0:00:25.690,0:00:27.406
(Bell)

0:00:32.201,0:00:37.196
(Inaudible)

0:00:56.629,0:01:04.371
(fr): We will begin by listening[br]to three sounds of the bell.

0:01:06.200,0:01:09.614
Dear Thay, dear sisters,[br]dear friends, dear brothers,

0:01:10.631,0:01:14.658
now we will practice together[br]a short guided sitting meditation.

0:01:16.145,0:01:20.905
Please find a comfortable[br]and stable sitting posture,

0:01:22.121,0:01:24.701
be aware of your breathing,

0:01:25.152,0:01:27.899
keep a gentle smile as you breathe.

0:01:28.333,0:01:32.378
We will begin by listening[br]to three sounds of the bell.

0:01:40.368,0:01:41.982
(Bell)

0:01:44.914,0:01:51.208
(Bell)

0:02:13.767,0:02:19.778
(Bell)

0:02:39.340,0:02:45.450
(Bell)

0:03:02.458,0:03:03.940
(Bell)

0:03:04.972,0:03:10.017
(French)

0:03:24.540,0:03:28.335
Breathing in,[br]I am aware of my in-breath.

0:03:30.416,0:03:35.211
Breathing out,[br]I am aware of my out-breath.

0:03:36.742,0:03:40.972
In-breath, out-breath.

0:03:42.537,0:03:48.596
(Bell)

0:05:23.464,0:05:25.029
(Bell)

0:05:26.311,0:05:31.789
(French)

0:05:43.925,0:05:48.604
Breathing in,[br]my breath goes deep.

0:05:50.286,0:05:55.696
Breathing out,[br]my breath goes slowly.

0:05:57.195,0:06:00.358
Deep, slow.

0:06:01.922,0:06:08.132
(Bell)

0:08:21.976,0:08:23.807
(Bell)

0:08:26.155,0:08:31.566
(French)

0:08:47.065,0:08:51.779
Breathing in,[br]I am aware of my body.

0:08:53.409,0:08:58.104
Breathing out,[br]I smile to my body.

0:08:59.637,0:09:04.847
Aware of body,[br]smiling to body.

0:09:07.528,0:09:13.722
(Bell)

0:11:02.656,0:11:04.338
(Bell)

0:11:06.137,0:11:11.880
(French)

0:11:25.084,0:11:29.810
Breathing in,[br]I feel joyful to be alive.

0:11:31.209,0:11:37.087
Breathing out,[br]I smile to life within me and around me.

0:11:38.452,0:11:41.896
Being alive, smiling.

0:11:43.830,0:11:50.123
(Bell)

0:14:20.032,0:14:21.444
(Bell)

0:14:23.158,0:14:29.285
(French)

0:14:42.704,0:14:47.468
Breathing in,[br]I dwell in the present moment.

0:14:48.932,0:14:54.109
Breathing out,[br]I enjoy the present moment.

0:14:55.974,0:15:00.137
Present moment, enjoying.

0:15:01.834,0:15:08.143
(Bell)

0:17:37.654,0:17:39.036
(Bell)

0:17:41.768,0:17:47.628
(Bell)

0:18:08.439,0:18:12.336
Thank you for your practice.[br](French)

0:18:12.868,0:18:16.048
Dear Thay, dear brothers and sisters,

0:18:16.348,0:18:19.611
we would like to invite[br]all the monastic brothers and sisters

0:18:19.844,0:18:23.208
to come up for chanting[br]before the Dharma talk. Thank you.

0:18:54.024,0:18:55.473
(Bell)

0:18:58.753,0:19:04.846
(Bell)

0:19:23.245,0:19:29.521
(Bell)

0:19:44.338,0:19:50.515
(Bell)

0:20:10.016,0:20:11.649
(Bell)

0:20:13.647,0:20:16.327
Contemplations before chanting.

0:20:17.159,0:20:20.873
The sangha is invited[br]to come back to our breathing

0:20:21.606,0:20:27.666
so that our collective energy of mindfulness[br]will bring us together as an organism,

0:20:28.482,0:20:32.331
going as a river with no more separation.

0:20:33.576,0:20:36.921
Let the whole sangha breathe as one body,

0:20:37.372,0:20:41.501
chant as one body,[br]listen as one body,

0:20:42.300,0:20:45.831
and transcend the boundaries[br]of a delusive self,

0:20:46.513,0:20:52.273
liberating from the superiority complex,[br]the inferiority complex,

0:20:52.774,0:20:55.287
and the equality complex.

0:20:57.685,0:21:04.693
# May the day be well[br]# and the night be well.

0:21:05.675,0:21:12.487
# May the midday hour[br]# bring happiness, too.

0:21:13.400,0:21:25.039
# In every minute and every second,[br]# may the day and night be well.

0:21:25.688,0:21:35.511
# By the blessing of the Triple Gem,[br]# may all things be protected and safe.

0:21:36.211,0:21:42.221
# May all beings[br]# born in each of the four ways

0:21:42.736,0:21:48.131
# live in a land of purity.

0:21:48.863,0:21:55.158
# May all in three Realms[br]# be born upon Lotus Thrones.

0:21:55.607,0:21:59.886
# May countless wandering souls

0:22:00.136,0:22:07.126
# realize the three virtuous positions[br]# of the Bodhisattva Path.

0:22:07.527,0:22:13.338
# May all living beings,[br]# with grace and ease,

0:22:13.719,0:22:18.499
# fulfill the Bodhisattva Stages.

0:22:18.932,0:22:27.921
# The countenance of the World-Honored One,[br]# like the full moon,

0:22:28.522,0:22:38.477
# or like the orb of the sun,[br]# shines with the light of clarity.

0:22:39.011,0:22:47.735
# A halo of wisdom[br]# spreads in every direction,

0:22:48.334,0:23:02.237
# enveloping all with love and compassion,[br]# joy, and equanimity.

0:23:03.471,0:23:16.872
# Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya.

0:23:17.671,0:23:31.423
# Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya.

0:23:32.222,0:23:48.555
# Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya. #

0:23:49.237,0:23:51.818
(Bell)

0:23:59.227,0:24:10.299
# The Buddha jewel shines infinitely,[br]# enlightened for countless lifetimes.

0:24:10.732,0:24:16.191
# The beauty and stability[br]# of a Buddha sitting

0:24:16.507,0:24:20.937
# is seen in mountains and rivers.

0:24:21.303,0:24:26.698
# How splendid is the Vulture Peak!

0:24:27.147,0:24:37.270
# How beautiful the light,[br]# that shines forth from Buddha’s brow,

0:24:37.836,0:24:42.481
# illumining the six dark paths.

0:24:42.864,0:24:52.970
# To the Nagapushpa assembly we will go,

0:24:53.436,0:25:02.643
# to continue the true teachings[br]# and practices.

0:25:03.692,0:25:11.135
# We take refuge[br]# in the Buddha ever present.

0:25:13.566,0:25:24.336
# The Dharma jewel is infinitely lovely,[br]# the precious words of Buddha.

0:25:24.887,0:25:34.925
# Like fragrant flowers[br]# floating down from the heavens.

0:25:35.492,0:25:45.565
# The wonderful Dharma is plain to see,

0:25:46.031,0:25:55.938
# it is recorded luminously[br]# in three transparent baskets.

0:25:56.503,0:26:06.193
# From generation to generation[br]# handed down in ten directions,

0:26:06.709,0:26:16.332
# so that today we can see our way.[br]# We vow to learn with all our heart.

0:26:16.849,0:26:24.158
# We take refuge[br]# in the Dharma ever present.

0:26:27.587,0:26:36.914
# The Sangha jewel is infinitely precious,[br]# a field of merit and good seeds.

0:26:37.561,0:26:47.217
# The three robes and begging bowl [br]# are symbols of freedom.

0:26:47.664,0:26:57.240
# The mindfulness trainings,[br]# concentration, and insight

0:26:57.805,0:27:07.262
# support each other.[br]# In mindfulness day and night,

0:27:07.744,0:27:12.906
# the Sangha dwells and is the foundation

0:27:13.206,0:27:22.879
# for us to realize[br]# the fruit of meditation.

0:27:23.229,0:27:27.441
# With one heart, we come home

0:27:27.791,0:27:35.598
# and take refuge[br]# in the Sangha ever present. #

0:27:36.931,0:27:40.594
(Bell)

0:27:40.860,0:27:45.771
(Bell)

0:27:46.370,0:27:47.470
(Bell)

0:27:56.510,0:27:58.258
(Bell)

0:28:14.758,0:28:16.874
(Bell)

0:28:30.073,0:28:33.984
Breathing in, I go back[br]to the island within myself.

0:28:34.285,0:28:37.381
There are beautiful trees on the island.

0:28:44.840,0:28:47.953
Breathing out,[br]I feel safe.

0:28:48.903,0:28:52.399
I enjoy going back to my island.

0:29:05.317,0:29:08.665
Most respected Thay, dear sangha,

0:29:09.232,0:29:13.560
today is the 8th of May in the year 2022,

0:29:14.227,0:29:20.004
we are in the New Hamlet,[br]in the Full Moon meditation hall

0:29:21.252,0:29:24.332
on our day of mindfulness.

