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Right Livelihood part1.Sister Jina. 2016.12.18

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    Good morning
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    Dear respected Thay, dear brothers
    and sisters and dear friends
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    Today is Sunday the 18th of December
    in the year 2016
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    and we are in the New Hamlet.
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    In this winter retreat we are looking
    at the Noble Eightfold Path.
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    Today i would like to share with you
    a little bit about right livelihood.
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    Last week Brother Phap Lai
    spoke about right action
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    and mentioned something about
    Right Livelihood and monastics,
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    so as I sat down here,
    that thought came to me,
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    Am I practicing right livelihood,
    right now?
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    In my mind I see the Buddha
    going out on alms round
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    receiving alms to be nourished
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    and the Buddha will offer the Dharma
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    there is an exchange of dana and Dharma.
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    I guess I am continuing,
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    we are all continuing
    the career of the Buddha
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    and the Buddha practices Right Livelihood
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    offering Dharma for dana
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    so i guess that I'm practicing
    Right Livelihood.
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    It is possible for monastics
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    So, the Noble Eightfold Path.
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    There are times,
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    the Noble Eightfold Path is at times
    presented in three groups
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    One group for ethics, “Sila”,
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    one group for “Samadhi”,
    concentration
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    and one group for “Prajna”, insight.
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    Sila, or the mindfulness trainings
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    Thay teaches us that
    the mindfulness trainings
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    are a very concrete
    expression of mindfulness
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    and the logo of Plum Village is
    Smrthi, which is mindfulness,
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    Samadhi, concentration, Prajna, insight.
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    So, I would like to start
    with sharing with you
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    how the eight elements
    of the Noble Eightfold Path
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    are divided up in those three groups.
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    Maybe I'll write them on the board
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    Big and small inter-are
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    Right view, right livelihood
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    One, or two? One.
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    Mindfulness
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    Usually we present them in a circle
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    So, for ethics we have Right View
    and Right Thinking
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    Sila
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    excuse me,
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    I'm trying to look at the paper
    instead of looking into my mind
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    Right Speech, Right Action,
    Right Livelihood is ethics, Sila
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    Right Concentration, Right Mindfulness,
    Right Effort
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    is Right Concentration, samadhi
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    Right View, Right Thinking
    is Prajna, insight,
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    When our way of living is ethical,
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    if it goes in the direction of
    non-violence for ourselves and others
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    we feel joyful, we have energy,
    we're happy
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    And this is very easy
    for ourselves to check.
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    Right Speech for instance.
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    If the first thing we said to the person
    we met in the morning,
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    was kind, loving, understanding,
    you feel well
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    and we go to work,
    we feel happy and joyful
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    When we feel happy and joyful,
    it's very easy to concentrate,
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    to have concentration.
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    When we have concentration,
    we can look deeply and we get insight.
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    If the first thing we say
    when we get up in the morning,
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    makes another person feel awful,
    we will also feel awful
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    we may go to work but somewhere
    in the depths of our mind
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    is this uneasy feeling.
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    We have concentration, but it may
    not be the same kind of concentration
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    as when we're happy and at ease
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    When we look at this path,
    the Noble Eightfold Path
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    we can ask the question where to enter
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    What is the entry
    into the Noble Eightfold path?
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    Mindfulness,
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    that's the door through
    which we enter the Noble Eightfold path
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    When we practice mindfulness,
    we're bringing our mind home to our body.
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    There is a saying that goes
    'working from home'
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    I like to think about 'living from home'
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    I bring my mind home to my body,
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    and I live from that place of being aware.
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    When we go back to ourselves,
    bring our mind home to our body,
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    we will notice what is happening
    inside of us and around us
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    and we will have the clarity and calm
    in order to know how to respond
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    to what is happening inside of us
    and around us.
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    Not just around us,
    in our direct environment
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    but also to the world and society at large
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    So let's practice with the bell
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    and do exactly that,
    bring our mind home to our body
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    and we will be able to find out
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    what is happening inside of us,
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    what are we doing, body and mind
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    and how are we doing it.
