WEBVTT

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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Dear respected Thay,

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dear brothers and sisters,

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dear friends, dear sangha,

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today is Sunday, the 4th of November
in the year 2018,

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and we are in the Still Water
meditation hall of the Upper Hamlet,

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during our three months Rain Retreat.

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This morning we shall offer
the 8th Dharma talk of the retreat.

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Each Sunday we have been looking
into the 14 mindfulness trainings

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of the Order of Interbeing,

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or the Tiếp Hiện order,
as Thay named it in 1966,

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during the War in Vietnam.

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He formulated these trainings
to meet the needs of so many people,

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the young and the older ones,

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who were searching for ways to understand

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and act with compassion
during those desperate, challenging years.

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We know that even today, 52 years
after the 14 mindfulness trainings,

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or the Tiếp Hiện precepts,

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were introduced and practiced,

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they still have enormous relevance for us
in the world events we are witnessing

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and experiencing.

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Because they help us understand deeply

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and give us concrete practices to do
in daily life.

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The essence of the practice
of these trainings

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that we'd like to offer

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is to recognize what is happening
in us and around us,

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and to know what is there.

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In the many retreats that Thay
has led in countries around the world,

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for more than 60 years,

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he presented the practices of mindfulness
as something all of us can do.

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Because we all have this capacity,
this seed of mindfulness in our mind,

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in the depths of our consciousness.

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But how can we become aware
of this energy of mindfulness,

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this capacity in us?

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We'd like to offer
that we can become aware

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with the two simple practices of
mindful breathing and mindful walking.

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We bring our mind back to our body
with our breath and our footsteps.

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And we can live in the present moment.

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It is very interesting that one word
in Vietnamese, one word for 'mind',

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is the word 'tâm'.

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And this word also means 'heart'.

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So that we can say that both
our mind and our heart are unified

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with our practice in the present moment
and with our mindfulness practices.

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When our heart and mind are established
with mindfulness, we are truly present

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for sitting and walking meditation,
for reciting the sutras,

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and for life.

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Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.

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Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

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There is no doubt in my mind.

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I am absolutely sure of my breathing in
and breathing out,

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because I experience it.

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By experiencing something,
I know it is true.

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In the world we are living in,
we cannot always be certain

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of what will happen in the next moment.

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But while breathing in and breathing out,
I am certain.

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I am certain I am breathing.

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This certainty lasts only for the length
of my in-breath and out-breath.

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However, it can bring peace and stability.

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I am truly present for my breathing in
and breathing out.

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Likewise, when I make a step,
I place my foot on the earth

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and I experience the footstep.

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I am sure that I am making a footstep.

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There is no doubt,

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because my mind is concentrating
on the experience of walking.

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I experience every step that I make.

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My heart and mind
are established in mindfulness,

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and I am truly present for myself
and for life in me and around me.

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I know that peace and happiness
are possible by being truly present.

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With each step I arrive,

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I arrive in the here and now
and in the present moment.

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Each step is a step of freedom,
of peace, of joy,

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of happiness.

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When I am established in mindfulness,

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sitting meditation is an opportunity
to come back to myself,

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to experience my in-breath
and my out-breath,

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and the calm and the peace
that are available

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with our simple
breathing in and breathing out.

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I can create peace in myself and offer
peace to those around me and the world.

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No matter what we have
experienced in the past,

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the present moment gives us the chance

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to renew our life, to be happy,
to be peaceful and to be joyful.

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So let us live deeply
in the present moment.

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Let us establish ourself
in the present moment.

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When our heart is established
in the present moment,

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we have a second chance, a third chance

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a fourth chance, to be happy.

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We only have to let go of the past,

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especially if the past
has brought suffering.

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Letting go is a source
of happiness and joy.

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We can just let go.

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And then, later on we'll be able
to calm our mind and look deeply

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to discover the causes
of suffering, the roots,

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what has contributed to our suffering.

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So let us have a moment of letting go,

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let us just be able to listen
to the sound of the bell.

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I listen, I listen,

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this wonderful sound
brings me back to my true home.

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I come back to myself.

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And as we are listening
to the sound of the bell,

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we'll enjoy our breathing.

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(Bell)

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(Bell)

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So, what helps us to be present for life,
and to live life beautifully

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and offer peace to the world,

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are the practices
of the mindfulness trainings.

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We have the 5 mindfulness trainings,

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that were revised in the year 2009,

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and we also have
the 14 mindfulness trainings.

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There are additional trainings
for the monastics,

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the 10 Novice Precepts,
mindfulness trainings,

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the 6 shikshamana for the nuns,

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and then, the full ordination for bhikkus,
which are 250 precepts

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and for fully ordained bhikkshunis, 348.

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But today we will look into the
5th and the 13th mindfulness trainings

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of the Order of Interbeing,
the Tiếp Hiện order.

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The 5th mindfulness training is:
Compassionate, Healthy Living.

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We'll read the fifth mindfulness training.

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Compassionate, Healthy Living.

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Aware that true happiness is rooted in
peace, solidity, freedom and compassion,

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we are determined not to accumulate wealth
while millions are hungry and dying,

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nor to take as the aim of our life fame,
power, wealth, or sensual pleasure,

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which can bring
much suffering and despair.

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We will practice looking deeply into
how we nourish our body and mind

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with edible foods, sense impressions,
volition and consciousness.

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We are committed not to gamble or to use
alcohol, drugs or any other products

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which bring toxins into our own
and the collective body and consciousness

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such as certain websites,
electronic games, music,

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TV programs, films, magazines,
books and conversations.

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We will consume in a way that preserves
compassion, well-being and joy,

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in our bodies and consciousness,

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and in the collective body
and consciousness of our families,

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our society, and the Earth.

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This training speaks to me
of a lifestyle.

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Creating a happy lifestyle
of healthy living,

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and learning how to take care
of our body and mind,

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and cultivating understanding
and compassion

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for all living beings,
and other people on this planet

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who don't share the same favorable
conditions that we have.

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Because there is poverty
and hunger on this planet,

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and people are dying
from these conditions.

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Excuse me.

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We want to live simply and create a
lifestyle of peace, solidity and freedom

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that is also compassionate.

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To live this way, we will not chase after
fame, power, wealth or sensual pleasure,

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but instead, cultivate our compassion
and awareness of our connectedness

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with all of life.

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This is interbeing.

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We inter-are.

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Other people influence us and
we are influenced by others,

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not only people, but all of life,
animals, plants and minerals.

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The lifestyle that Thay
created for us at Plum Village

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involves balancing four aspects
of our daily life:

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mindfulness practices, study,
service to the community, and play.

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I've added relaxation.

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Maybe that is a way of playing also.

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We have one day devoted to relaxation,
which is Lazy Day.

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And that is tomorrow for all of us.

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By living with this balance,
we have more inner peace and freedom.

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Freedom from stress and worry.

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Following the daily schedule here
gives us solidity.

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We have heard from one of our brothers

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that the schedule
is like our spinal column,

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the back bone providing
stability to the community.

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Stability to our lives.

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And yet, at the same time,
the schedule is flexible.

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Changes happen.

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And even with changes,
everything is held together.

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So we ask, how can we nourish this
lifestyle for ourself and others?

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One way is by practicing to look deeply
into how we nourish our body and mind.

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And, what are the elements
that will give us a healthy lifestyle?

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The Buddha said everything
needs food to survive.

