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V Right View is No View: Letting go of Rigid Beliefs | Thich Nhat Hanh

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    [ Three sounds of the great bell ...]
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    Plum Village Practice Center,
    Loving Kindness Temple,
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    The Path of the Buddha,
    Winter Retreat 2008 - 2009.
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    The Insights that help us Break Free from Wrong Views
    14 December 2008.
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    In the past, when Thầy just received
    the Great Precepts,
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    the Pratimoksha,
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    Thầy had to recite them in Chinese.
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    Classical Chinese.
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    Thầy could not recite them
    in his native Vietnamese.
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    Nowadays, monks and nuns can
    recite the precepts in Vietnamese.
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    However, in Vietnam, most monks and nuns
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    still recite the Pratimoksha in classical Chinese.
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    They have a feeling that reciting it in Chinese
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    sounds more sacred than
    reciting it in Vietnamese.
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    It's like reciting scriptures in Latin over here,
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    it sounds more powerful,
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    more sacred than reciting it in, say, French.
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    Reciting in Sanskrit
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    reciting in Latin.
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    Thầy really likes the introductory words
    to the Pratimoksha.
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    The Pratimoksha that we recite in Plum Village
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    is from the Dharmagupta school
    (Pháp Tạng Bộ 法藏部).
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    The precepts are like the
    ocean without boundaries.
    [ Giới như hải vô nhai ]
    [ 戒如海無涯 ]
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    The precepts are like precious treasures,
    we never grow tired in their pursuit.
    [ Như bảo cầu vô yếm ]
    如寶求無厭 ]
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    It is because we want to protect the sacred
    inheritance of the true teachings
    [ Dục hộ thánh pháp tài ]
    [ 欲護聖法財 ]
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    that we have gathered to hear
    the recitation of the precepts.
    [ Chúng tập thính ngã thuyết ]
    [ 眾集聽我說 ]
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    Sixteen words.
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    It means
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    the precepts are like
    the ocean without boundaries.
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    The precepts are like
    the ocean without boundaries.
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    "Giới như hải vô nhai,"
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    "Như bảo cầu vô yếm"
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    means the precepts are like precious
    treasures that we are searching for.
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    It's like going to a mountain full of gems;
    we can pick up so many gems.
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    But picking up three gems is not enough,
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    five gems is not enough.
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    It is never enough.
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    So the precepts
    are also like that.
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    Studying the precepts,
    pursuing the precepts,
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    we never grow tired of it.
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    So back then, as a young bhikshu reading the precepts, I felt those words were wonderful
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    but I hadn't fully understood them.
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    I hadn't seen clearly that the precepts
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    are as vast as the ocean,
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    and that there are no boundaries,
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    there are no limits.
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    Now I can see it.
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    I see that the precepts
    are really without boundaries,
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    so vast.
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    The more we study,
    the deeper they become,
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    the more we study,
    the more we see its vastness.
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    And now I understand clearly the line
    “Giới như hải vô nhai,”
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    meaning, the precepts are
    like the ocean without boundaries.
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    In the beginning, we may think,
    "They're precepts. What's the big deal?"
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    The five precepts, the first is no killing,
    the second is no stealing ...
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    what's so complicated about them
    that they need to be considered
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    as vast as the ocean without boundaries,
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    without limits?
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    Like precious treasures we
    never grow tired in their pursuit.
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    Of course, some of us enjoy studying the precepts.
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    But, even if we like
    studying the precepts,
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    there must be a point
    where we feel it's enough.
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    But in the introductory paragraph
    it says, "như bảo cầu vô yếm."
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    So like precious treasures that we search for,
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    no matter how many we find
    we never feel it's enough.
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    The precepts are also like that,
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    the more we study them,
    the more we see how wonderful they are.
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    So when we study the 5, 10 or
    14 precepts
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    and we think we've had enough,
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    then we have not truly touched the precepts.
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    Because the precepts are very deep.
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    They contain concentration and insight.
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    And insight is a treasure chest
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    of understanding and love.
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    And so we may study the precepts
    our whole life and still feel it's not enough.
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    "Giới như hải vô nhai, Như bảo cầu vô yếm."
    [ 戒如海無涯,如寶求無厭 ]
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    The precepts are like the ocean
    without boundaries.
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    The precepts are like a mountain of gems,
    we never grow tired in their pursuit.
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    "Dục hộ thánh pháp tài, Chúng tập thính ngã thuyết."
    [ 欲護聖法財,眾集聽我說 ]
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    "Because we want to protect that
    sacred inheritance of the noble ones
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    that the sangha has gathered here to listen
    to the recitation of the precepts."
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    It is because we have a very precious
    inheritance, which are the precepts.
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    And if we can guard that inheritance,
    we will continue to be rich.
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    If we lose that inheritance,
    then we will become poor.
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    That is why the precepts
    are very important in Buddhism.
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    Precept is sila.
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    And we are about to have a great
    precepts transmission ceremony,
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    the New Lotus Season Great Precepts
    Transmission ceremony (Giới Đàn Mùa Sen Mới).
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    And many people are coming to request
    the transmission of the precepts.
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    "Sila" means
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    precepts.
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    And
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    precepts lead to concentration.
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    Concentration is "samadhi."
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    When our precepts and concentration
    are powerful enough,
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    we can pierce through
    the net of illusion
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    and arrive at a very deep understanding,
    which is called "insight,"
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    or Prajna.
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    So the precepts contain
    concentration and insight.
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    If the precepts do not contain
    concentration and insight,
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    they are not true precepts.
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    So we must know that precepts here
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    contain concentration,
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    and concentration contains insight.
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    Here is concentration.
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    And here is insight.
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    If by practicing we are able to develop
    concentration and insight
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    it's because the precepts themselves
    contain concentration and insight.
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    So when we observe the first precept of
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    no killing, of protecting life,
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    we know that concentration and insight is there.
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    There must be a kind of insight
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    which serves as the foundation for precepts.
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    In the past few weeks
    we have seen very clearly that
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    insight is right view.
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    "Chánh kiến" means right view.
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    Right view.
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    And right view
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    is the view that leads to solidarity and love,
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    and not to discrimination and division.
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    That is what we mean by right view.
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    The view of interdependent co-arising, the view of interbeing.
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    Interdependent co-arising.
    [ Duyên sinh ]
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    Interbeing.
    [ Tương Tức ]
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    Interdependent co-arising means
    this relies on that to manifest.
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    Like the left relies on the right to be.
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    If there is no left, there is no right.
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    This is also interbeing.
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    Left and right rely on each other to be.
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    If there is no left,
    there will never be a right.
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    If this does not exist,
    then that will never exist.
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    In the sutras, the Buddha
    taught this very clearly,
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    "This is because that is."
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    It is very simple.
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    This is because that is.
    [ Thử hữu tức bỉ hữu ]
    [ 此有故彼有 ]
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    [ Thử hữu tức bỉ hữu ]
    [ 此有故彼有 ]
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    It means, this is because that is.
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    This is, therefore that is.
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    This and that.
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    Suppose there is no left.
    How can the right be?
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    At first we see that
    the left and the right
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    are like the sun and moon,
    opposing each other.
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    But in fact,
    they embrace each other.
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    In the left there is the right.
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    And in the right there is the left.
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    Wherever the left is, the right is there also.
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    It's wonderful.
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    If there is no left, there can be no right.
