2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem.
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0:06 - 0:11(Bell)
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0:32 - 0:37(Bell)
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0:53 - 0:59(Bell)
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1:08 - 1:13Dear respected Thay,
dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, -
1:13 - 1:15good morning.
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1:16 - 1:19Today is Sunday the 28th of October
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1:19 - 1:23and we are in the Dharma Nectar Temple
of Plum Village, Lower Hamlet. -
1:25 - 1:30In this retreat we have been looking into
the 14 mindfulness trainings -
1:30 - 1:32of the Order of Interbeing.
-
1:35 - 1:42The Order of Interbeing was formed by Thay
in the mid 1960's -
1:43 - 1:46at the time of the Vietnam War.
-
1:47 - 1:49There was a great need
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1:50 - 1:57for some understanding and compassion
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2:01 - 2:06in order to take care of the hatred and
violence that was happening in the country. -
2:10 - 2:15The 14 mindfulness trainings have to do
with how we live our daily lives, -
2:16 - 2:19how we live in the world.
-
2:20 - 2:26How we respond to issues in the world
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2:32 - 2:34by our way of thinking,
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2:35 - 2:39our attitude or our view.
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2:40 - 2:45So these 14 mindfulness trainings
help us to see very clearly -
2:45 - 2:48the impact of our thinking,
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2:49 - 2:51of our speaking and actions
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2:51 - 2:57on our environment, and on the world,
and on the way we live together. -
3:03 - 3:05These trainings
-
3:09 - 3:13they really express a mind of true love
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3:13 - 3:19and the insight that happiness
is not an individual matter. -
3:20 - 3:24They are the 14 mindfulness trainings
of the Order of Interbeing -
3:25 - 3:27that was founded by Thay
-
3:27 - 3:30but they can be practiced by anyone.
You don't need to be -
3:32 - 3:35an official member
of the Order of Interbeing -
3:35 - 3:38in order to practice
the 14 mindfulness trainings. -
3:39 - 3:43In fact, the more people
they practice them, the better. -
3:44 - 3:46So, you may like
-
3:50 - 3:53to have a look at them by yourself
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3:53 - 3:55and study them
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3:55 - 3:58to see in what way the resonate for you.
-
3:58 - 4:01Especially in the light of
the state of the world. -
4:03 - 4:07The more I study
these 14 mindfulness trainings -
4:08 - 4:13the more my heart rejoices.
Because I see a way out, -
4:13 - 4:17I can see a way that can lead to
healing and transformation, -
4:17 - 4:21not just of myself
but of the whole of humanity. -
4:21 - 4:26And that uplifts my spirit
and gives me a lot of joy. -
4:27 - 4:31These 14 mindfulness trainings
we are all capable of practicing them, -
4:31 - 4:35of applying them in our daily life.
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4:41 - 4:47To practice these 14 mindfulness trainings
it's very good to have a sangha, -
4:48 - 4:52a place of refuge
to do it together with others. -
4:58 - 5:02Because with a sangha we can share
our joys and our difficulties -
5:03 - 5:05and we can -
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5:08 - 5:09Excuse me.
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5:12 - 5:16Interacting with others
will reveal our habit energies. -
5:16 - 5:20And as I said before,
especially our habit energies of thinking. -
5:21 - 5:24A thinking is
the foundation of everything. -
5:25 - 5:30Whatever we say, whatever we do,
we have already thought. -
5:31 - 5:34So becoming aware of our thinking
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5:34 - 5:40and the inclination of our thinking
is very important. -
5:41 - 5:45Because that is
where the transformation starts. -
5:50 - 5:54It's very good to have a sangha
to practice with. -
5:54 - 5:58The sangha is like what we call
a "kalyanamitra", -
5:58 - 6:01it means, a spiritual friend.
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6:02 - 6:04And a spiritual friend is somebody
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6:05 - 6:09who knows how to skillfully
point things out to us. -
6:09 - 6:15A habit we have of speaking or acting
that has it's roots in our thinking. -
6:15 - 6:19They will be able to say it in a way
that we can receive it. -
6:20 - 6:26And that will help us to recognize
the effect of our actions. -
6:27 - 6:31So to have a kalyanamitra
is very precious. -
6:31 - 6:33On the other hand,
-
6:35 - 6:39do we know how to be a kalyanamitra?
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6:40 - 6:43If you like to have a kalyanamitra
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6:43 - 6:47it is very good to first become
our own kalyanamitra, -
6:47 - 6:51to develop the qualities
of a kalyanamitra in ourselves -
6:52 - 6:57so we can help ourselves and then
we can help others also on this path. -
6:57 - 7:01So these 14 mindfulness trainings
help us to see very clearly -
7:01 - 7:05the impact of our thinking,
speaking and actions -
7:05 - 7:09on our environment, the world
and how we live together. -
7:10 - 7:13They are really guidelines
for everyday living. -
7:16 - 7:21Most what we call precepts,
they are prohibitions. -
7:23 - 7:27And they begin
with bodily actions. -
7:28 - 7:31In the 14 mindfulness trainings,
we used to call them precepts, -
7:31 - 7:34now we call them trainings,
-
7:34 - 7:38like we call the 5 precepts
the 5 mindfulness trainings also. -
7:38 - 7:42The 14 mindfulness trainings
begin with the mind. -
7:45 - 7:49And the Noble Eightfold Path
also begins with the mind. -
7:49 - 7:53And this shows the importance
that the Buddha gave to the mind, -
7:53 - 7:56the actions of the mind.
-
7:57 - 8:01So the 14 mindfulness trainings,
there are 3 categories. -
8:04 - 8:08The first category are the mindfulness
trainings 1 to 7 -
8:09 - 8:12and they concern primarily the mind.
-
8:13 - 8:17The second is the 8th and the 9th
mindfulness trainings -
8:17 - 8:20and they concern the speech.
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8:20 - 8:26From 10th to 14th
is primarily our bodily actions. -
8:28 - 8:32But our actions of mind, of course,
and speech, and body, -
8:33 - 8:36have the mind as their foundation.
-
8:36 - 8:39So when we practice
these 14 mindfulness trainings, -
8:39 - 8:45we are practicing to transcend our greed,
our anger, our hatred -
8:45 - 8:48and our delusions.
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8:48 - 8:52And we cultivate compassion and wisdom.
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8:57 - 9:02They also help us to look into
and to understand -
9:04 - 9:07the nature of interbeing of all that is.
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9:07 - 9:11This means that
nothing can exist by itself, -
9:11 - 9:15everything is because of
many causes and conditions. -
9:15 - 9:19We are because of
many causes and conditions. -
9:20 - 9:25We know that without the air,
without water, without the earth, -
9:26 - 9:31without fire, warmth, the Sun, the Moon,
we can't live. -
9:33 - 9:37So we are because of
many causes and conditions. -
9:37 - 9:42And we are as we are
because of many causes and conditions. -
9:42 - 9:46We are as we are,
how we have nourished ourselves, -
9:46 - 9:49our body and our mind.
-
9:51 - 9:57When we wake up in the morning,
and if our body and mind feels light, -
9:57 - 10:02it is very likely we had a light meal
the evening before. -
10:04 - 10:06If we had a party the evening before
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10:07 - 10:13we may wake up not so fresh. Right?
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10:17 - 10:22We may have something
that is called a hangover. -
10:23 - 10:26I don't know if anybody here
still has those, -
10:26 - 10:29since we are all practicing very well,
-
10:30 - 10:34but just to be aware
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10:35 - 10:40of how we nourish ourselves
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10:41 - 10:45with the food and the drink
that we take in. -
10:45 - 10:50What is the effect that this has
on our body and our mind? -
10:52 - 10:54You are what you eat.
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10:55 - 10:58I would say, we are what we eat,
what we drink, what we think. -
10:59 - 11:03What we see, what we hear,
what we smell, what we touch. -
11:04 - 11:08Because everything that we take in
through our sense doors -
11:08 - 11:14waters seeds in us. It waters seeds
in our store consciousness. -
11:18 - 11:23Store consciousness is that function of
our consciousness that keeps everything. -
11:24 - 11:27It holds all our potential.
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11:27 - 11:30And our potential is what we call a seed.
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11:31 - 11:35We have the capacity to be happy.
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11:35 - 11:38So we say we have a seed of happiness.
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11:38 - 11:42We have the capacity to be joyful,
we have a seed of joy. -
11:43 - 11:47We also have the capacity to be angry.
So we have a seed of anger. -
11:49 - 11:53We have a seed of hatred, we have
a seed of greed, a seed of discrimination. -
11:53 - 11:57All of us have these potentials.