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Nothing can survive
without nourishment, without food.

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Our happiness needs to be nourished
by positive thinking.

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As one example,

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when we think negative thoughts
of judging and blaming,

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we are in the process of
nourishing our suffering.

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And when we speak using words of
judgment, and blaming, and anger,

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we speak to others in that way,

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we nourish their suffering.

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When we say kind things,
how we appreciate others,

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how we love them,
when we thank people,

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we are nourishing their happiness.

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All we know a very wonderful practice
that Thay has given all of us,

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it's the practice of Beginning Anew.
mindful communications.

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When we learn

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how to use language in a way that waters
the very best seeds in our consciousness

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and, at the same time,
the consciousness of other people.

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So the Buddha understood very deeply
the truth that everything needs nutriments

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and he described four nutriments.

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These four nutriments are:

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edible food, sensory impressions,
volition, and consciousness.

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Depending on what is consumed,
what food, what sensory impressions,

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that means what we receive
through our eyes,

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our ears, our nose, our tongue,
our body and our thoughts

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depending of the nature of
what is received or consumed,

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there will be suffering, or happiness.

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But the examples the Buddha gave were
clearly to help us understand more

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what causes suffering.

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And it was connected to
the Second Noble Truth,

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trying to find the roots of suffering
by looking at our consumption.

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So we consume by eating edible food,
with sensory impressions.

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The third nutriment is volition.

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And that is our deepest wish,
our motivation.

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Then, the fourth food
is our consciousness.

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It's both the individual
and collective consciousness

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of society and the world.

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So, the first edible food,

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in this morning I will

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offer sources of suffering
in terms of the four nutriments.

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And I will also offer ways we can nourish
happiness with the four nutriments.

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Edible food.

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We want to have compassion for our body,

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and for what we eat.

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Every living being wants to live
and suffers if they are killed.

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Animals suffer enormously
in the slaughter houses

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hearing other animals before them
being killed.

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They have fear and despair.

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The Buddha and his monastics went
on a daily alms round begging for food.

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And that is how they sustained their life.

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They went from house to house to receive
whatever the lay people had to offer

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for their nourishment
and to give them energy to practice.

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It is said that the Buddha told his monks

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that, "If you suspect or even know
that an animal has been killed

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by the householders, by that family
just to feed you,

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please, do not accept that food.
Do not eat it.

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Because we want to eat with compassion,

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and not be the cause of suffering
to any animal or other living beings."

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So, for example, perhaps

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a housewife saw, "Oh!

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Maybe tomorrow the Buddha
and the monastics will come to our house.

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They were in the neighboring village
but perhaps today they will come,

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and I will have the honor,
we will have the honor of offering a meal

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to the Buddha and his disciples,
to receive merit."

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So maybe the wife thought: "Dear husband,
can we kill three of our chickens

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to offer to the Buddha? Can we kill
five chickens?"

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This may have been the thought. And
the Buddha did not want that to happen.

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So we want to eat with compassion,

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and to eat so that while we eat, there has
been the least amount of suffering.

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For example, we can reflect on a carrot.

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Perhaps a carrot suffers
when it is pulled up from the earth

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to be prepared for our meal.
Perhaps there is suffering.

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But when we compare the suffering of
a plant, like a carrot, or the broccoli,

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or a potato, or...

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Asparagus, whatever. If we compare that
with the suffering that a lamb,

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or a calf, or a cow experiences,

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we will choose to eat the food
that has not suffered so much.

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In our daily recitation of the five
contemplations before lunch,

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we hear the third contemplation, that
says: We will keep our compassion alive,

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by eating in such a way, that reduces
the suffering of living beings,

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preserves our planet, and
stops contributing to climate change.

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In the year 2007, Thay requested

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that Plum Village and all of the
Plum Village communities and monasteries

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changed from a vegetarian diet
to a plant based vegan diet,

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based on the information, in that year,
that the lay practitioners had given him.

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Twelve years ago, there wasn't
as much information available.

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The information was just 
starting to be shared,

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things were beginning to be discovered

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about how animals are treated when
they are raised for food for human beings.

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So based on what the lay friends
had shared with Thay,

00:29:17.471 --> 00:29:23.284
Thay decided that it would be
a more compassionate lifestyle

00:29:23.572 --> 00:29:29.403
for the animals and for us
if we changed to a vegan diet.

00:29:31.185 --> 00:29:35.500
So all of our retreatants when
they come to Plum Village, all of you,

00:29:35.859 --> 00:29:42.446
you have the opportunity to eat
a vegan diet for one week or longer

00:29:42.656 --> 00:29:48.227
when you are with us,
for your time with us.

00:29:49.303 --> 00:29:51.978
And we hope you enjoy it.

00:29:52.194 --> 00:29:58.039
It's wonderful cooking from
our Vietnamese monastics

00:29:58.338 --> 00:30:01.728
and other monastics
of the Asian countries.

00:30:01.971 --> 00:30:09.536
They offer the very finest recipes that
they've learned in their home countries.

00:30:13.634 --> 00:30:17.734
We know that now there is
a lot of information available

00:30:18.190 --> 00:30:22.943
on wholesome, healthy food,
what to consume.

00:30:30.089 --> 00:30:38.895
At lot of research is being done
on plant based diets, wholefood diets.

00:30:43.491 --> 00:30:53.010
Some people say that to eat more healthily
we should reduce, limit or not eat

00:30:53.231 --> 00:30:57.435
any consumption of foods
that have been processed,

00:30:58.260 --> 00:31:01.734
that have been manufactured,
and are packaged.

00:31:02.822 --> 00:31:06.704
Because they can contain
chemical additives

00:31:06.942 --> 00:31:15.734
to prolong their shelf life in stores, and
may have too much salt, too much sugar

00:31:16.487 --> 00:31:23.146
and hydrogenated oils or trans fats
that are not good for our health.

00:31:24.627 --> 00:31:27.873
But if you do this research,

00:31:29.115 --> 00:31:36.232
and truthfully I've only had the Web,
the Internet, to look into this topics,

00:31:37.755 --> 00:31:41.080
I've discovered that
some of the information

00:31:41.360 --> 00:31:45.023
is contradictory and confusing.

00:31:45.320 --> 00:31:47.845
So I share that with you,

00:31:48.084 --> 00:31:51.224
and then, we simply do our best.

00:31:53.199 --> 00:31:56.412
We know that if we follow a vegan diet,

00:31:56.869 --> 00:32:01.681
we need to supplement our diet
with vitamin B12.

00:32:03.830 --> 00:32:09.945
And pay attention to getting all of
the nine essential amino acids

00:32:10.907 --> 00:32:16.340
that are necessary for protein synthesis,

00:32:16.594 --> 00:32:21.301
for our muscles,
for the neurotransmitters in the brain,

00:32:21.956 --> 00:32:25.027
and for a healthy immune system.

00:32:27.507 --> 00:32:33.457
A plant based diet will give us
the amino acids,

00:32:34.311 --> 00:32:40.604
will give us enough, but perhaps
not of all the nine essential,

00:32:40.911 --> 00:32:48.458
but we know we can get enough
including beans, nuts, seeds, grains,

00:32:49.535 --> 00:32:56.668
and healthy oils, such as olive oil
or flax seed oil, as well as avocados,

00:32:57.554 --> 00:33:00.282
vegetables and fruits.

