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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 teacher,[br]dear sangha,

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today is November the 29th[br]in the year 2018,

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and we are in Upper Hamlet

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in the Still Water[br]sitting meditation hall.

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And we are on our lay day.

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A lay day is all our lay friends are here,

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for long term, some are here[br]for three months,

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some are here for a year, two years.

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So it is

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a very beautiful rains retreat tradition.

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Today is also a monastic day.

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I think they are in Lower Hamlet.

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When I first came into Plum Village,

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we didn't have monastic day or lay day.

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There are maybe 45 monks and nuns,

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we can all fit in Thay's hut.

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On Thay's deck.

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That has grown bigger and Plum Village[br]became more, how you call it,

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more a place of refuge.

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Somehow, the monastics,[br]we were like very small.

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So during the year,[br]we hardly get to see each other

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to practice together

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and look at some of the things[br]within the monastic community.

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So slowly, there was that need.

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And the same thing with lay friends.[br]More and more came,

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and they stay longer.

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And many of them became OI members[br]and Dharma teachers.

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So we feel very grateful that[br]the fourfold sangha grew together.

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And we wouldn't be able to have[br]a monastic day

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without solid, stable, happy, harmonious,[br]peaceful, lay friends,

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our sisters and brothers who are -

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We are very grateful here in Plum Village,[br]that you dedicate your life to come here,

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not just long-term, but some of you[br]are thinking of moving here.

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Some already have moved here.

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Before coming in here, I saw a baby.

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I think there is a family here[br]that lives in Thénac, I think you know.

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There are two babies in Plum Village.

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I knew them when the mother[br]was having the belly bulging,

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the first baby.

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So I always look at the couple and I say,

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'What have I produced in these last[br]three years? They produced two babies!

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(Laughter)

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So what do I do here?

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What kind of love. It's from love[br]that you - And your hope and your-

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You have a kind of love for your child,[br]and so on.

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So this is a kind of mantra for me.

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I when I see the farmers too,[br]when they work on the farm,

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like now, they are clipping[br]the grape vines.

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I used to, as a novice I came here[br]many years ago, in my second year

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I used to walk by them[br]and I felt really

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you know, they are doing a lot of work.[br]All I do is walk around, eat, and sit, and

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(Laughter)

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maybe wash a few dishes.

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But what do I do?

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I mean, it's cold, their hands in the -[br]It's very tough to be a farmer.

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And so sometimes I feel very

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like I live a very privileged life.

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I left a lot of things, my bank account,[br]my car,

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my blood family, my sisters, my nieces,[br]my nephew. I live here.

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And once in a while,[br]when I was a novice,

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it would come up. I felt kind of guilty.[br]I remember feeling, Gosh!

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It is quite -

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So it may encourage me to really look[br]into, what do we do here?

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What is it that we are

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producing, or offering to the world?

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I remember my university friend came[br]and visited me.

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She stayed for about five, or six days.

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And she was a kind of practitioner too.

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But I think we -[br]She was not very happy with me,

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because we were architects together.

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And she felt that I was deserting our[br]'save the world' aspiration.

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As a young college student graduating[br]after working a while,

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you have very idealistic, you know,[br]I'm going to save the climate!

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Save the polar bears! Or something.

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I wanted to save Los Angeles,[br]make it a humane city,

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with trees, and nature,[br]and everyone sharing, and -

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So you are very idealistic.

0:07:06.766,0:07:09.555
And she said, she felt,[br]she didn't say it,

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but I could feel that she felt I was[br]deserting our commitment.

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I think a few of us in college,[br]we supported each other,

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we knew we wanted to help the world[br]be a better place.

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And at a moment I said, 'You know,[br]I'm doing my part, I'm still working here,

0:07:30.486,0:07:35.338
doing things'. And she said, 'Yes! Sure![br]It's easy for you to be in Plum Village!'

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She felt like I was hiding here.

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I haven't talked to here for a while.

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I think in a few years we will come[br]back together and we will do inventory.

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How much have you helped the world?[br]And how much have I done?

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It's very - What do you call it?

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You know, gross national happiness[br]kind of thing.

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What have you produced?

0:08:02.332,0:08:06.437
How have you been useful?[br]This is a kind of a way of thinking

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that I was trained in in America.

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I just share with you how Plum Village[br]has grown so much.

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And I think now I am a few more at peace[br]and at ease with what Plum Village is

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and what is doing as I grew more into[br]this community and into the practice,

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and looked more deeply at ways[br]we can help better the world.

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Some of you who have been here[br]at least one year, or two years,

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you see so many kinds of people[br]go through here,

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and the kind of breakthroughs they have[br]in their heart, in their mind.

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The kind of reconciliation they have[br]with their loved ones.

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The happiness and peace[br]they manage to generate.

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As well as we do see anger,[br]and irritation, and frustration,

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these kind of daily things.

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Their eyebrows become a little bit more -

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That is already a great plus.

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The monastics, we, sometimes[br]after a retreat we come back to our room,

0:09:19.098,0:09:22.895
and our residence, we say, 'Did you see[br]how his face changed?'

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Just one week. After one retreat,

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from the day a person comes,

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and after seven days,

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the face -

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And I think some of you are feeling that.[br]Maybe not in your face, but in the body,

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maybe the way you chew.

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So for me these little things,[br]I began to look more deeply

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as a kind of a -[br]I don't want to say

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it's what we do over here.[br]It's not what we produce,

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but it is a kind of[br]what Plum Village is about.

0:10:02.600,0:10:06.929
A place for healing, transformation,[br]as well as for nourishment, and

0:10:07.320,0:10:11.398
inspiration. You've been here[br]for the Wake Up retreat,

0:10:11.557,0:10:16.056
five hundred young people, wow![br]They come here and their battery is -

0:10:16.725,0:10:21.477
Full capacity. And they go out there[br]and save the world.

0:10:22.557,0:10:24.480
Good luck!

0:10:24.603,0:10:26.397
(Laughter)

0:10:26.638,0:10:29.741
But it is good. Young people[br]need a place where they -

0:10:29.762,0:10:34.785
Because it's tough! We are living[br]at a very tough period.

0:10:35.035,0:10:38.680
Not tougher than in the Middle Ages,[br]or like -

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Or the Barbaric times and so on.[br]But it is a tough time,

0:10:45.213,0:10:48.750
because of the media, and the amount of

0:10:50.037,0:10:52.830
stimulation.

0:10:53.122,0:10:56.579
Every time I go back to the US[br]and I visit my family,

0:10:56.769,0:11:01.459
I see that it's so hard to raise a family,[br]to raise a child now.

0:11:02.814,0:11:06.719
So I feel a lot of inspiration

0:11:06.888,0:11:11.894
to create more conditions for families,[br]supporting families, parents,

0:11:12.501,0:11:15.364
brothers and sisters.

0:11:15.599,0:11:18.646
So that is my reflection.

0:11:19.951,0:11:24.893
The fourfold sangha growing[br]and making Plum Village be meaningful,

0:11:25.156,0:11:32.785
is Thay's greatest wish, to create[br]many Plum Villages around the world.

0:11:33.912,0:11:36.030
Ways -

0:11:36.323,0:11:40.659
How we call it, places that are not good[br]for their economy.

0:11:41.513,0:11:45.742
I have a list I'll share with you[br]just to make to laugh.

0:11:46.370,0:11:50.502
I'm making a list, what Plum Village[br]is not good for.

0:11:50.640,0:11:52.714
(Laughter)

0:11:52.864,0:11:56.671
And one of the first ones is,[br]Plum Village is not good for the economy.

0:11:56.795,0:11:58.602
(Laughter)

0:11:59.970,0:12:03.512
Because people would come here,[br]and over, and over again,

0:12:03.601,0:12:06.341
after we see them, they quit their job.

0:12:06.488,0:12:08.381
(Laughter)

0:12:08.577,0:12:10.806
That is the first thing.

0:12:10.953,0:12:14.789
They stay and, 'How come you're here[br]for two weeks?' - 'I quit my job.'

0:12:15.022,0:12:16.685
(Laughter)

0:12:16.818,0:12:19.967
Before it was very hard for them[br]to find one week.

0:12:20.067,0:12:23.713
And I see them again and I say,[br]'You are here for two weeks, really?'

0:12:23.839,0:12:26.761
'Yes, I quit my job.'[br]And it is classic.

0:12:28.317,0:12:31.711
If you see somebody[br]hanging around here a long time,

0:12:31.896,0:12:34.765
it is probably not good for their economy.

0:12:34.923,0:12:36.884
(Laughter)

0:12:37.070,0:12:39.422
I thought you would laugh.

0:12:39.547,0:12:42.999
The other one is Plum Village[br]is not good for your self-image.

0:12:43.392,0:12:45.969
You know, that one is hard, uh?

0:12:46.088,0:12:49.236
I came here and I was from L.A.[br]and, you know,

0:12:49.361,0:12:52.122
I was very gangster and -

0:12:52.767,0:12:56.232
And people start to tell you[br]a lot of things about yourself.

0:12:56.381,0:12:59.527
And you kind like, mmm, -

0:13:00.788,0:13:04.433
So your high identity and your,[br]kind of your -

0:13:04.916,0:13:08.336
You know, in a Dharma discussion[br]that happens, you know?

0:13:08.500,0:13:11.278
People start to break down their,

0:13:11.795,0:13:17.252
what do we call it, their veil and[br]they get to really be who they are.

0:13:18.129,0:13:21.885
And it's such a liberation

0:13:22.185,0:13:26.606
to be who you are[br]without fear of being judged.

0:13:26.906,0:13:30.702
You have to put something up[br]for your parents,

0:13:30.865,0:13:35.516
for your mother, your father,[br]your friends, society.

0:13:35.674,0:13:38.614
You don't have to do that here. Wow!

0:13:38.728,0:13:42.907
So it is really bad for your self-image,[br]that is what I mean.

0:13:43.048,0:13:45.704
The other one,[br]you are not going to like this one.

0:13:45.974,0:13:49.045
Plum Village is not good[br]for your relationships.

0:13:49.200,0:13:51.184
(Laughter)

0:13:54.187,0:13:57.833
It is really - You thought[br]you were doing well in your relationships

0:13:57.895,0:14:00.976
and then you come here and you realize,[br]'Oh my God! I'm -'

0:14:01.188,0:14:02.616
(Laughter)

0:14:02.913,0:14:06.881
Yeah? So you have to really look again[br]at your relationship.

0:14:08.656,0:14:13.219
You know, this may not apply to you,[br]you may be fine in your relationship,

0:14:13.393,0:14:16.748
so, don't fix it if it is not broken.[br]Okay?

0:14:16.863,0:14:20.072
I only say it from a few observations.

0:14:20.209,0:14:23.884
People really have to look at[br]their relationships.

0:14:24.086,0:14:29.122
You know, they are attached,[br]they are projecting, so on.

0:14:29.752,0:14:34.125
Or maybe their partner is projecting[br]and attached.

0:14:34.287,0:14:38.702
So these are kind of -[br]And then, something happens.

0:14:39.634,0:14:42.788
Some of the couples become[br]monks and nuns, so -

0:14:42.976,0:14:44.528
(Laughter)

0:14:44.646,0:14:48.216
It's like, 'I don't like[br]this double relationship.

0:14:48.369,0:14:51.532
I want a monk type relationship.'

0:14:52.352,0:14:55.352
Anyway, I just share a little few things.

0:14:57.399,0:15:02.972
Anyway, let get serious, because I was[br]asked to share with you about a sutra.

0:15:03.593,0:15:07.090
So let be a little Buddhist about it.