We all have the same. -
11:57 - 12:01But in some of us,
some are stronger than others. -
12:03 - 12:09And they are stronger because we may have
inherited the strength of a seed -
12:10 - 12:15from our parents, or our grandparents,
or ancestors, -
12:16 - 12:19our society, our nation.
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12:21 - 12:30And we have, out of ignorance,
allowed certain seeds to be watered in us -
12:30 - 12:34that would had been better
not to be watered. -
12:34 - 12:42With the practice of mindfulness,
we have a say in what seed will be watered -
12:42 - 12:45in our store consciousness.
-
12:46 - 12:50That is what we'd like
to talk about a little bit today. -
12:50 - 12:54The practice of the mindfulness trainings
help us to become aware -
12:55 - 12:59of the seeds that are being watered
in our store consciousness. -
12:59 - 13:03So for me they are a sort of empowerment.
-
13:04 - 13:06Now I am empowered.
-
13:06 - 13:10It doesn't mean that I have received them
so I am empowered, no. -
13:10 - 13:15I have come in contact with them, I've
read them, I've become aware of them. -
13:15 - 13:17And I'm empowered now.
-
13:18 - 13:23Now I have a say in which seeds
are going to be watered -
13:23 - 13:27in my store consciousness.
-
13:29 - 13:33And the foundation of this here
is the practice of mindfulness. -
13:35 - 13:39Mindfulness means
bringing body and mind together. -
13:41 - 13:46Often we will find that our body is here
and our mind is there. -
13:46 - 13:49Whatever the 'there' is.
-
13:49 - 13:53Maybe outside or it may be
at the other side of the globe. -
13:53 - 13:56Or who knows, on the Moon.
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13:56 - 13:58But very, very far away.
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14:01 - 14:06Could be in the past or in the future.
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14:07 - 14:10Or being carried away
by something in the present. -
14:13 - 14:18And mindfulness means to bring our mind
there where our body is. -
14:19 - 14:22It means here, whatever that 'here' is.
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14:23 - 14:28To bring the mind home to the body,
the home... -
14:29 - 14:35Our body is the first home of our mind.
It is 'the' home of our mind. -
14:36 - 14:39So to bring our mind home to the body.
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14:40 - 14:44So maybe with a sound of the bell
we shall practice just that. -
14:45 - 14:47As we hear the sound of the bell,
-
14:48 - 14:51the sound of the bell is happening
in the present moment. -
14:52 - 14:58Like our body is also a happening,
our body is not static, it is a happening. -
15:00 - 15:03So the bell, which is a happening,
-
15:03 - 15:07helps us to bring our mind
home to our body, -
15:07 - 15:11to see what is happening in our body.
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15:11 - 15:18So let us enjoy the sound of the bell
and bring our mind home to our body -
15:18 - 15:22and maybe scan our body
from the top of our head -
15:22 - 15:26all the way down to the tip of our toes.
-
15:26 - 15:30And if anywhere in our body
we find some tension, -
15:30 - 15:33to acknowledge it,
-
15:34 - 15:37to acknowledge its presence and
to gently breathe with it for a moment -
15:37 - 15:41before we continue scanning our body.
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15:41 - 15:46To be with it and breathing it
may soften the tension -
15:47 - 15:51or whatever it is
that you feel in your body. -
15:53 - 15:59(Bell)
-
16:16 - 16:20When I did the body scan,
-
16:21 - 16:23I was relaxing my body
-
16:23 - 16:27and after I had finished the body scan
I sort of remained aware of my body -
16:28 - 16:31and at the same time I became aware of
what was happening around me. -
16:31 - 16:33And I realized
-
16:34 - 16:37it's raining outside.
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16:37 - 16:40It sounded so loud!
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16:41 - 16:43Inside it was very quiet
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16:43 - 16:47inside in the hall and maybe also
inside of my mind. -
16:47 - 16:51So the rain sounded loudly.
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16:52 - 16:55When we bring our mind home to our body,
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16:55 - 16:59we became aware of
what is happening inside of our body -
16:59 - 17:02and we can take care of it.
-
17:02 - 17:06And we also become aware of
what is happening around us. -
17:12 - 17:15The mindfulness trainings
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17:20 - 17:23give us an ethical
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17:26 - 17:28way of life.
-
17:28 - 17:31Every training () an ethical action.
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17:32 - 17:37And that is an action
that benefits everyone. -
17:37 - 17:40It is truly based on non-duality,
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17:40 - 17:44on the fact that happiness
is not an individual matter. -
17:44 - 17:46And on compassion.
-
17:51 - 17:57The 14 mindfulness trainings,
we practice them to change ourselves -
17:57 - 18:01so we can bring about a change in society.
-
18:01 - 18:06And that society can go in the direction
of understanding and compassion. -
18:07 - 18:13Thay says, 'By living
a joyful and a mindful life'. -
18:14 - 18:20So the practice is not only mindful,
to live mindfully, -
18:21 - 18:24but also it leads us to live joyfully.
-
18:24 - 18:29So living mindfully
is not a serious matter. -
18:32 - 18:37When we look at these trainings,
we both see -
18:37 - 18:42that the most important aspect
of these trainings is -
18:43 - 18:49never to abandon anyone.
They are very inclusive. -
18:50 - 18:55They don't leave anyone
lying to the side of the road -
18:55 - 18:58who is in need of help.
-
19:05 - 19:12So today we would like to look at
the 6th and the 7th mindfulness trainings, -
19:13 - 19:18and we would like to look at them
in the light of Right Diligence. -
19:21 - 19:25And I will read
the 6th mindfulness training -
19:28 - 19:32in case you don't have the text.
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19:32 - 19:35The 6th mindfulness training
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19:36 - 19:40shows us how we can
take care of our anger. -
19:43 - 19:47"Aware that anger blocks communication
and creates suffering, -
19:48 - 19:53we are committed to taking care of
the energy of anger when it arises -
19:54 - 19:58and to recognizing and transforming
the seeds of anger -
19:58 - 20:01that lie deep in our consciousness.
-
20:03 - 20:09When anger manifests, we are determined
not to do or say anything, -
20:09 - 20:14but to practice mindful breathing
or mindful walking -
20:14 - 20:19to acknowledge, embrace,
and look deeply into our anger. -
20:21 - 20:26We know that the roots of anger
are not outside of ourselves -
20:26 - 20:29but can be found in our wrong perceptions
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20:29 - 20:35and lack of understanding of the suffering
in ourselves and others. -
20:37 - 20:40By contemplating impermanence,
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20:40 - 20:45we will be able to look with
the eyes of compassion at ourselves -
20:46 - 20:50and at those we think
are the cause of our anger, -
20:50 - 20:55and to recognize the preciousness
of our relationships. -
20:56 - 20:59We will practice Right Diligence
-
20:59 - 21:06in order to nourish our capacity of
understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness -
21:07 - 21:11gradually transforming our anger,
violence, and fear, -
21:12 - 21:15and helping others do the same."
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21:23 - 21:28We are committed to taking care of
the energy of anger when it arises. -
21:32 - 21:36This is already a practice by itself.
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21:39 - 21:43We may have got angry in the past
-
21:44 - 21:47and somebody tells us: 'You're angry.'
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21:47 - 21:50And we say: 'I am not angry.'
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21:50 - 21:52You know... no!
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21:52 - 21:55I mean, in a way, that is clear
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21:56 - 21:59that we are angry.
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21:59 - 22:01So to recognize it, you know?
-
22:01 - 22:05And to take care of it
from the moment it arises. -
22:06 - 22:09Sometimes we need somebody else
to point out that we are angry. -
22:11 - 22:15In the first instance,
we may not recognize it. -
22:18 - 22:23How can we recognize anger
before it arises? -
22:24 - 22:29First of all, we have to know
that we have a seed of anger. -
22:32 - 22:35It may not manifest very often,
-
22:35 - 22:39but when it does maybe very gently,
but we do have a seed. -
22:39 - 22:45And when causes and conditions
are sufficient, it will arise. -
22:48 - 22:53So we have these seeds
in our store consciousness. -
22:55 - 22:58One of our practices is
-
22:59 - 23:04to not water the seed of anger in us.
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23:05 - 23:09To avoid watering the seed of anger.
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23:13 - 23:17Thay says we can ask others to help us.
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23:18 - 23:22If there is something that
-
23:23 - 23:27maybe a loved one, a friend,
or somebody in the sangha -
23:28 - 23:34does or says that touches,
that waters our seed of anger, -
23:34 - 23:37we can ask them:
-
23:37 - 23:42'Please, know that when you say
something in that way, -
23:43 - 23:48or when you act in that way,
it waters my seed of anger. -
23:49 - 23:51Could you please support me
-
23:52 - 23:56by not watering my seed of anger?
