Challenging environment 1

How do I stay in the present moment when it feels unbearable?

(bell)

(bell)

How do I stay in the present moment
when it feels unbearable?

Because in Plum Village we always say that

"Let us not get caught in
the past and the future"

"Let us go back to the
present moment"

And this is a question about "How can
I stay in the present moment

when the present moment
feels unbearable?"

That's a good question.

(Laughter)

Anyone who knows the
practice of mindfulness

knows that you have to
go home to the present moment.

When you go home to the present
moment, you can find...

two kinds of situations:

The first kind of
situation is

there are so many conditions
of happiness available

in the here and the now

When you breathe in and bring
your mind home to your body

you establish in the
present moment.

And you notice there are so many
refreshing and healing elements

available in the present moment.

There are also many conditions of
happiness available in the present moment.

And with that awareness,

to generate the feeling of joy
and happiness is very easy.

That you can do in order
to nourish yourself.

To nourish yourself with
joy and happiness.

So, that is the first thing you encounter
when you go back to the present moment.

The second situation is that when you go
back to the present moment

you might encounter a
feeling of pain,

a feeling of a
painful emotion,

that is in you.

In fact a painful feeling,
a painful emotion,

manifests from time to time.

But when it begins to manifest,
you don't like to be there.

So you try to run away,

pretending that it's not there.

So no one is there in order to take care of
the painful feeling or the painful emotion.

So, going back to the present moment
here, is no longer to recognize

the elements of joy and happiness,

but to have a chance to take care
of the pain in ourselves.

And to transform it.

So, even if the present moment
is unbearable,

to go back to that moment
is the only chance for us

to do something in order
to calm it down

and to transform it.

Most of the people
don't do that

because they're afraid that
when they come home to themselves,

and touch their pain inside,

they will be overwhelmed
by the suffering

and that is why their practice
is to run away,

imagine something about the
future to forget

go back to the past
to forget

but the past and the future,
they are like images.

Not reality.

Only the present
moment is real.

Many people try to cover
up the pain inside

not only by going back to the past
or running to the future,

to imagine that there will
be some hope,

some end of suffering
in the future

but that cannot last long

And most people try to cover
up the suffering inside

by the practice of consumption.

We read magazines and
watch television

we try and find something to eat

we listen to the music, we pick
up the phone to talk,

everything we do, we do because
we hope by doing these things,

we don't have to confront the
suffering in us.

And we allow that pain to
continue to grow in us.

So the practice of mindfulness helps us
to go home to the present moment.

Even if the moment is not pleasant,

but it is in that very moment,

that we can understand the suffering,

and that we can find a way
in order to calm it down.

And to transform it.

So, next time when you find the present
moment not pleasant,

don't think that running away
from it is the best way.

No, it may be a chance.

So, stay in that moment. Look deeply
into the nature of your suffering.

If you know how to practice
mindful breathing,

or mindful walking,

you're generating the energy
of mindfulness

and then that energy of
mindfulness generated by the practice

helps you to be strong enough

to recognize and counter
the pain and embrace it tenderly.

And embracing your pain
tenderly

in a few minutes,
you can calm it down

And...

if there are practitioners practicing
with you

and then you can profit from
their energy of mindfulness

and compassion.

Getting in touch with the
suffering,

brings about understanding
of suffering.

And...

the energy of compassion -
understanding and compassion -

has the power to heal.

To heal you and to heal the people
who happen to be around you at that time.

And if there is a group of
people practicing,

together, embracing the suffering
with tenderness,

they will experience that collective
energy of compassion that will heal them.

And when they suffer less, they are
in the situation to help other people

to do the same.

There is a Bodhisattva whose name
is Kṣitigarbha [?]

the vow of Kṣitigarbha [?] is to
go to the places where

there's a lot of suffering

in order to have a chance
to serve, to help.

And there are many doctors, nurses, social
workers, they are doing the same

they volunteer to go to painful spots
of Mother Earth

in order to help the people

so Bodhisattvas Kṣitigarbha -
they are real, they are not just images.

Very young people are serving as
Bodhisattvas Kṣitigarbha.

They are not afraid
of suffering.

Because they know that
they can bring relief

And Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha has a
strong power or source of energy

that is the aspiration

the third kind of nutriment,
volition

You know you are there - alive

And you want to do
something with your life

You want your life
to be useful, meaningful.

So, you make a strong vow to
go to help people who suffer.

So, you are not afraid of going
to the situations of suffering.

And these Bodhisattvas should
be supported by us.

You want to support them so they do not
lose their aspiration after a few years of service.

We have to send them our energy
of encouragement

They need nourishment
and healing

So, after six months of working in a very
difficult situation, they go home

and they have us
taking care of them,

time to heal, so they will go out again
the second time and the third time

Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha needs help also.

So, we're there to help young
Kṣitigarbhas to continue their work

in the world.

So, if you have compassion,

you don't mind being in a
difficult, suffering situation.

And if you have enough
compassion

then you are protected. You will not be
overwhelmed by the collective energy

of suffering emitted by the
people around.

And Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha knows that
they, that he needs a Sangha

in order to continue
for a long time.

So, the practice should not
only be individual

the practice should be
collective also.

So, let us try to convince people in
our family to join the practice.

And the best way to do it is to become
more and more pleasant, every day.

More smiling, more sweet...
sweeter

and they'll believe that the practice
will work for them also.

So, when your family, your community,
enjoy more harmony,

health, brotherhood, sisterhood,

and then your aspiration can be more
easily realized.

Without a Sangha, without a group
of people

our dream cannot come true.

So, not only we try as a person,

but we know that operating as
a group of people, as a Sangha,

it is always much better.

(bell)