0:15:07.338,0:15:12.714
So I was asked to share about[br]the Discourse on Taking Refuge in Oneself.

0:15:12.986,0:15:16.446
And I think some of you have been around.

0:15:16.607,0:15:21.491
I won't go through this sutra,[br]but this is the topic today.

0:15:21.854,0:15:26.219
How to take refuge in oneself.[br]And what that means.

0:15:27.199,0:15:31.004
And that is very -[br]For me,

0:15:31.339,0:15:37.258
it is one of the essence[br]of Buddhist practice. It is a -

0:15:38.237,0:15:41.499
You know, the Buddha at that time,[br]when he was forming,

0:15:41.686,0:15:48.482
there was a lot of, I guess, religions?[br]A lot of devotional practices,

0:15:48.644,0:15:53.418
a lot of rituals, a lot of things.[br]There must have been a lot of suffering.

0:15:53.587,0:15:56.691
People looking outward,

0:15:56.878,0:16:04.869
looking for magicians, and ritual people[br]that can help relieve their suffering.

0:16:05.633,0:16:10.892
So this is the time that he was[br]formulating most of his teachings.

0:16:11.585,0:16:15.479
So people like looked for[br]things

0:16:16.218,0:16:20.829
that may help them connect to a God[br]or something, a Savior,

0:16:20.976,0:16:24.073
something would help them bring peace.

0:16:24.268,0:16:27.661
And also to, also to look for teachers.

0:16:27.812,0:16:32.555
Even the Buddha did that himself.[br]He went around looking for teachers

0:16:32.676,0:16:36.593
to help him find a way[br]so he can liberate himself.

0:16:37.104,0:16:40.143
So you need to know the context.

0:16:40.548,0:16:44.909
How the Buddha formulated the practice.

0:16:45.165,0:16:50.595
In that way, you can copy him, in a way.

0:16:51.177,0:16:56.875
Maybe understand deeply his life.[br]This is a young man, 29 years old,

0:16:57.614,0:17:03.311
looking for, like you are looking for[br]when you come to Plum Village,

0:17:03.490,0:17:07.497
or you find Thay's books.[br]We are on a search,

0:17:07.687,0:17:14.350
spiritual search, a search for relieving[br]our anger, our frustration, our suffering.

0:17:14.703,0:17:16.981
And finding peace.

0:17:17.109,0:17:23.388
We all have this kind of innate search[br]to look for peace, happiness.

0:17:24.518,0:17:30.194
As well as to relieve, and even sometimes[br]to avoid suffering,

0:17:30.473,0:17:33.133
or get rid of suffering.

0:17:33.304,0:17:35.951
So we look for a teacher.

0:17:36.096,0:17:38.972
So people did that.[br]And the Buddha did that.

0:17:39.134,0:17:42.119
And many disciples did that.

0:17:42.259,0:17:47.651
Many of the teachers of other students[br]found the Buddha and so on.

0:17:47.805,0:17:52.446
And their students also[br]turned to the Buddha.

0:17:52.747,0:17:56.462
So there is this tradition[br]throughout the ages, I think,

0:17:56.617,0:18:00.204
for us to learn from our teachers,[br]to learn from those who

0:18:01.148,0:18:03.923
went before us.

0:18:04.204,0:18:06.251
And I think,

0:18:06.410,0:18:10.128
in this sutra the Buddha is very strong.

0:18:10.954,0:18:18.841
In this sutra, two other monks,[br]Shariputra and Maudgalyayana,

0:18:19.001,0:18:22.696
the two eldest monks in the community.

0:18:22.935,0:18:26.781
This is already the sangha has grown full,

0:18:26.894,0:18:30.534
and many monks[br]already following the Buddha.

0:18:30.717,0:18:33.718
And these two monks have been teaching

0:18:33.881,0:18:38.138
and are very well loved[br]by the other young monks.

0:18:39.040,0:18:42.321
And they have passed away.

0:18:42.490,0:18:44.853
So this is -

0:18:45.004,0:18:48.675
And the Buddha saw that[br]a few of the monks were affected.

0:18:48.821,0:18:56.798
His attendant, Thay Ananda, was affected.[br]I think he even fainted, Thay shared.

0:18:57.499,0:19:02.396
He lost balance, as ,'Now what will I do?[br]They are gone! Oh!'

0:19:02.837,0:19:08.355
So this is the context of the teaching[br]of why the Buddha gave this teaching.

0:19:08.875,0:19:12.917
Because there is a kind of[br]attachment to the teacher.

0:19:13.123,0:19:18.100
So in the sutra Taking Refuge in Oneself,[br]the Buddha is pointing

0:19:19.558,0:19:26.437
at you letting - You know that there is[br]only one place that is the true security,

0:19:27.007,0:19:33.084
that you will have refuge and safety,[br]solidity and so on.

0:19:33.482,0:19:36.673
And that is the island within,[br]the island

0:19:37.799,0:19:40.180
within oneself.

0:19:40.398,0:19:42.703
This is beautiful!

0:19:42.885,0:19:47.122
When I first learned of this teaching,[br]it just blew my mind.

0:19:47.684,0:19:50.124
The island of self.

0:19:50.239,0:19:53.565
You know, I mean self is a loaded word

0:19:53.747,0:19:57.712
in our education growing up.

0:19:58.398,0:20:00.695
Selfie, and so on.

0:20:00.815,0:20:03.664
But the island of self here

0:20:03.794,0:20:06.284
is a kind of quality that we -

0:20:06.414,0:20:10.415
All the qualities that we think[br]we don't have, and we are looking for,

0:20:10.545,0:20:14.839
out there, or in a book,[br]in a self-help books.

0:20:14.956,0:20:17.560
When you are suffering,

0:20:17.762,0:20:21.261
the self-help books keep going.

0:20:21.450,0:20:25.564
One reference, and then you go[br]to the next one, and the next author.

0:20:26.486,0:20:30.030
So we have this tendency to look outward

0:20:30.236,0:20:32.726
for the answer.

0:20:33.592,0:20:37.518
This for me was a revolution.

0:20:37.712,0:20:40.590
Thay and the Buddha told me,

0:20:40.694,0:20:43.729
the way out is in.

0:20:44.013,0:20:47.663
So the island of self here[br]is to look inward.

0:20:48.255,0:20:51.454
And more specifically, in the sutra

0:20:52.410,0:20:57.311
is recommended that you look inward[br]and to meditate.

0:20:57.527,0:21:02.585
There is a phrase that says,[br]"Meditate on the body in the body,

0:21:05.930,0:21:09.630
nourishing Right Understanding[br]and mindfulness

0:21:09.787,0:21:15.699
to master and transform[br]your cravings and anxieties."

0:21:16.658,0:21:18.438
That is

0:21:21.731,0:21:29.194
the best instruction that you will get[br]in terms of what the Buddhist path is.

0:21:29.419,0:21:33.211
It is go back, look inside your body.

0:21:33.448,0:21:36.261
And here the body is not,[br]is just one word 'body',

0:21:36.440,0:21:39.164
but it means the five skandhas.

0:21:39.294,0:21:45.253
It means also the four foundations[br]of your practice of meditation.

0:21:45.964,0:21:49.965
The four foundations,[br]the body, the feelings,

0:21:50.629,0:21:55.776
the mind and the objects of mind,[br]or the world.

0:21:55.941,0:21:59.485
So those are the four foundations[br]the Buddha has taught.

0:21:59.656,0:22:04.586
So that when you say, 'Look in the body',[br]the body means also the feelings,

0:22:04.724,0:22:09.270
the perceptions, the mental formations[br]and our mind.

0:22:09.805,0:22:14.915
So the body here is also the body[br]and how the mind works.

0:22:16.227,0:22:20.678
So to be a good meditator[br]you need to know about that,

0:22:20.944,0:22:24.694
you need to know how this body works,[br]you need to know

0:22:26.231,0:22:31.275
how the mind, and how you perceive[br]and work in the world.

0:22:31.491,0:22:35.115
And this is very important.[br]If we don't understand

0:22:35.285,0:22:38.702
how your mind works,[br]you will just keep

0:22:40.035,0:22:42.821
entangling yourself.

0:22:43.033,0:22:45.441
And there is a method

0:22:46.026,0:22:53.926
to slowly begin to see the subtle ways and[br]the more gross ways that our mind works.

0:22:55.013,0:22:59.422
The gross way is, you know, when you sit[br]and meditate, it is hard to tell, right?

0:22:59.571,0:23:01.716
It is very subtle.

0:23:01.876,0:23:07.646
Whether that person, how they are feeling[br]or if they are really meditating.

0:23:07.950,0:23:11.041
If they are doing the work.[br]It's hard to tell.

0:23:11.205,0:23:15.929
They look very peaceful, but as soon as[br]they stand up, and go to the door,

0:23:16.098,0:23:19.654
and open the door and close it,[br]you can see their mind.

0:23:19.779,0:23:23.097
You see? That is very -[br]That is the gross level.

0:23:23.966,0:23:25.957
Do you understand?

0:23:26.120,0:23:30.155
When you see someone rushing[br]to the tea house, it's very obvious.

0:23:30.425,0:23:34.200
So the body can reveal the mind.

0:23:34.824,0:23:38.538
When you see someone take hot water,

0:23:41.030,0:23:43.926
he pulls the lever down,

0:23:44.976,0:23:50.388
and how they take the hot water[br]tells you something. It's energetic.

0:23:50.585,0:23:52.729
It is more subtle.

0:23:52.889,0:23:57.766
So, slowly, with meditation, you can see,[br]you train in gross,

0:23:57.932,0:24:00.463
and slowly in more subtle.

0:24:00.596,0:24:03.450
And how the body works[br]as well as the mind.

0:24:03.573,0:24:08.546
So we do separate it, but actually[br]it's one thing. Body and mind go together.

0:24:09.819,0:24:17.062
But it is helpful to train, so[br]the body sometimes can help the mind.

0:24:19.097,0:24:21.603
Like opening the door.

0:24:21.792,0:24:25.127
If you train to open the door[br]in a certain way,

0:24:25.286,0:24:29.037
and you do it every time[br]you open this door,

0:24:30.625,0:24:34.913
then, what is the mind doing?[br]So you are not just training your body,

0:24:35.090,0:24:38.229
you are training your mind.

0:24:39.052,0:24:43.877
That is why as novices, for three years[br]we are very -

0:24:45.397,0:24:49.158
The brothers look at how we move.

0:24:49.506,0:24:51.767
How we flip our robe,

0:24:51.935,0:24:55.732
how we find ways to[br]put on our robe quickly, you know?

0:24:55.908,0:24:58.667
Because we are not used to it.

0:24:58.860,0:25:03.769
So as novice, for three years[br]we have to train to master our steps,

0:25:04.025,0:25:08.305
how we cook, how we sit,[br]how we make tea, how we get out of bed.

0:25:09.267,0:25:14.145
How our bed looks.[br]The area where we put our things.

0:25:14.407,0:25:16.943
How the room looks.

0:25:17.100,0:25:19.693
We call them mindful manners.

0:25:19.836,0:25:23.358
The first three years is very, very -

0:25:23.546,0:25:29.147
So the training in the body[br]is quite helpful at the beginning.

0:25:29.371,0:25:31.648
Because the mind part,

0:25:31.820,0:25:33.692
tougher.

0:25:33.823,0:25:38.292
It is more subtle,[br]because we are quite cerebral animals,

0:25:38.448,0:25:42.624
we are very proud, we are Homo sapiens,[br]Homo conscious.

