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Barcelona Educators Retreat: Dharma Talk 11.05.2014

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    (The Plum Village Online Monastery)
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    (The Plum Village Online Monastery)
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    (Thay) Please come closer.
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    (Thay) Today, we have a session
    of questions and answers.
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    Those who have a question
    are invited to come and sit here.
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    We will take turns to sit on this chair,
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    so that everyone can see us
    before we ask the question.
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    We know that a question, a good one,
    can benefit many people.
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    Therefore, it would be more helpful
    to ask a question
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    that has to do with the practice,
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    to do with transformation and healing.
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    You may like to write down your question
    on a piece of paper also,
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    if you don't want to come up here.
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    But looking from here is so beautiful!
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    (Laughter)
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    So those of us
    who already have a question,
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    please come up and sit around here,
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    and we will take turns
    to sit on the chair.
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    The practice, according to the tradition:
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    Before we ask a question,
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    we breathe in and out three times
    with the sound of the bell,
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    and everyone is breathing with us.
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    Then, we take the microphone
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    and we ask the question.
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    And we know that a good question
    does not have to be very long.
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    (Laughter)
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    A question is not a statement.
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    So please,
    those of us who have a question already,
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    come and sit close to Thay
    and we will take turns.
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    And if you have written a question,
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    ask someone to bring it here
    to Brother Mountain,
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    who is sitting to the left of Thay.
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    From time to time,
    he will read from one of these questions.
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    This is your opportunity, please come.
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    (Thay laughing)
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    Let us listen to the bell and breathe
    before you ask the first question.
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    (Half Bell)
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    (Bell)
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    (Bell again)
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    (Bell again)
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    Hi,
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    My question is:
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    How do we do
    when we go back to our real home?
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    This retreat has been really nice
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    But when we go to our real home?
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    What recommendations can you give us
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    to bring at home and be
    every second of our lives?
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    (Br. Mountain) Thay, the...
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    (Thay) Please speak in the microphone.
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    (Br. Mountain) If I understand correctly,
    the question is:
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    "How to bring this practice
    into your daily life?"
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    Yes?
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    (Repeats question in Spanish)
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    We just do it!
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    (Laughter)
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    Suppose when you turn on the water tap
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    and you see the water flowing,
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    you pay attention to the water.
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    You tell yourself that it's wonderful,
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    that the water has come to you,
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    to your kitchen, to your bathroom,
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    from high up in the mountains,
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    from deep in the earth,
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    and you feel grateful, you feel happy,
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    because the water is there for you.
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    That is how to apply
    the teaching of mindfulness
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    in our daily life.
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    When you brush your teeth,
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    you may like to focus your attention
    on brushing your teeth,
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    not thinking!
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    Because you have the water,
    the toothpaste, the brush,
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    and you still have teeth to brush!
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    (Laughter)
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    I am over 80 and every time
    I brush my teeth,
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    I always say:
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    "It's wonderful at this age
    to still have some teeth to brush!"
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    (Laughter)
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    And happiness can come right away.
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    And when you cook your breakfast,
    do it mindfully.
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    Pouring the water into the kettle,
    boiling the water,
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    every moment can be a moment of joy.
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    Laying the table, preparing your tea,
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    everything you do
    can be the practice of mindfulness
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    and can bring you joy, happiness.
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    You are fully present
    in the here and the now!
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    When you drive your car,
    you can drive it mindfully,
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    and enjoy every minute of driving.
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    When you walk
    from the parking lot to your school,
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    you do the same.
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    So just do it!
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    And you have verses to memorize
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    in order to brush your teeth, to sit down,
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    to open your window.
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    Every daily act can be accompanied
    by our breathing,
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    our recitation of the verse.
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    It's very convenient,
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    because people who have come before us,
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    they have prepared the practice for us.
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    And walking in a railway station,
    walking at the airport,
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    you can always enjoy walking meditation.
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    You do not have to set up a separate time
    to do meditation.
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    But one thing can be said:
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    If you have a home to yourself,
    in your home town,
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    you can create a group of practitioners,
    practicing together.
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    Every weekend you come together,
    to enjoy walking together,
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    sitting together, having tea together,
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    sharing the practice together.
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    That would be wonderful,
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    because that community will help you
    to continue the practice for a long time.
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    Otherwise you will be carried away
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    and you'll abandon the practice
    after few weeks.
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    Good luck!
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    (Laughter)
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    (Inaudible)
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    (Half Bell)
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    (Bell)
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    ( Spanish) My question
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    is about the subconscious,
    the store, the seeds,
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    how mindfulness can help
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    to stop the wrong consumption,
    the toxins,
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    because our being is
    from the subconscious
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    to consciousness.
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    True consciousness.
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    (Br. Mountain) There is too much echo,
    so I can't really understand.
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    (Br. Mountain) Can you repeat
    the question?
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    (Translating what Br. Mountain just said
    into Spanish for the lady)
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    (Spanish )Yes, my question is...
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    (Br. Mountain) How can mindfulness help...