-
23:56 - 23:59I'm happy to hear
what you have to tell me, -
24:00 - 24:04but could you find another way
of telling me this?' -
24:06 - 24:10And if we ourselves can think of a way
that we will able to hear -
24:11 - 24:15what somebody else wants to tell us,
we can give them some suggestions. -
24:16 - 24:19Maybe they can start by:
-
24:19 - 24:21'It is my perception that'
-
24:22 - 24:25instead of 'You do this'.
-
24:26 - 24:28It is my perception.
-
24:28 - 24:32Maybe we can point out that
we have a perception which may be wrong. -
24:33 - 24:37But I would like to share
that perception with you anyway. -
24:38 - 24:40And the best way
-
24:41 - 24:44to support others
-
24:45 - 24:49in interacting with us like that
-
24:49 - 24:55is to interact with them the way
we would like them to interact with us. -
24:56 - 24:59And again, for me this is an empowerment.
-
25:00 - 25:04I can be part of this process.
-
25:04 - 25:07I'm not just there as a victim
-
25:09 - 25:15of the interactions with others.
But I can be part of this. -
25:29 - 25:31So a seed of anger
-
25:32 - 25:36may be watered by what we hear,
what others tell us. -
25:40 - 25:42We don't always
-
25:43 - 25:47can give input how other people
tell us something. -
25:47 - 25:50So what to do then?
-
25:52 - 25:57Then it's good to take some time
-
26:00 - 26:02to reflect.
-
26:03 - 26:09And to ask the question,
is there any truth in what they say? -
26:09 - 26:14This is what I try to practice.
Is there truth in what they say? -
26:18 - 26:22Then sometimes the answer is,
I don't see any truth. -
26:22 - 26:25And sometimes the answer is,
maybe a little bit. -
26:26 - 26:31So I just take that little bit,
I do not need to take everything. -
26:31 - 26:33I take that little bit.
-
26:34 - 26:36And I can look and I can see
-
26:38 - 26:42what is the root of my action
-
26:43 - 26:48that my friend gives some feedback about.
-
26:49 - 26:51Where does it come from?
-
26:57 - 27:01Maybe before I continue
we can have another sound of the bell. -
27:02 - 27:04(Bell)
-
27:06 - 27:12(Bell)
-
27:21 - 27:25Maybe that way of responding
-
27:25 - 27:31was also the way of responding
of our mother or our father. -
27:32 - 27:38And we have inherited, we are continuing
our mother and our father in that way. -
27:50 - 27:52And as we continue to practice,
-
27:52 - 27:58we realize we are not only transforming
ourselves, we're also practicing -
27:59 - 28:02transforming our parents.
-
28:04 - 28:06We are their continuation,
-
28:07 - 28:13whatever we transform, we transform also
for our parents and for our ancestors. -
28:17 - 28:21If at the root of our action
there was fear, -
28:23 - 28:26maybe our parents had fear.
-
28:27 - 28:31Maybe our father, our mother
had a strong seed of fear. -
28:34 - 28:38And maybe fear
was the root of her action -
28:39 - 28:43that our friend gave some feedback about.
-
28:44 - 28:49And fear always has to do
with the unknown. -
28:51 - 28:54We don't fear the past,
we fear the future. -
28:56 - 29:00We do not know what is going to happen
in the future. -
29:01 - 29:03It is unknown.
-
29:05 - 29:08And whatever is unknown, we fear.
-
29:09 - 29:12Is it going to be
-
29:13 - 29:16of benefit to me or not?
It is going to -
29:18 - 29:20be good for me or not?
-
29:29 - 29:34I find the best way of taking care of fear
as it comes up -
29:34 - 29:39is to remain firmly established
in the present moment. -
29:39 - 29:43Because in the present moment,
I can see what is happening. -
29:43 - 29:47I do not know what will happen
in the next moment, -
29:47 - 29:49but when the next moment
becomes the present moment, -
29:50 - 29:52I can see what is happening.
-
29:54 - 29:57And the image I have is,
-
29:57 - 29:59I walk through a tunnel,
-
30:00 - 30:02or let's say, yes,
let's keep it a tunnel, -
30:02 - 30:06that is what I use to use.
I walk through a tunnel, and it's dark. -
30:07 - 30:10And I don't know what is in the tunnel.
-
30:10 - 30:13But I can touch
-
30:13 - 30:19the wall of the tunnel with my hands,
and of course, with my feet. -
30:19 - 30:24So I touch the wall so I get to know
what is happening right now, -
30:24 - 30:27what is the present moment like right now.
-
30:27 - 30:31And I'm aware of my feet on the ground,
and I know what it is like. -
30:31 - 30:35And then, very carefully,
I put my feet forward, -
30:37 - 30:43and then, my foot touches
the ground in front of me. -
30:43 - 30:48I'm already in the present moment then.
And I know I can take that step. -
30:49 - 30:52If I put my foot and there is nothing,
-
30:54 - 30:57I still don't know,
and I won't take the step, -
30:57 - 30:59because the fear is still there.
-
30:59 - 31:04So I take my foot back and
I try a little bit to do right or left. -
31:04 - 31:07You see what I mean.
-
31:07 - 31:10So I found out if I have this image,
-
31:10 - 31:12if I walk, if I always stay
in the present moment -
31:13 - 31:15and don't think: there is light
at the end of the tunnel, -
31:15 - 31:17I rush towards the end,
-
31:18 - 31:21I may fall in a hole,
I may stumble over something -
31:21 - 31:24because I'm not in the present moment.
-
31:24 - 31:29I'm trying to run to the future
to know what is at the end of the tunnel. -
31:30 - 31:34But I have the whole tunnel to go through.
-
31:34 - 31:36So if I stay in the present moment
-
31:37 - 31:42and the future comes to us, if you like.
We don't have to run to the future. -
31:42 - 31:45So wait to the next moment to come
-
31:45 - 31:47and then in that moment
I can see what is happening -
31:48 - 31:51and I can respond in an appropriate way.
-
31:52 - 31:55I cannot respond
in an appropriate way to the future, -
31:55 - 31:57I don't know exactly
what is going to happen. -
31:57 - 32:01I can make plans, yes,
we have to make plans, -
32:01 - 32:07but we may need to adjust the plans when
that future becomes the present moment. -
32:19 - 32:23So that was the seed of fear.
-
32:23 - 32:30Another way when there is fear in me,
there is fear present right now, -
32:32 - 32:38we have a practice. Breathing in,
I am aware fear is present in me now. -
32:38 - 32:43Breathing out, I take good care
of the fear, I embrace it. -
32:44 - 32:46Or I smile to my fear.
-
32:47 - 32:52Maybe it's my practice,
I'm not yet very good at doing this, -
32:52 - 32:57and I don't necessarily succeed.
-
32:58 - 33:00It doesn't calm my fear.
-
33:00 - 33:05So then, I bring my mind home to my body,
because I know what is in my mind -
33:06 - 33:10is also manifested in my body
in some way or another, -
33:11 - 33:13in some place in my body.
-
33:13 - 33:16So I bring my mind home to my body
-
33:16 - 33:19and I do a body scan, as we did just now,
-
33:19 - 33:24and when I find a strong sensation,
-
33:24 - 33:28a physical sensation, I think:
-
33:30 - 33:35That is my fear. And I can breathe
with this physical sensation. -
33:36 - 33:39I bring my mind to that part of my body
-
33:39 - 33:44and I breathe while I just stay with it.
-
33:44 - 33:49At times, I feel I go back to a story
-
33:49 - 33:52but I'm no longer
with the physical sensation. -
33:53 - 33:57So then, I bring my mind
back to the physical sensation -
33:57 - 34:02every time I notice
I have been carried away by the story. -
34:03 - 34:07And slowly, slowly, by being with it,
-
34:07 - 34:11this sensation kind of becomes softer
-
34:11 - 34:14and it feels like it melts away.
-
34:15 - 34:18Then, miracle, oh miracle,
-
34:19 - 34:24the fear is no longer present in my mind
as a mental formation. -
34:26 - 34:29And then, a very important point.
-
34:30 - 34:35At that point we should not
go back to the story and bring it back. -
34:35 - 34:38Because that brings immediately
the fear back. -
34:39 - 34:42Leave the story.