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    This is right understanding.
    What we call right view.
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    It's like when we say “I” and “you.”
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    "I" and "you."
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    These two things.
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    The one and the all.
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    The one.
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    and the all.
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    The one and the all.
    [ Nhất, nhất thiết ]
    [ 一 , 一切 ]
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    In Buddhism it is said that
    the one is the all.
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    This is the one,
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    this is the all.
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    The one. The all.
    [ 一 , 一切 ]
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    Why is the one the all?
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    Because looking deeply into the one,
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    looking very deeply,
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    we can see the all.
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    In Plum Village we often use
    a flower as an example.
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    Looking deeply into this one flower,
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    we can see that it contains everything.
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    The cloud, the sun, the earth,
    even human consciousness,
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    there is nothing in the universe
    that is not contained in this flower.
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    The all is inherent in the one.
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    And if we take away the all,
    the one no longer exists.
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    If we take away the all,
    the one no longer exists.
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    So the one embraces the all
    and the all embraces the one.
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    Outside of the one, the all doesn't exist,
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    and outside of the all, the one doesn't exist.
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    That is why the one and the all
    rely on each other to be.
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    We cannot say that the all comes first
    and then the one comes after,
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    or that the one comes first
    and then the all comes after.
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    So it's a very deep understanding.
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    And when we can see the nature of interbeing,
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    interbeing,
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    this is that,
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    this embraces that,
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    then we begin to understand.
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    Like when we look into the precepts and see
    that they contain concentration and insight,
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    we can see the true nature of the precepts.
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    But if we see that the precepts
    are not concentration and not insight,
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    we haven't really understood the precepts.
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    Because precepts, concentration
    and insight inter-are.
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    They inter-are.
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    That is the insight that we need to realize.
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    And that insight doesn't come by speaking or listening.
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    We have to practice looking deeply.
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    And one day we will be able to have insight.
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    That insight is called the right view.
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    And once we have insight,
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    the precepts become
    something very natural.
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    Once we see that the other person is us,
    we cannot possibly kill them.
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    Because killing that person
    means killing ourselves.
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    It's the same if we talk about
    man and the environment.
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    Man and the environment.
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    And if we have wrong view (tà kiến),
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    we would say man is one thing
    and the environment is another thing.
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    That is not a right view.
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    And without right view,
    ethics is not possible.
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    According to the Buddha’s teachings
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    as well as the insights of the great beings
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    the environment is also man.
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    Man comes from the environment.
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    And the environment creates man.
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    That is why we can say
    that we are the environment.
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    You are the environment,
    the environment is you.
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    When we have this insight,
    that is right view.
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    Seeing the inter-being between
    ourselves and the environment,
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    we can't possibly harm the environment.
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    Because harming the environment
    is harming ourselves.
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    To kill the environment
    is to kill the human species.
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    Nowadays, sociologists and scientists
    are all able to see this.
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    They can see it in theory
    but perhaps not with insight .
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    So in not harming the environment,
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    in observing the precepts to not harm the environment,
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    to not kill other species,
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    to not kill other people,
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    that comes from insight.
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    There is right view.
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    That's why we say precepts must contain insight
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    to be called true precepts.
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    If we just say,
    "The first precept is no killing,"
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    but we don't have the insight
    on why we shouldn't kill,
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    then we have not understood the precepts.
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    We need the insight of inter-being:
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    If you kill that person you kill yourself.
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    You will suffer a lot.
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    With that insight,
    no-killing is possible.
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    So the precepts contain
    concentration and insight.
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    And looking into the precepts,
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    we'll find it's complete with
    concentration and insight.
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    That is why the precepts
    have no boundaries.
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    The precepts are like the ocean,
    without boundaries.
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    The more we study, the more
    we see how deep and vast they are.
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    The more we study, the more we see how
    precepts contain concentration and insight.
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    And insight is limitless.
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    For some, a lake or a pond
    may already seem large,
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    but when they encounter a river,
    and they see that the river is so vast.
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    But a river is nothing compared to the ocean.
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    So when we look deeply into the precepts,
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    we can also see that the precepts are limitless,
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    Because the precepts contain
    concentration and insight.
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    And if insight is limitless,
    then love is also limitless.
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    Insight is understanding,
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    and compassion is love.
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    Compassion is love.
    Insight is understanding.
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    And we have learned that in Buddhism
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    love is immeasurable.
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    Love is made of four elements:
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    loving kindness, compassion,
    joy and equanimity.
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    The four immeasurable minds.
    [ Tứ vô lượng tâm ]
    [ 四無量心 ]
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    "Vô lượng" means limitless.
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    And if love is limitless,
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    the understanding that generates
    that love is also limitless.
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    And because the precepts contain insight,
    understanding,
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    they are also limitless.
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    So now Thay understands clearly that the line,
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    "The precepts are like the ocean
    without boundaries," is very true.
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    The precepts are like the ocean
    without boundaries.
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    This is very true.
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    The precepts are like the ocean
    without boundaries.
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    Like precious treasures
    that we keep looking for.
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    We've found so many,
    yet we never get tired,
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    we still want to keep looking for more.
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    So, studying the precepts in that spirit,
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    we are true practitioners.
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    Wherever there's a precepts class,
    we go there immediately
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    to study with the precepts teachers.
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    Precepts teachers who have studied the precepts
    for 20 years are very well-learned,
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    yet they still feel they haven't understood enough,
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    so they aspire to study for another 10 years,
    and even so it's not enough,
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    so they study for another 20 years.
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    When we have such a desire
    for the learning the precepts,
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    they can be considered true precepts.
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    So 25 years ago, we did some deep looking,
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    we mobilized the sangha,
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    and together we renewed the
    5 Mindfulness Trainings.
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    At the time, we felt that version of the
    5 Mindfulness Trainings were already so wonderful.
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    But now, after 25 years of practicing
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    we are very clear that we
    need to revise the 5 Mindfulness Trainings.
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    Because the 5 MTs must be presented
    in such a way that when we recite them
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    we can see that they contain
    concentration and insight.
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    So during the past 3 or 4 weeks,
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    the community in Plum Village
    has been helping Thay revise the first training,
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    the training on protecting life.
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    In the past when the Buddha devised the precepts,
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    it was also done with the support
    of the senior monks and nuns.
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    So now as we revise the precepts,
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    as we revise the precepts
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    you must also help Thay.
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    You must do it with Thầy.
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    Don't leave Thay to do it alone.
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    That wouldn't be nice.
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    So in the Dharma sharing sessions,
    don’t just sit and listen,
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    you must share your insights on the trainings.
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    You must truly contribute to the discussion.
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    You must speak out.
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    Of course, it may be that in our sharing circle
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    there are people
    who are good at taking notes,
  • 21:23 - 21:28
    or good at choosing the right words
    to express the sangha’s insights.
  • 21:28 - 21:32
    They are the editors.
  • 21:32 - 21:36
    So you may not be an editor,
    but you have insight.
  • 21:36 - 21:40
    If you have an insight into the training,
    you should speak out.
  • 21:40 - 21:44
    You have the practice, so you can share,
    you can contribute.
  • 21:44 - 21:47
    Later you can tell your children that
  • 21:47 - 21:50
    "In those days, when the 5 Mindfulness trainings were revised,
  • 21:50 - 21:52
    I was there."
  • 21:53 - 21:56
    But I was there!