00:33:05.185 --> 00:33:08.793
The plant based

00:33:11.076 --> 00:33:18.659
sources of amino acids that
will give us the nine essential ones

00:33:22.025 --> 00:33:32.107
are, eating soy, tempeh, quinoa
and () or pakchoi.

00:33:34.580 --> 00:33:40.015
But speaking of controversy,
soy is somewhat controversial.

00:33:40.309 --> 00:33:44.711
Some people are not allowed to eat soy.

00:33:45.435 --> 00:33:48.278
But we have others -

00:33:51.035 --> 00:33:59.581
We know that by gradually shifting to
a vegetarian or a more plant based diet,

00:33:59.952 --> 00:34:03.805
we can also contribute
to preserving our planet,

00:34:04.603 --> 00:34:09.811
and help reduce the impact of global
warming and climate change.

00:34:13.404 --> 00:34:16.871
There is information that with

00:34:17.475 --> 00:34:21.910
animal agriculture, which means
raising animals

00:34:22.847 --> 00:34:26.489
so that they can be used as food,

00:34:26.875 --> 00:34:34.619
and this includes the "élevage",
the raising cows and other farm animals,

00:34:35.603 --> 00:34:43.270
especially the cows, they discovered that
the cows emit methane gas

00:34:43.881 --> 00:34:50.281
and carbon dioxide in their process of
digesting the grass that they eat.

00:34:50.981 --> 00:34:55.030
And these gases are quite toxic
to the environment,

00:34:55.271 --> 00:35:00.037
they increase the greenhouse gases.

00:35:00.370 --> 00:35:02.384
But they -

00:35:04.695 --> 00:35:08.206
But we know in practicing
the third mindfulness training

00:35:08.425 --> 00:35:12.014
we don't force others to adopt our views.

00:35:12.531 --> 00:35:15.480
And it is a lifestyle for some people,

00:35:15.701 --> 00:35:18.359
cattlemen,

00:35:19.298 --> 00:35:23.447
the meat and dairy industry,
it is a lifestyle.

00:35:23.910 --> 00:35:29.467
So we don't force others but
we can make choices for ourselves.

00:35:33.115 --> 00:35:37.898
Here, at Plum Village we do
the practices of recycling,

00:35:38.275 --> 00:35:43.430
we have one no-car day,
we don't use the automobile

00:35:43.924 --> 00:35:46.564
and that reduces the carbon

00:35:49.083 --> 00:35:54.301
monoxide- carbon dioxide emissions.

00:35:56.701 --> 00:36:01.786
We conserve the resources of water
by taking shorter showers.

00:36:03.517 --> 00:36:06.773
And one way to conserve water

00:36:07.009 --> 00:36:14.170
is we wet the body, turn off the water,
soap, wash yourself,

00:36:15.091 --> 00:36:18.135
turn on the water and rinse.

00:36:20.444 --> 00:36:22.847
We used to do this

00:36:23.137 --> 00:36:27.600
in the Green Mountain Dharma Center,
in Four Hartland -

00:36:28.627 --> 00:36:30.480
Four -

00:36:31.097 --> 00:36:35.362
Four Corners, in Hartland, Vermont.

00:36:36.487 --> 00:36:41.796
In this practice center were sister
Chan Duc, True Virtue, was the abbess

00:36:42.147 --> 00:36:46.604
and this was already in the year 2003,
when I was there.

00:36:46.854 --> 00:36:51.562
In the bathroom and the bathtub
we had a very large container

00:36:51.899 --> 00:36:54.301
to hold the water.

00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:58.510
So, if we wanted to bathe,
we would fill it up with hot water,

00:37:00.325 --> 00:37:06.299
and just like the kind of bathe
that I just described, we wet, we soaped,

00:37:06.556 --> 00:37:09.441
and then we would rinse our body.

00:37:09.687 --> 00:37:12.317
And there was like a pitcher,

00:37:12.567 --> 00:37:15.406
and we would rinse ourselves in that way.

00:37:16.038 --> 00:37:21.042
This is very much like
how they bathe in India.

00:37:21.901 --> 00:37:25.811
I remember during - bathing this way
when we were in Vietnam,

00:37:26.056 --> 00:37:28.516
in some of the temples.

00:37:29.447 --> 00:37:35.218
And so, there are ways to conserve water
not letting it run all the time

00:37:35.404 --> 00:37:38.699
during a long, long shower.

00:37:38.947 --> 00:37:43.427
Another way of taking a shower
in the winter, I'll share with you.

00:37:44.170 --> 00:37:46.116
(Laughter)

00:37:47.566 --> 00:37:49.974
is every other day.

00:37:49.990 --> 00:37:51.588
(Laughter)

00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:56.252
Up to you. However, no.
There is a third method, my friends.

00:37:56.762 --> 00:37:58.531
(Laughter)

00:37:58.748 --> 00:38:02.384
We learned this from one of our sisters

00:38:03.096 --> 00:38:09.006
who was a doctor of traditional
Chinese medicine. She knew a lot.

00:38:09.205 --> 00:38:13.120
She had her own practice before ordaining.

00:38:13.605 --> 00:38:19.666
It's based on the meridians and everything
that she understood.

00:38:19.987 --> 00:38:23.334
What she said was, to take a-

00:38:24.495 --> 00:38:30.919
To bathe in the winter with a shower, you
first wet your body from the waist down.

00:38:31.951 --> 00:38:33.953
Okay?

00:38:34.112 --> 00:38:41.347
So with more warm that hot water you wet,
turn off the water, soap, rinse. Okay?

00:38:42.128 --> 00:38:48.490
The next part of your body that you wet
is from the neck to the waist. Okay?

00:38:49.289 --> 00:38:54.260
So, yes, the same.
You wet, you soap, and you rinse

00:38:54.457 --> 00:38:58.834
but the other parts of the body
are getting wet also, and that's fine.

00:38:59.070 --> 00:39:02.289
They've been wet and they're warm now.

00:39:02.535 --> 00:39:04.844
Because the hot water has

00:39:07.081 --> 00:39:10.947
flown over there, flowed over there.

00:39:11.200 --> 00:39:15.098
And the third part
is that we wet our head.

00:39:16.628 --> 00:39:19.264
And we soap, and we rinse.

00:39:19.507 --> 00:39:22.857
So we really take the shower
from the bottom up.

00:39:23.847 --> 00:39:28.150
A little bit opposite to gravity,
but I do it.

00:39:29.041 --> 00:39:34.286
And I've discovered I don't have a chill.

00:39:34.630 --> 00:39:37.303
I do it that way.

00:39:37.721 --> 00:39:42.901
So, it's very interesting how we can
conserve the natural resources.

00:39:45.932 --> 00:39:48.501
And I remember that

00:39:50.094 --> 00:39:55.385
there was a need to reduce
the use of nuclear energy,

00:39:55.633 --> 00:40:00.800
so they produced the low wattage
light bulbs now.

00:40:01.180 --> 00:40:04.630
And they've been available
for many, many years.

00:40:04.836 --> 00:40:10.484
When these light bulbs were first
produced, manufactured, I remember reading

00:40:10.924 --> 00:40:15.988
that the country of Australia,
the Prime Minister decided

00:40:16.267 --> 00:40:19.541
that the whole country would change.

00:40:19.730 --> 00:40:23.459
Change and use
the low wattage light bulbs.