0:25:43.376,0:25:47.931
We are very smart.[br]So as meditators, sometimes

0:25:49.186,0:25:52.108
we are too smarts for ourselves.

0:25:52.271,0:25:54.811
So the body helps us.

0:25:54.940,0:25:59.245
So here, when we say,[br]"Look at the body in the body",

0:26:00.492,0:26:03.896
is to come back and use this

0:26:07.836,0:26:12.638
vehicle, this body as a meditation.

0:26:13.792,0:26:19.090
In another sutra, The Sixteen Exercises[br]on Full Awareness of Breathing,

0:26:19.620,0:26:23.205
the Buddha gave very clear instructions.

0:26:24.926,0:26:29.280
And he uses the breath[br]to observe the mind.

0:26:29.937,0:26:32.563
Here in Plum Village,

0:26:33.553,0:26:36.493
you have experienced[br]some of the guided meditations.

0:26:36.613,0:26:39.712
They all go with the breath.[br]In-breath, like this

0:26:40.817,0:26:45.112
we managed before the Dharma talk,[br]we heard a guided meditation.

0:26:45.464,0:26:50.409
Breathing in, I see myself as space.

0:26:51.254,0:26:55.022
Breathing out, I feel free.

0:26:55.862,0:26:59.457
Imagine your body as space.

0:27:01.151,0:27:04.152
And you feel free.

0:27:04.554,0:27:10.022
So with the breath we can actually[br]learn a lot about our body.

0:27:11.390,0:27:15.435
So the following the breath,[br]don't underestimate that.

0:27:15.921,0:27:21.044
Maybe you've done it a couple of times,[br]maybe follow your breath a few meditations

0:27:21.176,0:27:25.328
and you, 'Huh! This is like beginners!'

0:27:25.869,0:27:27.985
But be careful.

0:27:28.161,0:27:32.022
Following the breath[br]is a whole life's work.

0:27:32.205,0:27:37.278
So every time you sit, establish yourself[br]right away to the breath.

0:27:38.166,0:27:43.502
You breathe in, you recognize[br]it is an in-breath, and find out

0:27:44.556,0:27:48.523
where is it that spot[br]that is most helpful for you.

0:27:48.830,0:27:51.999
Sometimes it's near the nose.

0:27:52.258,0:27:55.484
Sometimes it's the back of your head.

0:27:55.588,0:27:58.003
Sometimes it's around here.

0:27:58.160,0:28:00.336
So, it changes.

0:28:01.653,0:28:05.418
So we take the breath[br]and we recognize

0:28:06.721,0:28:09.222
it is an in-breath.

0:28:11.872,0:28:14.057
You can out-breath.

0:28:14.200,0:28:16.642
You recognize the out-breath.

0:28:16.793,0:28:19.813
It sound like,[br]'Why it has to do anything?'

0:28:20.643,0:28:24.371
But it is the secret.

0:28:24.821,0:28:29.281
Sometimes - There is a poem in Zen.

0:28:30.655,0:28:37.250
You take the silk of the lotus stem,[br]you know, when you break the lotus stem

0:28:37.427,0:28:41.802
and you pull the stem.[br]And there is a very thin silk.

0:28:42.443,0:28:45.016
Have you ever seen it?[br]It's very thin.

0:28:45.167,0:28:47.993
It's very light.

0:28:48.184,0:28:51.845
And there is a poem where you say,[br]"You can take one of those silks

0:28:51.955,0:28:56.503
and you can tame an angry tiger."

0:28:57.831,0:28:59.831
It's beautiful.

0:28:59.952,0:29:02.739
You don't need a whip,[br]you don't need a chain,

0:29:02.862,0:29:07.873
you just need a thin silk[br]from the lotus leaf.

0:29:10.158,0:29:13.003
And you can hold the tiger. Wow!

0:29:13.143,0:29:16.939
I loved that image[br]when Thay first taught it.

0:29:17.171,0:29:19.311
So you don't need -

0:29:19.440,0:29:23.271
And what that silk thread is,[br]is your breath.

0:29:24.524,0:29:28.593
Don't underestimate your breath.[br]If you train your breathing,

0:29:29.077,0:29:31.297
it can actually,

0:29:32.321,0:29:35.788
it can really hold[br]and bring back your mind.

0:29:37.089,0:29:40.368
So with each breath,[br]even a small little breath,

0:29:40.568,0:29:43.340
you can bring your mind back.

0:29:43.529,0:29:45.812
It is drifting somewhere.

0:29:46.022,0:29:49.283
So these exercises[br]it is what we do.

0:29:49.519,0:29:52.512
We don't clip vine, you know.

0:29:52.638,0:29:57.168
The grape vines. We don't build walls[br]with bricks.

0:29:57.881,0:30:01.568
Monastics here, what we do,[br]what practitioners do here,

0:30:01.917,0:30:07.569
is you train to have more concentration,[br]more mindfulness, and more insight,

0:30:07.938,0:30:10.354
more understanding.

0:30:11.005,0:30:13.401
So with each breath,

0:30:14.865,0:30:17.281
our mindfulness energy

0:30:17.620,0:30:20.310
is generated, right?

0:30:20.801,0:30:23.025
This is all we do!

0:30:23.456,0:30:28.044
And the more we become consistent,[br]the more strength it has.

0:30:28.388,0:30:30.691
Even though it is still very subtle,

0:30:30.978,0:30:34.818
this little silk thread[br]can really hold you.

0:30:35.096,0:30:38.502
And some of you maybe[br]have already experienced it.

0:30:39.020,0:30:44.234
You may have this wrong idea about[br]something and it makes you very angry.

0:30:46.787,0:30:48.824
Just one breath,

0:30:49.760,0:30:51.706
wow!

0:30:52.332,0:30:56.907
Second breath, you are like,[br]oh! I'm so glad I didn't open my mouth!

0:30:58.454,0:31:00.722
You already felt that?

0:31:01.053,0:31:04.271
By the second breath[br]you are already feeling gratitude.

0:31:05.156,0:31:08.480
'Oh! I'm so glad[br]I didn't react to that one!'

0:31:08.680,0:31:10.492
(Laughter)

0:31:10.699,0:31:13.166
That is the tiger, you see?

0:31:13.290,0:31:16.531
The tiger now turns around and smiles.

0:31:17.285,0:31:20.808
Ah! You know? Wow! I got out of that one!

0:31:21.167,0:31:25.761
Those of you who have been angry,[br]like I have been in the past,

0:31:25.935,0:31:28.388
I can destroy many things.

0:31:28.542,0:31:34.279
All the kitchen cupboards, all the doors,[br]the table, all the knives.

0:31:36.267,0:31:40.312
So you know what that tiger can do, right?

0:31:41.215,0:31:44.796
But to master the tiger, wow!

0:31:45.091,0:31:46.941
Now, that

0:31:47.685,0:31:50.849
is the greatest gift.

0:31:51.997,0:31:56.637
You know, you to be the CEO,[br]and have a good company,

0:31:57.019,0:32:01.544
and you got 500 employees,[br]that's great!

0:32:02.423,0:32:04.962
But it's incomparable

0:32:05.977,0:32:10.589
to the CEO of your anger, eh?

0:32:10.821,0:32:13.400
That is a great happiness.

0:32:13.565,0:32:16.325
When I was first able to do that,

0:32:17.352,0:32:22.365
I knew this is something very,[br]very precious.

0:32:22.778,0:32:26.687
And I dedicate my life[br]to finding out more.

0:32:27.301,0:32:32.080
So this is what the power of[br]the breathing, the exercise.

0:32:32.428,0:32:36.996
The Buddha didn't just give[br]a whole teaching on the breath.

0:32:37.229,0:32:43.281
Because, it's what he does[br]and what he sees can help.

0:32:44.156,0:32:51.108
So don't underestimate the conscious[br]breathing exercise training, Okay?

0:32:51.980,0:32:55.607
This is how you train to look at[br]the body within the body.

0:32:55.704,0:33:01.756
You sit, find the time, sit down.[br]And be with your body.

0:33:03.524,0:33:07.773
Most of the time in our society[br]we are not taught that.

0:33:08.207,0:33:10.838
Our body sometimes is in the way.

0:33:10.989,0:33:14.041
It gets hungry? Why it has to get hungry!

0:33:14.395,0:33:17.805
You just fill it up and then[br]continue to work.

0:33:18.125,0:33:19.984
So we've never,

0:33:20.119,0:33:22.508
in the society we don't really

0:33:22.629,0:33:28.436
value the miracle of having a body,[br]that your parents gave birth to you.

0:33:29.745,0:33:34.672
So there is a whole miracle, a cosmos[br]in our body that we can actually

0:33:35.643,0:33:37.698
come back to.

0:33:37.848,0:33:40.734
I remember the first total relaxation,

0:33:40.881,0:33:44.430
Sister Chan Khong, in a retreat[br]in Santa Barbara, I laid down,

0:33:44.569,0:33:48.957
she asked to put our hand on our heart.[br]My first time!

0:33:49.285,0:33:53.755
Valuing my heart. Do you believe that?[br]29 years old.

0:33:54.238,0:33:57.611
And the first time going,[br]'Oh! Thank you, heart'

0:33:57.936,0:34:00.263
I never forget it.

0:34:00.459,0:34:04.699
I was a very emotional moment[br]of actually, 'Gosh!

0:34:04.945,0:34:09.211
I know what have I done to my body!'

0:34:09.831,0:34:15.009
So with mindfulness we come to cherish,[br]and to value, and to protect

0:34:15.845,0:34:19.110
our body and its energy.

0:34:19.353,0:34:25.536
So we waste a lot of energy, and[br]we hold in a lot of stress and anxiety

0:34:25.991,0:34:28.362
in our body.

0:34:28.534,0:34:32.469
So we learn to release, to relax.[br]That is fundamental.

0:34:32.668,0:34:34.949
First gross step.

0:34:35.593,0:34:39.456
But it is nothing less than[br]taking care of the mind as well.

0:34:39.605,0:34:42.685
Because, you see it, it is the same.

0:34:44.551,0:34:47.224
When you feel sad,

0:34:48.053,0:34:51.847
your body feels heavy, and your breath

0:34:52.575,0:34:54.530
tight,

0:34:54.711,0:34:59.213
find some place in the forest,[br]find a quite place.

0:35:00.010,0:35:03.078
And be with that.

0:35:06.820,0:35:11.542
So, learning to feel your body[br]in the heavy state,

0:35:11.786,0:35:14.333
and not to go look for

0:35:16.093,0:35:20.102
you know, a friend to listen to me.[br]Those are needed too,

0:35:20.690,0:35:25.041
but learn to be with your sadness.

0:35:25.670,0:35:28.516
Take care of your sadness.

0:35:29.856,0:35:33.258
There is a bamboo forest out here,[br]a grove here.

0:35:35.065,0:35:38.586
You can sit in the middle of the bamboos.

0:35:40.303,0:35:44.504
It is very tight, you let it wrap you.

0:35:45.223,0:35:50.759
And the bamboo grove here it is like[br]it has mother energy.

0:35:51.388,0:35:55.387
Find a place down there, in the oak grove.

0:35:58.521,0:36:03.814
Be with whatever that is discomfort.

0:36:04.127,0:36:07.889
This is coming back to oneself.

0:36:08.214,0:36:11.373
We don't go looking for, 'Oh! -'

0:36:11.871,0:36:14.718
Not all the time.

0:36:14.993,0:36:17.884
Sometimes we do need a friend.

0:36:18.190,0:36:21.520
But we need to become our best friend.

0:36:22.865,0:36:25.487
So that is the feelings, eh?

0:36:25.915,0:36:28.190
The body, the feelings.