0:29:31.843,0:29:39.918
We are going to listen[br]to three sounds of the bell

0:29:41.033,0:29:44.463
in order to come back to the island

0:29:46.510,0:29:48.408
(Vietnamese)

0:29:54.214,0:29:57.611
in order to come back[br]to the island within ourselves.

0:29:59.876,0:30:04.353
Please, enjoy your breathing.[br]That is the best way home.

0:30:13.106,0:30:15.027
(Bell)

0:30:19.514,0:30:25.402
(Bell)

0:30:59.488,0:31:05.727
(Bell)

0:31:40.639,0:31:46.981
(Bell)

0:32:26.840,0:32:36.968
Dear sangha, in Israel, Palestine,[br]in what I believe is called no man's land,

0:32:38.453,0:32:43.171
there is a practice center,

0:32:44.223,0:32:47.728
I think founded by a Christian monk.

0:32:49.345,0:32:54.598
And the name of the center[br]is Neve Shalom.

0:32:56.018,0:32:59.940
The word "neve" means[br]an island.

0:33:00.891,0:33:03.826
And "shalom" means peace.

0:33:05.263,0:33:08.065
Island of peace.

0:33:13.652,0:33:17.291
Because we, human beings,

0:33:17.624,0:33:23.746
we all need that island of peace.

0:33:30.171,0:33:34.256
Maybe we've been looking for it[br]for a long time.

0:33:36.844,0:33:41.733
And we find that when[br]we are looking for our island of peace,

0:33:42.166,0:33:46.720
we go around in circles.

0:33:54.710,0:34:01.653
Today is also Mother's Day[br]in the United States.

0:34:02.318,0:34:05.155
I don't know what other countries.

0:34:06.055,0:34:08.609
I think in Australia also.

0:34:13.414,0:34:20.954
We have to ask,[br]is my mother in me at peace?

0:34:28.062,0:34:31.799
We all have a mother inside of us.

0:34:32.732,0:34:36.352
We would not be here[br]if it was not for our mother.

0:34:38.672,0:34:41.239
But, is she at peace?

0:34:42.560,0:34:47.482
Did she have to go through war?

0:34:52.636,0:34:56.958
Has she found peace yet?

0:35:05.132,0:35:07.668
I think we can help her.

0:35:12.956,0:35:16.893
I think we can help her find peace.

0:35:18.495,0:35:21.916
We can talk to her.

0:35:25.570,0:35:30.240
Last week, for those of you who were here,

0:35:33.810,0:35:37.582
you practiced that meditation before.

0:35:39.248,0:35:44.104
You practiced the meditation[br]before the beginning of the Dharma talk.

0:35:47.458,0:35:49.941
Aware of my back,

0:35:53.613,0:35:59.736
I know that it is my back,[br]but it's also my mother's back.

0:36:00.338,0:36:07.795
Because in every cell of my back[br]are the genes of my mother and my father.

0:36:10.113,0:36:14.167
So aware of my back,

0:36:14.915,0:36:20.073
I am also aware that[br]I am sitting with my mother's back.

0:36:23.278,0:36:26.063
It is not just my back.

0:36:29.197,0:36:32.749
It is also my mother's back.

0:36:34.236,0:36:36.938
I cannot escape that truth.

0:36:40.059,0:36:42.228
It's very scientific.

0:36:47.500,0:36:51.087
Then we practiced,[br]aware of my lungs.

0:36:52.573,0:36:54.591
They are my lungs,

0:36:55.576,0:37:00.129
but they are also my mother's lungs.

0:37:01.130,0:37:07.986
Because my mother is in every cell[br]of my lungs with her genes.

0:37:10.941,0:37:17.681
So I am breathing with my mother's lungs,[br]I am sitting with my mother's back.

0:37:18.464,0:37:23.201
That is the practice for us to do[br]on Mother's Day.

0:37:27.552,0:37:31.473
Do not think that[br]you are separate from your mother.

0:37:34.310,0:37:37.647
Her suffering is also your suffering.

0:37:42.602,0:37:46.890
When we can come back[br]to that island of peace in ourselves

0:37:47.775,0:37:53.016
with our sitting and our breathing,

0:37:56.351,0:38:00.036
then we can begin to feel safe.

0:38:05.284,0:38:09.787
We need to feel safe for our mother,

0:38:10.489,0:38:13.258
so she can feel safe too.

0:38:14.076,0:38:19.031
Because maybe[br]in the in the Second World War,

0:38:20.548,0:38:23.969
she had to run away from the bombs.

0:38:32.960,0:38:35.062
So talk to her.

0:38:35.798,0:38:39.601
Tell her, "Mother, we're safe now."

0:38:43.105,0:38:47.276
Maybe she was a child during the war.

0:38:49.112,0:38:51.747
That is the war we had in Europe,

0:38:51.947,0:38:56.017
or any other war that you have[br]in any other part of the world.

0:39:02.074,0:39:04.091
And the fear

0:39:05.958,0:39:11.733
that people suffer from[br]during war is very great.

0:39:15.337,0:39:21.409
It's very difficult to heal,[br]to transform.

0:39:24.513,0:39:28.416
We need to help our mother in us.

0:39:33.288,0:39:38.544
Tell her, "Mother, we are safe now."

0:39:41.796,0:39:46.084
Because your mother's fear,[br]it can become your fear.

0:39:47.252,0:39:51.708
Sometimes we have to recognize[br]this fear that is coming up in me

0:39:52.089,0:39:54.577
isn't just my fear.

0:39:54.927,0:39:59.115
It is also my mother's fear[br]and my father's fear.

0:40:00.616,0:40:07.005
So I take care of my mother, and father,[br]and myself at the same time.

0:40:10.610,0:40:16.081
Last week or...[br]I don't remember how many weeks,

0:40:16.265,0:40:21.570
sister Eleni, sister Từ Nghiêm,[br]gave a Dharma talk.

0:40:22.503,0:40:26.559
She mentioned a story[br]that the Buddha told.

0:40:27.927,0:40:30.562
I will tell you again.

0:40:31.513,0:40:34.117
There is a couple,

0:40:35.367,0:40:42.123
a father and a daughter maybe,[br]or master and disciple.

0:40:43.876,0:40:49.382
And together they do an acrobatic act[br]to make their living.

0:40:50.212,0:40:52.868
It is quite dangerous.

0:40:53.384,0:40:59.742
The father has a bamboo pole[br]to put on his forehead,

0:41:00.126,0:41:03.730
and the daughter has to climb up it.

0:41:06.263,0:41:11.754
So the father, or the master, says,[br]"My dear child,

0:41:13.054,0:41:17.058
this act of us[br]is the way we make our living.

0:41:17.710,0:41:20.163
So it's very important.

0:41:20.948,0:41:25.434
But our safety is also very important.

0:41:26.284,0:41:31.208
So we have to be sure[br]that the act will be successful.

0:41:31.557,0:41:36.913
Then, people will give us some money,[br]and we can buy some rice."

0:41:39.263,0:41:47.371
Then the father, the master, said,[br]"And this is the best way to do it.

0:41:48.405,0:41:51.959
You have to be aware of me.

0:41:52.863,0:42:00.302
So in that way, you can protect me.[br]And I have to be aware of you.

0:42:01.567,0:42:04.669
And in that way, I will protect you."

0:42:05.655,0:42:08.224
And the daughter listened.

0:42:08.540,0:42:13.880
Then she said, "Father, I don't agree.

0:42:15.278,0:42:21.002
The best way is[br]that I take care of myself,

0:42:22.688,0:42:25.921
and you take care of yourself.

0:42:26.692,0:42:33.716
If we do that, then we will take care[br]of each other at the same time."

0:42:35.435,0:42:43.993
Then they went to the Buddha and asked,[br]"What is the best way to protect us?"

0:42:44.776,0:42:48.097
And the Buddha said,[br]"The daughter is right.

0:42:49.163,0:42:52.067
If you take care of yourself,

0:42:52.251,0:42:59.075
you will also be taking care[br]of the other person."

0:43:04.913,0:43:08.100
That is a question we are all asking.

0:43:09.253,0:43:15.960
How can we be safe[br]when we see the growth of the right wing?

0:43:17.111,0:43:25.187
When we know about the war in Ukraine?

0:43:28.455,0:43:30.857
We have the COVID.

0:43:31.308,0:43:38.032
There are so many things[br]that stop us from feeling safe.

0:43:39.700,0:43:45.390
So the first thing we need to do[br]is to come back to ourselves and realize

0:43:45.957,0:43:48.776
that we don't feel safe.

0:43:51.413,0:43:54.983
And our mother in us doesn't feel safe.

0:43:56.952,0:44:00.188
So what are we going to do?

0:44:02.788,0:44:08.796
How are we going to create[br]a feeling of protection?

0:44:09.831,0:44:13.550
Protect ourselves and protect others?

0:44:16.287,0:44:18.574
We just sang a chant,

0:44:19.741,0:44:22.694
the mindfulness trainings,

0:44:25.296,0:44:29.216
the sangha is a precious jewel.