  • 21:57 - 21:59
    Whether I'm now a venerable nun
  • 21:59 - 22:01
    or a venerable monk,
  • 22:02 - 22:05
    I had actively contributed.
  • 22:05 - 22:07
    I didn't just sit there and listen,
    and say I'm happy to flow,
  • 22:07 - 22:09
    No, being happy to flow is not enough.
  • 22:10 - 22:12
    You have to contribute to the process.
  • 22:13 - 22:15
    Later, should your children ask about it,
  • 22:15 - 22:19
    you can say “Yes, I was there
    and I contributed wholeheartedly.”
  • 22:19 - 22:21
    That's how it should be.
  • 22:22 - 22:25
    So today is Sunday,
  • 22:25 - 22:28
    and we'll continue with revising the fifth training.
  • 22:28 - 22:30
    No. The first training.
  • 22:30 - 22:36
    And the sangha has already
    appointed one person per group
  • 22:36 - 22:40
    to take notes and to edit.
  • 22:40 - 22:46
    So all the note takers and editors from
    the different groups should come together,
  • 22:49 - 22:54
    gathering all the ideas
    from their groups
  • 22:54 - 22:59
    and condensing it into a text
    for the first training that's not too long.
  • 22:59 - 23:01
    But it should contain
  • 23:01 - 23:04
    the concentration and insight
    on the training of no killing.
  • 23:07 - 23:11
    So in the training on no killing, it should be
    presented it in such a way that we can see
  • 23:11 - 23:14
    that with the insight of interbeing,
  • 23:16 - 23:18
    with the insight of interdependent co-arising,
  • 23:18 - 23:20
    we no longer discriminate.
  • 23:20 - 23:23
    We're no longer dogmatic.
  • 23:24 - 23:27
    We're no longer angry.
  • 23:27 - 23:31
    Because
  • 23:31 - 23:35
    with understanding, there is acceptance and love.
  • 23:35 - 23:39
    And when there is acceptance and love,
    then how can one still kill?
  • 23:40 - 23:42
    Killing that person
    means killing ourselves.
  • 23:42 - 23:44
    That's why in the first training
  • 23:44 - 23:52
    we can help everyone see
    the insight that serves as the foundation.
  • 23:53 - 23:58
    And we know that
    the spirit of Buddhism
  • 23:58 - 24:00
    is one of openness.
  • 24:00 - 24:07
    Open to learn and to not
    get caught in any view,
  • 24:07 - 24:10
    any doctrine,
  • 24:10 - 24:13
    theory or religion.
  • 24:13 - 24:15
    Because in our society,
  • 24:15 - 24:18
    sometimes in the name of a doctrine
  • 24:19 - 24:25
    in the name of a theory, a religion or God,
  • 24:25 - 24:27
    they kill each other.
  • 24:30 - 24:33
    And in the Buddhist tradition,
  • 24:33 - 24:36
    we have the practice called
    non attachment to views,
  • 24:36 - 24:40
    to not be caught in any
    doctrine, theory,
  • 24:40 - 24:43
    or ideology,
  • 24:43 - 24:47
    even Buddhist ideology
    or Buddhist theory.
  • 24:47 - 24:53
    We should see the teachings of
    the Buddha as guiding means.
  • 24:53 - 24:55
    They are the finger
    pointing to the moon,
  • 24:55 - 24:57
    the raft to cross to the other shore.
  • 24:57 - 24:59
    We should not worship
  • 24:59 - 25:04
    or
  • 25:04 - 25:11
    wage a war
    just to protect these things.
  • 25:12 - 25:15
    The things that we consider to be absolute truths.
  • 25:18 - 25:21
    That's why while in Vietnam last year,
  • 25:21 - 25:27
    Thay organized requiems to pray
  • 25:27 - 25:32
    for the six to seven million people
    who died during the Vietnam war.
  • 25:35 - 25:39
    In the prayer we were able
    to say this one sentence.
  • 25:41 - 25:44
    We were able to say this one sentence.
  • 25:46 - 25:52
    And that prayer ended up being published
    in "Giác Ngộ" magazine.
  • 25:59 - 26:06
    The sentence was, "Before both our
    spiritual and blood ancestors,
  • 26:06 - 26:14
    we vow that from now on we will
    never initiate any idealogical wars."
  • 26:20 - 26:21
    That line is very important.
  • 26:22 - 26:26
    The current and future
    generations should learn this line
  • 26:26 - 26:30
    because the Vietnam war
    was essentially an ideological war
  • 26:30 - 26:35
    between communism and capitalism.
  • 26:39 - 26:47
    And the country and the people of Vietnam
    became a battlefield.
  • 26:47 - 26:55
    Because one side subscribed to Marxism (communism),
  • 26:55 - 27:03
    and the other side subscribed to capitalism.
  • 27:05 - 27:12
    Not only did the country adopt
    ideologies brought in from outside
  • 27:12 - 27:17
    it also imported weapons from outside
  • 27:17 - 27:19
    and brothers ended up killing brothers.
  • 27:19 - 27:23
    That war
  • 27:23 - 27:26
    was an ideology war.
  • 27:27 - 27:31
    And brothers of one family killed
    each other because of ideologies.
  • 27:31 - 27:35
    So when we are fanatic
    about an ideology,
  • 27:35 - 27:38
    we might end up killing each other.
  • 27:38 - 27:41
    The spirit of Buddhism is openness,
  • 27:41 - 27:44
    to not get caught in any ideology,
  • 27:44 - 27:46
    any doctrine or theory—
  • 27:46 - 27:51
    and it's written very clearly—
    even Buddhist ones.
  • 27:51 - 27:57
    We shouldn't be caught in them either.
  • 27:57 - 28:00
    That is called non-attachment to views,
  • 28:00 - 28:03
    not being caught in any ideology
    or theory.
  • 28:03 - 28:05
    Non-attachment to views.
  • 28:05 - 28:07
    That's the beauty of Buddhism.
  • 28:08 - 28:10
    So when we talk about
    the first mindfulness training,
  • 28:10 - 28:13
    we have to talk about this.
  • 28:13 - 28:16
    First, the insight interbeing must be there.
  • 28:16 - 28:20
    I am you, you are me.
    Killing you means killing me.
  • 28:20 - 28:22
    Second, there must be openness.
  • 28:22 - 28:26
    We are not caught in any
    doctrine, any theory or any ideology.
  • 28:26 - 28:33
    That is when the precept on no-killing
    can be a true Buddhist precept.
  • 28:34 - 28:41
    Now we see in India and Iraq,
  • 28:41 - 28:43
    everyday bombs are exploding,
  • 28:43 - 28:45
    everyday people are dying.
  • 28:48 - 28:54
    The people are caught in their
    ideologies, theories or religions.
  • 28:54 - 28:57
    They punish each other,
    they kill themselves and they kill others.
  • 28:57 - 29:01
    So how can we present the first training
  • 29:01 - 29:04
    so that it can be a bell of mindfulness
  • 29:04 - 29:06
    for the whole world to wake up,
  • 29:06 - 29:09
    and see that we need to free ourselves
  • 29:09 - 29:12
    from the fanatism and intolerance,
  • 29:14 - 29:19
    in order to put an end
  • 29:19 - 29:22
    to the violence, the hatred and the killing.