0:36:28.801,0:36:33.767
And feelings is both[br]in the 4 foundations as in the 5 skandhas,

0:36:34.713,0:36:38.631
feeling is separated out.[br]It is also the mind.

0:36:39.009,0:36:42.341
It is also consciousness,[br]but the Buddha takes it out.

0:36:42.515,0:36:46.917
And I always wondered why[br]he takes perception and feeling out,

0:36:47.625,0:36:49.879
and makes 5.

0:36:51.793,0:36:55.692
Because you look at the way we work[br]as human beings,

0:36:55.830,0:36:59.369
feelings is huge, right?

0:36:59.535,0:37:04.342
Everything is emotional, everything is[br]either you like, you don't like,

0:37:04.504,0:37:07.173
it's pleasant, not pleasant.

0:37:07.356,0:37:11.076
At lunch today, you see your feelings.

0:37:11.745,0:37:13.556
You know,

0:37:14.876,0:37:20.768
you feel you are not making contact[br]with people, or you know,

0:37:21.931,0:37:24.241
another feeling comes up.

0:37:24.365,0:37:27.388
Then somebody comes and says Hi! to you,[br]and you, 'Oh!'

0:37:27.785,0:37:31.904
And then another feeling comes up.[br]So we are feeling animals,

0:37:32.077,0:37:34.474
we are emotional animals, right?

0:37:34.628,0:37:37.176
If you don't know how that works -

0:37:38.338,0:37:41.127
It is like the weather, you know?

0:37:41.310,0:37:45.929
The people, actually, some of my brothers,[br]they follow the weather a lot!

0:37:46.078,0:37:49.226
They say, 'Oh! Tomorrow[br]is going to be a great day!'

0:37:49.311,0:37:53.289
Or, 'The next day is going to be sunny,[br]it's going to be rain, it's going -'

0:37:53.403,0:37:56.054
But you really never know, you know?

0:37:56.224,0:38:00.265
When the day comes, it is like half rain,[br]and then it is half sunny.

0:38:00.826,0:38:03.387
But there is so much energy!

0:38:03.597,0:38:07.716
It is like, whatever! Okay! It's going[br]to rain, Okay, it's going to rain!

0:38:07.820,0:38:09.533
(Laughter)

0:38:09.709,0:38:12.987
Your feelings, sorry to say,[br]it's kind of like that.

0:38:13.145,0:38:18.308
So don't get attached to it. You are[br]feeling, Oh! Everybody is going so well!

0:38:19.043,0:38:22.157
But then, tomorrow, ummm.

0:38:22.616,0:38:24.219
Right?

0:38:24.998,0:38:26.696
(Laughter)

0:38:26.867,0:38:31.293
I don't mean - If you are going through[br]a bad time right now, please, you know -

0:38:31.893,0:38:33.991
It's cool.

0:38:34.578,0:38:38.273
But it is not the only place[br]we need to be, eh?

0:38:38.441,0:38:42.814
Just don't always base yourself[br]on the thermometer of your feelings.

0:38:42.936,0:38:46.487
That is terrible![br]There is more things going on!

0:38:47.178,0:38:49.769
So feeling is just one, Okay?

0:38:49.914,0:38:51.998
The food is not good, but like,

0:38:53.104,0:38:57.684
it's wonderful to be hanging out here,[br]and the sun is coming out.

0:38:57.969,0:39:01.032
So there are other things[br]going on besides.

0:39:02.225,0:39:04.270
So feelings -

0:39:05.461,0:39:09.220
But know how they work,[br]know how they work.

0:39:13.004,0:39:15.591
Sometimes I read the newspaper,

0:39:16.541,0:39:22.401
and I look at what kind of emotions,[br]I look for emotions in the newspaper.

0:39:23.410,0:39:26.826
I don't read it for the news,[br]because it's all fake anyway.

0:39:27.079,0:39:28.660
(Laughter)

0:39:28.798,0:39:32.883
No, no fake. But like, you know,[br]perspective, opinions.

0:39:34.007,0:39:37.770
So I don't get caught at their facts[br]or what really happened,

0:39:37.891,0:39:41.850
because next week you have another article[br]that says something else, right?

0:39:41.993,0:39:46.143
So something you look at the newspaper,[br]as looking for feelings!

0:39:46.337,0:39:49.840
That one is greed,[br]and that one is anger,

0:39:49.959,0:39:52.470
that one is jealousy, that one is -

0:39:52.747,0:39:56.710
It is a very good exercise.[br]You see the human drama.

0:39:59.164,0:40:01.289
And that helps you,

0:40:01.536,0:40:03.510
it helps me

0:40:03.879,0:40:06.067
become a little bit,

0:40:07.332,0:40:10.857
I don't want to say a little bit more[br]even, I don't want to say detached,

0:40:10.993,0:40:15.530
but like just careful.[br]Not to let it be overwhelming.

0:40:15.868,0:40:18.628
I'm having a good day?[br]I'm having a good day.

0:40:18.771,0:40:22.261
I'm not, 'I'm having a good day!'[br]I'm having a good day.

0:40:22.898,0:40:26.793
It's a great day.[br]It is a good day.

0:40:27.499,0:40:30.800
It's a nice day to be alive.

0:40:31.393,0:40:33.763
So I had to train that.

0:40:33.896,0:40:37.042
I came from a culture where[br]everything is superlative.

0:40:37.172,0:40:40.336
'Wow! It's so nice to see you!!!'

0:40:40.573,0:40:42.287
You know?

0:40:42.510,0:40:44.006
(Laughter)

0:40:44.157,0:40:46.759
Sorry, I'm making fun of myself.

0:40:46.928,0:40:54.646
Everything is super, you know,[br]is superb! Everything is grand!

0:40:54.955,0:41:00.773
Nothing can just be like,[br]'Yes! It's a beautiful day. It is.'

0:41:02.599,0:41:05.036
It truly is.

0:41:06.332,0:41:10.889
So these feelings, you explore and find

0:41:12.116,0:41:16.395
that place where the feeling[br]doesn't move you.

0:41:16.587,0:41:20.024
That is taking refuge in oneself.

0:41:20.580,0:41:23.594
You know how to take care[br]of your feelings.

0:41:23.725,0:41:26.961
If I ask you, 'Do you know how to[br]take care of our emotions?'

0:41:27.079,0:41:29.012
You have to say, 'Yes.'

0:41:29.197,0:41:33.975
If you are a practitioner,[br]you cannot be beat up by your feelings.

0:41:34.156,0:41:37.182
You have to know. It is not to say,[br]don't have feelings.

0:41:37.302,0:41:41.890
Yes, be sad, be angry, be irritated,[br]be judgmental, be whatever.

0:41:42.730,0:41:45.824
There is many, many.

0:41:47.600,0:41:50.587
And you know how to take care of it.

0:41:50.863,0:41:56.694
Wow! That is the island of self.[br]Taking care of oneself.

0:41:58.829,0:42:02.684
So the body in the body,[br]the feeling in the feeling.

0:42:03.048,0:42:06.351
So don't deny yourself,

0:42:06.949,0:42:12.124
just don't deny yourself[br]from feeling the unpleasant feeling.

0:42:13.720,0:42:17.898
Eat something that you don't normally[br]would like to eat.

0:42:23.099,0:42:24.564
Right?

0:42:24.704,0:42:28.626
Why is it you just go after feelings[br]that make you feel pleasant and you like,

0:42:28.787,0:42:31.745
and why you just choose[br]things that you like?

0:42:31.867,0:42:35.359
Why don't choose something that[br]you wouldn't normally like,

0:42:36.855,0:42:39.817
and feel how that feels?

0:42:40.116,0:42:43.676
Anyway, I'm sharing with you my kind of[br]weird way of training, eh?

0:42:43.766,0:42:46.804
Only do this if it works with you, Okay?

0:42:46.943,0:42:50.457
I am a very, how we call it,[br]I'm a very tricky person.

0:42:50.628,0:42:53.144
So I have to trick myself.

0:42:53.314,0:42:56.051
So if you are that kind of person,

0:42:56.198,0:42:58.566
then this probably makes sense.

0:43:00.617,0:43:06.399
So you know, I do this so I become[br]more resilient. I have choices.

0:43:06.634,0:43:10.729
It means that. When you only choose[br]things that make you feel good,

0:43:10.863,0:43:13.407
you don't have so much choices.

0:43:13.552,0:43:16.701
Because sometime[br]they are not going to be there.

0:43:16.908,0:43:19.679
And we are going to have nothing!

0:43:20.584,0:43:22.433
So,

0:43:23.168,0:43:28.723
explore pleasant feelings,[br]unpleasant feelings, neutral feelings.

0:43:30.303,0:43:34.825
Neutral feelings, Thay has an interesting[br]thing about neutral feelings.

0:43:38.458,0:43:42.606
We can look at something neutral,[br]like brushing our teeth.

0:43:43.999,0:43:47.288
What is so pleasant about[br]brushing our teeth?

0:43:47.517,0:43:51.909
I remember first coming across[br]Thay teaching us about this.

0:43:52.931,0:43:56.899
And it was really hard to -[br]I had to really do it!

0:43:57.169,0:43:59.821
I mean, you never think[br]brushing your teeth

0:44:00.004,0:44:02.308
is something that you can enjoy, right?

0:44:02.586,0:44:05.501
Who ever had that?

0:44:07.106,0:44:09.233
Some of you, I'm sure.

0:44:09.349,0:44:13.350
But most people, brushing your teeth[br]is hygiene, you know? You just -

0:44:14.496,0:44:17.674
Or even going to urinate.

0:44:18.633,0:44:22.647
Strange, eh? I never thought of it[br]as something to enjoy,

0:44:23.164,0:44:26.521
until Thay told me one time,[br]he walked into the forest,

0:44:26.787,0:44:28.925
toilet has this tendency to get away.

0:44:29.645,0:44:38.070
And Thay looked into the maples outside[br]the Omega practice center, in the US.

0:44:38.946,0:44:41.999
And Thay enjoyed urinating.

0:44:42.174,0:44:45.599
And I remember the first time[br]I heard that from Thay at a retreat,

0:44:45.757,0:44:48.112
and I, 'Wow!'

0:44:50.578,0:44:52.891
You see? It used to be neutral for me.

0:44:53.200,0:44:56.572
It was like, you know, Who ever thinks[br]about enjoying peeing?

0:44:58.678,0:45:01.253
But you see the difference?

0:45:02.023,0:45:08.490
We think, 'Oh! Only when we eat or we[br]drink our favorite drink it is pleasant.'

0:45:08.915,0:45:14.918
But actually, the releasing we think[br]is unpleasant. 'Oh, we have to go pee!

0:45:15.180,0:45:17.940
Oh, we have to go defecate! Or we -'

0:45:18.067,0:45:23.815
It's just something - But it's amazing[br]what Thay is revealing to us.

0:45:24.381,0:45:28.476
For me, it was mind-boggling,[br]it was like, wow!

0:45:28.649,0:45:31.013
And I remember the first trying.

0:45:32.574,0:45:36.622
It was quite amazing, you know?[br]The birds -

0:45:39.041,0:45:44.482
It's not something you have to get rid of[br]and do it quickly, and you have to hide.

0:45:47.985,0:45:53.157
So this is taking something neutral,[br]what you think is neutral,

0:45:54.320,0:45:58.585
and turning it a little bit. You see?

0:45:59.544,0:46:04.224
So whatever you think - I used to think[br]folding clothes is neutral.

0:46:04.642,0:46:06.552
I get it done.