0:44:29.449,0:44:36.474
The mindfulness trainings, concentration,[br]and insight support each other.

0:44:40.462,0:44:44.982
# The mindfulness trainings,[br]# concentration, and insight

0:44:45.550,0:44:49.971
# support each other. #

0:44:50.637,0:44:59.497
In mindfulness day and night[br]the Sangha dwells and is the foundation

0:45:00.148,0:45:04.655
for us to realize the fruit of meditation.

0:45:07.406,0:45:10.641
I don't know,[br]when you come to Plum Village,

0:45:11.276,0:45:16.064
do you feel that protection?

0:45:17.165,0:45:26.324
Do you feel that island of safety,[br]of peace, when you come to Plum Village?

0:45:26.856,0:45:31.979
Because that is our aspiration.

0:45:32.980,0:45:35.882
That is Thay's aspiration,

0:45:36.467,0:45:43.488
that we have a safe place[br]for people to come to.

0:45:48.945,0:45:53.901
Many children, when they go to school,[br]many teachers when they go to school,

0:45:54.401,0:46:00.692
they don't feel safe in the school.[br]There's a lot of violence.

0:46:05.111,0:46:09.934
So we need safe places[br]for our children to come to.

0:46:10.867,0:46:16.507
And the family needs to be a safe place[br]for the children to come home to.

0:46:18.509,0:46:21.813
Maybe if we spend more time in school[br]than we do at home,

0:46:22.028,0:46:28.386
we will be in touch with violence[br]more than we are in touch with safety.

0:46:31.373,0:46:36.360
So we need a different kind of school,[br]a different kind of education.

0:46:36.661,0:46:38.880
Is that not so?

0:46:42.249,0:46:49.607
What is it that helps Plum Village[br]to be a safe place?

0:46:50.757,0:46:55.359
The mindfulness trainings,[br]concentration, and insight.

0:46:59.517,0:47:05.688
Next Sunday you will have an opportunity,[br]if you want,

0:47:06.690,0:47:13.179
either to receive the 5 mindfulness[br]trainings to bring them into your life,

0:47:13.697,0:47:15.800
or to support others

0:47:16.017,0:47:20.303
who are bringing the five mindfulness[br]trainings into their life.

0:47:25.260,0:47:28.608
The five mindfulness trainings are maybe

0:47:30.330,0:47:35.455
the greatest protection[br]that we can have for ourselves,

0:47:36.091,0:47:40.061
our family, and our society.

0:47:43.647,0:47:50.320
The way we take care of ourselves,[br]and at the same time take care of others.

0:47:56.145,0:48:00.145
I want to -[br]Poetry.

0:48:01.500,0:48:04.906
Poetry can help us in the practice.

0:48:06.890,0:48:09.225
When you wake up in the morning,

0:48:11.646,0:48:14.499
you need to put your feet on the ground,

0:48:17.252,0:48:20.038
and put on your socks,[br]or put on your slippers,

0:48:22.089,0:48:24.943
and take your first steps of the day.

0:48:28.012,0:48:35.269
Morning, midday,[br]evening and night.

0:48:35.937,0:48:40.122
All you little creatures,[br]take care of yourself.

0:48:40.842,0:48:47.115
If my footstep is not in the right place,[br]and I step on you,

0:48:48.783,0:48:54.974
may you be reborn[br]in a place of safety and security.

0:48:55.873,0:49:02.596
I really don't want to step on you,[br]little ant, little caterpillar,

0:49:03.731,0:49:07.202
little slug, or snail,

0:49:07.552,0:49:12.089
but sometimes you're in my bath,[br]and I don't see you.

0:49:12.290,0:49:14.274
And I step on you.

0:49:14.509,0:49:17.663
I don't want you to suffer too long.

0:49:17.830,0:49:21.216
I want you to be born[br]in a place of no suffering.

0:49:22.384,0:49:26.338
So when we begin our day like that,

0:49:26.855,0:49:30.792
we are keeping the -[br]we are practicing according to

0:49:30.992,0:49:33.878
the first mindfulness training.

0:49:34.095,0:49:36.614
It's about protecting life.

0:49:37.248,0:49:40.785
And we want to protect life[br]as much as we can.

0:49:41.585,0:49:44.172
And we can't do it perfectly,

0:49:45.023,0:49:48.910
because we have[br]another little poem when we eat.

0:49:55.750,0:50:01.823
Eating in the dimension[br]beyond space and time -

0:50:04.325,0:50:10.398
Actually in the historical dimension[br]we are eating our lunch.

0:50:12.851,0:50:17.789
I chew in rhythm with my breath.

0:50:18.956,0:50:26.495
How dreadful, uh?[br]How dreadful that we eat each other,

0:50:27.982,0:50:31.036
I vow to practice compassion,

0:50:31.636,0:50:36.139
to take all beings to the other shore,

0:50:36.358,0:50:39.661
to help all beings[br]overcome their suffering.

0:50:40.979,0:50:47.685
Because you cannot say,[br]"I am 100% vegan". Can you?

0:50:48.635,0:50:55.593
When you envisage[br]the rice being grown in the field,

0:50:57.445,0:51:01.149
when you envisage the gardener

0:51:03.434,0:51:05.454
digging the earth,

0:51:05.670,0:51:10.875
you know that little beings[br]have contributed to the food that you eat.

0:51:11.210,0:51:13.645
So you know that

0:51:14.595,0:51:21.052
in order to stay alive[br]something else has to die,

0:51:21.937,0:51:24.974
like the little insects.

0:51:27.392,0:51:31.178
Nevertheless,[br]when you eat like that in mindfulness

0:51:31.364,0:51:34.231
and you give rise to compassion,

0:51:34.766,0:51:39.072
then that is a protection for the world.

0:51:39.952,0:51:43.358
Because we know that if we cannot -

0:51:43.543,0:51:49.013
We don't want to kill[br]even the smallest insect,

0:51:49.914,0:51:55.954
then there's no way we can kill something[br]that is bigger than the smallest insect.

0:51:59.057,0:52:02.793
And with the second mindfulness training

0:52:03.342,0:52:08.032
we want to develop our,[br]I think it's called true happiness.

0:52:08.615,0:52:16.190
We want to develop our contentment,[br]our happiness with what we have.

0:52:21.646,0:52:24.315
Because we have fear,

0:52:24.800,0:52:30.188
because we have the feeling of insecurity,

0:52:30.572,0:52:35.943
then sometimes we feel,[br]"Oh, things are getting dangerous!"

0:52:36.228,0:52:44.247
So we will go and we will buy[br]many tinned food and dry food,

0:52:44.694,0:52:47.513
and we will stock it up.

0:52:47.713,0:52:53.051
Then, when the dangerous time comes,[br]at least we will have something to eat.

0:53:03.773,0:53:07.595
But I don't think[br]that is our greatest protection.

0:53:14.886,0:53:17.739
When we become a monk or a nun,

0:53:18.222,0:53:22.507
we receive a bowl, a begging bowl.

0:53:22.936,0:53:28.571
Actually we don't go backing out[br]on the street anymore in Plum Village.

0:53:28.790,0:53:30.909
You very kindly

0:53:32.741,0:53:40.002
help us by coming to our retreat[br]and paying some money when you come.

0:53:42.736,0:53:46.341
That is our alms round in Plum Village.

0:53:46.556,0:53:51.396
But when we receive our alms bowl,

0:53:53.365,0:54:02.305
we feel that if I practice correctly,[br]I will not need to go hungry.

0:54:06.361,0:54:10.498
So don't think about[br]tomorrow, what shall we eat?

0:54:12.634,0:54:21.259
Practice the mindfulness trainings[br]of contentment with what we have today.

0:54:30.318,0:54:34.222
There were times[br]in the lifetime of the Buddha,

0:54:34.940,0:54:40.111
when the monks and the Buddha[br]did not have enough to eat.

0:54:43.981,0:54:50.740
And one horse trainer

0:54:51.707,0:55:02.368
who had enough food for his horses,[br]and he had extra food for his horses.

0:55:03.219,0:55:09.106
And that food was the bran of the rice,[br]the outside part of the rice.

0:55:10.542,0:55:16.164
And he gave it to the monks[br]and to the Buddha to eat.

0:55:16.581,0:55:22.437
And Ananda, the Buddha's attendant,[br]used the mortar and a pestle,

0:55:22.738,0:55:28.776
made it very fine[br]so the Buddha could eat something.

0:55:29.060,0:55:32.865
They lived like that for three months.

0:55:34.800,0:55:38.989
At that time, they were in Vaisali.

0:55:40.121,0:55:45.562
We have to stay in one place [br]for three months as monks and nuns.

0:55:45.829,0:55:48.783
So we couldn't say,[br]"Let's go somewhere else

0:55:48.966,0:55:51.702
where they don't have a shortage of food."

0:55:51.870,0:55:56.171
They have to stay there,[br]and eat the bran for three months

0:55:57.191,0:56:02.229
to stay alive.[br]And then after that we will go on tour.

0:56:02.746,0:56:06.633
Maybe we will arrive in a place[br]where there's more food.