  • 29:22 - 29:25
    So for the first precept,
  • 29:25 - 29:28
    how can we keep it short
  • 29:28 - 29:34
    but still be able to express all the insights.
  • 29:35 - 29:38
    Insight is the foundation for action.
  • 29:38 - 29:40
    So precepts.
  • 29:40 - 29:42
    About precepts,
    we need to present them in a way
  • 29:42 - 29:46
    that people can touch the concentration
    and insight while reciting them.
  • 30:03 - 30:08
    Maybe we ...
    teacher and disciples,
  • 30:08 - 30:11
    in this winter retreat
  • 30:11 - 30:19
    we can offer a new version
    of the 5 Mindfulness Trainings.
  • 30:20 - 30:27
    And maybe they can be used
    for the next 20 or 30 years.
  • 30:28 - 30:36
    They can play their role
    in the next 20 or 30 years.
  • 30:36 - 30:40
    But in 20 or 30 years, the situation
    in the world will change,
  • 30:40 - 30:46
    and it will require us to sit down
    and revise the trainings again.
  • 30:46 - 30:49
    Because the trainings
    must be appropriate.
  • 30:49 - 30:56
    On one hand, they should be appropriate
    to the teachings.
  • 30:56 - 30:57
    They must be in-line with the teachings.
  • 30:57 - 31:04
    And on the other hand, they should be
    appropriate to the situation of the world.
  • 31:04 - 31:06
    In-line with the teachings and appropriate to our times.
    [ khế lý 契理 , khế cơ 契機 ]
  • 31:06 - 31:09
    That is called appropriateness.
  • 31:20 - 31:26
    Today the sangha is invited
    to work effectively together.
  • 31:26 - 31:30
    So we have Dharma sharing groups,
  • 31:30 - 31:33
    or precepts sharing groups.
  • 31:34 - 31:39
    And in each sharing group,
    there are some who are active,
  • 31:39 - 31:43
    some who can share quite deeply,
  • 31:43 - 31:47
    and some who are capable of
    taking notes and reporting.
  • 31:47 - 31:54
    So we should encourage these people to
    meet similar people in other groups
  • 31:54 - 31:57
    to form an editorial council.
  • 31:57 - 32:03
    And Thay will hand over all the materials
  • 32:03 - 32:07
    and results of last weeks
    Dharma sharing sessions
  • 32:07 - 32:15
    so that they can rewrite and present
    the first training as they wish.
  • 32:15 - 32:20
    That text will be the result
    of collective insight,
  • 32:20 - 32:27
    from teacher and disciple,
    from all the brothers and sisters.
  • 32:27 - 32:38
    And it can be our offering
    to the Three Jewels as the year ends,
  • 32:38 - 32:42
    on the occasion of Christmas and New Year.
  • 32:51 - 32:57
    In the past few weeks we have
    tried to offer some different views.
  • 32:57 - 33:00
    View or approach.
  • 33:05 - 33:07
    Three different views.
  • 33:08 - 33:11
    The first is the view from theistic traditions.
  • 33:14 - 33:19
    You should already have that printed text.
  • 33:29 - 33:32
    And we have a paragraph
  • 33:32 - 33:36
    about the scientific view.
  • 33:37 - 33:40
    The view of science about
    the universe and all beings.
  • 33:41 - 33:47
    Lastly, we have a paragraph
    about the Buddhist view.
  • 33:47 - 33:54
    The Buddhist view on consciousness and action.
  • 33:58 - 34:00
    So we should all have these three texts.
  • 34:00 - 34:03
    These texts represent the three different approaches,
  • 34:03 - 34:05
    the theistic approach,
  • 34:06 - 34:07
    the scientific approach,
  • 34:07 - 34:09
    and the Buddhist approach.
  • 34:13 - 34:18
    Buddhist studies can be better described
    as ethics rather than religion.
  • 34:18 - 34:22
    Because in Buddhism we don't speak of the creator.
  • 34:29 - 34:36
    If God is perceived ...
  • 34:39 - 34:44
    as the ground of being,
  • 34:44 - 34:51
    if God is perceived as
    the ultimate reality,
  • 34:52 - 34:54
    as suchness,
  • 34:54 - 34:57
    as Nirvana,
  • 34:57 - 35:00
    then in Buddhism there is God.
  • 35:00 - 35:05
    But if God is perceived as a man
  • 35:05 - 35:08
    with a long beard
    standing high up in the sky
  • 35:08 - 35:11
    who created humans and all things,
  • 35:12 - 35:16
    then in Buddhism
    there is no God like that.
  • 35:16 - 35:21
    And now people say that
  • 35:24 - 35:30
    spirituality is possible without God.
  • 35:30 - 35:33
    Spirituality without God.
  • 35:35 - 35:39
    But depending on how we
    understand the word God,
  • 35:39 - 35:42
    we can see whether God is present in Buddhism or not.
  • 35:44 - 35:52
    If we say man is created
    in the image of God,
  • 35:52 - 35:54
    there is no such belief in Buddhism.
  • 35:55 - 35:59
    But if we say God is the ultimate reality,
  • 35:59 - 36:03
    the ground of being
    then there may be a God.
  • 36:03 - 36:05
    It is like that.
  • 36:05 - 36:14
    Thay has proposed a short text—less than
    a dozen lines—on the Buddhist approach.
  • 36:51 - 36:52
    And this Buddhist approach
  • 36:52 - 36:57
    is just a finger pointing to the moon,
    or a raft to cross the river.
  • 36:57 - 36:59
    You can come up with another text.
  • 37:00 - 37:04
    And in the future the Buddhist approach
    can be improved.
  • 37:04 - 37:07
    We can present it in a better way.
  • 37:07 - 37:13
    Just like science. The view
    representing science here
  • 37:16 - 37:19
    may no longer be relevant now.
  • 37:19 - 37:22
    In science, there are those
    who have made great progress
  • 37:22 - 37:24
    and there are those who have stay behind.
  • 37:24 - 37:28
    And the scientists who have made great progress
    and the scientists who have stay behind,
  • 37:28 - 37:29
    they strongly oppose each other.
  • 37:29 - 37:32
    They have very different views.
  • 37:32 - 37:36
    And so, the view of science
    is also advancing,
  • 37:36 - 37:39
    and the view of religion
    is also advancing.
  • 37:39 - 37:43
    So the view of Buddhism
    must also move forward.
  • 37:46 - 37:48
    Why?
  • 37:48 - 37:53
    If love is something limitless,
  • 37:54 - 38:00
    then understanding and wisdom
    should also be something limitless.
  • 38:01 - 38:07
    So we cannot say that our understanding ends here.
  • 38:08 - 38:14
    So if there are any theologians here in the sangha
  • 38:14 - 38:16
    (theologians)
  • 38:16 - 38:23
    let's contemplate, let's try to find
  • 38:24 - 38:27
    a new understanding
  • 38:27 - 38:31
    of cosmology from the theistic traditions.
  • 38:31 - 38:35
    Because the view that we have been using
  • 38:35 - 38:40
    as the foundation for ethics may be outdated.
  • 38:42 - 38:46
    In the light of science,
    that view needs to be revised.
  • 39:22 - 39:27
    In the Buddhist approach, both
    subject and object of perception ...
  • 39:29 - 39:33
    manifest from consciousness
  • 39:33 - 39:36
    according to the principle of interbeing.