0:46:06.716,0:46:11.168
So I began to apply it to all aspects[br]of my life where I can of like -

0:46:11.448,0:46:15.557
you know, it's just gray. You just do it,[br]you fold your clothes.

0:46:16.661,0:46:18.933
But then I remember,

0:46:19.301,0:46:23.609
'OK, I'm going to[br]enjoy folding my clothes.'

0:46:24.415,0:46:28.089
Because we don't have irons,[br]I don't use an iron.

0:46:29.622,0:46:36.047
So I make it - If you fold it correctly,[br]and you pack in, and you stack it tight,

0:46:36.507,0:46:38.142
it irons itself.

0:46:38.314,0:46:39.971
(Laughter)

0:46:40.136,0:46:41.738
I know, it is -

0:46:42.041,0:46:44.862
It's not good for the electricity,[br]you know?

0:46:45.002,0:46:47.709
The company, the electricity company.

0:46:48.057,0:46:53.237
But you - Now, when I do my clothing,[br]I fold my clothing,

0:46:54.564,0:46:59.806
at least 30 minutes, maybe.[br]I don't count, but it takes a while.

0:47:01.029,0:47:05.428
Because I get everything lined up,[br]the seams, and - It's a little bit -

0:47:06.941,0:47:11.436
What is it? Obsessive? OCD, or something?

0:47:11.707,0:47:13.212
(Laughter)

0:47:13.409,0:47:15.888
Something like that.[br]It's borderline, kind of.

0:47:16.008,0:47:18.454
But I'm smiling[br]and I'm really enjoying it.

0:47:18.627,0:47:21.990
And my brother, my room-mate,[br]he knows not to bother me.

0:47:22.157,0:47:25.718
So it is also the time for meditation.[br]You breathe -

0:47:27.376,0:47:32.316
And I've found ways to fold it[br]where I can get it pretty, pretty

0:47:34.745,0:47:36.775
smooth.

0:47:36.936,0:47:39.189
So that is a kind of another one, eh?

0:47:39.323,0:47:42.737
Folding clothes. It used to be neutral,[br]it's not neutral anymore.

0:47:42.904,0:47:46.765
It's actually - But it's not like,[br]'Oh! It's the time to fold clothes!'

0:47:47.282,0:47:49.001
(Laughter)

0:47:49.135,0:47:53.801
It's more like, 'Ah! I have clothes!'[br]So I use that time to be grateful.

0:47:54.642,0:47:59.652
You know, I have a rip in my pants,[br]and I see, 'Oh!'. And I try to value it,

0:47:59.830,0:48:02.963
and keep using it as long as I can.

0:48:03.188,0:48:06.283
So it's a gratitude too to my clothes.[br]It's not just -

0:48:07.814,0:48:15.489
Anyway. You see, I have a few more like,[br]cutting my nails. I share this with you.

0:48:15.698,0:48:19.957
It used to be neutral. Cutting your nails.[br]And your toenail.

0:48:20.221,0:48:23.720
Now, when it's time to cut my nails -

0:48:25.312,0:48:26.557
Enjoy it!

0:48:27.202,0:48:29.667
Specially your last toe.

0:48:29.750,0:48:31.657
(Laughter)

0:48:33.346,0:48:37.211
We really underestimate our last toe.[br]'You are good for nothing!

0:48:37.374,0:48:39.879
What are you doing down there?'

0:48:40.036,0:48:41.745
(Laughter)

0:48:41.946,0:48:44.319
There is little excuse for a toe, right?

0:48:44.429,0:48:47.288
Did you ever look at the nail[br]of your small toe?

0:48:47.499,0:48:49.550
Ah! It's so cute!

0:48:49.731,0:48:51.609
(Laughter)

0:48:51.811,0:48:54.522
Anyway, it's really enjoyable.

0:48:54.698,0:48:57.204
Because I had my toe infected.

0:48:58.030,0:49:01.575
And you know when you have[br]infection on your toe.

0:49:02.965,0:49:08.977
So when I cut my toe, I am very careful[br]and I appreciate and I am so grateful,

0:49:09.657,0:49:12.014
to every toe.

0:49:12.342,0:49:17.502
So it sounds funny, but for me,[br]it is these little things, right?

0:49:17.825,0:49:22.300
Of how you take care of yourself.[br]Don't underestimate those little things.

0:49:22.468,0:49:24.977
Something that you love to do,

0:49:25.750,0:49:29.552
don't deprive yourself of it.

0:49:29.817,0:49:32.682
Right now, when I am in big trouble,[br]when I start to,

0:49:32.787,0:49:35.897
'I don't have time for it right now.'[br]Do you know that one?

0:49:36.035,0:49:39.397
'OK. Maybe not this week. No, no no.'

0:49:40.108,0:49:43.803
It's kind of like I don't deserve it,[br]or I don't have time for it,

0:49:43.918,0:49:46.200
or this is more important.

0:49:46.364,0:49:49.260
So be careful with that.[br]You do it this week,

0:49:49.381,0:49:52.646
you do it more next week,[br]and so on.

0:49:53.480,0:49:57.588
This is a way of[br]slowly not taking care of yourself.

0:49:59.067,0:50:01.663
So these are feelings.

0:50:03.686,0:50:07.822
And we move into the area of mind.

0:50:08.464,0:50:12.737
Mental formations and objects of mind.

0:50:13.434,0:50:17.767
So it is the way we think,[br]the way we perceive,

0:50:18.848,0:50:22.405
and what we have ideas about the world.

0:50:22.520,0:50:24.632
So remember this, Okay?

0:50:24.797,0:50:29.328
So, the mind is also mental formations,[br]the mind is what happens,

0:50:29.563,0:50:32.624
the ideas, the thinking,[br]everything in your mind.

0:50:34.050,0:50:39.344
And the way you perceive the world,[br]the dharmas, how you see things.

0:50:40.449,0:50:43.823
And this is the fun stuff.

0:50:45.124,0:50:50.224
You have a lot of ideas about yourself.[br]You have a lot of ideas about the world,

0:50:50.478,0:50:53.977
about the people, and your place in it.

0:50:54.143,0:51:00.099
Those are ideas, notions. And you need[br]to know that those are notions.

0:51:01.126,0:51:05.086
They are not truth, they are not real,[br]they are not -

0:51:08.415,0:51:10.876
You made them up.[br]Sorry.

0:51:12.530,0:51:17.446
That's the part for me that was like,[br]wow! I did make it up!

0:51:17.887,0:51:24.858
And if you are on the path, this is[br]a very cool thing to watch,

0:51:25.171,0:51:29.222
how your mind works,[br]and how the world works.

0:51:30.900,0:51:33.764
And this is how we are[br]in the world, right?

0:51:34.229,0:51:38.722
So a person who knows and becomes aware[br]of how her mind works,

0:51:39.709,0:51:43.118
is a little closer to being free.

0:51:45.029,0:51:49.138
So here the objective is to be free.

0:51:51.040,0:51:54.226
So this is, you have to ask yourself,

0:51:55.215,0:51:59.710
what are some notions, some ideas[br]that keep us tied.

0:52:03.367,0:52:08.259
So in the five skandhas, we have feelings,[br]and we have perceptions, right?

0:52:08.840,0:52:12.056
And then mental formations,[br]and then consciousness.

0:52:12.211,0:52:15.779
The area of perceptions that[br]Thay the Buddha also takes out.

0:52:16.834,0:52:20.856
It is also part of mental formations,[br]or of mind, right?

0:52:21.048,0:52:25.340
So why did the Buddha[br]take out perceptions?

0:52:26.109,0:52:31.053
That was always a question of mine[br]that helped me begin to see more,

0:52:32.652,0:52:34.877
and understand more.

0:52:35.103,0:52:38.573
When we talk about perceptions,[br]we usually think

0:52:39.819,0:52:42.260
that there is something out there.

0:52:42.440,0:52:46.027
But in the Buddhist teachings,[br]and what he found,

0:52:46.166,0:52:52.676
is that actually the one who is perceiving[br]and what is out there come together.

0:52:53.483,0:52:56.625
They cannot be separated.

0:52:59.275,0:53:04.866
This for me was a good exercise,[br]a good way of contemplating

0:53:05.667,0:53:11.200
how we perceive things[br]and we think it's real, it's out there.

0:53:11.689,0:53:13.968
But it is actually -

0:53:15.590,0:53:20.828
The famous example is[br]someone sees a snake, right?

0:53:21.757,0:53:24.148
And runs away.

0:53:24.305,0:53:28.188
And then, when there is light[br]or a flashlight, he comes back, and looks,

0:53:28.325,0:53:30.655
and he sees it is not a snake.

0:53:30.775,0:53:34.030
It is just a stick on the ground.

0:53:34.741,0:53:40.788
So there is a lot of that happening, but[br]there is a strong tendency in us as humans

0:53:40.982,0:53:44.554
to think that's really how reality is.

0:53:48.514,0:53:54.933
And one way of observing this is[br]sometime you feel sad,

0:53:56.398,0:53:59.819
and the way you will look at the world[br]is a little bit different,

0:53:59.928,0:54:03.244
the way you look at the day,[br]Plum Village is still Plum Village,

0:54:03.398,0:54:05.868
bit if you are handling some kind of

0:54:06.656,0:54:10.302
strong feeling, a resentment,[br]or sadness, or anger,

0:54:10.671,0:54:14.622
how you experience Plum Village[br]is very different from someone else.

0:54:15.782,0:54:21.393
So it is the same environment,[br]but everyone in this room

0:54:22.249,0:54:25.069
is perceiving it differently.

0:54:27.243,0:54:31.250
This is a good thing to be aware of.

0:54:33.005,0:54:38.335
Because the calligraphy that Thay wrote,[br]'Are you sure?'

0:54:38.539,0:54:42.302
that is what it is referring to,[br]referring to your perceptions.

0:54:43.158,0:54:45.481
Don't be too sure

0:54:45.689,0:54:48.762
that that is all that is happening.

0:54:50.107,0:54:53.903
This is something that helped me[br]in my practice to observe,

0:54:55.014,0:54:59.789
and to begin to see,[br]it depends on my attitude,

0:55:00.095,0:55:02.602
my way of perceiving.

0:55:08.840,0:55:10.972
And when we,

0:55:14.545,0:55:18.107
when we are very sure about something,[br]it's usually,

0:55:18.872,0:55:21.706
there is a lot of suffering[br]involved with that.

0:55:21.879,0:55:24.089
Did you notice that?

0:55:24.262,0:55:26.360
Sometimes it's very easy,

0:55:26.474,0:55:29.979
you notice when two people[br]are having difficulties with each other.

0:55:30.078,0:55:35.476
If you share room with 4 or 5 people,[br]sometimes there is two people,

0:55:35.672,0:55:38.312
in that room maybe there is ten people,[br]

0:55:38.474,0:55:42.241
there is two people having[br]a lot of difficulties with each other.

0:55:45.314,0:55:48.816
And it is related to[br]how they are perceiving something.

0:55:49.010,0:55:52.624
But you are the lucky one,[br]you are the tenth person in the room,

0:55:52.713,0:55:56.405
and you are like, 'Wow! That is[br]an interesting way of looking at it.'

0:55:56.552,0:55:58.753
And then you go to the other person,

0:55:58.868,0:56:01.883
and it is like, 'Oh! Yeah?[br]I can see your point too.'

0:56:02.049,0:56:05.352
And then you are the other point,[br]the tenth perspective,

0:56:05.482,0:56:08.327
and you are not suffering.[br]You are not angry,

0:56:08.516,0:56:12.466
and you are not angry at them.[br]But why are they angry at each other?

0:56:12.627,0:56:14.844
Have that ever happened?