-
34:43 - 34:45And first,
-
34:46 - 34:50we need to calm ourselves,
to find stability, -
34:51 - 34:53maybe to practice walking meditation
-
34:53 - 34:57to come back to our steps
as they touch the earth. -
34:59 - 35:04In, in, in, out, out out.
-
35:05 - 35:11So that we walk really very firmly
established in the present moment. -
35:13 - 35:19We may water some seeds
of joy, of happiness -
35:21 - 35:24as a counterbalance to the fear.
-
35:26 - 35:31Then, this may take a few days
or maybe weeks, -
35:31 - 35:34when we feel now we have enough
-
35:36 - 35:42stability, enough calm, enough peace,
enough joy, happiness, -
35:44 - 35:47to look at the fear.
-
35:49 - 35:54What is it that I am afraid of?
-
35:54 - 35:56The unknown, yes.
-
35:56 - 35:59But what is it about this unknown?
-
36:08 - 36:10And we may find
-
36:10 - 36:15that we are going to go on a long journey,
to a country we don't know. -
36:16 - 36:21We do not know what we will find there.
-
36:23 - 36:29And once we know what we are afraid of,
it is much easier to be with that fear, -
36:29 - 36:33and we will also be able
to do something about it. -
36:38 - 36:42If we travel to another country,
we may find out -
36:43 - 36:50by asking other people or by reading,
what we could expect when we go there. -
36:52 - 36:54And at the same time,
-
36:54 - 36:58we continue to strengthen our capacity
to dwell in the present moment, -
36:58 - 37:03to be part of the journey as we journey.
-
37:03 - 37:08To journey along with the journey
at to not to run ahead of the journey -
37:08 - 37:12so that we can respond to
every situation we encounter -
37:13 - 37:15from a place of calm and clarity.
-
37:27 - 37:30We were speaking also about anger.
-
37:30 - 37:35So to see what is the root of our anger.
-
37:36 - 37:42But first, the mindfulness training
advises us not to do or say anything. -
37:44 - 37:46This is quite a practice.
-
37:47 - 37:50Not to do or to say anything.
-
37:50 - 37:53But we also get immediately
the practice to do. -
37:53 - 37:57We turn to our breathing
and mindful walking -
37:58 - 38:02and to acknowledge that we are angry.
-
38:02 - 38:05And then to look deeply.
-
38:07 - 38:09Often,
-
38:10 - 38:15the roots of our anger
maybe found in ourselves, -
38:15 - 38:18we may have wrong perceptions.
-
38:20 - 38:23Somebody said something,
-
38:25 - 38:29and we think
they said it on purpose to hurt us. -
38:29 - 38:31They were unskillful.
-
38:33 - 38:38They may not have been wanting to hurt us.
They may just have been unskillful. -
38:39 - 38:43They may not even have known that
what they are going to say would hurt us. -
38:44 - 38:47They said it to somebody else
and nothing happened. -
38:47 - 38:51So why would it hurt somebody else?
Why would it hurt us? -
39:03 - 39:06We may also not understand
-
39:06 - 39:12that somebody else may said or
done something out of their own suffering. -
39:13 - 39:17I think we know ourselves very well.
When we suffer, -
39:17 - 39:22it is not so obvious and not so easy
to practice loving speech. -
39:28 - 39:31It takes some practice
-
39:32 - 39:35to practice loving speech at all times.
-
39:37 - 39:43Especially when our suffering considers
the person we are speaking to. -
39:45 - 39:47Maybe they upset us.
-
39:48 - 39:51We suffer,
-
39:52 - 39:54and when we speak to them,
-
39:54 - 39:57there is no loving kindness.
-
39:57 - 40:03This practice of not do or say anything
especially when we are angry, -
40:03 - 40:06can be quite challenging,
because, how do we do this? -
40:07 - 40:10When we live in a community,
and then we get angry with somebody, -
40:11 - 40:13don't we say anything
to the person at all? -
40:15 - 40:17At all times?
-
40:18 - 40:23That is maybe not the best way
of not saying anything. -
40:23 - 40:27So how can we keep on interacting
-
40:27 - 40:33but not address the issue
that made us angry? -
40:35 - 40:39For me, that is what is meant by
'not to say anything'. -
40:41 - 40:44Otherwise, if we all would,
in our community, -
40:44 - 40:48we are angry with somebody, I'm upset
so I'm not speaking to that person, -
40:48 - 40:51maybe we would be a very silent community.
-
40:51 - 40:53(Laughter)
-
40:53 - 40:56We all get angry at times.
-
40:56 - 41:00So it's a real practice
to keep on communicating -
41:00 - 41:04in a 'civil' way, if you like, mindfully,
-
41:05 - 41:10but not address the issue
until we have calmed down. -
41:10 - 41:14And maybe looked into ourselves
what actually happened for us. -
41:17 - 41:20Here in Plum Village,
-
41:20 - 41:24when we are in a meeting
or just with a group, sitting together, -
41:24 - 41:28if there is something that has upset us,
-
41:28 - 41:34something that somebody said that
upsets us or watered our seeds of anger, -
41:34 - 41:41we can join our palms, bow and say,
'Please, excuse me. I just would like -
41:42 - 41:47to absent myself, be absent, I'd like to
go and do some walking meditation -
41:48 - 41:51or get a cup pf tea'.
-
41:51 - 41:55And we can go out and practice walking
meditation and take care of the anger -
41:56 - 41:59that has arisen in us.
-
42:00 - 42:07So these practices also are very important
in any kind of relationship. -
42:07 - 42:10And maybe it's just a matter
in your relationships -
42:10 - 42:13to bring this space
within the relationships, -
42:14 - 42:19that when we are angry, we can just
withdraw for a moment. -
42:19 - 42:23If we work in an office,
if that still happens nowadays, -
42:24 - 42:27most people work from home,
I just read somewhere, -
42:28 - 42:32we can just say, 'Excuse me,
I just need to...' -
42:32 - 42:37go to the bathroom or something. And
we can breathe and take care of our anger. -
42:38 - 42:41And come back again more calm.
-
42:42 - 42:46It's not ourselves, we will benefit
from that but everybody else also. -
42:53 - 42:58By contemplating impermanence, we will be
able to look with the eyes of compassion -
42:58 - 43:01at ourselves and others.
-
43:01 - 43:04And recognize the preciousness
of our relationships. -
43:07 - 43:12I think it is also good to
look at the impermanence -
43:14 - 43:16in general.
-
43:16 - 43:19When I look back
-
43:20 - 43:23at the previous generation,
-
43:24 - 43:27my previous generation,
-
43:27 - 43:31they have all already passed away.
-
43:31 - 43:35And it struck me that when, for instance,
-
43:35 - 43:38my grandfather, my grandmother
passed away, -
43:39 - 43:41yes I missed them,
-
43:42 - 43:46but I also noticed I had a regret.
-
43:46 - 43:52Maybe something I didn't do
that I know would have made them happy, -
43:52 - 43:55or maybe something I did
-
43:55 - 43:59that I realized
did not make them so happy. -
44:00 - 44:04And this actually has happened
with every single person -
44:04 - 44:11of the previous generation in my life that
passed away. There was always something. -
44:11 - 44:15And it took me a while
to find peace with that. -
44:15 - 44:18And I ask myself a question:
-
44:18 - 44:23Okay, what would they like me to be?
-
44:25 - 44:27And every time I came to the answer,
-
44:28 - 44:30'Happy.'
-
44:30 - 44:33Happy.
-
44:33 - 44:37And then I was able to accept
-
44:37 - 44:39what I had done or not done.
-
44:40 - 44:41And I thought, 'Okay,
-
44:42 - 44:45I have learned something from this.'
-
44:45 - 44:48And maybe when I look I see
I've learned something from that. -
44:49 - 44:51So it's not
-
44:54 - 44:57come to waste at the experience.
-
44:57 - 45:01And in the practice we speak of
the goodness of suffering. -
45:01 - 45:05Suffering becomes good
when we learn something from it. -
45:05 - 45:08When it enriches our life.
-
45:09 - 45:14When it helps us to go in the direction of
healing and transformation. -
45:24 - 45:28So looking and contemplating impermanence
-
45:28 - 45:33helps us to look with the eyes
of compassion at ourselves -
45:33 - 45:36and also at others.
-
45:41 - 45:44We like to nourish
-
45:45 - 45:49our capacity of understanding,
love, joy and inclusiveness, -
45:50 - 45:52to transform our anger,
-
45:55 - 45:59and help others to do the same
with the practice of Right Diligence. -
46:10 - 46:12Let us...
-
46:12 - 46:17So Right Diligence means
taking care of the seeds we have -
46:17 - 46:22and taking care of the mental formations.