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    Two aspects, what and how
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    So, make yourself comfortable
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    bring your mind home to your body
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    to sort of sink into the present moment.
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    Just become aware of what is happening
    inside of us, in our body and mind
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    To stop being carried away
    by our thinking,
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    our feelings, our emotions,
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    and coming home to our body,
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    is the foundation of our practice
    of the Noble Eightfold Path
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    Traditionally, Right Livelihood
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    is described as having a profession
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    that does not harm human beings,
    animals, nature, mother earth
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    It doesn't cause any harm,
    physically or mentally, morally
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    which means not to deal in weapons,
    this is how it's mentioned.
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    Not to slaughter animals
    for consumption and meat,
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    not to deal in poisons or drugs,
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    no human trafficking for instance
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    and today I would like to look
    a little bit at Right Livelihood
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    in the light of our mindfulness trainings
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    We have the five mindfulness trainings
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    and the 14 mindfulness trainings
    of the Order of Interbeing.
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    Right Livelihood is,
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    looking at how we're making
    a contribution to the world
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    how do we interact
    with the world at large?
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    Also, looking to see and to become aware
    of the impact we have on the world
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    so that we can go in the direction
    of non-violence
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    not harming ourselves, others,
    animals, mother nature.
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    We practice being responsible
    citizens and consumers
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    So, Right Livelihood
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    There are two calligraphies by Thay
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    that, for me, express very beautifully
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    the state of mind that helps us to go
    in the direction of Right Livelihood
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    and one is: “You have enough”
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    I think we can all see
    how that relates to Right Livelihood
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    as well as:
    “Happiness is not an individual matter”
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    We have enough,
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    we do not take more
    from others and from mother nature
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    and we do not take more from others
    and mother nature than we need,
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    and we share what we have with others
    you don't take what belongs to them.
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    These two calligraphies help us
    to look deeply into our Livelihood
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    When we look at
    the five mindfulness trainings,
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    they give us guidelines
    for our actions of body, speech
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    Throughout the day we make many choices
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    what to do, what not to do,
    what to say, what not to say
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    what to buy, what not to buy,
    where to go or not to go
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    how to go, how not to go.
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    We make choices throughout the day,
    the whole time.
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    The five mindfulness trainings are
    a very good point of reference,
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    a guidance for us, to make choices
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    that enhance not only our own well-being
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    but also the well-being of others
    as well as the mother earth.
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    So, the first mindfulness training
    has the name “reverence for life”
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    we practice protecting life.
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    The second one is "true happiness"
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    we practice sharing our time and energy
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    with others and material resources.
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    "True love,"
    to live in a committed relationship
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    we practice deep listening and loving
    speech to keep our relationships happy.
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    And "mindful consumption" as nourishment
    and healing for healthy living
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    The 14 mindfulness trainings
    of the order of Interbeing
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    reflect the Noble Eightfold Path.
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    The Noble Eightfold Path,
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    when we write them in a list,
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    they start usually with the mind.
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    Right View, Right Thinking
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    and the 14 mindfulness trainings
    also start with the mind.
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    We have seven mindfulness trainings
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    that are related to our mind.
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    I pull out the book
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    I will read some of that a little later.
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    The first three mindfulness trainings
    of the order of Interbeing
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    speak about our attitude of mind
    what kind of attitude do we have.
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    The first one is "openness",
    we call it openness
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    and that is not to be bound
    to any doctrine.
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    So many wars have been waged
    because of doctrines
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    that we hold on to for many, many decades
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    so doctrines or ideologies.
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    The second one is
    "non-attachment to views"
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    to be open to other people's
    views and opinions,
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    to be inclusive
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    to go in a direction
    of the collective insight.
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    The third one is "freedom of thought"
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    we do not impose our views onto others.
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    Everyone has the right to look deeply
    and to decide for themselves
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    what to do, how to be, what to choose
    what to believe, what to believe
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    freedom of thought.
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    When you look into
    this mindfulness training
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    we see also that a lot of suffering
    has been caused
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    by not allowing others to choose
    what to believe.