00:40:24.039 --> 00:40:29.812
So, I was very impressed
that the whole country did that.

00:40:30.438 --> 00:40:33.868
And now, we are using these light bulbs,

00:40:35.284 --> 00:40:40.237
and we are able to help the planet.

00:40:40.556 --> 00:40:47.746
Every effort helps, even if we do not see
the immediate global results.

00:40:51.393 --> 00:40:57.078
What if we have a pause now.
We can develop the habit of pausing,

00:40:58.193 --> 00:41:02.332
and bring the pause habit
back to your daily life.

00:41:03.018 --> 00:41:08.095
And when we pause, we will simply stop
and enjoy our breathing.

00:41:08.329 --> 00:41:11.341
We'll listen to a sound of the bell.

00:41:17.462 --> 00:41:19.004
(Bell)

00:41:24.292 --> 00:41:30.393
(Bell)

00:41:54.081 --> 00:41:57.875
So the second nutriment
that the Buddha described

00:41:58.137 --> 00:42:03.741
is the food of sensory impressions.

00:42:05.164 --> 00:42:10.665
Just as suffering can be caused
by eating without compassion,

00:42:11.434 --> 00:42:16.997
the Buddha said that suffering
can be caused and will be caused

00:42:17.405 --> 00:42:24.315
if our six sense organs, our eyes,
our ears, our nose, our tongue,

00:42:25.957 --> 00:42:33.917
our body, and our mind are in contact
with objects that are harmful,

00:42:36.122 --> 00:42:43.645
such as seeing violent movies, hearing
people fighting, arguing and yelling,

00:42:46.445 --> 00:42:52.105
smelling unpleasant odors
from decaying material,

00:42:52.673 --> 00:43:00.290
tasting food that is absolutely
too sour or not fresh anymore,

00:43:00.793 --> 00:43:06.737
or violence against our body
with physical abuse.

00:43:07.147 --> 00:43:11.960
And then, with negative thinking,
this thinking that we cannot stop

00:43:13.029 --> 00:43:14.739
for ourselves.

00:43:15.829 --> 00:43:21.603
So what we receive through our five
sense organs will water or wake up

00:43:22.390 --> 00:43:24.938
or activate seeds

00:43:27.108 --> 00:43:33.345
that contain the experience and memories
that normally lie sleeping

00:43:33.598 --> 00:43:36.714
in the depths of our consciousness.

00:43:38.057 --> 00:43:43.497
If what we receive is frightening,
violent, and has craving,

00:43:44.690 --> 00:43:49.203
then, if we have had
these experiences in the past,

00:43:50.197 --> 00:43:56.217
like these experiences
that we are seeing now,

00:43:57.526 --> 00:44:02.389
the past experiences may manifest
and come up again.

00:44:03.559 --> 00:44:09.239
And we will live those experiences
from the past.

00:44:10.387 --> 00:44:14.941
So we have our practices of mindfulness
to help us be in touch

00:44:15.298 --> 00:44:20.998
with what emotion is coming up,
what thought, or what feelings.

00:44:21.553 --> 00:44:26.100
And we can take care of whatever
is coming up from the past

00:44:26.519 --> 00:44:31.539
by stopping, by calming, by nourishing,

00:44:32.721 --> 00:44:37.285
our confidence that the past
is no longer there.

00:44:37.575 --> 00:44:44.376
We are living now in the present moment,
things are different, it is safe now.

00:44:45.957 --> 00:44:52.069
So we use our mindfulness,
basic simple practices to calm our mind.

00:44:52.721 --> 00:44:56.380
And to help us come back
to the present moment.

00:45:01.577 --> 00:45:09.349
The mindfulness training advises us
to not go to certain websites, see films

00:45:09.646 --> 00:45:12.711
or read certain books
or hear conversations

00:45:13.400 --> 00:45:18.199
that create suffering in us.
We need protection.

00:45:18.468 --> 00:45:23.208
Just as our skin protects our body
from harmful elements,

00:45:23.716 --> 00:45:29.855
we need our mindfulness energy to help us
not water our seeds of suffering

00:45:30.772 --> 00:45:34.942
by being in contact with what is toxic.

00:45:38.057 --> 00:45:41.338
I'd like to share with you an experience
that some of us,

00:45:41.947 --> 00:45:45.187
a small group of monastics had.

00:45:46.149 --> 00:45:49.483
Once we went to a country

00:45:49.912 --> 00:45:56.414
to share the practices, lead retreats and
days of mindfulness with the local sangha.

00:45:57.602 --> 00:46:03.307
And we were coming back from
one of the afternoon activities.

00:46:04.338 --> 00:46:10.061
To return to the place where
we were staying during our time there,

00:46:10.983 --> 00:46:15.903
we had to use the metro,
the subway system, the underground.

00:46:17.370 --> 00:46:22.071
And the brother who was
very familiar with this city

00:46:23.391 --> 00:46:26.290
knew how to guide us

00:46:26.653 --> 00:46:33.648
to make the change to the next metro line
that would take us back.

00:46:34.299 --> 00:46:36.524
So he knew exactly

00:46:37.369 --> 00:46:45.924
what hallways we had to go into,
what stairs, he knew very well.

00:46:47.052 --> 00:46:50.018
And we were following him.

00:46:50.328 --> 00:46:55.953
At one point, he was ahead, at one point
he turned around and he said to us,

00:46:57.962 --> 00:47:01.123
"Look straight ahead".

00:47:01.575 --> 00:47:05.639
We were in a hallway, a corridor,
we hadn't entered there yet.

00:47:06.248 --> 00:47:08.547
"Look straight ahead", he said.

00:47:08.739 --> 00:47:10.666
Wow! We were so curious.

00:47:10.833 --> 00:47:12.432
(Laughter)

00:47:12.584 --> 00:47:16.326
What is it that we shouldn't look at?

00:47:16.940 --> 00:47:19.422
So we were so curious, we looked.

00:47:19.559 --> 00:47:21.014
(Laughter)

00:47:21.173 --> 00:47:23.034
To the right and the left.

00:47:23.187 --> 00:47:26.504
We looked to see what it was
we shouldn't look at.

00:47:28.989 --> 00:47:33.483
So what we saw was advertising, yes.

00:47:34.648 --> 00:47:36.416
And,

00:47:37.899 --> 00:47:43.681
on both sides, on the right and the left,
there were photographs of

00:47:45.200 --> 00:47:50.034
young women in their 20
wearing bikini bathing suits.

00:47:51.087 --> 00:47:55.817
And there was no space
between the young women, they were just -

00:47:57.422 --> 00:48:02.247
You couldn't put your eyes between
the bodies, they were just so close.

00:48:02.671 --> 00:48:04.688
No place.

00:48:04.892 --> 00:48:07.427
On both sides, right and left.

00:48:08.014 --> 00:48:09.637
And -

00:48:09.867 --> 00:48:15.182
So, our brother knew the practice
very well of protecting the eyes,

00:48:15.371 --> 00:48:18.189
protecting the sense organs.

00:48:19.204 --> 00:48:23.274
After we saw what we shouldn't look at,
we looked straight ahead.

00:48:23.427 --> 00:48:25.680
(Laughter)

00:48:29.221 --> 00:48:31.995
So it was in the month of May, and,

00:48:32.162 --> 00:48:35.841
of course, it's the time when people
begin to think of going to the beach,

00:48:36.261 --> 00:48:42.887
and buying bathing suits, so, yes.
Advertising.