-
46:22 - 46:27A mental formation is a seed
that manifests in our mind -
46:28 - 46:31as a state of mind, if you like.
-
46:37 - 46:41We may find that
there are certain mental formations -
46:41 - 46:45that are present more often that others.
-
46:46 - 46:50And we call them then 'habit energies'.
-
46:52 - 46:57Habit energy of thinking,
of speaking, and of acting. -
47:13 - 47:17Let us, with a sound of the bell,
take a moment -
47:17 - 47:22to reflect, when we go back to ourselves,
at some of our habit energies. -
47:23 - 47:25Maybe we have
the habit energy of thinking, -
47:25 - 47:29can also be of speaking
or physical action. -
47:30 - 47:33It can be a wholesome habit energy,
-
47:33 - 47:35and that's a habit energy
-
47:35 - 47:39that leads us in the direction of
transformation and healing. -
47:39 - 47:42Or it can be what we would call
an impulse, some habit energy, -
47:42 - 47:45that habit energy
that leads us in the direction of -
47:47 - 47:50suffering, basically.
-
47:50 - 47:53So just let us go back to ourselves,
-
47:53 - 47:57and just see which habit energy
comes up spontaneously, -
47:58 - 48:00what kind of habit energy.
-
48:00 - 48:02(Bell)
-
48:03 - 48:10(Bell)
-
48:26 - 48:31We may find that the habit energy
that came up in us -
48:31 - 48:37is one of our habitual ways of responding
to life's situations. -
48:39 - 48:42I would like now
-
48:45 - 48:48to draw a diagram
-
48:49 - 48:54of the Four Right Diligences.
-
48:57 - 49:00That will help us to understand
-
49:00 - 49:03how to practice or how to put these
-
49:04 - 49:08four practices or four diligences
into practice. -
50:04 - 50:07This makes it more interesting
as when I just list them. -
50:07 - 50:12Lists, we have already, we have many.
-
50:18 - 50:21So this is the seed.
-
50:21 - 50:24[Seed]
-
50:24 - 50:26And this is also seed.
-
50:27 - 50:29[Seed]
-
50:29 - 50:33And this is a mental formation,
'mf' for short. -
50:34 - 50:38And this also is mental formations.
-
50:38 - 50:40[mf]
-
50:46 - 50:49So a seed is a potential
-
50:49 - 50:56and a mental formation is when that
potential manifests as a state of mind. -
50:56 - 50:59Then we call it a mental formation.
-
51:03 - 51:08Speaking of anger,
we all have a seed of anger. -
51:10 - 51:12And we would like to avoid
-
51:13 - 51:17that seed of anger manifested itself
as a mental formation. -
51:18 - 51:24Because that then means that the energy
of anger is really present in us. -
51:25 - 51:27It's not pleasant for us
-
51:27 - 51:31and very often not pleasant
for others as well. -
51:33 - 51:35So how...
-
51:36 - 51:39What to do, how to practice
-
51:39 - 51:46in order not to turn that seed of anger
into a mental formation called anger. -
51:49 - 51:52Then, the Buddha says, 'Easy.
-
51:54 - 51:57Do you have a garden at home?'
-
51:57 - 51:59That's not what the Buddha said but
-
51:59 - 52:02the Buddha could have said that.
Do you have a garden at home? -
52:02 - 52:06Have you ever sown seeds in your garden?
-
52:06 - 52:13Wanting to have
a lot of cosmos flower in your garden? -
52:13 - 52:15Yes.
-
52:15 - 52:19So if you have those seeds
of cosmos flowers in the garden, -
52:19 - 52:24what do you need to do
in order to make it flourish? -
52:25 - 52:27You have to water it.
-
52:28 - 52:30If you just put a seed in there
and never water your garden, -
52:31 - 52:34unless it rains, very unlikely
you get the cosmos flower. -
52:37 - 52:40In the garden,
there is also maybe a seed of... -
52:43 - 52:46a weed, many weeds.
-
52:47 - 52:51And you don't want
all those weeds to come up. -
52:52 - 52:55Well, then don't water them.
-
52:56 - 52:58So if we have a,
-
53:00 - 53:07here, let's say, we have a seed of anger
in our garden, the garden of our mind, -
53:08 - 53:13we like to sort of keep it
for most time in the seed form. -
53:13 - 53:16Okay, we don't mind,
don't mind the seeds at all! -
53:17 - 53:21But we have to mind them,
you see what I mean. -
53:21 - 53:25We have to take care of them,
but we don't mind they being there. -
53:25 - 53:31So, if we don't want our seed of anger
-
53:32 - 53:37to flower as a flower
in the garden of our mind, -
53:38 - 53:40typical a mental formation,
-
53:40 - 53:42we should not water it.
-
53:42 - 53:46And just in one word, we say avoid.
-
53:46 - 53:50[Avoid]
-
53:51 - 53:53Avoid.
-
53:53 - 53:56Avoid to water the seed of anger.
-
53:56 - 53:58Do not water.
-
54:07 - 54:11[Do not water]
-
54:14 - 54:17Do not water the seed of anger.
-
54:18 - 54:24But if accidentally we water it anyway,
or we allow it to be watered by others, -
54:24 - 54:29and the mental formation of anger
comes up, -
54:29 - 54:34the flower of anger blooms in our mind,
-
54:34 - 54:39then, the most important thing is to
-
54:41 - 54:44stop watering that seed.
-
54:45 - 54:51If we don't water it, it will wilt,
it will dry up, shrink. -
54:53 - 54:55It will go back to the seed form.
-
54:55 - 54:58Stop watering.
-
54:59 - 55:01Another word is overcome.
-
55:02 - 55:05[Overcome]
-
55:06 - 55:10Stop watering,
in Plum Village parlance. -
55:11 - 55:14[Stop watering]
-
55:18 - 55:20Stop watering the seed.
-
55:21 - 55:24Nothing can survive without food.
-
55:28 - 55:34And our anger will not survive
if we stop feeding our anger. -
55:34 - 55:37And we can stop feeding our anger
-
55:37 - 55:44by not always going back
to what brought up our anger. -
55:45 - 55:48Not to keep going back to that.
-
55:51 - 55:53We need to
-
55:55 - 55:59stop, or break the contact
-
56:02 - 56:04with the source
-
56:04 - 56:06that triggered our anger.
-
56:07 - 56:11Don't stay in contact with that incident.
Don't keep thinking, -
56:11 - 56:15'Why did this person say that?
Why did she, or he say that?' -
56:15 - 56:19'What was she trying to do?
So mean!' -
56:19 - 56:22We keep on ruminating,
ruminating, ruminating -
56:23 - 56:28this thought over and over again, it means
we keep on watering the seed of anger. -
56:29 - 56:35I don't know if you've ever tried this,
kind of this rumination, ruminification. -
56:37 - 56:40When we turn something
over, and over in our mind, -
56:43 - 56:46especially when it's -
since we are talking about anger, -
56:46 - 56:52considering anger, maybe after 5, or 10,
or 15, or 20 or half an hour of doing that -
56:53 - 56:58our anger has grown enormously.
We've been watering it the whole time. -
57:00 - 57:04It is like shooting the second arrow.
We were shot by an arrow, -
57:04 - 57:07by somebody who said that, that hurt,
-
57:09 - 57:12and then, we keep repeating, and repeating,
-
57:12 - 57:16and reliving, and reliving that incident.
It's like shooting another arrow, -
57:16 - 57:19and maybe another,
and another, and another. -
57:19 - 57:23And the second arrow
is not twice as painful, -
57:23 - 57:26it's a hundred times more painful.
-
57:28 - 57:32So, stop watering the seed,
break the contact. -
57:33 - 57:35Turn away.
-
57:40 - 57:54[Break the contact]
-
57:55 - 57:58Turn away from the source
that brought up your anger. -
58:05 - 58:07As I said before,
-
58:10 - 58:14one way of doing that is to
bring our mind home to our body, -
58:14 - 58:17becoming aware of our body,
-
58:17 - 58:21aware of where anger manifests in our body
and breathing with it. -
58:22 - 58:25And then, when it's calmed down,
-
58:27 - 58:30we will feel much better.
-
58:30 - 58:35We can also practice something
that we call 'change the CD'. -
58:36 - 58:39If we catch it in time.
-
58:39 - 58:45I have found, if I turn something over
in my mind for 5, 10 minutes, -
58:46 - 58:49it's better for me to go back to my body,
-
58:49 - 58:52and take care of the mental
formation in that way, -
58:52 - 58:55rather than trying to change
-
58:56 - 58:58the CD.