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    And the fourth and the seventh,
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    they speak about a personal practice.
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    We learn to take care of our suffering
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    to look deeply into our suffering
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    and look into the suffering of the world.
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    And for the fifth,
    we go in the direction of healthy living
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    and for the sixth,
    we take care of our mind.
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    These are our own personal practices
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    like we take care of anger for instance
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    and that can be anger, irritation
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    upset
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    so we take care of our anger
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    And the seventh, how we can dwell
    happily in the present moment
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    and the eighth and the ninth are
    about communion and communication
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    and truthful and loving speech.
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    It's about interactions that we have
    with others
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    and the tenth trough the 14th
    are for acting in society.
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    We protect and nourish the Sangha.
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    To bring about a change in society
    we need the sangha, we can't do it alone
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    so a sangha is a precious jewel
    it's a place of refuge
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    it's where we get the support.
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    We all know already that we may be
    on this path of mindfulness
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    and when we go home, we look for others
    who also practice the same thing
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    because standing alone in society
    is not so easy
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    but having a sangha to practice with,
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    we're able to stand by the choices
    we make in our life.
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    As a sangha, we can do it.
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    The 11th mindfulness training
    speaks of Right Livelihood
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    The 12th about reverence for life
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    The 13th about generosity
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    and the 14 about Right Conduct,
    about our intimate relationships,
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    true love.
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    When we look at the Noble Eightfold Path,
    we'll find the 14 mindfulness trainings
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    when you look at
    the 14 mindfulness trainings
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    you'll find all the elements
    of the Noble Eightfold Path
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    we're looking into
    the mindfulness trainings
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    so we can understand ourselves better.
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    We all want to go
    in the direction of happiness
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    not only for ourselves but for all others.
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    And looking into ourselves in the light
    of the five mindfulness trainings
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    we can see how we can...
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    enhance our practice
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    of going in a direction
    of non-violence and true happiness.
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    Right Livelihood is expressed
    also in the way we think,
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    and in the way we speak and
    how we spend our time and energy.
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    At this point I'd like to read
    the 11th mindfulness training
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    Right Livelihood
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    “Aware that great violence and injustice
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    has been done to our environment
    and society,
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    we are committed
    not to live with a vocation
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    that is harmful to humans and nature.
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    We will do our best to select a livelihood
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    that contributes to the well-being
    of all species on earth
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    and helps realize our ideal
    of understanding and compassion.
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    Aware of economic, political and
    social realities around the world
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    as well as our interrelationship
    with the ecosystem,
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    we are determined to behave responsibly
    as consumers and as citizens.
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    We will not invest in,
    or purchase from companies
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    that contribute to the depletion
    of Natural Resources,
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    harm the earth and deprive others
    of their chance to live.”
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    So, in this training
    we see very clearly that
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    it is not just what we do,
    as a profession
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    but also, how do we live,
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    what are the choices that we make.
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    As i said before, choices that may,
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    choices that support others
    in their livelihood
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    For instance if we are a teacher
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    we have the heart...
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    to nurture our students
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    in a way that will give rise
    to compassion and understanding in them
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    and we can say we have Right Livelihood.
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    Then afterwards, we go to the supermarket
    and we put things in our basket
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    we may use products that have chemicals
    that pollute the environment
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    and as long as we put those articles
    in our basket
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    they will be produced.
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    So in that way, we are supporting
    the livelihood of someone else
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    that pollutes the environment
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    and when we look at that way
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    the choices we make in our life
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    we can clearly see that Right Livelihood
    is not an individual matter.
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    It is a collective matter
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    and if we want to bring about a change
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    then we need a collective awakening.
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    Maybe we can have a bell
    before we continue?
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    All our actions of body of speech of mind
    have an effect on other people
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    so when we go to work, go to the office
    or wherever we may be working
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    the way we interact with others
    has an effect on others
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    so we can practice Right Livelihood
    to the way we speak.
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    If we speak from understanding
    and compassion
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    others will build up trust in us.