0:56:16.178,0:56:23.048
So in the second mindfulness training,[br]we have to keep reminding ourselves,

0:56:24.017,0:56:31.760
"I already have enough conditions[br]to be happy. I have two feet, I can walk.

0:56:32.593,0:56:38.148
I have two eyes that can see,[br]two ears that can hear.

0:56:39.649,0:56:43.885
I have the mindfulness trainings

0:56:44.088,0:56:49.377
that will help me relate in my family,[br]bring happiness to my family.

0:56:50.045,0:56:54.597
I have a spiritual path.[br]The most precious thing."

0:56:54.931,0:56:58.166
The Dharma jewel is infinitely -

0:57:03.040,0:57:06.861
It's infinitely lovely,[br]it's infinitely beautiful.

0:57:22.709,0:57:24.077
(Bell)

0:57:27.265,0:57:33.237
(Bell)

0:57:53.425,0:57:59.547
I do not want to consume too much.[br]I do not want to take more than I need.

0:58:00.782,0:58:03.200
That is because I know

0:58:03.484,0:58:08.656
I have the conditions for happiness[br]in the present moment.

0:58:10.340,0:58:13.177
That is the second mindfulness training.

0:58:17.965,0:58:22.553
And the third mindfulness training[br]is also about protection.

0:58:25.305,0:58:34.564
I want to protect families, couples,[br]from being broken by sexual misconduct.

0:58:39.071,0:58:45.275
It's about integrity,[br]about responsibility.

0:58:48.529,0:58:51.230
Because we are human beings,

0:58:51.631,0:58:56.619
and we have something[br]that is called human love.

0:58:58.688,0:59:02.708
And human beings are also animals.

0:59:03.809,0:59:11.218
We are really just another primate,[br]we shouldn't be too proud of ourselves.

0:59:13.069,0:59:17.440
But our particular species of primate

0:59:20.944,0:59:24.281
is human and has human love.

0:59:30.103,0:59:37.260
Now we see the birds are very happy,[br]they're making their nests,

0:59:37.977,0:59:40.311
having their family.

0:59:40.662,0:59:44.935
And they feel a lot of joy[br]and they sing with joy,

0:59:46.802,0:59:50.523
and bring us much happiness[br]when we hear them singing.

0:59:50.873,0:59:54.027
But they also get a little bit silly.

0:59:54.511,0:59:57.613
That is they are thinking about something,

0:59:57.780,1:00:02.051
and they forget that this is a road[br]with cars driving along.

1:00:02.802,1:00:06.006
So we are careful[br]when we drive in this season,

1:00:06.172,1:00:14.463
because the birds are sometimes[br]a bit too preoccupied with other things.

1:00:14.646,1:00:19.986
They go across the road[br]when it is not safe.

1:00:27.843,1:00:30.764
So the bird have the bird's love,

1:00:31.698,1:00:34.534
and the human have the human love.

1:00:36.202,1:00:41.925
And the human love contains many things,

1:00:43.625,1:00:50.200
like loving kindness, compassion,[br]joy and equanimity.

1:00:54.016,1:00:57.957
Human love[br]is much more than sexual desire,

1:01:00.634,1:01:04.119
but sexual desire is in all of us,

1:01:05.356,1:01:09.610
because we are animal species.

1:01:12.731,1:01:18.171
And we need to protect[br]our society, our family,

1:01:19.087,1:01:23.609
so that sexual desire[br]can be handled in the right way.

1:01:25.062,1:01:31.816
That is why we have the third[br]mindfulness training, true love.

1:01:35.369,1:01:37.840
Sex is not bad.

1:01:39.458,1:01:42.010
Only when it does harm,

1:01:44.463,1:01:49.349
when it breaks families, breaks couples,

1:01:51.520,1:01:59.128
when it encroaches our children.[br]That is very harmful.

1:02:00.746,1:02:05.202
And our deep aspiration[br]is to do everything we can

1:02:05.634,1:02:09.922
to protect children,[br]families, and couples.

1:02:17.728,1:02:20.032
And our relationships,

1:02:20.433,1:02:27.423
if we embark on a physical or[br]a long-term relationship,

1:02:28.725,1:02:31.193
it really needs support.

1:02:33.613,1:02:40.769
Because a relationship[br]is much more than a physical relationship.

1:02:41.969,1:02:46.941
A long-term relationship.[br]There's a spiritual relationship also.

1:02:47.927,1:02:51.345
So we need to ask for support.

1:02:51.764,1:02:57.970
"Dear sangha, please,[br]support our relationship."

1:03:06.327,1:03:13.001
Because a long-term relationship[br]isn't easy, you go through ups and downs.

1:03:13.835,1:03:18.191
If you know the sangha is there[br]to support you when it goes down,

1:03:21.711,1:03:26.832
then you feel that you can[br]practice with it and bring it up again.

1:03:29.716,1:03:36.225
The fourth mindfulness training[br]is about loving speech and deep listening.

1:03:37.307,1:03:40.912
Many people, when they receive[br]the mindfulness trainings,

1:03:41.161,1:03:46.583
they say, "Receiving the fourth[br]mindfulness training is enough.

1:03:47.703,1:03:54.159
It will take me a whole lifetime of practice[br]to speak lovingly and listen deeply.

1:03:54.376,1:03:57.413
So I'm going to concentrate[br]completely on that."

1:03:57.554,1:04:01.142
And that is wonderful,[br]when we hear that we're very happy.

1:04:01.358,1:04:06.130
To only receive one mindfulness training,[br]it makes us very happy,

1:04:06.330,1:04:11.718
because we know that when you practice[br]that fourth mindfulness training,

1:04:11.919,1:04:16.487
you will practice the other four[br]at the same time.

1:04:21.560,1:04:24.363
That is very beautiful, that training,

1:04:24.614,1:04:27.935
because listening deeply

1:04:28.552,1:04:34.105
to our partner, listening deeply[br]to other members of our family,

1:04:35.626,1:04:42.863
if we can do that then[br]we can go to places like Neve Shalom

1:04:44.150,1:04:53.594
and we can listen deeply to Palestinians,[br]we can listen deeply to Israelis,

1:04:55.011,1:04:58.532
so that they can[br]talk about their suffering.

1:04:59.017,1:05:05.137
It doesn't have to build up[br]until it becomes violence.

1:05:06.440,1:05:11.878
And so that we can listen[br]to the suffering of the other side,

1:05:12.128,1:05:16.432
the other side that we think is so cruel.

1:05:16.648,1:05:21.488
The other side which we think[br]will take away all our happiness.

1:05:22.455,1:05:27.511
We listen and we realize that[br]they suffer as much as we do.

1:05:28.313,1:05:32.364
And then, all you want to do[br]is hold their hand

1:05:32.782,1:05:35.886
as you do walking meditation.

1:05:36.102,1:05:39.588
This is what we have witnessed[br]in Plum Village

1:05:40.022,1:05:46.079
when Israelis, Palestinians have come[br]and listened to each other.

1:05:46.596,1:05:50.649
It's very difficult in the first week,

1:05:50.901,1:05:55.905
but after that, we can[br]come back to ourselves,

1:05:56.189,1:05:59.559
find enough peace and calm in ourselves

1:05:59.743,1:06:03.880
in order to be able to listen[br]to the suffering of others.

1:06:04.430,1:06:07.264
And when we've heard, we feel,

1:06:07.551,1:06:12.590
"I can take your hand and[br]walk with you in walking meditation."

1:06:20.465,1:06:26.519
We all have in us a judge[br]who likes to sit in judgment,

1:06:26.903,1:06:31.241
and decide who is right and who is wrong.

1:06:31.474,1:06:37.179
And usually the one who is right is me,[br]and the one who is wrong is you.

1:06:39.367,1:06:44.771
But we can go beyond that judge.

1:06:46.206,1:06:54.782
We can help that judge to go back like[br]a seed in our store consciousness.

1:06:55.430,1:07:00.502
He doesn't need[br]to sit on his seat of judgment anymore.

1:07:00.703,1:07:03.790
She, I shouldn't say he, I'm sorry.

1:07:04.007,1:07:08.929
They don't need to sit[br]on their seat of judgment anymore.

1:07:13.781,1:07:19.637
Then, you can listen to[br]the suffering of the other person

1:07:19.939,1:07:25.711
without judging, without reacting.[br]But it's not always easy,

1:07:26.194,1:07:32.602
because the other person will say things[br]that you feel are really not true,

1:07:33.135,1:07:36.236
that you feel are wrong perceptions.

1:07:36.938,1:07:39.041
And you keep listening.

1:07:39.241,1:07:41.595
We have a little poem.

1:07:44.280,1:07:48.401
You are me, and I am you.

1:07:50.419,1:07:53.907
Do you see that we inter-are?

1:07:54.119,1:07:56.090
'Do you see' means,

1:07:56.609,1:07:58.859
me, 'Do I see',

1:07:59.111,1:08:02.197
do you see that we inter-are?

1:08:02.415,1:08:05.668
And that person that[br]you are listening to deeply,

1:08:08.187,1:08:10.921
inter-is with you.

1:08:11.306,1:08:13.893
And you remind yourself,

1:08:13.909,1:08:18.280
when that person says something[br]that you feel is not true,

1:08:19.698,1:08:23.449
that we inter-are.[br]You are me, and I am you.