0:56:14.967,0:56:17.914
In families is kind of like that.[br]If you have siblings,

0:56:18.170,0:56:23.176
it's very interesting. One of the ways[br]that I began to see more of this,

0:56:23.302,0:56:25.968
is when I'm not involved in it.[br]It's like, 'Gosh!

0:56:26.123,0:56:28.861
Why they just drop that idea,[br]and drop that idea,

0:56:28.990,0:56:31.229
and everything will be Okay.

0:56:31.380,0:56:33.274
No. No.

0:56:33.545,0:56:37.131
You see? Are you sure?[br]'I am sure. This is what happened.'

0:56:37.302,0:56:40.735
I say, 'Okay.'[br]'No, I'm sure this is what happened.'

0:56:41.643,0:56:44.207
And you begin to, wow!

0:56:44.858,0:56:50.244
This is the gist of it.[br]And you can see it happening

0:56:51.218,0:56:53.813
when you are not involved.

0:56:54.026,0:56:56.558
And the more you see that,

0:56:56.714,0:57:00.638
the more you are very unsure[br]when you are sure.

0:57:02.011,0:57:05.091
So when you are really sure,[br]you better be careful,

0:57:05.275,0:57:09.508
because there is probably going to be[br]some suffering involved.

0:57:10.625,0:57:13.342
So this is in the area of ideas, right?

0:57:13.407,0:57:15.538
You may have a lot of notions,[br]and usually,

0:57:15.659,0:57:19.008
'There's a way of doing this,[br]how come are you not doing it like this?'

0:57:19.052,0:57:21.575
I like it to be done like this.

0:57:22.005,0:57:27.470
Usually it doesn't go outside of that.[br]Humans are so habitual animals.

0:57:27.925,0:57:31.272
So anything outside of your usual,

0:57:31.774,0:57:33.570
and you suffer.

0:57:35.347,0:57:39.873
The perceptions also are created[br]by the way we were raised,

0:57:40.087,0:57:42.229
another aspect, Okay?

0:57:42.693,0:57:45.836
So the more we begin[br]to understand ourselves,

0:57:46.100,0:57:49.156
our parents, our society,

0:57:49.794,0:57:54.852
then we can begin to recognize[br]that this is how we perceive things

0:57:55.045,0:57:57.987
and it is only one way of perceiving it.

0:57:58.193,0:58:01.176
It doesn't mean you go around[br]don't perceiving,

0:58:01.346,0:58:05.670
like, 'Um, I'd better not look at that.[br]Not judgment there.' No, go ahead,

0:58:05.837,0:58:08.056
but be aware

0:58:08.205,0:58:11.691
that this is not the only way[br]of looking at it.

0:58:11.867,0:58:15.753
Like, you know, the food.[br]You like this kind of food, it's good!

0:58:15.932,0:58:19.275
Enjoy it, you know?[br]Don't say, 'Oh! I don't have an opinion.

0:58:19.410,0:58:21.708
Um, it's Okay.'

0:58:21.853,0:58:25.483
It means, do it but not be caught by it,

0:58:25.615,0:58:28.973
by, 'That is the only way[br]of perceiving it.'

0:58:30.649,0:58:34.365
So I see sometimes people[br]misunderstand this,

0:58:34.511,0:58:37.465
and they are very afraid of perceiving.

0:58:37.846,0:58:40.386
They are very protective, you know?

0:58:40.580,0:58:42.356
But it's Okay.

0:58:42.468,0:58:47.597
But the world of perceptions, the world[br]of perceiving is also wonderful.

0:58:48.616,0:58:51.584
So we also have to train how to look.

0:58:52.113,0:58:54.855
How to have the right view.

0:58:55.287,0:58:58.662
So when you perceive something,[br]and you want to hold on to it,

0:58:58.783,0:59:01.523
but it is impermanent, then you suffer.

0:59:01.764,0:59:04.948
So this is the area of mind, eh?

0:59:05.123,0:59:10.308
That is in the exercises,[br]the sixteen exercises,

0:59:10.795,0:59:13.902
the Buddha also recommends us[br]to look at it.

0:59:14.089,0:59:18.203
To look at things, to perceive things,[br]as impermanent.

0:59:22.361,0:59:27.415
The hardest part is seeing your loved ones[br]and seeing your friends as impermanent.

0:59:27.664,0:59:30.105
That is the toughest one.

0:59:30.232,0:59:35.560
Thay one time shared that his practice[br]is to wake up for the new day

0:59:35.766,0:59:39.804
and look at his students[br]as if it is the first time.

0:59:42.482,0:59:45.143
And he shared that it is difficult.

0:59:45.302,0:59:47.529
But it is a practice.

0:59:47.701,0:59:51.889
You know, maybe in five years[br]I will believe that,

0:59:52.717,0:59:59.215
but like moment to moment,[br]yesterday, I look at you and,

1:00:00.301,1:00:03.170
mmm, yes you are different, but -

1:00:03.359,1:00:05.661
And so on.

1:00:05.821,1:00:08.316
Ourselves as well.

1:00:08.445,1:00:11.500
We might have been something yesterday,

1:00:11.662,1:00:15.726
then we don't allow ourselves[br]to be impermanent today.

1:00:17.699,1:00:20.303
That is the hard one.

1:00:20.859,1:00:23.922
Because, we all know, I'm like this.

1:00:24.372,1:00:27.050
I'm only like this.

1:00:28.524,1:00:33.508
I come from this culture.[br]I'm like that.

1:00:34.144,1:00:41.087
I am PhD, OCD, ADD, I, what?[br]all those -

1:00:41.309,1:00:44.574
It is about the D's around,[br]disorders, right?

1:00:44.999,1:00:48.660
You know, you go to a therapist[br]and they tell a certain thing.

1:00:48.817,1:00:51.820
You're A, you're type A,[br]you're type B, you're -

1:00:51.952,1:00:54.494
There is so many categories!

1:00:54.668,1:00:59.080
You are Scorpio, you're Cancer,[br]or something.

1:01:00.718,1:01:05.445
So these things, if we are not careful,[br]we box ourselves.

1:01:07.330,1:01:12.125
So maybe we have some of that,[br]but that is not all of us.

1:01:12.668,1:01:16.594
We are a continuation of our parents,

1:01:16.889,1:01:24.139
but we are also a living, organic,[br]growing, evolving being, right?

1:01:25.194,1:01:32.144
That for me is what impermanence helps me[br]to see that we are part of a process.

1:01:33.095,1:01:35.526
Human beings are not just -

1:01:35.712,1:01:37.454
You know, like

1:01:38.622,1:01:41.180
a figure that you move.

1:01:43.136,1:01:47.638
And reflecting on ourselves[br]when we were 18 years old is very helpful.

1:01:48.650,1:01:52.842
Reflect on oneself when we were[br]35 years old.

1:01:53.373,1:01:57.262
And some of us can reflect on[br]when we were 50 years old.

1:01:58.621,1:02:01.496
When we were 5 years old.

1:02:01.906,1:02:08.209
So this meditation builds in us[br]a way of looking at the world.

1:02:09.977,1:02:13.180
This is a way of taking refuge in oneself.

1:02:13.434,1:02:19.027
You train yourself so that you have[br]a way of looking at the world.

1:02:20.244,1:02:22.719
You see, that is the refuge.

1:02:22.890,1:02:26.646
The refuge is not this body,[br]or this world, or this teacher.

1:02:27.041,1:02:32.006
That is what it means when you[br]take refuge in the island of the Dharma.

1:02:33.034,1:02:36.593
Some people say that Dharma here[br]is the truth, the law,

1:02:36.803,1:02:39.962
but here it is the practice.

1:02:40.520,1:02:45.374
Or more specifically here[br]is a way of looking.

1:02:46.073,1:02:51.828
The Dharma is also a practice of[br]looking at things in a certain way.

1:02:52.539,1:02:54.765
You see, the refuge?

1:02:55.176,1:02:59.294
That is strange as a refuge,[br]you think like an island is a refuge,

1:02:59.492,1:03:04.513
or a person is a refuge, or -[br]Like a figure, you know.

1:03:04.643,1:03:07.602
The president is a refuge,[br]sometimes, yeah.

1:03:07.748,1:03:09.666
(Laughter)

1:03:10.767,1:03:13.040
Oh! I get in trouble.

1:03:14.116,1:03:16.540
Your parents is a refuge.

1:03:17.228,1:03:19.544
We have these ideas, right?

1:03:19.672,1:03:22.363
But they are changing, impermanent,[br]and so on.

1:03:22.492,1:03:24.736
They are not very so reliable.

1:03:25.766,1:03:28.197
What is reliable?

1:03:31.734,1:03:33.865
That is a good question.

1:03:34.017,1:03:38.078
If you are here, you should be asking[br]that question, what can I rely on?

1:03:38.217,1:03:42.039
Thay? The monks and nuns?[br]My Dharma friends?

1:03:43.255,1:03:45.481
Plum Village?

1:03:45.626,1:03:47.912
It will be here forever.

1:03:48.138,1:03:50.362
The sun will shine.

1:03:50.521,1:03:52.898
You have these notions, you know?

1:03:53.043,1:03:56.898
But what is it when they say,[br]'Rely on the Dharma'?

1:03:58.110,1:04:00.076
What is it?

1:04:00.230,1:04:03.130
It is a way of looking at the world.

1:04:03.276,1:04:06.574
It is a way of viewing the world,[br]the Right View.

1:04:06.750,1:04:09.979
This is what you are training[br]to take refuge in.

1:04:10.144,1:04:13.277
That way, whatever situation[br]you're put into,

1:04:13.743,1:04:16.097
the way you look at it,

1:04:16.267,1:04:18.800
you will suffer or not suffer.

1:04:18.952,1:04:22.646
You will be at peace,[br]or you will be disturb.

1:04:23.004,1:04:26.136
That is what it means[br]to have craving and anxiety

1:04:27.536,1:04:30.059
alleviated.

1:04:30.237,1:04:32.677
There are things we crave for,

1:04:32.960,1:04:35.430
and we want to hang on to,

1:04:35.619,1:04:39.693
that disturb us. Because[br]we don't know how to look at it.

1:04:42.408,1:04:44.959
So Right View is

1:04:46.367,1:04:50.648
an ongoing process.[br]Our views can always improve.

1:04:52.264,1:04:54.500
And the best,

1:04:54.754,1:04:57.487
like the person,[br]the tenth person in the room,

1:04:57.641,1:05:01.491
you don't have a point of view.[br]That is amazing!

1:05:02.259,1:05:04.324
You don't have a view.

1:05:04.657,1:05:07.260
That is the greatest view.

1:05:07.430,1:05:10.462
And you know that.[br]And with the example I gave you,

1:05:10.578,1:05:13.703
the ten roommates,[br]two, three or more arguing,

1:05:13.878,1:05:16.145
and you are the tenth roommate,

1:05:16.285,1:05:19.623
and you are like, 'I don't have[br]a point of view. Sorry guys!'

1:05:21.078,1:05:22.820
Who is the -

1:05:22.977,1:05:26.343
Of course you are suffering,[br]because your roommates are suffering.

1:05:26.533,1:05:29.183
But you see what having no view is?

1:05:29.472,1:05:32.044
That is just a gross example.

1:05:32.707,1:05:36.394
But in politics, you are left,[br]you are right.

1:05:39.111,1:05:41.380
Both sides have a point.

1:05:41.796,1:05:46.424
So you try - Anyway, I don't want to[br]get into views here, get in trouble.

1:05:48.900,1:05:50.813
So, we will -

1:05:52.866,1:05:55.923
So the area of mind.[br]Know how the mind works.