-
58:58 - 59:01Because I may go to another thought
that is uplifting, -
59:02 - 59:04joyful,
-
59:05 - 59:10but only for few minutes, and then
I'm pulled back again by the emotion. -
59:11 - 59:13So the practice is to become aware,
-
59:14 - 59:18what is the best way for us,
each individual, each one of us, -
59:18 - 59:21the best way to change the CD?
-
59:22 - 59:25Is it to bring up another thought?
-
59:25 - 59:29Think of something pleasant?
Something beautiful? -
59:29 - 59:32Or is it to come back to the body?
-
59:33 - 59:36Or go for a walk, which is also
going back to the body. -
59:36 - 59:41Nourishing other things, getting different
input through different sense organs. -
59:50 - 59:53Change CD.
-
59:53 - 59:56[Change CD]
-
59:59 - 60:03Here, a kalyanamitra comes in handy.
-
60:04 - 60:08And actually, the whole sangha
is a kalyanamitra. -
60:08 - 60:12When we are upset about something
and when we're angry, -
60:12 - 60:14there is always something
happening in the sangha, -
60:15 - 60:17there is always people who are around,
they are doing things, -
60:17 - 60:21we can go and join them.
-
60:21 - 60:24Maybe working in the garden.
And just by that joyful energy, -
60:24 - 60:27it helps us to change the CD.
-
60:29 - 60:33Or a good friend who will say,
'Come on! Let's go for a walk, -
60:33 - 60:36let's have a cup of tea.'
-
60:37 - 60:39Change the CD.
-
60:42 - 60:45If we have a-
-
60:47 - 60:49I think I need that one.
-
60:54 - 60:56No, I see.
-
60:57 - 61:01I'm sorry. I knew something
was not quite right. -
61:03 - 61:05So. That's better.
-
61:06 - 61:10If we have a positive seed,
-
61:15 - 61:20that we would like to strengthen,
we encourage, -
61:22 - 61:25[Encourage]
-
61:25 - 61:30that seed to manifest itself
by watering that seed. -
61:33 - 61:37[To water]
-
61:44 - 61:48And the practice of mindfulness
helps us here also to do this. -
61:50 - 61:55We water our seeds of joy
by being present in the present moment -
61:55 - 62:00and recognize all the sources of joy
that are present in our life. -
62:01 - 62:05You may like to sit down,
maybe with some others, -
62:05 - 62:09and make a list of joys.
-
62:09 - 62:12What are your sources of joy in your life.
-
62:13 - 62:15And it can be something very small.
-
62:17 - 62:19A smile,
-
62:19 - 62:22of another member of the community.
-
62:22 - 62:26I don't know if anyone of you
has seen the full moon these days. -
62:27 - 62:31A wonderful source of joy.
Beautiful! -
62:32 - 62:38But the full moon can only be
a source of joy if we are truly present. -
62:39 - 62:42The full moon maybe there,
-
62:42 - 62:47but we need to be there
in order to enjoy the full moon. -
62:49 - 62:52I know this from experience.
-
62:53 - 62:58The full moon rises at the-
to the East of our hamlet. -
62:59 - 63:04And there is a path in this hamlet
where you walk. -
63:05 - 63:07Well, the sisters walk.
-
63:07 - 63:11And we can see the rising moon.
-
63:11 - 63:15And I would often stand there,
when it is full moon, -
63:15 - 63:18and watch the full moon arising.
-
63:18 - 63:24Especially because it's next to the bell
tower and it looks so, so beautiful. -
63:26 - 63:29One evening,
-
63:29 - 63:35I was not present, being carried away
by some mental formation, -
63:36 - 63:40and I was walking towards
our sisters' building, -
63:41 - 63:44walked right past the bell tower,
-
63:45 - 63:49and there was a sister standing there,
and she said, 'Sister, the full moon! -
63:49 - 63:52The full moon! Look!.'
And this is what happened. -
63:52 - 63:55So, let's say the full moon is there.
-
63:55 - 63:56Oh, yes!
-
63:56 - 63:58(Laughter)
-
63:58 - 64:00And we continue to walk!
-
64:00 - 64:04And she said, 'Sister, sister,
the full moon! Look at the full moon!' -
64:04 - 64:08Because she had seen me
standing there many, many times. -
64:08 - 64:10I've told her,
'Come, look at the full moon.' -
64:10 - 64:13And now, I was walking straight on.
-
64:13 - 64:17And she had to call me a number of times,
that it dawned on me, -
64:17 - 64:20the full moon!
-
64:20 - 64:24So, thank you. So I went back
and enjoyed the full moon. -
64:24 - 64:28And she really helped me with that
to change the CD. -
64:32 - 64:37Here. Because I was not
in such a joyful mood, -
64:37 - 64:40and she may have understood.
-
64:40 - 64:42She called me back
-
64:42 - 64:48and encouraged me to water
a positive seed, -
64:48 - 64:52the seed of joy and happiness.
-
64:52 - 64:56And she did. Is that truly a spiritual friend.
-
64:57 - 65:03So, find ways to water the positive seeds.
-
65:04 - 65:10So that they flower and the become
a mental formation. -
65:10 - 65:13And once they are a mental formation,
-
65:14 - 65:16then, what do we do?
-
65:18 - 65:20So we are having -
-
65:20 - 65:23We are happy, we are joyful,
-
65:23 - 65:26the mental formation of joy has arisen.
-
65:28 - 65:32Everything is impermanent, you know?
Everything comes, and it goes. -
65:33 - 65:38So joy can come
and can be gone in the next second. -
65:38 - 65:40Unless,
-
65:41 - 65:44you practice to keep it there.
-
65:45 - 65:51Our joy comes and goes,
our anger comes and goes. -
65:52 - 65:57And if we want our joy to stay,
we have to nourish it. -
65:59 - 66:03It is nourishing our joy
that keeps it longer. -
66:03 - 66:07To become aware of the source
that has brought about joy -
66:07 - 66:10and stay in contact with that source.
-
66:11 - 66:13As long as we stay
in contact with the source, -
66:13 - 66:17our joy will increase.
As long as I look at the full moon, -
66:18 - 66:21that is watering seeds of joy.
-
66:22 - 66:24Instant after instant.
-
66:27 - 66:29So,
-
66:30 - 66:32we maintain our joy,
-
66:32 - 66:34[Maintain]
-
66:35 - 66:39and concretely, we continue to water
-
66:41 - 66:43by staying in contact.
-
66:43 - 66:46[Continue to water]
-
66:46 - 66:50Continue to water our mental formation
-
66:51 - 66:55by staying in contact with the source.
-
67:14 - 67:20This is basically
the practice of Right Diligence. -
67:23 - 67:27Unwholesome seeds, avoid watering.
-
67:28 - 67:33If accidentally they got watered anyway,
stop watering them. -
67:35 - 67:38The wholesome seeds, water them.
-
67:39 - 67:42They manifest, continue to water them.
-
67:46 - 67:48Simple?
-
67:49 - 67:52But it takes some practice.
-
67:52 - 67:58This practice
is a practice of transformation. -
68:06 - 68:08The unwholesome seeds
-
68:08 - 68:13will not have a chance to grow stronger.
They may even weaken. -
68:14 - 68:18And the wholesome seeds
get the chance to grow stronger. -
68:19 - 68:24So the unwholesome seeds
will manifest less often. -
68:24 - 68:29And the wholesome seeds
will manifest more often. -
68:42 - 68:47This is a very important practice
in the light of taking care of our anger. -
68:48 - 68:51At the same time,
it is a very important practice -
68:51 - 68:54in the light of just about everything.
-
68:57 - 69:01Nowadays, we hear a lot about depression.
-
69:02 - 69:05People say,
'I am in a depression, I'm depressed.' -
69:06 - 69:08Take this
-
69:08 - 69:12kind of overview, and ask yourself,
-
69:13 - 69:17'What kind of seed
have I been watering in myself lately? -
69:18 - 69:24Or what kind of seed have I allowed
to be watered in me by others?' -
69:25 - 69:30And that is not just other people,
maybe it is the news, -
69:30 - 69:33how often do we listen to the news?
-
69:35 - 69:39It's Okay to listen to the news,
or watch it, or read it, -
69:39 - 69:42whatever we do nowadays,
-
69:42 - 69:47but what seed,
what kind of seed does it water in us? -
69:47 - 69:51How much can we take before
-
69:52 - 69:56we go towards a depression?