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    They will be able to listen to us
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    they will open up to us
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    and they may see how we live.
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    They may become aware
    of what choices we make
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    and this may inspire them
    to look at their choices.
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    When we practice being open to their views
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    to allow them to believe
    what they want to believe,
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    all that is part of Right Livelihood.
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    Right Livelihood is not just
    the actual work that we do.
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    When I was much younger,
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    some 20 years old or so,
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    and I did some job
    to earn some money in my holiday.
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    So I went to one of those offices
    where you get temporary job, temps office,
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    One day I was sent
    to an advertising agency
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    Since I can type,
    they asked me to type the notes
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    of the meeting they had the day before,
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    because their secretary was sick,
    I was replacing the secretary.
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    As was typing these notes,
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    there was a sentence,
    one input from one member
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    that was sort of in the direction of,
    we really would like this product to sell
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    We cannot straight out say
    it's much better than other products
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    because actually it's not exactly the case
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    but we like to word it in a way
    that it sounds that it is better
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    we cannot say it's better, but we'll
    word it so it sounds like it's better
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    so I typed up all the notes.
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    I had to breathe when I came to that part,
    you may understand.
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    When I was ready, I went to the person
    who'd asked me to type
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    and I gave it back
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    She said “well that's all for today”
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    and I said “thank you very much”
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    and I didn't bow because..
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    I said “thank you very much,
    have a nice day”, and I left
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    and on the way to the station
    I stopped at the agency and I said to them
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    “I don't think I'll go back there, could
    you please give me something else to do?”
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    And the lady said “No,
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    they want someone for an X number of days
    and that is what we give you."
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    I said “well, I'm sorry, I cannot take it,
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    I will go somewhere else”, I said,
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    and she said,
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    “you may not find something else
    to do elsewhere.”
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    I said “it's ok, I'll find a job,
    I'll clean toilets
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    but, I don't feel comfortable
    working for this company”
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    so I went home and I told my mother,
    “don't believe anything you see in an ad.”
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    And at that time, you know,
    I didn't realize,
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    I could have gone back,
    the people were very nice
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    and maybe at some way or another,
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    I could have helped and raise
    their awareness of Right Livelihood
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    They're there, you know they need a job
    they have a family to feed
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    they are doing their best
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    I still type things from time to time,
    but it is all about the Dharma
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    so I feel very comfortable typing it.
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    But this is just to say that
    if we are in a job, we need a job,
  • 38:27 - 38:33
    we need something to do, we need
    to have some bread on our plate, or rice.
  • 38:40 - 38:45
    What impact do we have on the world
    and the people around us
  • 38:46 - 38:48
    this is not about going about and
  • 38:52 - 38:54
    you know, moralizing,
  • 38:54 - 38:58
    going about and telling everybody
    they're not ethical etc
  • 39:00 - 39:05
    but, what is our intention in life?
  • 39:05 - 39:07
    From where do we live?
  • 39:09 - 39:13
    What is our intention
    when we interact with our co-workers?
  • 39:15 - 39:17
    What do we water in them?
  • 39:18 - 39:21
    Do we water something in them
    that helps all of us
  • 39:21 - 39:26
    to go in the direction
    of non-harming, non-violence?
  • 39:31 - 39:34
    What do we do?
  • 39:35 - 39:37
    As teachers, we can do many things.
  • 39:41 - 39:43
    As a secretary we can do many things.
  • 39:44 - 39:47
    Maybe one day we will be
    the director of the company
  • 39:50 - 39:55
    we can look and see what kind of products
  • 39:56 - 40:00
    or how would we like
    to promote the market.
  • 40:01 - 40:06
    There's many, many possibilities
    to practice Right Livelihood
  • 40:15 - 40:21
    Today, we have a little bit
    of a different program for this morning
  • 40:23 - 40:25
    not quite the same as the days before.
  • 40:27 - 40:31
    I've just shared a little bit with you
    about Right Livelihood
  • 40:31 - 40:34
    for you to reflect...