1:08:23.735,1:08:29.457
Then you can continue to listen[br]and your eyes continue to be loving.

1:08:31.426,1:08:37.264
Then, after you've listened deeply,[br]you say, "Thank you for sharing.

1:08:38.199,1:08:42.971
I'm going to reflect deeply[br]on what you have said."

1:08:44.555,1:08:49.443
That is enough[br]for the other person to feel relief.

1:08:49.978,1:08:53.348
Then, you go away and you reflect,

1:08:53.580,1:08:57.785
and you ask,[br]"Why did they say that?

1:08:57.970,1:09:02.590
It's not true! But, why?

1:09:03.459,1:09:08.197
Then you have to reflect,[br]What do I do?

1:09:08.397,1:09:15.036
What habit energies do I have[br]that could make the person feel like that?

1:09:16.288,1:09:18.556
And sometimes you see that,

1:09:18.790,1:09:26.797
in the past, that person knew[br]somebody like me, who looked like me,

1:09:27.817,1:09:32.203
and therefore that person[br]who looked like me in the past

1:09:32.740,1:09:38.528
hurt the person who is angry with me.

1:09:39.414,1:09:43.786
And that hurt hasn't been resolved yet.

1:09:43.986,1:09:49.589
So it continues to make them suffer

1:09:49.806,1:09:54.796
and they think that[br]I am the root of their suffering.

1:09:55.128,1:09:59.667
But never mind,[br]I have understood that for myself.

1:09:59.968,1:10:02.287
That's already enough

1:10:02.885,1:10:07.676
for me to be able to[br]feel compassion for the other person.

1:10:07.894,1:10:13.915
They suffered so much in the past,[br]because of someone who looked like me.

1:10:14.132,1:10:17.268
And now they think that[br]I'm making them suffer.

1:10:17.484,1:10:20.472
But I will practice.

1:10:21.189,1:10:25.343
And they will see that[br]I'm not the root of their suffering.

1:10:25.861,1:10:30.093
This is something I have done.[br]I am not making it up.

1:10:37.649,1:10:40.625
The fifth mindfulness training is about -

1:10:48.700,1:10:52.654
The fifth mindfulness training.

1:10:55.390,1:11:02.280
It's about right consumption,[br]about healing through consumption.

1:11:06.030,1:11:11.551
In Buddhism we know that[br]we consume just not food and drink,

1:11:12.452,1:11:18.923
but we consume[br]with our six, our five senses.

1:11:19.702,1:11:22.856
Eyes, ears, nose, also consume.

1:11:23.506,1:11:29.546
Now you are consuming some Dharma talk[br]through your ears, and maybe your eyes.

1:11:31.511,1:11:36.084
So we also consume through our mind[br]and our consciousness.

1:11:37.035,1:11:42.659
And from our consciousness[br]we consume memories,

1:11:43.176,1:11:46.179
things that have happened in the past.

1:11:47.547,1:11:52.685
And very often we consume[br]painful memories from the past.

1:11:53.537,1:11:56.489
That is not a consumption[br]from outside of us,

1:11:56.706,1:12:00.494
that is a consumption[br]from our own consciousness.

1:12:02.428,1:12:07.417
So we should be aware of[br]consuming the past,

1:12:07.817,1:12:12.272
consuming the future in form of worry.

1:12:17.343,1:12:20.714
We have all gone through difficult times,

1:12:20.914,1:12:25.550
we've all gone through[br]suffering in the past.

1:12:26.452,1:12:30.924
And we carry that suffering with us.

1:12:33.860,1:12:37.581
And we don't want to keep consuming it,

1:12:37.798,1:12:43.303
because every time we consume it,[br]it gets a little bit stronger.

1:12:48.641,1:12:52.344
So now I have the habit energy.

1:12:53.346,1:12:57.717
When a painful memory[br]from the past comes up,

1:12:58.669,1:13:05.242
as soon as I recognize it is coming up[br]I say, "That is the past."

1:13:08.012,1:13:14.934
It's not repression, because[br]I recognize that is the real past.

1:13:16.186,1:13:19.339
But I don't want to be caught in it,

1:13:20.022,1:13:26.028
I don't want it to make me suffer,

1:13:26.246,1:13:29.765
so that then I go[br]and make other people suffer.

1:13:30.282,1:13:33.551
So I say to myself, "That is the past.

1:13:33.886,1:13:36.924
Now, what is happening in the present?"

1:13:37.138,1:13:39.609
And I bring myself back to

1:13:40.594,1:13:48.350
what I'm touching, or what I'm with[br]my ears or my eyes in the present moment.

1:13:49.156,1:13:56.678
Maybe the birds singing,[br]maybe the book that I have in front of me.

1:13:57.259,1:14:03.048
And I can put my hand on the book,[br]and touch the book.

1:14:03.366,1:14:10.672
And all the books I read have[br]compassion and wisdom in them.

1:14:11.223,1:14:13.709
So I feel in the present moment,

1:14:13.927,1:14:18.296
I can touch something that[br]has compassion and wisdom.

1:14:18.597,1:14:24.321
And I don't need to drown in the past.

1:14:27.706,1:14:31.845
But you don't have to use a book,[br]you can use other things

1:14:32.078,1:14:35.181
to be in touch with[br]in the present moment.

1:14:51.031,1:14:52.366
(Bell)

1:14:57.387,1:15:03.309
(Bell)

1:15:46.319,1:15:51.492
And of course,[br]I want to consume food and drink

1:15:51.708,1:15:55.025
in a way that protects Mother Earth.

1:15:56.012,1:16:01.050
I was very happy when I read a report,[br]I think, in The Lancet,

1:16:01.633,1:16:04.538
this is a doctor magazine,

1:16:05.005,1:16:11.795
that said, "The best diet for a human being[br]is the best diet for Mother Earth".

1:16:12.679,1:16:16.233
That is plant-based diet.

1:16:17.084,1:16:22.004
So that is good, we take care of ourselves[br]and Mother Earth at the same time.

1:16:22.518,1:16:24.857
And our young friends,

1:16:26.358,1:16:31.497
who will have to face[br]climate change in a way

1:16:31.748,1:16:37.887
that maybe this particular manifestation[br]won't have to face it,

1:16:38.872,1:16:41.542
are very happy when they hear that

1:16:41.757,1:16:48.514
becoming vegan will do more to help[br]than not driving your car.

1:16:48.765,1:16:52.118
Although if you can do both,[br]it is wonderful.

1:16:52.820,1:16:56.106
So this fifth mindfulness[br]training is all about

1:16:56.322,1:17:03.746
how we can help Mother Earth[br]by the way we consume.

1:17:17.793,1:17:22.183
The five mindfulness trainings,[br]when we receive them,

1:17:22.449,1:17:25.868
we make another commitment[br]at the same time,

1:17:26.285,1:17:29.356
that we will have sangha friends,

1:17:29.656,1:17:35.897
and we will come together with our sangha[br]either online or in person,

1:17:36.395,1:17:42.752
and we will discuss together, we will[br]share about the mindfulness trainings.

1:17:42.984,1:17:46.955
Because the mindfulness trainings[br]are like a deep ocean.

1:17:47.189,1:17:51.011
I like the ocean.[br]One lifetime is not enough

1:17:51.277,1:17:57.517
to complete[br]our study and practice of them.

1:17:58.185,1:18:03.872
So we need to come together, and[br]share together and learn from each other

1:18:04.574,1:18:09.411
in order for our practice[br]of the mindfulness training to grow.

1:18:10.180,1:18:12.699
It has to grow like a tree.

1:18:12.932,1:18:16.936
A tree is always growing,[br]and our practice grows like that.

1:18:36.105,1:18:43.410
So we said that the five mindfulness[br]trainings are the greatest of protection.

1:18:44.397,1:18:49.803
Mindfulness trainings, concentration,[br]and insight support each other.

1:18:51.621,1:18:56.159
When we feel safe,[br]when we feel protection.

1:18:56.376,1:18:58.877
And that safety and that protection

1:18:59.112,1:19:02.506
comes from our own actions[br]of body, speech, and mind.

1:19:03.157,1:19:06.459
But surround us.

1:19:07.358,1:19:11.579
That action of body speech and mind[br]it goes out into the world,

1:19:12.559,1:19:17.315
but it also comes back again[br]to the person who is practicing,

1:19:17.782,1:19:20.884
and acts as a kind of protection.

1:19:23.355,1:19:28.927
So the mindfulness trainings[br]make concentration possible.

1:19:29.159,1:19:33.582
We have to have a certain amount[br]of safety, feeling of safety,

1:19:33.798,1:19:37.869
to be able to develop our concentration.

1:19:38.103,1:19:42.091
And out of concentration[br]that comes insight.

1:19:42.307,1:19:48.030
That is the understanding of[br]what I should do and what I should not do.

1:19:48.546,1:19:51.551
And the mindfulness trainings[br]can help us in that.

1:19:51.783,1:19:53.601
We can refer to them.

1:19:53.835,1:19:59.257
In this situation, how should I act?[br]How should I not act?