For instance. -
69:58 - 70:03And the way out is
to stop watering those seeds -
70:04 - 70:12and to start watering wholesome seeds and
then to continue to water wholesome seeds. -
70:14 - 70:18With the help of a good friend,
with the help of a kalyanamitra, -
70:19 - 70:22maybe with the help of the sangha,
we can do it. -
70:26 - 70:30Maybe we can have a sound of the bell,
-
70:30 - 70:36before I continue to come to a close
of this talk today. -
70:43 - 70:49(Bell)
-
71:02 - 71:07Right Diligence is nourished
by joy and interest. -
71:08 - 71:13By joy and interest in the practice.
And the 7th mindfulness training -
71:15 - 71:19is 'Dwelling happily
in the present moment.' -
71:19 - 71:25It gives us very clear practices to do
to dwell happily in the present moment -
71:25 - 71:28and to water our seed
of joy and happiness. -
71:34 - 71:40The 7th mindfulness training helps us to
be aware that life is only available now. -
71:42 - 71:45Yesterday is already passed,
tomorrow not yet there. -
71:46 - 71:48Now is the only moment we have.
-
71:52 - 71:54We like to
-
71:57 - 72:01really train ourselves
to live deeply each moment of our live. -
72:01 - 72:07And not to loose ourselves in dispersion
or be carried away by regrets -
72:08 - 72:10about the past.
-
72:10 - 72:13Or the worries about the future,
-
72:14 - 72:17or craving, anger, or jealousy
in the present moment. -
72:20 - 72:23And we take mindful breathing
as our anchor. -
72:24 - 72:26We always come back to mindful breathing
-
72:27 - 72:30to know what is happening
in the here and the now, -
72:30 - 72:36so that we can be in touch
with the wonderful, refreshing, -
72:37 - 72:42and also the healing elements
that are in the here and the now. -
72:42 - 72:46We all know that nature is very healing.
-
72:46 - 72:51How often have we walked through nature,
our mind was somewhere else, -
72:52 - 72:56and we miss the opportunity
to be healed by nature. -
72:56 - 72:59Mother Earth is so beautiful.
-
72:59 - 73:02It's so, so beautiful.
-
73:02 - 73:09I have a photograph of Mother Earth,
our jewel of the cosmos, as we call her, -
73:11 - 73:14and just looking at that picture
makes me so happy. -
73:15 - 73:19I know we are doing
terrible things to Mother Earth. -
73:20 - 73:22And still,
-
73:27 - 73:30she is so loving, and so embracing.
-
73:32 - 73:34And looking at this picture,
-
73:35 - 73:40makes me reflect, how can we live our life
so as to take care of Mother Earth? -
73:41 - 73:45Because she is the one that nourishes us,
that holds us, -
73:46 - 73:51that also embraces us. And we need
to take care of our Mother. -
74:07 - 74:14Many of us, many of our sangha members
are engaged in protecting Mother Earth. -
74:15 - 74:17And here in Plum Village also
-
74:19 - 74:25we were vegetarians, now, as a community
in the whole we are vegan. -
74:27 - 74:32Also because we want to contribute
to protecting Mother Earth, -
74:32 - 74:35protecting the species on Earth.
-
74:37 - 74:39We do our best
-
74:42 - 74:45to use our vehicles
-
74:46 - 74:49mindfully.
-
74:49 - 74:53That is why also in bigger retreats,
we order buses, -
74:54 - 74:56so everybody can come by bus,
-
74:56 - 74:59and not the French
who have come in individual cars -
74:59 - 75:01come by their cars, but come by bus.
-
75:05 - 75:12We have Happy Farms in all three hamlets,
and we are very happy to have Happy Farms. -
75:13 - 75:16Thank you to the happy farmers.
-
75:17 - 75:21We do things to protect Mother Earth.
-
75:21 - 75:25Little by little, we're going
more and more, as a big community, -
75:26 - 75:30in the direction of
protecting Mother Earth. -
75:42 - 75:46So we will come back to
the present moment, -
75:47 - 75:51and water the seeds of joy, peace,
love and understanding in ourselves, -
75:54 - 75:58so that our consciousness
can transform and heal. -
76:02 - 76:05And also we like to become aware that
-
76:05 - 76:11real happiness basically depends
on our mental attitude. -
76:12 - 76:16And not necessarily
on external conditions. -
76:19 - 76:24When we practice that, we see that
we can live happily in the present moment, -
76:24 - 76:29because we see we have already
enough conditions to be happy. -
76:36 - 76:46The mental attitude and not external
conditions, it can be challenging. -
76:54 - 76:56For instance,
-
77:00 - 77:02we may know people
-
77:06 - 77:08whom we
-
77:11 - 77:14are angry with
and find that very difficult -
77:15 - 77:18to overcome that anger.
-
77:18 - 77:23We have a practice we just call 'The
five ways of putting an end to anger', -
77:26 - 77:28in which there's one sentence
that keeps coming back: -
77:29 - 77:34'If you are angry and you are a wise,
you will know how to meditate -
77:34 - 77:37to put an end to your anger.'
-
77:37 - 77:41And it gives us five ways to
look at the person we are angry with. -
77:42 - 77:47'If there is someone whose bodily actions
are not kind, but the words are kind, -
77:48 - 77:51then do not pay attention
to the bodily actions, -
77:51 - 77:55only pay attention to their words,
and that can help you -
77:56 - 77:59to put an end to your anger.
-
77:59 - 78:03And when their words are not kind,
but their bodily actions are kind, -
78:03 - 78:05if you are wise,
-
78:05 - 78:10you do not pay attention to the words, but
only pay attention to the bodily action.' -
78:12 - 78:16It is recognizing that
there is still a seed of kindness -
78:16 - 78:20that is able to manifest itself
in this person. -
78:21 - 78:23And by recognizing
that their words are kind, -
78:24 - 78:26or in other case
their bodily actions are kind, -
78:27 - 78:31you may be able also
to interact with them in a way -
78:31 - 78:36that waters that seed of kindness in them.
-
78:37 - 78:41So instead of focusing on the unkind,
to focus on the kind. -
78:44 - 78:49Until we will help them bring about
the change within themselves. -
78:49 - 78:55So, if the bodily actions are not kind
and neither the words are kind, -
78:56 - 78:59then we need to look a little bit deeper.
-
78:59 - 79:02And we may notice that there is
still somewhere in their heart, -
79:02 - 79:05a little kindness.
-
79:05 - 79:09And then, we are advised to pay attention
to that little kindness, -
79:09 - 79:12and not to their words or actions.
-
79:12 - 79:16And maybe also nourish
that little kindness in them. -
79:27 - 79:30Then, you may all be
waiting for the next one, -
79:30 - 79:33if the bodily actions are not kind,
the words are not kind -
79:34 - 79:41and you cannot find any, any, any
ounce of kindness in their hearts, -
79:41 - 79:43then what? Are we then
allowed to get angry? -
79:44 - 79:46No, the Buddha says.
-
79:46 - 79:49If you meet somebody
whose words are not kind, -
79:49 - 79:52whose actions are not kind and who
-
79:52 - 79:55you cannot find
any kindness in their heart, -
79:55 - 79:59then, please, know that
that person is suffering deeply, -
80:00 - 80:02and they need your help.
-
80:02 - 80:05Find ways to help them.
-
80:07 - 80:10And I've looked into this
-
80:11 - 80:13time and time again,
whenever I come to this, I think, -
80:14 - 80:16how is that possible?
-
80:16 - 80:18And I realize -
-
80:18 - 80:23First I thought, Okay,
if there is no kindness in their words, -
80:24 - 80:27actions or in their heart,
-
80:28 - 80:33I need to find ways to help them,
but they've caused another suffering. -
80:37 - 80:41Until I realized, by helping them
it doesn't mean -
80:41 - 80:46that I condone
what they did, said or thought. -
80:47 - 80:53I didn't condone any of their actions
of body, speech or mind. -
80:53 - 80:56I just see that they must be suffering
-
80:56 - 80:59in order to cause
so much suffering to others. -
80:59 - 81:04And if we can help them,
they may stop -
81:06 - 81:09causing suffering
with their words or deeds, -
81:09 - 81:14and they may find some goodness
in their heart. -
81:16 - 81:20It was very important for me to
discover that, to come to that insight. -
81:22 - 81:26Help.
So you may have people in your live -
81:26 - 81:29and maybe people in your country,
-
81:29 - 81:36you don't see any kindness in actions,
speech or maybe in their heart, -
81:37 - 81:40but they need your help.
-
81:40 - 81:44Especially if it's someone who is
or has a word to say -
81:44 - 81:48about what happens in a country.
They may need help. -
81:50 - 81:52And Thay
-
81:52 - 81:56is a real great bodhisattva.