  • 39:38 - 39:42
    "Both subject and object of perception
    manifest from consciousness
  • 39:42 - 39:45
    according to the principle of interbeing."
  • 39:48 - 39:50
    Wherever we go we can see interbeing.
  • 39:50 - 39:54
    Subject of perception
    and object of perception
  • 39:54 - 40:00
    are not two things
    that exist outside of each other.
  • 40:00 - 40:04
    The subject contains the object
    and the object contains the subject.
  • 40:04 - 40:07
    Just like this flower, it
    contains the universe
  • 40:07 - 40:09
    and the universe
    contains this flower.
  • 40:09 - 40:14
    They cannot exist outside of each other.
    This is the insight of Buddhism.
  • 40:18 - 40:23
    So, "Humankind is present in all things
  • 40:23 - 40:27
    and all things are present in humankind."
  • 40:28 - 40:31
    It means that humankind
    is present in the environment
  • 40:32 - 40:35
    and the environment is
    present in humankind.
  • 40:36 - 40:38
    Human beings and
    the environment inter-are.
  • 40:38 - 40:41
    It is clearly consistent
    with the insight of interbeing.
  • 40:41 - 40:45
    You contain the environment.
  • 40:46 - 40:49
    The environment contains you.
  • 40:49 - 40:52
    You are the environment.
    That is the insight of Buddhism.
  • 40:58 - 41:01
    And Buddhism goes further.
  • 41:01 - 41:03
    "On the phenomenal level,
  • 41:03 - 41:07
    there seems to be birth,
    death, being and non-being,
  • 41:07 - 41:12
    but ontologically, these notions cannot be
    applied to reality."
  • 41:12 - 41:15
    "On the phenomenal level,
  • 41:15 - 41:21
    there seems to be birth,
    death, being and non-being,
  • 41:21 - 41:24
    but ontologically,
  • 41:24 - 41:28
    these notions cannot be
    applied to reality."
  • 41:29 - 41:32
    This is very Buddhist.
  • 41:32 - 41:35
    This is just one person's way
    of expressing this.
  • 41:35 - 41:39
    As you study and practice Buddhism,
  • 41:39 - 41:43
    you may find better ways
    to express this.
  • 41:43 - 41:45
    It's the same in science.
  • 41:45 - 41:48
    If you are a scientist.
  • 41:48 - 41:51
    —there must be some scientists among us—
  • 41:51 - 41:59
    like astrophysicists,
    or nuclear physicists,
  • 41:59 - 42:07
    uou know that science
    is also advancing.
  • 42:07 - 42:12
    It has left behind
    archaic knowledge,
  • 42:12 - 42:14
    and is finding ways
    to be free from views,
  • 42:14 - 42:19
    to break free from old knowledge
    to search for new knowledge.
  • 42:20 - 42:24
    There are scientists who have come very close,
  • 42:25 - 42:31
    and who have started to have insights
    that are similar to Buddhist ones.
  • 42:32 - 42:38
    They're starting to see that
    the universe is also consciousness,
  • 42:38 - 42:44
    they're starting to see that
    the quanta is also consciousness,
  • 42:44 - 42:47
    first of all their own consciousness.
  • 42:47 - 42:52
    So dialogue between
    science and religion
  • 42:52 - 42:54
    have been going on for decades.
  • 42:54 - 42:57
    And it is something very exciting.
  • 42:57 - 43:00
    If scientists can work together with Buddhists,
  • 43:00 - 43:08
    if scientists learn to meditate
    and to use a tool called mind,
  • 43:08 - 43:12
    they can succeed much more quickly.
  • 43:13 - 43:21
    Because scientists have
    very sophisticated instruments.
  • 43:22 - 43:29
    They have very expensive instruments,
    like particle accelerators.
  • 43:32 - 43:36
    The one in Switzerland is very expensive.
  • 43:36 - 43:41
    But in Buddhism, we say the most
    important instrument is our mind.
  • 43:42 - 43:47
    When mind is tainted with the afflictions
    of craving, anger and ignorance,
  • 43:47 - 43:53
    that instrument cannot realize deep insights.
  • 43:53 - 43:57
    So if we know how to purify our mind,
  • 43:57 - 44:03
    how to remove the dust of
    craving, anger, ignorance,
  • 44:03 - 44:05
    our mind becomes clear and bright.
  • 44:05 - 44:09
    With that clarity,
    we can see more clearly.
  • 44:09 - 44:13
    That is why scientists
    must also be practitioners
  • 44:13 - 44:19
    in order to be successful
    more quickly and easily.
  • 44:19 - 44:27
    Scientists can't just use their intellect alone,
    they also need to make use of their heart.
  • 44:40 - 44:45
    Everything evolves according to the
    principle of interdependence,
  • 44:45 - 44:49
    but there is free will and
    the possibility to transform,
  • 44:49 - 44:51
    there is probability.
  • 44:53 - 44:57
    "The dynamic consciousness is called karma energy.
  • 44:57 - 45:03
    Everything evolves according to
    the principle of interdependence, interbeing,
  • 45:03 - 45:06
    but there is still free will
    and the possibility to transform.
  • 45:06 - 45:09
    There is probability.
  • 45:10 - 45:14
    And the one affects the
    all, the all affect the one."
  • 45:15 - 45:21
    The all affect the one,
    and the one affects the all.
  • 45:21 - 45:25
    Each sentence contains
    the insight of interbeing.
  • 45:27 - 45:32
    To Thay, the principle
    of interbeing is very scientific.
  • 45:38 - 45:42
    "Right view allows right action,
  • 45:42 - 45:47
    leading to the reduction of suffering
    and the increase of happiness."
  • 45:48 - 45:51
    "Right view allows right action,
  • 45:51 - 45:56
    leading to the reduction of suffering
    and the increase of happiness."
  • 45:58 - 46:04
    So in Buddhist ethics,
    right view is very important.
  • 46:04 - 46:07
    Right view leads to right thinking,
    right speech and right action.
  • 46:10 - 46:12
    And one more thing:
  • 46:12 - 46:18
    happiness and suffering inter-are.
  • 46:18 - 46:20
    "Happiness and suffering inter-are."
  • 46:21 - 46:25
    Meaning in happiness there is suffering.
    In suffering there is happiness.
  • 46:25 - 46:29
    Happiness and suffering make each other.
    That is also the insight of interbeing.
  • 46:29 - 46:33
    Perhaps in other schools of ethics
    this has been overlooked.
  • 46:33 - 46:39
    But in Buddhism, without this insight
    it is not true Buddhist ethics.
  • 46:44 - 46:50
    And lastly, "The ultimate reality transcends
    notions of good and evil, right and wrong."
  • 46:51 - 46:56
    Meaning notions of good
    and evil, right and left,
  • 46:56 - 47:01
    right and wrong,
    are all relative.
  • 47:02 - 47:06
    There are two domains,
  • 47:06 - 47:09
    one domain is nature,
  • 47:09 - 47:12
    or the natural world.
  • 47:26 - 47:30
    The natural world is the domain of nature.
  • 47:31 - 47:35
    And the human world is the domain of humans.
  • 47:43 - 47:47
    Because there is the human world,
    with its suffering and happiness,
  • 47:47 - 47:51
    we need to be able to determine
  • 47:51 - 47:54
    what is right and what is wrong,
  • 47:54 - 47:56
    what is good and what is bad.
