cultivate our mind. so that we can be

0:49:47.490,0:49:49.279
the kind of person we would like to be.

0:49:49.279,0:49:53.620
so that we can have more compassion. so

0:49:53.620,0:49:55.930
that we can have more inner space,

0:49:55.930,0:50:01.069
more freedom, more courage to be able to

0:50:01.069,0:50:05.839
make wonderful use of this precious life

0:50:05.839,0:50:10.249
that we have. and to be able perhaps to

0:50:10.249,0:50:13.379
deserve the earth in ways that we would

0:50:13.379,0:50:16.809
like to serve the earth. she needs our

0:50:16.809,0:50:23.494
help, we need her, and she also needs us.

0:50:29.250,0:50:34.195
Thank you for listening.