1:19:59.558,1:20:04.612
And if I'm not sure,[br]then I don't want to act.

1:20:07.164,1:20:10.282
Because sometimes action coming from

1:20:11.486,1:20:17.910
a place of lack of understanding, of[br]wrong perception can do a lot of damage.

1:20:18.392,1:20:21.646
And we regret it afterwards.

1:20:21.932,1:20:26.168
So we need to[br]use the mindfulness trainings,

1:20:26.469,1:20:32.590
use our concentration and our insight[br]in order to be able to act.

1:20:34.593,1:20:39.764
Concentration means[br]to come back home to yourself,

1:20:40.966,1:20:45.236
body and mind united.

1:20:46.274,1:20:50.859
I want to share a poem with you of Thay,

1:20:52.177,1:20:55.497
but it's very difficult to translate.

1:20:56.148,1:20:59.549
And I don't know if I've translated it -

1:21:00.451,1:21:05.874
I hope that there is some correctness[br]in my translation.

1:21:54.645,1:22:09.191
[Lòng không bận về]

1:22:09.823,1:22:12.388
That is the title of the poem.

1:22:13.373,1:22:17.377
So my first difficulty is this word here.

1:22:19.162,1:22:22.179
How to translate this word.

1:22:22.763,1:22:25.536
I have a dictionary.

1:22:26.403,1:22:31.958
When I open my dictionary it says,[br]this word may mean 'mind',

1:22:32.292,1:22:37.597
it means 'heart',[br]it means 'feelings', it means 'soul'.

1:22:38.213,1:22:41.703
Those four things.[br]That's what my dictionary said.

1:22:43.604,1:22:47.124
I believe that this word originally meant,

1:22:49.474,1:22:52.379
your entrails, your insides.

1:22:56.050,1:23:01.255
In English sometimes, or American English,[br]we talk about gut, gut feeling.

1:23:04.899,1:23:08.854
So a little bit related to this word.

1:23:11.339,1:23:19.315
Neuroscientists, in our own time,[br]people concentrate, as far as I understand,

1:23:19.883,1:23:23.920
very much on the neurons in our brain.

1:23:26.691,1:23:31.279
But we have neurons[br]in many other places than our brain.

1:23:32.729,1:23:42.171
Our heart is 60% neurons,[br]our intestines are even more, I believe.

1:23:43.401,1:23:51.944
So to translate this word as 'mind'[br]is not really correct,

1:23:52.775,1:23:56.563
to translate it as 'heart'[br]is not really correct,

1:23:57.614,1:24:02.403
although 'heart' may be easier.

1:24:06.790,1:24:11.961
Then my second difficulty[br]was with this word here.

1:24:13.214,1:24:16.616
This word means 'busy'.

1:24:18.702,1:24:26.426
One time, Thay invented a new word,[br]is 'busy-less-ness'.

1:24:27.812,1:24:32.801
Not 'business-less-ness',[br]but 'busy-less-ness'.

1:24:34.051,1:24:39.455
Because our mind,

1:24:41.207,1:24:44.862
our heart is sometimes very busy.

1:24:45.663,1:24:51.101
And we don't have time,[br]we don't have time for ourselves.

1:24:51.552,1:24:55.289
We don't have time for each other.

1:24:57.141,1:25:03.080
So we need the 'busylessness'.

1:25:05.099,1:25:07.702
We all need that.

1:25:11.454,1:25:20.831
And this word is 'I have come home',[br]'home', 'I'm at home', 'I've come home'.

1:25:22.582,1:25:31.006
So the busy-less heart,[br]or busy-less mind,

1:25:33.258,1:25:35.279
comes home.

1:25:49.640,1:25:57.431
'To sit here, and to listen[br]to the sound of the birds, flying'.

1:26:00.735,1:26:03.119
'The universe'.

1:26:05.722,1:26:09.827
I thought of a good way to translate that.

1:26:11.946,1:26:17.117
It's a little bit like,[br]'The universe is in a grain of sand',

1:26:17.986,1:26:22.740
like William Blake,[br]to see the universe in a grain of sand.

1:26:26.026,1:26:31.684
'The golden crow hides in the west'.[br]The golden crow is the sun.

1:26:32.632,1:26:35.185
The sun is hidden in the west.

1:26:35.587,1:26:40.291
'In the east, the jewel rabbit[br]is over the top of the hill'.

1:26:40.824,1:26:47.748
The jewel rabbit is the Moon.[br]The Moon is like a jewel up in the sky.

1:26:48.115,1:26:52.019
Many people think it looks like[br]a rabbit is on the Moon.

1:26:56.087,1:26:59.174
'No one in front, no one behind'.

1:27:00.961,1:27:02.862
'Just myself'.

1:27:04.482,1:27:10.855
'You almost hear Earth and Sky[br]calling to each other'.

1:27:13.807,1:27:20.264
'Coming out of the meditation,[br]there is a long moment of stillness'.

1:27:22.082,1:27:29.089
'The green leaves, the bamboo screen,[br]the upper story filled with moonlight'.

1:27:30.923,1:27:35.960
'The ancient river flows in harmony[br]with the way of the world'.

1:27:36.947,1:27:41.084
'The wind follows the eight directions'.

1:27:46.156,1:27:54.865
'The busy-less mind-heart[br]has come home'.

1:28:08.317,1:28:13.272
Sitting meditation[br]is an important part of our practice.

1:28:14.556,1:28:19.761
It's a time when we can unite[br]our body and our mind.

1:28:20.779,1:28:31.725
And we can say that our breathing helps[br]our body to be suffused with our mind,

1:28:33.842,1:28:39.114
and helps our mind[br]to be suffused with our body.

1:28:41.334,1:28:43.936
The mindfulness breathing

1:28:45.204,1:28:53.678
is the spirit, the bridge[br]that unites body and mind.

1:28:54.663,1:28:59.535
So this is the breathing,[br]this is your body, this is your mind.

1:29:00.170,1:29:03.156
And they all come together.

1:29:03.406,1:29:05.724
So in your meditation,

1:29:07.959,1:29:10.430
breathe in such a way

1:29:11.531,1:29:15.067
that you feel united in yourself.

1:29:15.585,1:29:19.336
You have to find,[br]you find your own way of breathing.

1:29:21.607,1:29:25.829
First of all, let your breathing do[br]what it wants to do.

1:29:26.046,1:29:28.814
Don't try and force it to do anything,

1:29:30.081,1:29:38.506
but let it let you know that[br]you're still alive,

1:29:39.008,1:29:41.528
you can breathe, you are alive.

1:29:41.741,1:29:46.715
And when you see[br]the being alive and breathing,

1:29:48.218,1:29:51.471
then your body[br]and your mind come together.

1:29:57.939,1:30:02.577
So when we practice meditation,

1:30:03.778,1:30:06.897
we hear the bell letting us know

1:30:07.114,1:30:11.285
that the time for meditation[br]will be in 15 minutes.

1:30:17.358,1:30:21.645
If we haven't already started[br]our sitting meditation,

1:30:22.764,1:30:26.417
when we hear[br]the sound of the bell telling us

1:30:26.616,1:30:30.288
the sitting meditation[br]will begin in 15 minutes,

1:30:31.472,1:30:37.544
we don't say in 15 minutes. We say,[br]the sitting meditation begins now.

1:30:39.445,1:30:44.753
We put on our whatever we're going to wear[br]during the sitting meditation,

1:30:45.652,1:30:49.539
and we start to walk[br]toward the meditation hall.

1:30:49.792,1:30:53.077
And that is the meditation already.

1:30:54.545,1:30:59.200
Maybe even before you put on[br]what you're going to wear,

1:30:59.602,1:31:03.687
you were meditating already.[br]That is even better.

1:31:04.155,1:31:08.123
Because before the meditation,[br]and after the meditation,

1:31:09.560,1:31:14.382
they are not really separate from,[br]during the meditation.

1:31:16.784,1:31:23.973
So when I put on my meditation gear,[br]whatever it is,

1:31:24.659,1:31:27.711
I put on my coat or whatever I put on,

1:31:28.245,1:31:32.333
then I have a little poem also[br]that I can read.

1:31:33.366,1:31:35.753
And that poem is,

1:31:38.038,1:31:43.909
'Putting on my clothes[br]in the historical dimension,

1:31:45.746,1:31:48.366
I adorn myself'.

1:31:48.617,1:31:51.252
They may not be very beautiful clothes,

1:31:51.503,1:31:55.106
they are just this kind of clothes.

1:31:56.873,1:32:00.444
They don't have to be beautiful clothes[br]to adorn myself.

1:32:00.725,1:32:04.381
'I adorn myself and I adorn the world'.

1:32:04.897,1:32:09.452
I want to be an adornment for the world.

1:32:11.689,1:32:16.326
I think we all want to be that,[br]an adornment of peace.

1:32:17.694,1:32:21.932
And because I have received[br]the mindfulness trainings,

1:32:22.133,1:32:27.702
it's very easy for me to say, 'I adorn[br]myself with the mindfulness trainings'.

1:32:28.089,1:32:32.676
'And at the same time, I adorn the world[br]with the mindfulness trainings'.