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    (Thay) You have to translate
    into English later.
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    (Brother) Yes.
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    (Spanish)... how mindfulness helps
    to bring out the subconscious, the mind,
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    to stop the toxic seeds
    that are in the store consciousness.
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    To know how to identify them.
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    How mindfulness can
    not only plant the seeds,
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    but stop the seeds
    that have already been planted.
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    To be more aware
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    of what is already inside.
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    (Brother) The essence
    of the question is:
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    How can mindfulness help transform
    the toxic seeds
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    or the seeds of suffering
    that are in the store consciousness?
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    Mindfulness can recognize...
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    the manifestation of a seed.
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    In fact, to be mindful is to
    be aware of what is going on.
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    So from the depth of our consciousness,
    called the store consciousness,
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    there are many seeds,
    good ones and negatives ones.
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    And every time a good seed comes up
    to the level of the mind
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    and you recognize it
    as a good mental formation,
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    like joy, brotherhood, sisterhood,
    forgiveness, and so on.
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    So mindfulness recognizes
    the good mental formation
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    that has manifested.
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    Mindfulness can help to keep it longer
    for your nourishment and healing.
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    You continue to breathe or walk
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    and maintain the energy of love,
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    or happiness, or joy,
    or brotherhood, alive
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    as long as you want.
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    That is what you do when a good seed
    like love, forgiveness or joy, manifests.
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    But when negative seed in you
    begins to manifest:
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    fear, anger, sorrow, hate, violence.
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    Then mindfulness helps you
    to recognize it:
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    "Hello! Good morning my fear,
    I know you are there,"
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    "I will take good care of you!"
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    So, the first thing mindfulness does
    is to recognize what is there.
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    "Good morning my anger,
    I know you are there,"
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    "I will take good care of you!"
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    And you breathe in and out mindfully,
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    and continue to generate
    the energy of mindfulness,
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    with which you embrace
    your fear, your anger.
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    You are protected
    by the energy of mindfulness,
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    because your fear, your anger,
    will not push you
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    to do or say things
    that will cause damage
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    to you and to the other person.
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    So mindfulness protects you,
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    if you know how to use
    the energy of mindfulness,
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    to recognize and embrace
    your fear, your anger, tenderly,
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    like a mother holding a baby.
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    Then mindfulness can do more.
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    Mindfulness can help you
    to look into that fear, that anger
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    and see what kind of roots they have.
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    It has come from somewhere,
    some wrong perceptions,
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    something like that.
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    With the practice of looking deeply
    into the fear, the anger,
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    you can recognize the roots
    of your anger, of your fear,
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    and you get an understanding of it.
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    Your understanding
    of the roots of something
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    will liberate you from it.
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    So mindfulness can do many things.
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    And the practice of mindful breathing,
    mindful walking
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    can help generate
    the energy of mindfulness,
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    with which you can nourish yourself,
    and you can heal yourself!
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    (Half Bell)
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    (Bell)
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    My question is personal
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    but it can help a lot of people.
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    At this moment
    I am feeling a lot of pain
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    because I am unable to follow
    what makes me happy,
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    my style of life.
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    What would be your message
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    for the people who, as me,
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    do want to follow a good path,
    a safe path
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    who want to follow
    what makes us happy
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    but we fight against
    a lot of negativity,
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    messages of...
    insanity,
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    but we feel that
    that is a wrong path.
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    Thank you.
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    (Br. Mountain) The question is:
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    How can we find a new path for society?
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    How can we find a new path
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    and nourish our aspiration
    in this society?
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    And what would be Thay's message
    for young people?
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    What would be Thay's encouragement
    for young people...
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    considering the society is not
    a very healthy place?
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    What can we do?
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    When we look at an adult
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    and see that that person is not happy,
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    we cannot believe what that person
    tells us about happiness,
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    or the path leading to happiness.
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    Because if the path is correct,
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    then the person would not be
    the way he or she is!
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    So what that person recommends us to do
    may not work.
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    Sometimes they recommend us
    to do something,
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    but they don't do it themselves!
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    So we have to be careful.
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    So we can...
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    we can make a decision
    based on our own experience.
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    Whatever you do
    that brings you true happiness,
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    you believe that.
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    That is the right thing to do.
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    What you say can bring you happiness
    and can bring the other person happiness.
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    We can believe in that kind of thing,
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    and you can continue
    to say things like that.
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    So it's much safer to base it
    on our own experience of life.
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    I think the first thing is to have
    a correct idea about happiness,
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    because everyone has an idea of happiness.
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    Our idea of happiness may be the obstacle
    for our true happiness.
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    So you have to look, look deeply,
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    and have your own idea of happiness.
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    Many people believe
    that power, fame, diplomas,
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    money, sensual pleasures,
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    can make you happy.
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    But when you observe,
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    you can see that many people...
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    who have plenty of these things
    still suffer a lot.
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    So you don't believe it.
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    You feel that when you have
    understanding and love in you,
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    you are happy.