1:05:57.324,1:06:00.431
There are ways to study[br]I won't go through here,

1:06:00.684,1:06:04.412
but Thay has taught in detail[br]about the mind.

1:06:04.736,1:06:08.391
You can look at it in the book[br]Understanding Our Mind,

1:06:08.560,1:06:11.577
or The Teaching on Manifestation Only.

1:06:11.751,1:06:14.945
So there is a whole teaching[br]on Buddhist psychology

1:06:15.178,1:06:17.213
that you can go through.

1:06:17.377,1:06:21.628
Thay has spent a lot of his years[br]clarifying for us

1:06:23.591,1:06:27.801
the teaching on how our mind works.[br]And we need to know how our mind works

1:06:28.273,1:06:30.942
if we are wanting

1:06:31.876,1:06:35.891
to alleviate and to be helpful.

1:06:38.209,1:06:40.959
Because this is what we use to -

1:06:41.673,1:06:43.907
If we look at a certain -

1:06:44.927,1:06:49.387
It is the instrument which we are working[br]with when we work in the world, right?

1:06:49.542,1:06:51.882
When we work with other people.

1:06:51.981,1:06:55.961
So you need to know how your mind works,[br]and the mind outside the mind.

1:06:56.103,1:06:58.592
So the second phrase is the,

1:06:59.715,1:07:03.646
"To look at the elements[br]outside the body, and in -"

1:07:04.411,1:07:09.559
"To meditate on the elements outside the[br]the body in the elements outside the body"

1:07:11.157,1:07:15.944
That is your world,[br]and how the society works.

1:07:16.781,1:07:19.477
You need to know how that works.

1:07:21.378,1:07:25.899
And the more you know,[br]the more you have a choice

1:07:26.824,1:07:29.099
not to participate.

1:07:30.441,1:07:32.665
So this is something -

1:07:33.072,1:07:35.773
A very clear example of -

1:07:39.675,1:07:43.268
Recently they had a Thanks Giving,

1:07:43.961,1:07:48.963
after Thanks Giving[br]a Black Friday shopping, yeah?

1:07:50.050,1:07:54.298
I heard a few thing about it.[br]It's hilarious.

1:07:56.360,1:08:00.643
So that is how society works, you know?[br]They want you to buy things, right?

1:08:00.877,1:08:04.875
And there is - this month? December?

1:08:07.711,1:08:13.103
It's going to be very hard to resist,[br]spending, uh!

1:08:13.515,1:08:17.148
I recently shared with my brother,[br]'If I receive a gift

1:08:17.336,1:08:21.312
that is handmade[br]from the recycle department,

1:08:21.962,1:08:26.722
I open it, and it's wrapped in like,[br]you know, recycled wrapping paper,

1:08:27.562,1:08:33.467
and it's made by hand[br]from bottles and cups, and glued together,

1:08:33.800,1:08:38.146
and I pull it and it moves.[br]I appreciate it,

1:08:38.782,1:08:43.016
but there is a part of me that says, 'Man![br]Why didn't you buy me something?'

1:08:43.302,1:08:45.344
(Laughter)

1:08:47.600,1:08:51.212
Yeah, something that is like, you know,[br]it has a tag, and is wrapped,

1:08:51.324,1:08:53.264
and it 's like, you know,

1:08:53.423,1:08:55.904
it's like produced! Mass-produced.

1:08:56.080,1:08:58.075
Plastic wrapping.

1:08:58.245,1:09:01.833
The tendency that we have,[br]the way we view things, you know?

1:09:01.948,1:09:05.826
This is really ingrained in me,[br]from childhood all the way up

1:09:06.137,1:09:09.816
growing up in America, you know?[br]You get a present, it is not bought,

1:09:10.079,1:09:12.007
it is like, 'Ah, that is cheap!'

1:09:12.234,1:09:14.033
(Laughter)

1:09:14.178,1:09:18.838
But look at the state of the world now.[br]It changes the way you look.

1:09:20.014,1:09:23.277
To appreciate something[br]that is found in the trash,

1:09:23.416,1:09:27.755
glued together and made out of love.[br]So you have

1:09:29.656,1:09:31.980
to move, pull it around, and -

1:09:32.531,1:09:37.167
Wow! He spent time on this![br]It just took a lot of time!

1:09:38.126,1:09:42.599
It is easy to go buy something on Amazon,[br]and order it.

1:09:43.372,1:09:47.831
All the packaging involved with it,[br]it comes to your door, and then so on.

1:09:48.678,1:09:51.784
That is so convenient! Gosh!

1:09:52.182,1:09:55.181
Anyway, I'm just sharing with you[br]how to look at things.

1:09:55.326,1:09:57.804
It is a little bit brainwashing,[br]you know.

1:09:58.348,1:10:02.299
But it is my liberation,[br]and it is my happiness.

1:10:04.350,1:10:08.368
And it is a North Star.[br]We cannot be perfect on it.

1:10:09.947,1:10:13.646
So don't be judgmental of others[br]who do buy things.

1:10:13.793,1:10:18.164
But I share with you is a clear example[br]of how long it took me to resist

1:10:18.481,1:10:22.219
and to change my way of looking[br]and valuing things

1:10:22.575,1:10:25.656
that are in the recycled area,[br]or lost-and-found,

1:10:26.453,1:10:31.664
or it is a leftover from my brothers,[br]or I go to a storage and find a sweater.

1:10:32.946,1:10:38.402
I had to resist getting something new.[br]It's a tough practice.

1:10:39.854,1:10:43.834
But it is a - Anyway, something[br]if you've been here around,

1:10:44.288,1:10:49.967
the urge to buy something is so easy.[br]Get online, click! And it comes in a box

1:10:50.638,1:10:52.911
in front of the office.

1:10:55.089,1:11:01.299
So that is a kind of changing a view[br]of how we relate to the world.

1:11:05.047,1:11:08.779
And it is very important.[br]I share that kind of humorously,

1:11:08.958,1:11:11.554
but it is huge

1:11:12.264,1:11:15.883
in terms of how it is[br]affecting other countries

1:11:16.152,1:11:18.466
that make these products,

1:11:18.626,1:11:24.065
as well as the plastics, and the wrapping,[br]and things going back to the environment.

1:11:24.280,1:11:27.294
So nothing is, you know,

1:11:30.627,1:11:32.606
how we call it -

1:11:32.778,1:11:35.407
There is a cost to it.

1:11:36.294,1:11:40.220
And so I think that is something[br]in our generation, in our time now,

1:11:40.373,1:11:43.338
we need to really, really look again.

1:11:44.174,1:11:46.693
And so we have been taking refuge in that,

1:11:46.928,1:11:48.817
the consumers -

1:11:49.779,1:11:54.545
That was in the last hundred years,[br]it has been our main refuge, right?

1:11:55.512,1:11:59.679
To buy, and to gain,[br]and to accumulate material things.

1:12:00.680,1:12:03.269
I think it is time now to find

1:12:03.513,1:12:05.551
a different way.

1:12:10.260,1:12:14.711
We kind of look down at societies,[br]or even certain drives now,

1:12:14.977,1:12:18.347
like they are kind of backwards,[br]they don't have electricity,

1:12:18.502,1:12:23.215
they don't know - We thought that[br]they don't know how to () the land.

1:12:25.082,1:12:28.529
But actually[br]they are very humble about it.

1:12:28.712,1:12:31.557
So we are finding new ways.[br]It's beautiful!

1:12:31.720,1:12:35.807
We are slowly changing our viewpoints[br]about past societies,

1:12:35.964,1:12:38.792
we thought they were backwards,[br]buy actually

1:12:38.885,1:12:43.691
they produce less harm to the environment[br]than, you know?

1:12:44.982,1:12:47.555
So it's another way of looking.

1:12:47.727,1:12:50.191
So this is a training.

1:12:52.764,1:12:56.642
That relates to cravings, anxieties.

1:12:57.033,1:13:01.755
Anxiety about the future,[br]the way we look at the future.

1:13:03.530,1:13:05.645
And there is something also

1:13:06.619,1:13:09.210
I found liberating here is,

1:13:09.699,1:13:13.113
the future is not something there[br]that is going to come.

1:13:14.242,1:13:17.492
The future is what I make of it right now.

1:13:18.000,1:13:20.922
That is very liberating.

1:13:22.030,1:13:25.024
So other causes,[br]and other aspirations stuff

1:13:25.268,1:13:27.265
we think we are going to go somewhere

1:13:27.384,1:13:30.439
or that it is something[br]that is going to come to us.

1:13:30.575,1:13:33.526
But what I learned from Thay[br]and the Buddhist teachings

1:13:33.708,1:13:37.870
is, 'I will make the future.'[br]What I do and choose to do today,

1:13:38.015,1:13:40.377
and how I look at it.

1:13:40.568,1:13:43.611
So your mind will affect the future.

1:13:43.774,1:13:47.426
Because you don't let it,[br]you don't let it get in.

1:13:47.847,1:13:51.827
You don't let the way they describe[br]the world and the future

1:13:52.372,1:13:56.395
be your only reality.[br]Do you understand?

1:13:58.400,1:14:04.326
It is all a stuff made-up anyway.[br]Let's make up a different story.

1:14:05.186,1:14:08.306
It is very liberating.[br]This is what we need.

1:14:09.192,1:14:14.152
So our anxiety comes because we believe[br]what they are telling us.

1:14:18.230,1:14:24.566
So we need to recorrect and choose[br]a course for ourselves.

1:14:25.072,1:14:27.233
And that includes

1:14:27.892,1:14:34.064
our having less impact on the environment,[br]on our society, on other people,

1:14:35.271,1:14:38.549
other animals and plants[br]and so on.

1:14:39.092,1:14:41.706
We have to look and see what,

1:14:42.184,1:14:45.964
how we are impacting and reduce that.

1:14:51.460,1:14:53.899
So I just end here.

1:14:55.116,1:14:57.544
I'll talk about

1:14:58.593,1:15:03.089
a beautiful image[br]that Thay shared with me

1:15:06.429,1:15:09.122
as part of his teaching.

1:15:09.285,1:15:11.422
He talked about a hut.

1:15:11.629,1:15:13.881
After the wind, the storm,

1:15:14.550,1:15:17.304
a window blew open,

1:15:18.761,1:15:20.969
and the storm went in,

1:15:21.137,1:15:24.277
and disturbs all the papers[br]and everything is a mess.

1:15:26.454,1:15:31.137
The person will come back to the hut,[br]and slowly close the window,

1:15:32.369,1:15:34.376
close the door.

1:15:34.558,1:15:37.234
It is still windy and everything outside.

1:15:37.369,1:15:40.153
And once he has closed[br]the window and the doors,

1:15:40.297,1:15:42.586
the papers start to settle.

1:15:43.088,1:15:46.321
And this person begins to light a fire,

1:15:47.658,1:15:50.595
in the fireplace in the hut.

1:15:50.844,1:15:53.662
And outside it is still stormy.

1:15:53.839,1:15:57.121
Slowly the fire warms the hut,

1:15:58.177,1:16:01.681
and this person begins to[br]pick up the papers,

1:16:02.198,1:16:04.502
put up the table again,

1:16:04.665,1:16:06.909
put the chair back,

1:16:07.139,1:16:09.182
stack the paper,

1:16:09.342,1:16:12.363
wipe the water that got through.

1:16:12.505,1:16:14.930
It's a beautiful image, eh?

1:16:15.055,1:16:17.989
This never left me, and still,

1:16:18.120,1:16:20.869
I can still conjure it up.

