(Half bell)
(Bell)
Dear Thay,
I have a friend of mine.
She is on drugs.
Listening to her really helps her.
At the same time,
it hurts me to be with her, too.
It actually overwhelms me.
And, I was wondering,
how can I deal with this overwhelming feeling?
I think we have to learn
to know our limit.
We should only spend
that amount of time with her,
in order to help preserve yourself.
If you do not preserve yourself,
you will not be able to help her in the future.
So, preserve yourself is very important.
You know how much time you can give her every day, every week.
And, you might have friends,
relatives and others that can help you.
If you have a Sangha --
because every practitioner of meditation has a Sangha.
And, you can call for your brothers and sisters in the Dharma to help you.
And, with many brothers and sisters behind you,
you are strong.
You can do better work to help her.
And, if she joins the Sangha, joins the practice,
she has more chance to transform.
I know that there are many psychotherapists
who have to spend too much time talking to sick people.
And, they do not have enough time to take care of themselves.
And, that is not good.
You cannot spend all your day
listening to the suffering of other people.
You have to have time to
get in touch with the joyful,
nourishing and healing elements.
Because, psychotherapist needs to be nourished also,
so that she or he can continue for a long time.
So, to know your limit is very important.
And, to have a Sangha behind you to help you.
That is the answer.
Now, we have time for a few questions in French.
(Half bell)
(Bell)