00:48:45.310 --> 00:48:49.109
If we are living in cities,
we can be aware of advertising,

00:48:49.299 --> 00:48:53.690
and to know whether to look,
how long to look, or don't look.

00:48:56.282 --> 00:49:01.478
There is a wonderful verse that we read,
to protect and transform

00:49:02.535 --> 00:49:10.501
we must always pay careful attention
when sense organs touch sense objects.

00:49:11.751 --> 00:49:18.407
So habit energies can
gradually be transformed.

00:49:18.870 --> 00:49:23.760
So, we may have habit energies
related to our senses,

00:49:24.529 --> 00:49:31.974
in terms of taste, eating,
drinking, or whatever habit energies

00:49:32.830 --> 00:49:38.167
that are formed when we use
our sense organs,

00:49:38.505 --> 00:49:42.534
and when they have contact
with sense objects.

00:49:43.744 --> 00:49:50.558
We have received habit energies from our
parents, our ancestors, and from society.

00:50:01.253 --> 00:50:05.602
We know that our sense organs
can also bring us happiness,

00:50:05.811 --> 00:50:11.667
so it's not just a matter of their
bringing suffering, when we have contact,

00:50:11.853 --> 00:50:14.369
no, they can bring us happiness.

00:50:15.503 --> 00:50:20.564
There are five universal mental formations
that are always present.

00:50:22.037 --> 00:50:27.405
And they are, contact, we have contact
with our eyes with what we see.

00:50:27.782 --> 00:50:36.370
Contact, and then we may pay a little more
attention to what is before us.

00:50:36.902 --> 00:50:39.579
Contact, attention.

00:50:40.528 --> 00:50:45.859
Feeling. If it is pleasant,
maybe we'll feel a pleasant feeling.

00:50:46.343 --> 00:50:52.066
Perception is the next. We mat think,
"Oh! This is very nice".

00:50:53.534 --> 00:50:56.000
Volition is the final.

00:50:56.282 --> 00:50:59.903
Volition will lead to action sometimes.

00:51:00.173 --> 00:51:03.414
Contact, attention, feeling,

00:51:05.178 --> 00:51:08.204
perception, volition.

00:51:08.678 --> 00:51:12.829
But we can always be aware
of all five steps to stop it.

00:51:13.334 --> 00:51:16.530
My experience and my practice,
when I'm weak,

00:51:16.710 --> 00:51:19.906
there is contact, volition, action.

00:51:21.885 --> 00:51:26.011
Contact, I see the chocolate.
I take the chocolate.

00:51:26.327 --> 00:51:30.760
But if mindfulness is there,
contact, I don't want sugar,

00:51:30.935 --> 00:51:33.054
I don't touch it.

00:51:33.216 --> 00:51:39.216
So, we can use our mindfulness,
our mind consciousness, to help us.

00:51:46.339 --> 00:51:49.239
I'd like to share a very short

00:51:53.572 --> 00:51:57.035
event that was very pleasant.

00:51:57.226 --> 00:51:59.284
Using the ears.

00:51:59.454 --> 00:52:04.324
There is a story of a seeker
who went to a Zen master, and said:

00:52:05.622 --> 00:52:08.772
"How can I enter the way?"

00:52:09.539 --> 00:52:14.953
The master said: "Do you hear the sound
of the mountain stream?"

00:52:18.306 --> 00:52:20.414
- Yes, I hear the sound.

00:52:21.487 --> 00:52:25.307
The master said: "Enter there."

00:52:26.852 --> 00:52:29.937
That's beautiful, isn't it?

00:52:31.248 --> 00:52:36.519
The master said: "Be present.
Establish your mindfulness.

00:52:36.763 --> 00:52:42.771
Go to the stream. Sit down. Listen to it
with all of your attention.

00:52:43.324 --> 00:52:46.133
Listen to it with your heart.

00:52:48.142 --> 00:52:52.506
Listen to it with your heart and mind
established in mindfulness,

00:52:53.111 --> 00:52:56.967
stop thinking of the past and the future.

00:52:57.153 --> 00:53:01.805
Just be present.
Then, you have entered the way.

00:53:02.583 --> 00:53:05.899
The way of living deeply
in the present moment

00:53:06.854 --> 00:53:10.884
with peace, solidity, and freedom."

00:53:13.693 --> 00:53:16.452
We know the master did not mean:

00:53:17.238 --> 00:53:21.497
"Go to the mountain stream, take off
your sandals and step in the water."

00:53:21.756 --> 00:53:26.230
He didn't mean that.
He meant enter in another way.

00:53:28.981 --> 00:53:32.371
So the third nutriment is volition.

00:53:32.569 --> 00:53:37.618
Volition can be described
as our deepest wish, our aspiration,

00:53:38.109 --> 00:53:42.699
what motivates us to think, to speak
and to act.

00:53:42.860 --> 00:53:46.335
It could be described
as the aim of our life.

00:53:47.833 --> 00:53:52.623
If we want fame, power, wealth,
or sensual pleasure,

00:53:52.936 --> 00:53:59.828
and we have so much ambition, then
we will pursue these things at any cost,

00:54:00.734 --> 00:54:07.733
even if that means we have no time to be
present with our family or loved ones,

00:54:08.429 --> 00:54:15.424
or to be present for ourself. Then,
this kind of volition brings suffering.

00:54:17.934 --> 00:54:21.090
So we don't want to have to chase

00:54:21.714 --> 00:54:26.415
after earning more money,
or having more material possessions.

00:54:27.572 --> 00:54:31.000
But sometimes we can't stop ourself.

00:54:31.259 --> 00:54:37.093
Volitions are sometimes connected with
strong habit energies.

00:54:37.483 --> 00:54:43.774
So the habit energy compels us to do
and repeat what causes suffering.

00:54:46.148 --> 00:54:51.147
So one way to change our volitions
is to change our lifestyle.

00:54:52.278 --> 00:54:56.205
And to recognize the suffering that
our lifestyle may be causing

00:54:56.790 --> 00:54:59.133
to our family and friends.

00:54:59.995 --> 00:55:04.815
So we look deeply to see
what is preventing our freedom.

00:55:05.764 --> 00:55:08.281
Where we are caught,

00:55:08.770 --> 00:55:15.865
and what ideas keep us so attached to
our achieving or obtaining this or that.

00:55:17.601 --> 00:55:23.708
And then, we need the help and the support
of our family and friends, and sangha

00:55:24.258 --> 00:55:26.573
to help us remember

00:55:26.804 --> 00:55:30.662
we need to observe we're following
the patterns of behavior

00:55:30.876 --> 00:55:33.356
that we want to change.

00:55:34.171 --> 00:55:37.745
We need a sangha, spiritual friends,

00:55:38.347 --> 00:55:41.312
who won't judge us or criticize us,

00:55:41.495 --> 00:55:45.156
but will lend their compassionate,
mindful support

00:55:45.454 --> 00:55:49.842
as we practice to transform these habits.

00:55:52.553 --> 00:55:59.161
We know volition can have a very
positive way of expressing itself.

00:56:00.523 --> 00:56:03.282
If we want to help others,

00:56:03.517 --> 00:56:08.341
to offer happiness and joy to others,
and relieve their suffering,

00:56:09.325 --> 00:56:13.965
and if we have a deep aspiration
to work for the healing of our planet,

00:56:14.527 --> 00:56:17.189
protect the lives of animals,

00:56:17.965 --> 00:56:23.451
we can do this by working in
permaculture farms, happy farms,

00:56:24.547 --> 00:56:27.953
and these volitions
will not create suffering.