1:16:21.139,1:16:24.022
And it is an exercise, a visual exercise

1:16:24.153,1:16:27.666
that I go through[br]when I have a difficult moment,

1:16:27.990,1:16:31.254
or I'm feeling kind of bluesy,

1:16:31.374,1:16:34.156
feeling a little bit irritated,

1:16:34.351,1:16:36.917
feeling a little bit lonely.

1:16:37.435,1:16:40.559
How come no brothers are visiting me?

1:16:41.346,1:16:45.160
Or why do I feel like I should go[br]visit somebody, you know

1:16:45.461,1:16:48.537
It's just one of those days.

1:16:49.567,1:16:51.682
And I go back,

1:16:51.846,1:16:56.118
and I sit and watch the sun[br]go down over there.

1:16:57.914,1:17:00.773
And I do this exercise.

1:17:01.091,1:17:05.859
It is a visual exercise, and I offer it[br]to you for those who have not heard it.

1:17:06.383,1:17:09.917
And it is something you do visually,[br]I'm a visual person.

1:17:11.128,1:17:14.237
And when I'm lying down[br]or I'm sitting on a chair,

1:17:15.406,1:17:19.216
and I see the hut,[br]the rain, the wind.

1:17:20.143,1:17:23.906
And I see myself going in the hut.

1:17:24.250,1:17:27.981
And I do exactly as[br]Thay had shared with me.

1:17:29.516,1:17:33.221
Thay didn't share it as an exercise.[br]He told the story about a monk,

1:17:33.471,1:17:35.622
I think it might be him.

1:17:36.229,1:17:40.422
But I turned it into an exercise.[br]And it has helped me a lot

1:17:40.681,1:17:44.110
in getting out of strong emotions.

1:17:44.862,1:17:47.934
Or kind of depress emotions.

1:17:48.117,1:17:50.068
Or any kind of

1:17:50.591,1:17:54.122
you know, something you don't[br]even know what it is, you know?

1:17:54.249,1:17:56.074
It just feels -

1:17:56.168,1:17:59.092
But it makes you restless. Whatever.

1:17:59.326,1:18:03.814
Or you feel disconnected to your blood[br]family in America, or something.

1:18:04.162,1:18:06.483
It is just unpleasant.

1:18:06.670,1:18:09.912
So I go through the whole exercise.[br]I go in,

1:18:10.707,1:18:14.267
and I make myself look mindful[br]while I'm doing all that.

1:18:14.557,1:18:16.013
(Laughter)

1:18:16.131,1:18:18.133
I'm probably rushing.

1:18:18.244,1:18:21.289
But I'm very mindful in my mind, you know?

1:18:21.452,1:18:23.774
I close the door gently,

1:18:24.066,1:18:25.857
I'm not running,

1:18:26.083,1:18:30.075
around trying to get everything tidy,[br]but I'm doing it very slowly.

1:18:31.454,1:18:36.923
It's very pleasant, if you ever[br]get a chance to do it.

1:18:37.094,1:18:42.494
Kind of something that you can always,[br]you can always turn on and do.

1:18:43.600,1:18:46.355
So this is the island of self.

1:18:46.514,1:18:50.746
You make a place inside yourself[br]where you can rely on.

1:18:52.989,1:18:55.647
And this is very important.

1:18:55.849,1:18:58.810
Because there are many,[br]many other journeys

1:18:58.962,1:19:00.780
that you cross, right?

1:19:00.951,1:19:04.147
Life is impermanent,[br]and we will learn more.

1:19:04.331,1:19:06.816
Wherever state you are in now,

1:19:06.976,1:19:11.533
is not permanent. You will have[br]challenges, you will have new things.

1:19:11.708,1:19:13.532
It's beautiful!

1:19:14.187,1:19:17.266
And some of that might be testing.

1:19:17.541,1:19:20.514
But your are Okay,[br]now you have a practice.

1:19:20.959,1:19:23.035
And you have to train,

1:19:23.205,1:19:25.496
and to build this hut.

1:19:26.181,1:19:28.400
There is a poem here

1:19:28.593,1:19:33.446
written by a poet (), a beautiful poem.

1:19:33.635,1:19:36.415
And one of my brothers made it into music.

1:19:36.567,1:19:38.766
It is in Vietnamese, yeah?

1:19:39.533,1:19:41.376
But is says,

1:19:41.507,1:19:43.859
(Vietnamese)

1:19:44.274,1:19:49.250
It is like, 'Please, make yourself[br]some clouds and some sunshine.

1:19:50.603,1:19:53.307
January, make it!

1:19:53.577,1:19:58.081
And don't just borrow[br]from the Earth and the Heavens.

1:20:00.679,1:20:03.197
Because one day,

1:20:05.207,1:20:10.020
when the Moon is blocked,[br]and it is far away,

1:20:12.122,1:20:15.133
that in front of you

1:20:16.275,1:20:20.792
the light of the Moon is still shining.'

1:20:21.268,1:20:25.716
It's beautiful. And it reflects[br]the Buddhist teaching

1:20:26.588,1:20:29.976
that we need to learn[br]how to create the sunshine,

1:20:31.415,1:20:34.990
and the white clouds,[br]and the moonlight

1:20:35.503,1:20:37.623
in ourselves.

1:20:37.793,1:20:42.397
So anytime, when you do[br]walking meditation, when you walk outside,

1:20:42.991,1:20:47.859
when you eat, you can create this island

1:20:48.783,1:20:54.708
that has the flowers, the water,[br]the clear lake, the mountain solid.

1:20:55.324,1:20:58.904
These elements are not out there.

1:21:01.320,1:21:05.467
This is a way of practicing[br]so that we become

1:21:07.278,1:21:12.128
a more solid practitioner for ourselves,[br]we become our refuge

1:21:12.648,1:21:16.041
as well as we can provide[br]refuge for others.

1:21:17.433,1:21:21.542
Unfortunately, the world needs more

1:21:24.142,1:21:28.110
how we call it, solid refuge.

1:21:29.749,1:21:34.367
And don't make them attach to you though.[br]You got to teach them also

1:21:35.168,1:21:37.758
to make their own island.

1:21:38.430,1:21:43.541
That is the task. So don't get them,[br]'Always come to me! Call me anytime!'

1:21:44.737,1:21:47.704
Because you will be burnout[br]as well, you know?

1:21:48.325,1:21:53.124
So our task, as we learn this,[br]is to transmit it,

1:21:53.682,1:21:56.793
to share to other people how to do it.

1:21:56.951,1:22:00.119
The breathing, the body,[br]the feelings, you see?

1:22:00.433,1:22:04.949
It's not complicated. You don't need[br]to read anymore self-help books.

1:22:05.137,1:22:08.001
It's in those steps.

1:22:09.282,1:22:12.202
But you need to do it, that's all.

1:22:12.572,1:22:15.155
You need to train to -

1:22:15.784,1:22:19.727
And when something unpleasant happens,[br]it is an opportunity.

1:22:20.684,1:22:23.836
That is one thing[br]you always need to remember.

1:22:23.966,1:22:28.127
I was lucky, my mother[br]grew me up like that,

1:22:28.303,1:22:31.068
always to see challenges as opportunities.

1:22:31.208,1:22:35.552
She had to escape Vietnam because of[br]the war, so it's kind of easy, you know?

1:22:35.709,1:22:37.660
To do that.

1:22:37.781,1:22:41.025
To see everything.[br]You are out in the Pacific Ocean,

1:22:41.181,1:22:44.930
on a boat with 200 people.[br]Keep going!

1:22:46.124,1:22:47.864
Don't give up!

1:22:48.099,1:22:51.879
I also have that contemplation.[br]I am a refugee,

1:22:53.734,1:22:56.581
and the only place now[br]I can take refuge,

1:22:56.767,1:22:59.860
not in America, not in France,[br]not in any country,

1:22:59.975,1:23:02.699
not in any president or CEO.

1:23:04.692,1:23:07.624
So remember, we are all refugees.

1:23:09.789,1:23:13.996
And the island is within here.[br]That would be

1:23:15.795,1:23:19.984
a very strong gift, a great gift

1:23:20.268,1:23:23.653
that we will have for the holidays[br]that are coming up.

1:23:24.163,1:23:27.489
Holidays is a very trying time[br]for a lot of people,

1:23:27.629,1:23:30.609
because they don't have a place of refuge.

1:23:31.515,1:23:34.400
And the marketing, and the companies,[br]and the -

1:23:35.565,1:23:37.908
Amazon, they know this.

1:23:38.659,1:23:43.002
They know you are unstable,[br]most unstable in December.

1:23:44.945,1:23:47.445
Marketing, simple!

1:23:48.646,1:23:52.065
The music makes you feel good,[br]and you -

1:23:54.503,1:24:00.096
So please be a refuge for the loved ones.[br]And they need a different kind of present.

1:24:01.706,1:24:04.288
And this is what you can offer[br]to you loved ones.

1:24:04.478,1:24:10.389
'Mum, dad, I have something so precious[br]I want to give you. It's my presence.

1:24:11.621,1:24:15.953
I cannot wrap it up.[br]But I want to let you know

1:24:16.664,1:24:19.155
before it's too late.'

1:24:19.624,1:24:23.139
That is what you can give them.[br]Just a phone call!

1:24:24.009,1:24:26.953
And it will change everything.

1:24:27.229,1:24:30.082
Your siblings, your brothers and sisters,

1:24:30.380,1:24:34.348
apologize, 'Sorry.[br]I was not there for you.

1:24:36.319,1:24:39.223
But I don't want to hold this resentment.'

1:24:40.858,1:24:45.262
So this coming month, December,

1:24:46.478,1:24:49.623
please, give yourself a present,

1:24:50.146,1:24:53.220
and allow yourself to be a refuge

1:24:53.525,1:24:56.121
for those who might need it.

1:24:56.310,1:25:00.556
This is a gift that[br]we can offer to the world.

1:25:02.852,1:25:05.365
Thank you for being here,

1:25:05.732,1:25:08.853
and for, you know, not giving -

1:25:09.677,1:25:12.691
Going, staying on the boat, eh?

1:25:13.581,1:25:16.306
Another talk I think you all know you here

1:25:16.549,1:25:19.194
is the island,[br]I think Thay developed that,

1:25:19.342,1:25:21.464
the island of the sangha, right?

1:25:21.620,1:25:24.906
the island of the Dharma, and then[br]the island of Sangha.

1:25:25.001,1:25:27.321
And Thay has spent his whole life,

1:25:27.502,1:25:31.102
and this is here. So you don't need[br]to have a teaching on that.

1:25:31.269,1:25:34.800
So today, you can[br]take refuge in the sangha.

1:25:35.616,1:25:40.294
Just be with your friends here. [br]Everyone here we have the same aspiration.

1:25:40.820,1:25:43.561
We want to help better the world,

1:25:43.726,1:25:47.865
we want to bring more peace,[br]less anger and hate,

1:25:48.180,1:25:50.899
less prejudice, less -

1:25:52.545,1:25:56.657
So please, take refuge in your sangha,[br]in your friends here.

1:25:57.341,1:25:59.540
It's also beautiful.

1:25:59.716,1:26:02.040
But don't get attached.

1:26:02.225,1:26:03.809
Yeah?

1:26:04.014,1:26:07.860
We are all flowing together.[br]Thank you.

1:26:10.037,1:26:11.575
(Bell)

1:26:16.342,1:26:22.326
(Bell)

1:26:34.370,1:26:40.471
(Bell)

1:26:53.827,1:26:59.977
(Bell)

1:27:33.912,1:27:35.916
(Small bell)