1:32:33.408,1:32:37.547
Because everyone who received[br]the mindfulness trainings

1:32:39.714,1:32:43.785
will contribute to something[br]to the collective consciousness,

1:32:44.018,1:32:47.554
contribute some peace[br]to collective consciousness.

1:32:47.889,1:32:51.292
And you don't have to receive[br]mindfulness trainings

1:32:51.543,1:32:55.197
to contribute peace[br]to the collective consciousness.

1:32:55.613,1:32:58.667
You just need to[br]practice them a little bit.

1:32:58.914,1:33:03.272
You don't have to come out in front of[br]the sangha if you don't feel like it.

1:33:04.070,1:33:09.209
Only if you need the support of the sangha.[br]We are happy to give it to you.

1:33:10.494,1:33:15.650
So then, putting on,[br]'I adorn myself and I adorn the world'.

1:33:17.452,1:33:23.641
'The Pure Land is in the palm of my hand'.

1:33:24.026,1:33:27.746
This cloth I'm putting on[br]is in the palm of my hand.

1:33:28.213,1:33:33.918
But the clothing also belongs to the house[br]of the Buddha, to the Pure Land.

1:33:35.193,1:33:41.981
'The Pure Land is made possible[br]by the mountains, by the rivers'.

1:33:42.681,1:33:45.801
So at that point,[br]you look out of the window,

1:33:46.003,1:33:49.721
and you see the scenery around you.[br]You see something

1:33:50.372,1:33:54.728
that inspires you.[br]If you're in the town,

1:33:55.227,1:33:57.915
you see the bricks of the other houses,[br]I don't know.

1:33:58.166,1:34:01.452
You look up,[br]and you see the cloud in the sky.

1:34:02.637,1:34:06.989
So you recognize that[br]the whole world is coming together

1:34:07.321,1:34:10.591
to make this cloth possible.

1:34:11.107,1:34:16.764
So you're already concentrating,[br]you're already meditating.

1:34:17.464,1:34:21.235
And then you come to the meditation hall

1:34:22.700,1:34:25.339
with your mindful breathing.

1:34:25.555,1:34:29.961
What is the point of running[br]in forgetfulness to the meditation hall?

1:34:30.178,1:34:33.681
To have an extra five minutes[br]in the meditation hall?

1:34:33.915,1:34:38.168
But then you lose the five minutes[br]when you're running to get there.

1:34:38.452,1:34:42.172
So you just do walking meditation[br]to get there.

1:34:44.157,1:34:50.163
Then, when you arrive, what you have[br]to do, take off your shoes.

1:34:54.695,1:34:57.364
So you pick up your shoes,

1:34:58.331,1:35:00.213
and you say,

1:35:02.735,1:35:07.841
'Leaving my shoes neatly,[br]I vow that -

1:35:08.075,1:35:14.764
All beings have two, well, there are[br]other beings that have four,

1:35:15.714,1:35:22.989
they have mindful feet coming in[br]and going out in freedom.

1:35:23.638,1:35:27.794
Coming in and going out in freedom[br]has a very deep meaning,

1:35:28.060,1:35:33.365
because coming in means being born,[br]and going out means dying.

1:35:33.634,1:35:40.073
You want to be able to live[br]your life at all moments in freedom.

1:35:40.791,1:35:46.696
You don't only want it for you,[br]you want it for all beings.

1:35:47.714,1:35:53.553
So having left your shoes like that,

1:35:54.169,1:35:58.092
you have to go in the door[br]of the meditation hall.

1:35:59.326,1:36:06.349
'Entering the meditation hall,[br]I see my true nature'.

1:36:08.219,1:36:14.706
'Once I am sitting,[br]all the disturbance will cease'.

1:36:15.373,1:36:19.928
That is what you want.[br]You make that deep aspiration,

1:36:20.411,1:36:24.698
that this sitting meditation[br]is really to come back to yourself,

1:36:24.949,1:36:29.770
to be able to see your true nature.

1:36:31.339,1:36:38.012
And your true nature is the nature[br]of interbeing, your non-separate self.

1:36:45.753,1:36:50.808
So on our way to the meditation hall,[br]when we are concentrated,

1:36:51.058,1:36:54.795
we are deeply in touch with[br]everything that surround us.

1:36:54.996,1:36:57.597
We hear the birds flying.

1:37:00.657,1:37:05.627
And when we just sit down[br]in the meditation hall,

1:37:06.228,1:37:09.266
we do so very quietly.

1:37:09.474,1:37:12.784
Maybe there are other people[br]already sitting there.

1:37:13.019,1:37:15.587
We don't want to disturb them.

1:37:16.104,1:37:21.945
One time, Thay said, that when[br]Thay was meditating in the Upper Hamlet,

1:37:22.561,1:37:26.363
the brother who sat next to Thay[br]came and sat down.

1:37:26.665,1:37:33.556
Thay didn't hear him, but[br]he sat down very mindfully and quietly.

1:37:34.923,1:37:37.008
So we should try.

1:37:37.211,1:37:40.178
It's not easy,[br]to sit down nobody can hear you,

1:37:40.462,1:37:47.718
but we do our best because we want not to[br]disturb the person we're sitting next to.

1:37:48.037,1:37:55.010
The same if we start to get a numb feet[br]in the middle of the meditation.

1:37:55.392,1:37:57.530
We have to change our position,

1:37:57.747,1:38:02.167
it's very bad to sit when the blood[br]can't flow, it's not good for you.

1:38:02.575,1:38:07.630
So you need to change,[br]but very quietly so nobody is disturbed,

1:38:07.847,1:38:11.316
very mindfully, nobody is disturbed.

1:38:14.197,1:38:17.697
This is the meditation taking place

1:38:17.898,1:38:24.107
at the time when the sun is just sitting,[br]and the moon is just rising.

1:38:25.108,1:38:27.644
It's a good time to meditate,

1:38:29.211,1:38:32.682
because at that time[br]the universe is a little bit still.

1:38:32.899,1:38:36.334
There's a certain stillness[br]at that time of day.

1:38:36.622,1:38:40.840
But another good time to meditate,[br]maybe even better,

1:38:41.358,1:38:48.683
is when the morning star[br]is rising and setting,

1:38:49.015,1:38:51.167
because at that time,

1:38:53.870,1:38:55.955
our mind is very clear.

1:38:57.824,1:39:00.960
If we've slept well,[br]I hope you sleep well.

1:39:04.430,1:39:07.765
So there is no one.[br]We are alone.

1:39:08.434,1:39:12.104
No one in front, no one behind.

1:39:13.238,1:39:17.661
In Buddhism, we learn about[br]the better way to be alone.

1:39:18.761,1:39:22.365
And the better way to be alone[br]doesn't mean you're up in a cave

1:39:22.616,1:39:24.900
where there's no one else living.

1:39:27.120,1:39:31.608
The better way to be alone means[br]to have come back to yourself,

1:39:31.942,1:39:36.279
and not to be thinking about[br]what other people are doing.

1:39:37.765,1:39:44.253
Just to be there for yourself,[br]in yourself is the way to be alone.

1:39:44.487,1:39:48.925
If you're thinking about the person[br]in front of you, the person behind you,

1:39:49.458,1:39:53.179
you are not alone.

1:39:55.064,1:39:58.618
And if you're up in a cave,[br]and thinking about this and that,

1:39:58.834,1:40:01.088
you're also not alone.

1:40:04.041,1:40:09.262
We forgot about the trichiliocosm.

1:40:09.590,1:40:11.841
The universe.

1:40:12.226,1:40:14.095
'The universe

1:40:17.934,1:40:22.173
does not fill even an inch'[br]is what it says literally.

1:40:25.192,1:40:29.262
This has something to do[br]with the meditation that is called

1:40:30.649,1:40:35.055
the limitless space meditation.

1:40:35.304,1:40:38.506
It is a meditation that the Buddha did

1:40:39.741,1:40:41.943
before the Buddha became Buddha.

1:40:43.261,1:40:48.834
And after the Buddha became Buddha,[br]continued it in a different way.

1:40:54.737,1:40:59.694
When you meditate[br]on space being limitless,

1:41:00.411,1:41:02.664
or when we sing the song,

1:41:04.399,1:41:07.685
'Breathing in, breathing out,[br]I am blooming,

1:41:07.969,1:41:14.309
I am a mountain, I am a flower,[br]I am water reflecting, and I am space'.

1:41:14.944,1:41:22.267
So we have that space meditation[br]in our song, I am space, I am free.

1:41:24.024,1:41:28.677
Because when we meditate on space,

1:41:28.894,1:41:33.464
our consciousness also[br]becomes limitless like the space.

1:41:34.317,1:41:36.802
But then we have to recognize

1:41:38.188,1:41:45.393
that space is a construct of our mind.

1:41:46.613,1:41:50.497
Then we can say, like William Blake,

1:41:51.499,1:41:56.123
to be able to see the universe [br]in a grain of sand.

1:41:57.135,1:42:06.262
Or like Walt Whitman, I think, who said,[br]'I am large, I contain multitudes'.

1:42:15.879,1:42:22.168
It's as if you can hear the earth,[br]the heaven and the earth,

1:42:22.846,1:42:25.666
they are talking to each other.