00:56:28.612 --> 00:56:33.827
These are the deepest volitions
of a bodhisattva, an awakened being.

00:56:35.460 --> 00:56:42.475
These expressions will help us take care
of ourselves and also others.

00:56:46.566 --> 00:56:51.743
Ten days ago, there was
an ordination of ten novices,

00:56:52.433 --> 00:56:55.361
seven monks and three nuns.

00:56:55.865 --> 00:57:00.091
They have the deep aspiration
to be bodhisattvas,

00:57:00.476 --> 00:57:02.826
and they have chosen a lifestyle

00:57:02.966 --> 00:57:06.704
that will facilitate
their realizing their aspiration.

00:57:07.390 --> 00:57:10.975
In their ceremony, they repeated the vow,

00:57:11.164 --> 00:57:16.433
"Shaving my hair completely,
I make the great vow today

00:57:17.389 --> 00:57:23.751
to transform all my afflictions in order
to bring happiness to all beings."

00:57:27.166 --> 00:57:29.678
Everyone who is here,

00:57:29.840 --> 00:57:34.049
everyone who has come to
Plum Village or other centers,

00:57:34.605 --> 00:57:38.651
you have the volition to practice,

00:57:39.155 --> 00:57:44.864
to learn more about mindfulness,
to transform your suffering,

00:57:45.105 --> 00:57:51.232
to bring happiness to all beings. So, 
it's not limited to any group of people.

00:57:51.465 --> 00:57:54.013
We all have this volition.

00:57:54.196 --> 00:57:58.429
The members of the Order of Interbeing
also have this volition.

00:57:58.762 --> 00:58:01.860
And they are leading
the practices in the world

00:58:02.333 --> 00:58:08.149
to help people with the practices
of the 5 and the 14 mindfulness trainings.

00:58:08.537 --> 00:58:14.845
So, the truth is we're bodhisattvas.
Let us enjoy our lifestyle.

00:58:16.276 --> 00:58:20.507
The fourth nutriment is described
as consciousness.

00:58:20.939 --> 00:58:24.982
Our consciousness, our mind is influenced

00:58:25.215 --> 00:58:28.838
by the environment
in which we live and work,

00:58:28.997 --> 00:58:32.205
as well as by the thoughts we think.

00:58:36.814 --> 00:58:43.924
So we should be very attentive to the
environment in which we spent our time.

00:58:45.566 --> 00:58:49.023
Working environments and home environment,

00:58:49.254 --> 00:58:54.685
because it will water the seeds
in the depths of our consciousness.

00:58:57.295 --> 00:59:00.664
If we are in an environment
for the most part

00:59:00.854 --> 00:59:06.018
where people practice the 5 and the 14
mindfulness trainings,

00:59:06.419 --> 00:59:09.927
where there is respect
and reverence for life,

00:59:10.175 --> 00:59:15.654
and people's property,
and relational commitments,

00:59:17.747 --> 00:59:22.016
and with deep listening, loving speech,
mindful consumption,

00:59:22.293 --> 00:59:26.247
then, our consciousness will be nourished.

00:59:27.608 --> 00:59:29.889
It will be healthy.

00:59:32.238 --> 00:59:35.674
It will be nourished
by what is true, and beautiful,

00:59:35.867 --> 00:59:38.871
and suffering won't be produced.

00:59:40.075 --> 00:59:43.245
However, if we are
in a collective environment

00:59:43.359 --> 00:59:49.550
that is full of hatred, violence, fear,
discrimination and intolerance,

00:59:50.225 --> 00:59:52.550
this suffering will be -

00:59:53.155 --> 00:59:58.367
This environment will bring
suffering to our consciousness.

01:00:00.630 --> 01:00:05.532
And this kind of environment
will also bring suffering

01:00:05.726 --> 01:00:10.961
to our families, society and the Earth.
So we want to transform

01:00:11.868 --> 01:00:17.437
the collective consciousness
of this planet, and we can do it,

01:00:17.928 --> 01:00:21.809
we are doing it by nourishing
our body and mind

01:00:21.993 --> 01:00:26.031
with our practices
of the mindfulness trainings.

01:00:27.901 --> 01:00:34.705
Let's have a moment of nourishing
peace and relaxation

01:00:34.934 --> 01:00:38.204
by listening to a sound of the bell.

01:00:46.055 --> 01:00:47.779
(Bell)

01:00:53.500 --> 01:00:59.660
(Bell)

01:01:51.937 --> 01:01:56.130
The next mindfulness training
we will look at this morning

01:01:56.633 --> 01:02:00.865
is the 13th, called Generosity.

01:02:09.312 --> 01:02:14.369
"Aware of the suffering
caused by exploitation,

01:02:14.916 --> 01:02:18.881
social injustice, stealing,
and oppression,

01:02:19.525 --> 01:02:25.456
we are committed to cultivating
generosity in our way of thinking,

01:02:26.096 --> 01:02:31.585
speaking, and acting.
We will practice loving kindness

01:02:31.808 --> 01:02:38.866
by working for the happiness of people,
animals, plants, and minerals,

01:02:40.121 --> 01:02:47.701
and sharing our time, energy, and material
resources with those who are in need.

01:02:49.687 --> 01:02:52.704
We are determined not to steal

01:02:53.175 --> 01:02:58.111
and not to possess anything
that should belong to others.

01:02:59.828 --> 01:03:03.290
We will respect the property of others,

01:03:03.695 --> 01:03:08.992
but will try to prevent others from
profiting from human suffering

01:03:09.719 --> 01:03:13.554
or the suffering of other beings."

01:03:18.455 --> 01:03:21.462
In a sense, this mindfulness training

01:03:22.466 --> 01:03:25.848
is also a lifestyle.

01:03:26.236 --> 01:03:35.440
It invites us to cultivate
the quality of generosity in ourselves,

01:03:37.310 --> 01:03:40.495
and to bring happiness to others.

01:03:41.431 --> 01:03:44.856
We can notice that we have this quality

01:03:45.623 --> 01:03:51.305
when we are willing to share our time,
and energy, and material resources,

01:03:51.607 --> 01:03:53.285
to help others.

01:03:53.578 --> 01:04:00.577
But it does not require that we have
money or material resources to give.

01:04:02.961 --> 01:04:09.723
Generosity is reflected in our way
of thinking, speaking, and acting.

01:04:16.634 --> 01:04:20.714
I've noticed when
I have gratitude in my heart,

01:04:21.068 --> 01:04:25.579
I am so thankful for all the conditions
that are available

01:04:27.772 --> 01:04:31.022
for me to practice, to be in the sangha,

01:04:31.850 --> 01:04:35.811
to have the basic necessities,
and even more,

01:04:36.391 --> 01:04:39.442
to live in a beautiful environment,

01:04:43.781 --> 01:04:46.779
to have the love and support of others,

01:04:46.994 --> 01:04:54.321
then, naturally generosity flows.
It flows easily from our hearts.

01:04:57.569 --> 01:05:02.123
We've seen how beautifully our friends
who come to practice with us

01:05:02.346 --> 01:05:07.123
are so generous in sharing
their time and their energy.