  • 47:56 - 48:00
    These things are pragmatic.
  • 48:03 - 48:05
    They are only relative in value.
  • 48:05 - 48:10
    Don't hold on to them and assume
    that they are absolute.
  • 48:12 - 48:16
    Right and wrong, good and evil,
    are only relative.
  • 48:16 - 48:20
    We should not be caught
    and think they are absolute.
  • 48:23 - 48:25
    This is very important.
  • 48:25 - 48:31
    Because when we arrive
    at the ultimate reality,
  • 48:31 - 48:36
    there is no more
    right and wrong,
  • 48:36 - 48:38
    good and evil,
  • 48:42 - 48:44
    true and false.
  • 48:48 - 48:56
    So Nirvana transcends all notions of right and wrong,
  • 48:56 - 48:58
    being and non-being,
  • 48:58 - 49:00
    good and evil.
  • 49:00 - 49:02
    Nirvana is not good.
  • 49:06 - 49:08
    Nirvana is neither good
    nor evil.
  • 49:10 - 49:12
    Good and evil are notions
  • 49:12 - 49:16
    that we apply in the human world.
  • 49:16 - 49:22
    Nirvana itself is neither
    good nor evil.
  • 49:22 - 49:25
    It transcends the notions of
    good and evil.
  • 49:25 - 49:29
    It's the same goes for notions
    of above and below.
  • 49:30 - 49:35
    Above means to be above something,
    and below means to be below something.
  • 49:35 - 49:37
    We are sitting here
  • 49:40 - 49:43
    in France.
  • 49:44 - 49:49
    Our head is pointing up,
  • 49:49 - 49:53
    so we think that this is the below.
  • 49:54 - 49:58
    But in Viet Nam,
    they are sitting upside down from us.
  • 49:58 - 50:02
    What we call the above
    is actually their below.
  • 50:02 - 50:05
    So these notions of above and
    below cannot be applied to the universe.
  • 50:05 - 50:09
    They can only be applied in relation to the Earth.
  • 50:11 - 50:16
    So we should not be caught
    in notions of above and below.
  • 50:20 - 50:23
    It's the same for the Dharmakaya.
  • 50:23 - 50:26
    To say that Dharmakaya is pure is not correct.
  • 50:26 - 50:28
    To say the Dharmakaya is pure is incorrect.
  • 50:28 - 50:32
    The Dharmakaya is neither pure nor impure.
  • 50:33 - 50:36
    To say that the Dharmakaya is impure is already wrong,
  • 50:36 - 50:39
    but to say that the Dharmakaya
    is pure is equally wrong.
  • 50:40 - 50:43
    So when Zen master Tuệ Trung
    Thượng Sĩ was asked by his disciples:
  • 50:43 - 50:47
    "What is the pure Dharmakaya?"
    He said, "Cow dung",
  • 50:48 - 50:50
    "Cow urine.
    That's what he said
  • 50:50 - 51:00
    to help people break free from
    notions of pure and impure.
  • 51:02 - 51:10
    So what Thầy wants to say is,
    if you are a theologian,
  • 51:15 - 51:18
    a Hindu,
  • 51:18 - 51:20
    Jewish,
  • 51:20 - 51:23
    or Christian theologian,
  • 51:23 - 51:26
    you should know that ...
  • 51:28 - 51:32
    our view on the universe and
    all things can be improved.
  • 51:32 - 51:34
    We can move it forward.
  • 51:34 - 51:38
    We can transcend the old view
    and to reach a new view.
  • 51:39 - 51:41
    And we can ...
  • 51:45 - 51:52
    carry our tradition forward
    so that it can be closer to science.
  • 51:53 - 51:56
    His Holiness the Dalai Lama has also said this.
  • 51:57 - 52:00
    He said, "If I encounter something in Buddhism
    that contradicts the spirit of modern science,
  • 52:00 - 52:03
    then I am ready to let them go."
  • 52:03 - 52:07
    That is the spirit of
    non-attachment to views.
  • 52:08 - 52:11
    We have the courage
    to let go of things
  • 52:15 - 52:18
    that we find are no longer correct.
  • 52:18 - 52:21
    This is also the spirit of science.
  • 52:57 - 53:02
    On the 1st of October, 2008 ...
  • 53:02 - 53:06
    in the capitol city of New Delhi ...
  • 53:06 - 53:14
    Thầy gave a teaching
    to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi.
  • 53:14 - 53:19
    It was called the Gandhi Memorial Lecture.
  • 53:19 - 53:25
    Thầy cited an extract from
    Mahatma Gandhi's speech
  • 53:25 - 53:29
    from the 9th of April, 1933,
  • 53:30 - 53:33
    from his journal called "Harijan."
  • 53:37 - 53:46
    Ghandi said: "In my search after truth,"
    in my journey to seek the the truth,
  • 53:46 - 53:54
    "I have discarded many ideas
    and learned many new things."
  • 53:54 - 54:02
    "In my search after truth, I have discarded many ideas and learned many new things."
  • 54:03 - 54:07
    This proves that Mahatma Gandhi was someone
    who was not attached to views.
  • 54:07 - 54:12
    He was not caught in prior knowledge.
  • 54:13 - 54:18
    Mahatma Gandhi was not a Buddhist.
    He was a Hindu.
  • 54:19 - 54:22
    And in that tradition
    there is also advancement.
  • 54:22 - 54:25
    This is the spirit of science.
  • 54:27 - 54:34
    As Christians or Jewish
    we can also have that attitude.
  • 54:34 - 54:36
    We can release old understanding,
  • 54:36 - 54:42
    in order to reach to higher understanding.
  • 54:47 - 54:50
    "Old as I am in age,
  • 54:50 - 55:05
    I have no feeling that I have
    ceased to grow inwardly."
  • 55:06 - 55:14
    "Old as I am in age, I have no feeling
    that I have ceased to grow inwardly."
  • 55:16 - 55:21
    I am old but I have the feeling
    that I have never cease to learn
  • 55:21 - 55:26
    and I continue to grow
    in my spiritual life.
  • 55:29 - 55:34
    And I have the feeling
    that even at the dissolution of this body
  • 55:35 - 55:40
    my quest for learning, my growth in
    spiritual life will not stop.
  • 55:40 - 55:42
    It will continue.
  • 55:44 - 55:50
    "...or that my growth will stop
    at the dissolution of the flesh."
  • 55:51 - 55:57
    It proves that Mahatma Gandhi was
    not caught in the view of nihilism.
  • 55:57 - 55:59
    Nihilism means,
  • 55:59 - 56:02
    the idea that at the dissolution of the body nothing continues.
  • 56:02 - 56:04
    Nothing is continued.
    The person is gone.
  • 56:04 - 56:10
    Mahatma Gandhi is saying after the dissolution of this body,
    I will continue to learn,
  • 56:10 - 56:13
    I will continue to grow,
  • 56:13 - 56:19
    and I can continue to let go of the old truths in order to reach higher truths.
  • 56:19 - 56:24
    So Mahatma Gandhi was able to
    break free from nihilism.
  • 56:24 - 56:27
    This sentence proves that
    Mahatma Gandhi had two virtues.
  • 56:27 - 56:30
    The first virtue is the capacity
    to let go of his own views.
  • 56:31 - 56:35
    And second is the capacity to transcend
    the wrong view of nihilism,
  • 56:35 - 56:38
    which is the view that after death
    we cease to exist.