1:42:25.866,1:42:30.304
Because normally we think the earth[br]is down here and the heaven is up there,

1:42:30.503,1:42:33.074
they are two separate realities.

1:42:33.322,1:42:35.994
But in fact, they inter-are.

1:42:36.377,1:42:41.081
The heavens make the earth possible,[br]and the earth makes the heavens possible.

1:42:41.280,1:42:48.706
You don't need to go up in a spaceship[br]in order to be able to see that.

1:42:53.624,1:42:58.682
When we come out of the meditation,[br]when we come out of the concentration,

1:43:00.133,1:43:04.806
there should be that stillness.[br]Don't lose it straight away.

1:43:05.205,1:43:10.510
When you hear the sound of the bell to[br]let you know that the meditation is over,

1:43:10.995,1:43:13.731
don't start thinking,[br]'What am I going to do next?'

1:43:13.946,1:43:16.882
Enjoy the stillness that you have,

1:43:17.617,1:43:21.753
that you have been enjoying[br]during the meditation.

1:43:22.057,1:43:25.441
And massage yourself gently[br]not too fierce,

1:43:25.658,1:43:29.548
because you may lose the stillness.

1:43:30.246,1:43:36.237
Then, you open your eyes, and your eyes[br]are in contact with the things around you,

1:43:37.796,1:43:44.356
the green leaves, the bamboo screen,[br]the upper story filled with moonlight.

1:43:45.260,1:43:50.233
Then what is the insight that[br]you had from your meditation?

1:43:51.099,1:43:54.168
That is the next thing[br]that you might like to -

1:43:54.617,1:43:59.241
There was insight during that meditation,[br]during the calm and the concentration.

1:43:59.441,1:44:00.959
What was it?

1:44:01.144,1:44:02.725
And the insight here is,

1:44:02.925,1:44:06.965
'The ancient river flows in harmony[br]with the way of the world'.

1:44:07.196,1:44:10.787
The way of the world is the world of dust.

1:44:11.671,1:44:16.292
It is the saha world,

1:44:17.142,1:44:22.730
the world of change, the world where[br]there is suffering and happiness.

1:44:23.466,1:44:28.219
But there is an ancient river[br]which is in harmony with that world.

1:44:28.504,1:44:32.609
And that ancient river[br]is the river of spirituality.

1:44:35.677,1:44:39.963
We all need that river[br]of spirituality in our life.

1:44:40.247,1:44:44.236
We are very lucky that[br]we have blood ancestors,

1:44:45.070,1:44:48.724
but we also have spiritual ancestors

1:44:48.990,1:44:53.579
who have handed down to us[br]the way of practice.

1:44:53.811,1:45:01.887
And that river of a spiritual practice,[br]it is without beginning and without end.

1:45:02.836,1:45:05.904
And it helps us to live in the world.

1:45:06.339,1:45:10.093
But if we don't live in the world[br]with all this dust,

1:45:10.510,1:45:15.048
then we won't look for[br]a spiritual practice.

1:45:15.850,1:45:19.368
So the world with its dust[br]needs the spiritual practice,

1:45:19.831,1:45:24.503
and the spiritual practice[br]needs the world with its dust.

1:45:27.638,1:45:32.427
'The wind follows[br]the eight directions', but

1:45:38.217,1:45:47.608
the heart that is without any more busy,[br]busy-less, no more business,

1:45:50.913,1:45:52.897
is at home.

1:45:57.052,1:46:01.590
When I read,[br]'The wind follows the eight directions',

1:46:01.857,1:46:08.747
immediately came up in my mind,[br]the wind blows where it wishes.

1:46:10.314,1:46:12.497
You can hear it.

1:46:13.034,1:46:16.704
You don't know where it comes from,[br]and where it goes to.

1:46:17.651,1:46:23.791
So the wind has that nature[br]of no coming and no going.

1:46:26.806,1:46:30.025
We talk about coming in and going out,

1:46:30.794,1:46:33.129
and being born and dying.

1:46:33.680,1:46:38.216
But the winter isn't born and doesn't die.

1:46:38.467,1:46:41.601
When the causes and conditions[br]are right, the wind -

1:46:42.288,1:46:45.275
you feel the wind, you hear the wind.

1:46:45.524,1:46:50.895
And when the causes and conditions are[br]not right, you don't hear the wind anymore.

1:46:54.965,1:46:59.540
So our mind is free.[br]Free from thought.

1:47:00.105,1:47:03.943
Our heart is free from worries.

1:47:09.114,1:47:12.818
They're not busy with thinking,[br]busy with worrying.

1:47:13.351,1:47:17.706
So we are at home.[br]And our mother is at home,

1:47:19.910,1:47:26.682
our father is at home,[br]our ancestors are all at home in us.

1:47:34.524,1:47:39.128
I would like to ask the sister

1:47:40.812,1:47:43.715
to come and help.

1:47:45.435,1:47:48.186
Are you here, sister?

1:48:00.822,1:48:05.678
The sister will sing this song[br]for us in Vietnamese.

1:48:05.994,1:48:08.129
So please, when you listen,

1:48:10.264,1:48:16.989
help your heart, your mind,[br]to be with - No business!

1:48:20.124,1:48:22.826
No worry about the future.

1:48:28.650,1:48:31.453
No thought about the past.

1:48:35.524,1:48:42.381
You can see Thay[br]meditating in complete freedom.

1:48:42.732,1:48:45.933
And you can feel that freedom in yourself.

1:48:50.690,1:48:53.626
This is a happy moment.

1:49:11.418,1:49:20.561
# Ngồi đây lắng tiếng chim bay

1:49:22.913,1:49:34.943
# ba ngàn thế giới không đầy tấc gang

1:49:37.745,1:49:44.736
# phương Tây vừa khuất quạ vầng

1:49:45.986,1:49:54.395
# phương Đông thỏ ngọc đã ngang đỉnh đồi

1:49:55.714,1:50:03.053
# trước sau có một mình tôi

1:50:06.290,1:50:15.467
# nghe như có tiếng đất trời gọi nhau.

1:50:18.086,1:50:25.793
# Xuất thiền lặng lẽ giây lâu

1:50:26.710,1:50:36.189
# lá xanh rèm liếp bên lầu sáng trăng

1:50:38.140,1:50:45.330
# sông xưa thuận nẻo dương trần

1:50:46.849,1:50:56.691
# gió theo tám hướng, lòng không bận về.

1:51:00.793,1:51:07.401
# ngồi đây lắng tiếng chim bay

1:51:07.702,1:51:15.859
# ba ngàn thế giới không đầy tấc gang

1:51:17.577,1:51:23.051
# phương Tây vừa khuất quạ vầng

1:51:23.352,1:51:30.992
# phương Đông thỏ ngọc đã ngang đỉnh đồi

1:51:32.577,1:51:37.983
# trước sau có một mình tôi

1:51:38.234,1:51:45.755
# nghe như có tiếng đất trời gọi nhau.

1:51:47.558,1:51:53.148
# Xuất thiền lặng lẽ giây lâu

1:51:53.430,1:52:01.155
# lá xanh rèm liếp bên lầu sáng trăng

1:52:02.856,1:52:08.463
# sông xưa thuận nẻo dương trần

1:52:09.031,1:52:16.687
# gió theo tám hướng, lòng không bận về.

1:52:18.706,1:52:24.379
# Xuất thiền lặng lẽ giây lâu

1:52:24.762,1:52:32.454
# lá xanh rèm liếp bên lầu sáng trăng

1:52:34.222,1:52:39.909
# sông xưa thuận nẻo dương trần

1:52:40.361,1:52:50.672
# gió theo tám hướng, lòng không bận về. #

1:53:03.202,1:53:05.019
Dear sangha,

1:53:06.405,1:53:11.742
in conclusion,[br]one thing that your blood ancestors,

1:53:12.310,1:53:17.183
your blood ancestors,[br]your mother, and your father,

1:53:18.368,1:53:24.824
they had that river of spirituality.

1:53:26.074,1:53:30.196
But maybe they were not able[br]to bathe deeply in it.

1:53:30.863,1:53:33.949
It doesn't mean to say,[br]they didn't have it.

1:53:35.248,1:53:40.723
You can bathe[br]in that river of spirituality.

1:53:42.686,1:53:46.757
You have the right causes[br]and conditions to do that.

1:53:47.141,1:53:50.261
So don't miss the opportunity.

1:53:50.777,1:53:54.148
And when you bathe in that river,

1:53:54.365,1:53:57.184
your ancestors,[br]your mother and your father

1:53:57.634,1:54:02.007
have a chance to bathe[br]in that river with you.

1:54:04.292,1:54:06.075
Thank you.

1:54:11.808,1:54:13.176
(Bell)

1:54:16.577,1:54:22.134
(Bell)

1:54:53.867,1:55:00.006
(Bell)

1:55:34.723,1:55:40.914
(Bell)

1:56:12.760,1:56:14.510
(Bell)

1:56:18.255,1:56:20.707
(Bell)

1:56:30.233,1:56:32.285
(Bell)

1:56:37.712,1:56:39.746
(Bell)