01:05:08.187 --> 01:05:13.416
They have already given material support,
they do it in so many ways.

01:05:14.748 --> 01:05:20.643
During our big retreats, we receive many-
We receive volunteers who come

01:05:21.497 --> 01:05:25.369
to support us in the service,
and the sharings,

01:05:26.141 --> 01:05:28.111
and the practice.

01:05:28.825 --> 01:05:32.696
In our hamlet, there are friends
who are sharing their time now

01:05:33.600 --> 01:05:36.965
to share their skills with languages.

01:05:37.453 --> 01:05:43.249
So our sisters practice pronunciation
in English and French.

01:05:46.583 --> 01:05:51.351
Yes, there are so many ways
that generosity is being offered.

01:05:57.435 --> 01:06:00.343
We learned from one of our senior monks,

01:06:00.531 --> 01:06:03.307
I remember this was
in one of his Dharma talks,

01:06:03.448 --> 01:06:08.727
that a man came to him and said that
he wasn't able to give.

01:06:09.086 --> 01:06:13.027
He had a lot of difficulty giving,
and he wanted help

01:06:13.497 --> 01:06:17.007
to be able to change
and to be able to give.

01:06:18.687 --> 01:06:23.507
So the brother told him,
and I hope I have the story right,

01:06:23.734 --> 01:06:27.836
but it sounded good to me,
so I share it with you.

01:06:28.026 --> 01:06:30.957
So the brother told him,
gave him an apple and said,

01:06:31.160 --> 01:06:34.331
"Okay, put the apple in your right hand.

01:06:35.032 --> 01:06:38.872
Now, give the apple to your left hand.

01:06:40.000 --> 01:06:44.007
Then, give the apple back
to your right hand.

01:06:44.414 --> 01:06:47.361
And continue to do that.

01:06:48.227 --> 01:06:51.324
Keep giving yourself the apple.

01:06:52.200 --> 01:06:55.114
Letting the right hand
give to the left hand

01:06:55.260 --> 01:06:58.427
and the left hand give to the right hand."

01:06:58.820 --> 01:07:03.498
And the retreatant said
it was very effective.

01:07:06.570 --> 01:07:12.248
So we want to give ourself also
what we need.

01:07:12.575 --> 01:07:16.277
Sometimes we need
a little bit more time for ourself,

01:07:16.781 --> 01:07:20.048
a little bit more space,
a little bit more rest,

01:07:20.275 --> 01:07:23.804
a little bit more of this or that.

01:07:24.285 --> 01:07:28.904
But it means we've taken the time
to get in touch with

01:07:30.398 --> 01:07:33.230
what our needs are.

01:07:34.651 --> 01:07:38.555
And then when we know a little bit more
what our needs are,

01:07:39.105 --> 01:07:42.506
we can ask others for their support

01:07:44.437 --> 01:07:46.739
or let people know

01:07:46.895 --> 01:07:52.107
how they can provide a little need
and make a request.

01:07:56.167 --> 01:08:01.178
I also discovered when there is generosity
in my heart and mind

01:08:01.357 --> 01:08:04.385
there is no thought of stealing.

01:08:04.610 --> 01:08:07.806
Some times we steal because we have fear.

01:08:07.983 --> 01:08:10.447
Fear that we won't have enough,

01:08:10.626 --> 01:08:14.023
we can't meet our needs
or the needs of those we love,

01:08:15.263 --> 01:08:18.198
fears that others will get

01:08:19.665 --> 01:08:22.195
what we should have.

01:08:23.127 --> 01:08:29.176
So the stealing is perhaps based
on fear and anxiety in the future.

01:08:29.570 --> 01:08:32.535
Or even in the present moment.

01:08:33.428 --> 01:08:37.548
Now, there are
many more forms of stealing.

01:08:38.791 --> 01:08:43.351
In the past we thought of the big stealing
as robbing a bank.

01:08:43.894 --> 01:08:47.149
But now there are others ways there,

01:08:47.350 --> 01:08:53.425
with the world of the Internet
and electronic devices,

01:08:53.862 --> 01:08:57.321
there is the possibility
of stealing electronically,

01:08:57.936 --> 01:09:05.187
pirating email accounts, viruses, hacking,
all that sort of stuff.

01:09:05.976 --> 01:09:09.222
We can't see the person or the persons

01:09:09.885 --> 01:09:13.931
but our server will let us know,
"Someone has just entered your account.

01:09:14.226 --> 01:09:17.739
You want to secure it?"
"Yes."

01:09:19.626 --> 01:09:22.817
But we don't know enough, really.

01:09:26.595 --> 01:09:30.408
In our precepts we know

01:09:31.051 --> 01:09:36.297
that something is not stolen as long as
it has been given to us.

01:09:36.547 --> 01:09:41.000
So we ask permission. May I borrow this?
May I use it?

01:09:41.368 --> 01:09:46.605
If we can't find the person to ask
permission to borrow or use something,

01:09:46.787 --> 01:09:48.845
then we leave a note.

01:09:48.980 --> 01:09:52.804
"I couldn't find you, so I borrowed
your pen and I will return it."

01:09:56.978 --> 01:10:02.425
So, again, our mindfulness practice
and reading the mindfulness trainings

01:10:03.022 --> 01:10:06.474
helps remind us

01:10:09.477 --> 01:10:11.921
that we don't have to steal.

01:10:12.096 --> 01:10:15.578
We can take time to see
that we have enough already

01:10:16.649 --> 01:10:20.122
and we can ask if we need something.

01:10:21.365 --> 01:10:26.364
Generosity and gratitude
are one way of cultivating

01:10:26.592 --> 01:10:29.922
the opposite energy of stealing.

01:10:30.964 --> 01:10:35.859
Last summer we learned from one of
the retreatants in our discussion group

01:10:36.192 --> 01:10:41.923
that in her family
they have a gratitude jar.

01:10:43.335 --> 01:10:46.918
And the whole family, 
each member in the family

01:10:47.732 --> 01:10:52.896
takes turns of writing a gratitude,
something they are grateful for.

01:10:53.405 --> 01:10:56.998
As soon as a gratitude comes up.

01:10:57.494 --> 01:11:01.102
And they write their gratitude,
they put it in the jar

01:11:01.365 --> 01:11:06.873
and then, the family gets together
and they take out all the gratitudes

01:11:07.147 --> 01:11:10.134
of the family members
and they read it together

01:11:10.296 --> 01:11:14.127
in their circle of friendship.

01:11:15.214 --> 01:11:19.379
It's so wonderful,
and it's a happy moment.

01:11:20.066 --> 01:11:25.783
So some of us are doing that this winter
with our three months retreatants.

01:11:26.609 --> 01:11:31.319
Inviting everyone to write a gratitude
daily, if we can.

01:11:31.662 --> 01:11:37.936
We put the gratitude in the jar, and
once a week we read all the gratitudes.

01:11:44.164 --> 01:11:47.726
Continuing with looking into generosity,

01:11:49.900 --> 01:11:54.966
it's a practice we do when we want
to help alleviate the suffering caused

01:11:55.192 --> 01:12:00.400
by exploitation, social injustice,
stealing, and oppression.

01:12:01.857 --> 01:12:09.211
When we want to think of ways
that we can give in order to help others.

