How to handle nightmares?

(Half bell)

(Bell)

Dear Thay,
dear Sangha,

my name is Julie and
I am from here in San Diego.

Two years ago, I received
the Five Mindfulness Trainings

and since then I have been studying
for the Fourteen trainings informally.

One thing that has been holding me back

is because I have suffered from
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

And over the past few years, this practice
has brought me a lot of peace

and help me live in the present moment.

The one that has been holding me back from
taking the Fourteen Mindfulness Training

is that I feel I need to get
completely past it.

And one of the things I am still
struggling with is nightmares.

If you hear it, beautiful dear friends, I
have nightmares and fears in the evening.

So, my question is, is there a practice
or something I can do to help

with staying mindful even
when we get up from nightmares

so that I can continue
the experience of peace?

Every time you wake up from nightmare,
you feel so happy.

(Laughter)

And that happiness cannot be
without nightmare.

(Laughter)

And if you know how to cherish
every moment in our daily life,

not only we enjoy our daily life
but we are awake

but we are indirectly reduce the amount
of nightmare during the night.

Because I myself have nightmare
from time to time.

Because our consciousness
carries within itself

the collective consciousness of society.

My generation has gone through two wars -

one with the French and
one with the Americans.

And there was a lot of death,
destruction, despair

and with the practice,
you can reduce slowly and heal

but you cannot heal completely.

And the suffering can also
play a positive role,

provided you look like yesterday.

Yesterday I was sitting on the mountain

and saw a young American sitting
meditation up there, I felt so wonderful,

it's completely different with the time
when young Americans went there,

killed and get killed.

So we are able to do this today,

young Americans and young Vietnamese
are sitting together,

producing compassion and joy.

It is very beautiful, it's exactly the
opposite of what we had during the '60s.

And that is when the healing
process continues

so that the nightmare
can still be helpful for us

to treasure, to appreciate
what we are able to have today.

Each moment can be
a moment of happiness.

(Half bell)

(Bell)