-
81:57 - 82:02I said before that the essence
of the 14 mindfulness trainings, -
82:02 - 82:05which are what we call
bodhisattva trainings, -
82:05 - 82:07is never to abandon anyone.
-
82:15 - 82:18Even if they cause great suffering.
-
82:21 - 82:25I shall never forget
the 25th of September in 2001, -
82:26 - 82:31when Thay gave a talk in a church,
in New York. -
82:36 - 82:38And Thay was responding
-
82:39 - 82:42to the 9/11 event.
-
82:43 - 82:48The attack on the... Trade Center? World?
-
82:49 - 82:52I was right, yes.
-
82:52 - 82:55On the buildings in New York,
World Trade Center, I think it was called. -
82:56 - 82:58Correct? Yes.
-
83:01 - 83:04First of all, I go back
a little bit briefly. -
83:05 - 83:08When we heard the news,
-
83:08 - 83:12we were in California, in a center,
one of our centers in California, -
83:13 - 83:15in Deer Park.
-
83:15 - 83:19So a number of our monastics
went to Thay and said, -
83:19 - 83:22'Thay, this has happened.
Can we do something? -
83:22 - 83:26Now we have to speak out,
we have to do a walking meditation, -
83:26 - 83:29a protest march, or something like that.'
-
83:29 - 83:31And Thay said, 'No.
-
83:32 - 83:34We are going to the beach.'
-
83:35 - 83:38And we went, 'We are going to the beach?'
-
83:39 - 83:42'Yes, we are going to the beach.
Hire a bus we are going to the beach -
83:42 - 83:44and we are bringing a picnic.'
-
83:44 - 83:46So we went to the beach.
-
83:46 - 83:49And as we go to the beach, Thay said,
'Go and play', it means, -
83:49 - 83:53go and wait in the water
playing soccer, whatever. -
83:54 - 83:58And the attendants spread out
a mat for Thay and Thay was lying down. -
83:59 - 84:02And the whole time, as we were playing,
-
84:02 - 84:06Thay was just lying there. Very quietly.
-
84:06 - 84:08And then, we had lunch,
-
84:09 - 84:14and then we went back
to the temple where we were staying. -
84:14 - 84:17And then Thay called us together later,
and said, -
84:18 - 84:23Thay would give a talk in New York,
and Thay would address the issue. -
84:24 - 84:28So this is how Thay came
to address the issue in New York. -
84:28 - 84:33And before Thay went up
to address the issue, -
84:33 - 84:37we were with Thay, waiting.
And Thay said, -
84:38 - 84:42'What Thay is going to say
may put Thay's life in danger, -
84:42 - 84:45but Thay has to say it.'
-
84:47 - 84:55And in the speech, we started first
by reading the invocation of Avalokita, -
84:56 - 85:01evoking the energy of compassion
of Avalokita. -
85:01 - 85:05We chanted and then Thay gave the speech.
-
85:06 - 85:10And the basic message was, Thay said that
-
85:10 - 85:16America has to ask Iraq,
what did we do -
85:17 - 85:20for you to do this to us?
-
85:24 - 85:27Thay was not abandoning anybody.
-
85:28 - 85:31Everything is because of
causes and conditions. -
85:41 - 85:45So a bodhisattva never abandons anyone.
-
85:46 - 85:50And we do not condone that act.
-
85:52 - 85:58We do not, somebody who causes suffering,
condone the act. But we try to see -
85:58 - 86:00how we can help them.
-
86:00 - 86:05And by saying what Thay said,
Thay was to say, -
86:05 - 86:07'Okay, what can we do?
-
86:08 - 86:10What are we doing? Tell us.'
-
86:14 - 86:17To do this in our daily life
-
86:18 - 86:23is a real practice of a bodhisattva.
We'll practice our compassion -
86:24 - 86:26for ourselves and for others.
-
86:28 - 86:34And we can do it
with the help of a kalyanamitra. -
86:37 - 86:42We can do it, while practicing
Right Diligence, -
86:42 - 86:47to understand that everything
is because of causes and conditions. -
86:51 - 86:53And,
-
86:55 - 87:00compassion arises from understanding.
If we have no understanding, -
87:01 - 87:03compassion cannot arise.
-
87:04 - 87:08We can think we are compassionate,
but if there is no understanding, -
87:08 - 87:12we have to question whether
that compassion is true compassion. -
87:13 - 87:16Compassion is born from understanding.
-
87:16 - 87:18So, we start with ourselves,
-
87:18 - 87:22we look at ourselves
with the eyes of compassion -
87:22 - 87:27to understand why we think as we think,
why we say what we say, -
87:28 - 87:31why we do what we do.
-
87:31 - 87:33What seeds have we watered
-
87:33 - 87:40through our sense organs, our seeing,
hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, -
87:41 - 87:44and above all also through our thinking.
-
87:44 - 87:48We may see something,
but we will think as a response. -
87:48 - 87:52And what is that thinking?
What is that watering in us? -
87:56 - 87:59And the foundation is
-
88:00 - 88:04to generate the energy of mindfulness
throughout the day -
88:05 - 88:08by coming back to our breathing
with the sound of the bell, -
88:09 - 88:11bring our mind home to our body
-
88:11 - 88:14and by walking meditation.
-
88:14 - 88:18Walking mediation is a practice
I take refuge in -
88:18 - 88:21to make it,
-
88:23 - 88:28to make my steps walking meditation steps
throughout the day. -
88:28 - 88:30There are moments I forget.
-
88:31 - 88:35And then it may be the sound of a bird,
a sister, a brother, a sound, -
88:36 - 88:40that brings me back.
And to touch the earth. -
88:40 - 88:45As I said, when I see
the picture of Mother Earth, -
88:45 - 88:49I feel happy
and I feel also a lot of care. -
88:50 - 88:55So when I walk on Mother Earth,
I really walk with gentleness -
88:56 - 89:00and with gratitude for Mother Earth.
-
89:01 - 89:05Thay says, walk as if
you are caressing Mother Earth. -
89:06 - 89:08And I found if I have that,
-
89:08 - 89:13when we caress, it is very gentle,
it doesn't go- -
89:14 - 89:17With a bang we arrive on the earth
and then we caress, -
89:18 - 89:21on the earth or on a cat,
or a beloved one, -
89:21 - 89:31we even land on our beloved one gently,
to caress gently. To land gently -
89:31 - 89:34with our foot on the earth. The impact.
-
89:36 - 89:39When we hear somebody coming,
-
89:39 - 89:43by the sound of the footsteps,
we can usually tell what the mood is. -
89:43 - 89:46You know from school,
when the teacher came, -
89:46 - 89:48like, 'We'd better sit up straight
and concentrate', -
89:48 - 89:51or "'It's Okay.' You know?
-
89:51 - 89:54We hear. So the impact,
-
89:54 - 89:58to be aware of the impact
between our foot and the earth, -
89:58 - 90:00and to make it gentle.
-
90:00 - 90:02To walk with gentleness.
-
90:03 - 90:04And then,
-
90:05 - 90:08I have noticed,
whatever the energy was before, -
90:08 - 90:11when I start walking like that,
-
90:11 - 90:18there is an energy of care, of gentleness
that comes up in me. -
90:18 - 90:21And it feels
-
90:21 - 90:24wonderful.
-
90:24 - 90:29It is a very good way of practicing
the Four Diligences. -
90:30 - 90:32Walking meditation.
-
90:33 - 90:41It's a good way to avoid, to overcome,
to encourage and to maintain. -
90:41 - 90:44So we do not need to make time
in the morning, in the evening, -
90:44 - 90:47to have 20 minutes of sitting.
-
90:47 - 90:50In between, we can practice
-
90:52 - 90:55mindfulness throughout the days
-
90:55 - 90:58by enjoying our steps.
-
90:59 - 91:02So, thank you for listening,
I will finish, here, -
91:03 - 91:08and we will have walking meditation,
-
91:09 - 91:12weather permitting, before too long.
-
91:12 - 91:15Thank you. I wish everybody
a happy practice. -
91:23 - 91:30(Bell)
-
91:46 - 91:52(Bell)
-
92:05 - 92:12(Bell)
-
92:26 - 92:28(Bell)
- Title:
- 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem.
- Description:
-
You can support us by:
- donating: https://plumvillage.org/support
- helping to caption & translate: https://amara.org/en/profiles/videos/plumvillage/ or http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UCcv7KJIAsiddB2YRegvrF7g - Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 01:32:33
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. | |
![]() |
Bego Laka edited English subtitles for 2018 10 28 6th and 7th training of the OI, Sr Dieu Nghiem. |