  • 56:39 - 56:43
    Many scientists are still
    caught in these two things.
  • 56:43 - 56:45
    Even scientists are still caught
    in these two things
  • 56:46 - 56:48
    but Gandhi was not.
  • 56:49 - 56:51
    These two things are very important in Buddhism.
  • 56:51 - 56:55
    Which is first, non-attachment to views—
    the capacity to let go of knowledge.
  • 56:55 - 57:02
    And secondly, not being caught in nihilism.
  • 57:17 - 57:19
    We need to move forward a bit
  • 57:19 - 57:21
    and start talking about the second mindfulness training,
  • 57:21 - 57:24
    even if we are still working
    on revising the first training.
  • 57:24 - 57:27
    Because we only have three months.
  • 58:00 - 58:04
    The second training is ...
  • 58:13 - 58:18
    the practice of sharing our resources
    with those who are in need,
  • 58:19 - 58:25
    not to appropriate, not to steal,
    and not to cause social injustice.
  • 58:26 - 58:31
    The second training
    must also contain the insight of interbeing.
  • 58:32 - 58:34
    And when we present the second training,
  • 58:34 - 58:39
    we have to present it in such a way
    that it contains the insight of interbeing.
  • 58:40 - 58:43
    The suffering of the other person
    is our own suffering.
  • 58:43 - 58:46
    The suffering, the destruction
    of the environment
  • 58:46 - 58:48
    is also the destruction of human beings.
  • 58:48 - 58:51
    That insight should be
    embedded in the second training.
  • 58:54 - 59:01
    The second training is about no stealing,
  • 59:02 - 59:09
    about sharing our time and material resources
    with those who are in need.
  • 59:11 - 59:13
    We see that the objective
    of the second training
  • 59:13 - 59:17
    is more about eliminating craving,
  • 59:19 - 59:23
    more about eliminating greed and craving.
  • 59:29 - 59:34
    In the first training on no killing,
    it is also about eliminating greed.
  • 59:34 - 59:38
    It is because of greed
    that we kill people,
  • 59:38 - 59:41
    we invade other countries.
  • 59:44 - 59:53
    We covet the natural resources of those countries
    so we come and invade them.
  • 59:53 - 60:01
    Or we want a market for our products
    so we invade that country.
  • 60:01 - 60:05
    So the first training also deals with craving.
  • 60:05 - 60:09
    The second training deals with craving too.
  • 60:11 - 60:15
    It's because of craving that
    we want to seize and appropriate.
  • 60:15 - 60:18
    It's because of craving for wealth and success
  • 60:18 - 60:21
    that we destroy the environment.
  • 60:22 - 60:29
    The object of this craving
    is assets and wealth.
  • 60:30 - 60:33
    And when we go to the third training,
  • 60:34 - 60:39
    no sexual misconduct, it is also
    related to craving, but for sex.
  • 60:40 - 60:44
    So in fact all the five trainings
    deal with craving and greed.
  • 60:44 - 60:48
    Similarly, all the five trainings also
    deal with anger.
  • 60:48 - 60:51
    Because in the first training,
    no killing, there is anger.
  • 60:51 - 60:54
    Because of anger there is killing.
  • 61:00 - 61:04
    And delusion. Delusion is the
    lack of insight into interbeing,
  • 61:04 - 61:08
    therefore the killing, therefore the appropriation.
  • 61:09 - 61:15
    So we see clearly that the five trainings
    are interrelated, they inte-rare.
  • 61:15 - 61:18
    In practicing one training well,
  • 61:18 - 61:20
    we can also practice the other four trainings well.
  • 61:21 - 61:22
    It's very wonderful.
  • 61:24 - 61:30
    So when we present
    the second training on no stealing,
  • 61:30 - 61:38
    on sharing our time, material resources and
    energy with those who are in need,
  • 61:38 - 61:40
    we have to present it in such a way
  • 61:40 - 61:43
    that allows people to see that the
    other person whom we are exploiting,
  • 61:44 - 61:47
    whom we want to appropriate
    from, is also ourselves.
  • 61:50 - 61:54
    And that storehouse of natural resources,
  • 61:54 - 62:02
    that environment that we are exploiting
    and polluting, is also ourselves.
  • 62:02 - 62:04
    We are the environment.
    We must have that insight
  • 62:04 - 62:07
    for the second training can be deep enough.
  • 62:07 - 62:10
    So you have to present it
    in such a way that allows everyone
  • 62:10 - 62:13
    to see the interbeing between
    themselves and the other person—
  • 62:13 - 62:17
    the person whom we want to appropriate from,
    whom we want to exploit—
  • 62:18 - 62:21
    the interbeing nature between
    ourselves and the environment.
  • 62:21 - 62:25
    That's when second training
    is a true precept of the Buddha.
  • 62:26 - 62:29
    The insight of interbeing must be there.
  • 62:59 - 63:00
    For example, we can say,
  • 63:00 - 63:07
    "I vow to look deeply to see that
    the happiness and suffering of others
  • 63:07 - 63:11
    are related to my own
    happiness and suffering."
  • 63:12 - 63:15
    You may think that you have to be rich
  • 63:20 - 63:22
    in order to be happy.
  • 63:22 - 63:28
    But your wealth cannot be
    built on the poverty of others.
  • 63:28 - 63:31
    "I vow to look deeply to see that
    the happiness and suffering of others
  • 63:31 - 63:35
    are related to my own
    happiness and suffering.
  • 63:35 - 63:40
    And that true happiness and peace
  • 63:40 - 63:46
    are not possible without
    understanding and love."
  • 63:47 - 63:49
    Because there are some views
  • 63:49 - 63:52
    that say only when we have the four things—
  • 63:52 - 63:58
    wealth, fame, power and sex—
  • 63:58 - 63:59
    we can be happy.
  • 63:59 - 64:01
    That's what so many people believe.
  • 64:01 - 64:06
    So in this second training,
    we have to make clear
  • 64:06 - 64:10
    that without understanding and love,
    happiness is not possible.
  • 64:10 - 64:16
    Even if you have a lot of wealth,
    fame, power and sex,
  • 64:16 - 64:20
    if there's no understanding
    and love, you can suffer enormously.
  • 64:20 - 64:22
    You can even commit suicide.
  • 64:23 - 64:26
    So understanding and love are
    the foundation of happiness.
  • 64:26 - 64:28
    We have to help people see that
  • 64:28 - 64:30
    so they can look for
    happiness in that direction
  • 64:30 - 64:35
    and not to run after craving.
  • 64:36 - 64:39
    Only then can this precept
    be a true precept of the Buddha.
  • 64:44 - 64:49
    "That true happiness and
    peace are not possible
  • 64:49 - 64:51
    without understanding and love,
  • 64:51 - 64:58
    that running after wealth, fame, power and
    sensual pleasures can bring much suffering."
  • 64:58 - 65:01
    "And once I know how to generate
    understanding and love,
  • 65:01 - 65:09
    I can help myself and others overcome
    difficulties and fear, and grow my happiness.
  • 65:11 - 65:20
    I vow to look deeply
    to see that I am the environment ...
  • 65:20 - 65:22
    and the environment is myself.
  • 65:22 - 65:27
    Harming the environment is harming myself."
  • 65:27 - 65:33
    With these elements, it is good enough for now.