  • 40:36 - 40:42
    on how to bring
    this aspect in your daily life
  • 40:43 - 40:48
    or to say, how to bring a spiritual
    dimension in your daily life
  • 40:50 - 40:55
    through the practice
    of the Noble Eightfold Path,
  • 40:56 - 40:58
    maybe the five mindfulness trainings
  • 40:59 - 41:02
    and 14 mindfulness trainings
    of the Order of Interbeing.
  • 41:11 - 41:14
    Maybe we can enjoy a sound of the bell?
  • 41:58 - 42:04
    To go in the direction of non-harming,
    in Plum Village, we also follow this path.
  • 42:08 - 42:12
    When i first came to Plum Village,
    we were vegetarian
  • 42:13 - 42:15
    we had cheese.
  • 42:19 - 42:23
    In France, at the time at least,
    you could buy a bar of cheese
  • 42:24 - 42:26
    a square bar, about this size.
  • 42:28 - 42:35
    On the table in the morning, there were
    neatly cut slices of square cheese
  • 42:37 - 42:42
    square slices of cheese that we could have
  • 42:45 - 42:51
    and then when we became aware
    of the dairy industry
  • 42:53 - 42:56
    we became vegan
  • 42:58 - 43:01
    going in the direction
    of being totally vegan.
  • 43:06 - 43:13
    Slowly also we became aware
    of the impact on the earth
  • 43:13 - 43:21
    of the products that we use in our hamlets
  • 43:24 - 43:28
    so we looked into biodegradable products
  • 43:30 - 43:33
    and we're still going in that direction.
  • 43:33 - 43:34
    Sometimes we have many
  • 43:34 - 43:35
    sometimes a little bit less
  • 43:36 - 43:39
    but we're going in the direction
    and that's very important.
  • 43:54 - 44:00
    Nowadays, when we travel from one
    hamlet to another, we have buses
  • 44:01 - 44:06
    before, we asked everybody to please
    use their car and fill them up with people
  • 44:07 - 44:09
    until we realized that's many cars.
  • 44:10 - 44:16
    So now we use buses, it's just one big
    vehicle for many people to go into
  • 44:20 - 44:26
    We're going in the direction of trying
    to combine trips to the town
  • 44:27 - 44:30
    This usually works around Christmas
  • 44:33 - 44:40
    when we have one day when we can go and
    buy some material to make some presents
  • 44:40 - 44:42
    if we don't find materials here.
  • 44:44 - 44:50
    So the important mindset is
    to go in the direction
  • 44:54 - 44:57
    to go in the direction
    is very compassionate.
  • 45:00 - 45:05
    It also avoids us from becoming dogmatic
  • 45:06 - 45:11
    we go in the direction of Right Livelihood.
  • 45:12 - 45:14
    The Buddha walked everywhere
  • 45:16 - 45:20
    for us, it's a bit far to walk from the
    Lower and Upper Hamlet to the New Hamlet
  • 45:21 - 45:23
    so, we drive.
  • 45:26 - 45:31
    We also try to look into vehicles that
    are not so polluting for the environment
  • 45:35 - 45:38
    so the choices we make are very important.
  • 45:42 - 45:48
    When we have a profession
    that is in the media
  • 45:49 - 45:51
    we reach many, many people.
  • 45:53 - 45:57
    It's very clear,
    the impact we have on the world
  • 46:02 - 46:06
    When we are an artist
    we also reach many people
  • 46:07 - 46:09
    We also have an impact on the world
  • 46:10 - 46:16
    We know that art has always been
    a messenger to educate people
  • 46:19 - 46:25
    So, for today we have invited two
    of our friends, two practitioners
  • 46:27 - 46:32
    to share with us a little bit
    about their personal spiritual journey
  • 46:35 - 46:39
    I would like to invite Paz and Jo
  • 46:40 - 46:50
    and Sister True Dedication who will be the
    facilitator of this part of our program
Title:
Right Livelihood part1.Sister Jina. 2016.12.18
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Duration:
47:03

English subtitles

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