01:12:11.963 --> 01:12:16.988
Exploitation, social injustice,
stealing and oppression

01:12:17.852 --> 01:12:20.684
come in many forms now,

01:12:21.216 --> 01:12:26.705
and create much suffering for those
who are caught in those situations.

01:12:27.327 --> 01:12:30.901
These situations exist now
in many countries,

01:12:31.931 --> 01:12:36.332
and in countries that
are described as developing.

01:12:37.335 --> 01:12:42.219
Countries of Africa, Asia,
Central and South America,

01:12:42.945 --> 01:12:49.219
the Caribbean and Dominican Republic,
as I've read are such countries.

01:12:51.877 --> 01:12:58.914
So, with our bodhisattva aspiration
we want to see how we, as consumers,

01:12:59.124 --> 01:13:03.934
can help end the inequalities

01:13:04.180 --> 01:13:09.572
and exploitation that have existed there.

01:13:11.010 --> 01:13:15.290
So, we now know
that there is something called

01:13:15.439 --> 01:13:20.671
The World Fair Trade Organization.

01:13:21.367 --> 01:13:30.535
Fair Trade is now a global network of
324 organizations in over 70 countries.

01:13:31.899 --> 01:13:39.114
And in France, I believe
the organization is called 'Équitable',

01:13:40.246 --> 01:13:42.748
something like that.

01:13:43.045 --> 01:13:47.738
So, if we see a product
that has this logo,

01:13:48.244 --> 01:13:54.832
this word, Fair Trade, we know
that the farmers and the workers

01:13:56.633 --> 01:14:00.783
have worked under conditions
that have given them

01:14:02.824 --> 01:14:10.098
a decent salary, a fair salary,
they have not been exploited, a good wage.

01:14:12.367 --> 01:14:15.827
They've had good working conditions

01:14:16.225 --> 01:14:21.439
and they have a voice in selling
their products to the world market.

01:14:22.166 --> 01:14:28.830
And not only that, but they have
decent housing and medical care.

01:14:29.633 --> 01:14:36.269
We know it's not perfect everywhere, but
there has been some wonderful changes.

01:14:37.571 --> 01:14:42.839
So if we want to purchase in a mindful
way, we can look for this assurance.

01:14:44.438 --> 01:14:49.558
Work of the fair trade products
that we can buy, that are available,

01:14:50.301 --> 01:14:56.611
they are bananas, coffee, cacao,
the chocolate,

01:14:58.052 --> 01:15:06.334
tea, cotton for making fair trade
clothing, flowers, sugar and gold.

01:15:10.347 --> 01:15:16.972
So as consumers, we know we can
perhaps pay just a little bit more,

01:15:17.166 --> 01:15:23.207
this is the expression of our generosity,
by buying these products.

01:15:24.192 --> 01:15:30.823
And we know that the people
in the developing countries will benefit.

01:15:31.708 --> 01:15:34.885
This is what we are told.

01:15:36.496 --> 01:15:42.110
Another example of practicing generosity
is available to us

01:15:42.696 --> 01:15:45.976
when we support the humanitarian programs

01:15:46.166 --> 01:15:51.007
in Vietnam that Thay and sister
Chan Khong started

01:15:51.169 --> 01:15:57.412
to bring hope and relief to families
and children in Vietnam after the war.

01:15:58.272 --> 01:16:03.699
These humanitarian programs
have existed for 42 years now.

01:16:05.369 --> 01:16:16.417
And we can support and sponsor a young
child 2 or 3 years old up to 6 years old

01:16:17.509 --> 01:16:23.287
in nursery schools who live
in remote mountain villages,

01:16:23.922 --> 01:16:29.135
but also in small fishing villages
in Central Vietnam.

01:16:30.581 --> 01:16:35.245
These children have parents
who have to work during the day.

01:16:35.930 --> 01:16:38.836
So the children are left alone.

01:16:39.091 --> 01:16:42.599
But with our sponsoring and support,

01:16:43.061 --> 01:16:47.903
nursery schools and creches
have been developed where they go

01:16:48.105 --> 01:16:56.271
and the children have activities
and are assured a nutritious noon meal,

01:16:56.598 --> 01:17:03.484
a nutritious lunch and a snack. And
they have teachers looking after them.

01:17:04.720 --> 01:17:12.751
So, for as little as 1 euro a day, 1 euro,
we can support a child.

01:17:13.410 --> 01:17:17.961
But if we don't have 1 euro a day,
we can give 10 euros a month,

01:17:18.464 --> 01:17:22.557
which is about 33 euros () a day.

01:17:24.547 --> 01:17:30.324
This generosity on our part
goes a long, long way,

01:17:30.578 --> 01:17:35.988
to create happiness and well-being
for the future generations.

01:17:37.263 --> 01:17:41.687
We know that Thay is now in Vietnam,
in his root temple.

01:17:42.061 --> 01:17:47.591
And everyone is benefiting from
his generosity to go there,

01:17:47.776 --> 01:17:51.280
to be with the people, with the -

01:17:51.524 --> 01:17:59.857
He will offer his time, energy and
presence to be there, to support everyone.

01:18:01.778 --> 01:18:05.050
There is a wonderful web page.

01:18:05.919 --> 01:18:13.200
In French, there is one word, it says,
pourlesenfantsduvietnam.com.

01:18:13.737 --> 01:18:19.796
One word. I don't know the English web page
but I'm sure every country,

01:18:21.348 --> 01:18:29.353
European countries have this program,
Germany, Italy, and the UK have it as well.

01:18:30.483 --> 01:18:34.430
Let's enjoy the sound of the bell
for the conclusion.

01:18:34.931 --> 01:18:37.621
Thank you for your patience.

01:18:37.844 --> 01:18:41.892
These trainings contain a lot.
So I found myself

01:18:46.154 --> 01:18:51.233
giving my time, energy,
to understanding them,

01:18:52.469 --> 01:18:55.371
and creating this sharing.

01:18:59.753 --> 01:19:01.773
(Bell)

01:19:09.293 --> 01:19:15.393
(Bell)

01:19:42.867 --> 01:19:45.650
So to conclude,

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let us invite Thay, so to speak,

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to end this Dharma talk by listening
to some selections from his poetry.

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So we'll be using our ears

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listening to some very
beautiful lines he wrote

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that will nourish our appreciation
of beauty and happiness.

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We remember the Zen master who invited his
student to listen to the mountain stream

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as a way of entering the way.

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We know Thay already entered the way
a long, long, long time ago.

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As a young monk, he was already -
He had already entered the way.

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But he wrote in one of his poems:

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"I see a clear stream,
flowing between cracks in the rocks,

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its water laughing,
while the trees whistle.

01:21:01.647 --> 01:21:07.024
I see a clear stream,
flowing between cracks in the rocks,

01:21:07.836 --> 01:21:12.161
its water laughing,
while the trees whistle.

01:21:13.152 --> 01:21:17.900
Together we celebrate a morning of peace.

01:21:19.020 --> 01:21:22.201
Let us accept one another.

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Let us share the vision
and make it possible

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for Great Love to arise."

01:21:37.139 --> 01:21:40.085
Thank you, dear friends,
for your listening.

01:21:50.211 --> 01:21:51.967
(Bell)

01:21:59.806 --> 01:22:05.733
(Bell)

01:22:31.162 --> 01:22:37.279
(Bell)

01:23:01.387 --> 01:23:07.449
(Bell)

01:23:27.914 --> 01:23:29.264
(Bell)