  • 65:35 - 65:38
    "I am determied to practice deeply
  • 65:38 - 65:41
    to see that both happiness
    and suffering of the other person
  • 65:41 - 65:46
    have much to do with my
    own suffering and happiness.
  • 65:46 - 65:50
    That true happiness is not possible
    without understanding and love.
  • 65:51 - 65:55
    And running after wealth, fame, power or sex
  • 65:55 - 65:59
    can bring about much suffering and despair."
  • 66:00 - 66:06
    And happiness is the aim of our life.
  • 66:08 - 66:12
    Even though everyone needs
    to overcome poverty,
  • 66:12 - 66:18
    happiness cannot be found in
    the direction of craving and sensual desires.
  • 66:22 - 66:25
    In New Delhi, Thầy also talked about ...
  • 66:25 - 66:30
    Mahatma Gandhi's view on
    happiness and sensual pleasures.
  • 66:35 - 66:40
    And Thầy quoted this from Gandhi:
  • 66:40 - 66:45
    "Our ancestors set a limit to our indulgences."
  • 66:45 - 66:49
    Our ancestors have learned to stop
    and practice moderation.
  • 66:50 - 66:52
    No more indulging without limits.
  • 66:52 - 67:00
    No more
  • 67:15 - 67:20
    No more overindulgence.
  • 67:21 - 67:26
    "Our ancestors set a limit on our indulgences,"
  • 67:26 - 67:32
    in order not to overindulge.
  • 67:33 - 67:37
    "They saw that happiness
    was largely a mental condition."
  • 67:37 - 67:40
    Our ancestors saw that happiness
  • 67:43 - 67:50
    was largely a mental condition, our way of seeing things.
  • 67:50 - 67:54
    Seeing with understanding and love,
    happiness is possible.
  • 67:55 - 67:59
    "A man is not necessarily
    happy because he is rich,
  • 67:59 - 68:02
    or unhappy because he is poor."
  • 68:02 - 68:05
    So people are not necessary happy
    when they are rich,
  • 68:05 - 68:09
    and not necessarily
    unhappy when they are poor.
  • 68:09 - 68:13
    Those who are able to live in moderation,
    in poor conditions,
  • 68:14 - 68:25
    especially those who are able to live simply, those who choose
  • 68:25 - 68:29
    voluntary poverty,
  • 68:29 - 68:32
    those people are very happy.
  • 68:34 - 68:39
    They live simply, they may not
    have a high income,
  • 68:39 - 68:42
    but they may be able to smile all day,
    be happy all day, love all day.
  • 68:42 - 68:46
    So this sentence is very true.
  • 68:46 - 68:50
    "A man is not necessarily
    happy because he is rich,
  • 68:50 - 68:54
    or unhappy because he is poor."
  • 68:56 - 69:04
    "Observing all this, our ancestors
    dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures."
  • 69:04 - 69:13
    "Observing all this, our ancestors
    dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures."
  • 69:14 - 69:18
    Indulging in sensual pleasures
    can bring about a lot of suffering.
  • 69:19 - 69:20
    This insight
  • 69:22 - 69:23
    is a shared insight.
  • 69:23 - 69:27
    It's not only found in Buddhism,
  • 69:27 - 69:35
    but also in Christianity,
    in Judaism and in Hinduism.
  • 69:37 - 69:40
    So this insight,
  • 69:40 - 69:44
    we need to point to it text of the training.
  • 69:44 - 69:48
    When we read the trainings, we can see
    clearly that without Dharma sharing,
  • 69:48 - 69:52
    without coninuous learning, it's impossible
    to understand that training deeply.
  • 69:52 - 69:56
    So after you have received the
    Five Mindfulness Trainings
  • 69:56 - 70:00
    you should aspire to study them
    when you get back home.
  • 70:00 - 70:02
    Studying just one training is enough.
  • 70:02 - 70:09
    And that training is like
    the ocean without boundaries.
  • 70:09 - 70:13
    The deeper we go into that training
    the more we can see its depth,
  • 70:13 - 70:15
    because there is an ocean
    of wisdom,
  • 70:15 - 70:19
    an ocean of love in that training.
  • 70:20 - 70:23
    So we have to present the
    5 Mindfulness Trainings in such a way
  • 70:23 - 70:31
    that they contain the immense ocean
    of Buddhist insight and love.
  • 70:43 - 70:46
    One practitioner wrote me a letter yesterday.
  • 70:46 - 70:49
    He said: "I have work to
    do. I must leave on Tuesday.
  • 70:49 - 70:54
    That's why I am very sad,
    because I came to Plum Village
  • 70:54 - 70:57
    with the intention to receive
    the Five Mindfulness Trainings.
  • 70:57 - 71:01
    Dear Thay, please help me find a way to receive
    the 5 Mindfulness Trainings before Tuesday,
  • 71:01 - 71:03
    as I must leave on Tuesday."
  • 71:03 - 71:07
    So Thay handed the letter
    to brother Pháp Đôn,
  • 71:07 - 71:13
    and asked him to arrange for this friend
    to receive the 5 trainings on Monday,
  • 71:13 - 71:17
    so tomorrow,
    before he returns home.
  • 71:18 - 71:21
    And brother Pháp Đôn was very compassionate.
  • 71:21 - 71:25
    He has arranged
    for five or six brothers
  • 71:25 - 71:29
    to transmit the 5 Mindfulness Trainings
    for that friend.
  • 71:29 - 71:34
    That is heart of pursuing the precepts.
  • 71:34 - 71:41
    Because we know that
    there are precious gems in the precepts.
  • 71:41 - 71:47
    When we have precepts
    then we have everything.
  • 71:47 - 71:49
    Because the precepts
    contain the Three Jewels:
  • 71:49 - 71:51
    the Buddha, the Dharma, the sangha;
  • 71:51 - 71:54
    precepts, concentration and insight.
  • 71:54 - 71:57
    So someone who practices
    the precepts is always protected.
  • 71:57 - 71:59
    They no longer have anything to fear.
  • 72:00 - 72:04
    Someone with a precept body,
    the sila body ...
  • 72:04 - 72:09
    that person is always protected
    by the Three Jewels,
  • 72:09 - 72:12
    by the energies of precepts,
    concentration and insight.
  • 72:12 - 72:16
    That's why every one of us should pursue
    the precepts wholeheartedly.
  • 72:19 - 72:27
    For all those who stay until
    the end of the Rains retreat,
  • 72:27 - 72:30
    you can receive the 5 trainings during
    the Great Precepts Transmission Ceremony.
  • 72:30 - 72:34
    You can receive them in the New Lotus Season
    Great Precepts Transmission Ceremony.
  • 72:41 - 72:43
    At the end of the year,
  • 72:46 - 72:47
    it seems the monastics in Bat Nha have read this already,
  • 72:47 - 72:51
    but the monastics in New Hamlet
    and Lower Hamlet have not.
  • 72:53 - 72:58
    Thay hopes that after the monastics
    have had a chance to read this,
  • 72:58 - 73:03
    they can translate it so our friends can read it i
    n English, French and German.
  • 73:20 - 73:28
    Thay has the reports from the
    Dharma sharing groups from last Thursday.
  • 73:29 - 73:40
    [ The sound of the bell ]
Title:
V Right View is No View: Letting go of Rigid Beliefs | Thich Nhat Hanh
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Duration:
01:14:32

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