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    You look around,
    you see people who are not so rich,
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    who are not powerful,
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    but who have plenty
    of understanding and compassion.
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    You see them happy.
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    So you tell yourself:
    that's what I want!
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    I want to be happy like him, like her,
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    and in order to do that,
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    I have to cultivate
    more understanding and compassion...
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    and love.
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    Because it's very difficult to live
    with a person
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    who cannot understand you.
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    You see? Very frustrating!
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    So you don't want to be
    like him, like her.
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    You want to be a person
    who has a lot of understanding.
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    It's very pleasant to be with someone
    who can understand you.
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    And to understand is a power.
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    Not money - understanding is a power.
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    When you love someone,
    if you understand him or her,
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    you are a true lover.
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    So cultivating understanding
    is a practice.
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    If you do not have the time
    to look deeply,
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    you cannot understand.
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    You have to understand first of all
    the suffering in you and the other person.
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    So cultivating understanding
    is very important.
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    When you have understood,
    love and compassion are born.
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    And love is another kind of power.
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    Love has the power to heal.
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    When you have true love in you,
    you can heal yourself
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    and you can help to heal the other person.
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    So understanding and love are two powers
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    and with them you can create happiness,
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    restore communication, reconcile.
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    You are determined
    to go in that direction,
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    not running after fame, power,
    money, sensual pleasures,
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    but taking your time to cultivate
    more understanding
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    and love and compassion.
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    Even if you live a very simple life,
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    you can be a very happy person.
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    I think the young people have
    the power to do it.
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    They don't have to follow any tradition.
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    They can find their own way.
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    They can practice true love,
    true understanding,
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    brotherhood, sisterhood,
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    in order to make themselves happy
    and to stop suffering.
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    If they can succeed, they can inspire
    many people to do the same.
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    (Half Bell)
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    (Bell)
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    (Man) First
    I would like to thank you, Thay,
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    on behalf of everyone
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    (inaudible)
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    English or Spanish?
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    (Br. Mountain) Both.
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    (Man replying but inaudible)
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    (Man asking question,
    inaudible due to echo)
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    ...Mindfulness speaking,
    mindfulness walking...
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    mindfulness eating...
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    But the last few days you spoke about...
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    (Laughing)
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    Mindfulness (Spanish) "of suffering"
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    ....the minfulness of suffering.
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    (Spanish) For me, that is
    a little more difficult.
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    (Spanish) To be mindful of the suffering
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    to avoid (inaudible).
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    So Thay, I would like to ask you.
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    Could you explain a little bit more
    about mindfulness of suffering?
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    Because I find this very difficult,
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    because it sometimes generates
    a negative state of mind.
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    (Brother) The essence
    of the question is
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    that Thay has spoken about
    different types of mindfulness practices,
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    and Thay has also spoken about
    mindfulness of suffering.
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    When our friend practices
    mindfulness of suffering,
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    it brings up negative feelings
    or thoughts or emotions.
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    (Man) Towards myself.
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    (Brother) For yourself?
    (Man) Yes.
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    (Brother) So how to work
    with the mindfulness of suffering,
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    how to practice?
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    (Man) Clarify the practice.
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    (Brother) If Thay can clarify
    what it means
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    by working with
    mindfulness of suffering.
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    (Thay) Mindfulness of suffering
    is a very important practice.
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    Mindfulness, first of all,
    is the kind of energy that helps you
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    to know what is going on.
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    When suffering is coming up,
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    you should know that suffering is there.
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    That is mindfulness of suffering.
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    Most of us do not want to do it,
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    because we feel that when we get in touch
    with the suffering inside,
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    we will be overwhelmed by it.
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    So everyone is trying to run away
    from their own suffering.
  • 35:36 - 35:40
    They try to cover up the suffering inside.
  • 35:40 - 35:44
    When you pick up a newspaper to read,
  • 35:45 - 35:47
    when you turn on your television,
  • 35:47 - 35:50
    maybe it's not
    because you need to do that,
  • 35:51 - 35:54
    but you do that in order
    not to have to get in touch
  • 35:54 - 35:56
    with the suffering inside.
  • 35:57 - 36:02
    So pick up the phone and talk to someone,
  • 36:02 - 36:05
    take the car and go out,
  • 36:05 - 36:11
    we do many things in order
    not be in touch with the suffering inside.
  • 36:14 - 36:18
    The suffering inside remains the same
    and continues to grow,
  • 36:20 - 36:25
    because you do not know
    how to take care of suffering inside
  • 36:25 - 36:27
    and how to transform it.
  • 36:28 - 36:33
    So mindfulness of suffering is
    first of all to have the courage...
  • 36:33 - 36:37
    to go home to yourself
    and recognize that suffering is there.
  • 36:40 - 36:44
    And then, as I have said several times,
  • 36:45 - 36:49
    you can use the energy of mindfulness
    to embrace your suffering,
  • 36:49 - 36:51
    your fear, your anger.
  • 36:52 - 36:55
    If you know how to do it,
    then you will suffer less.
  • 36:57 - 36:59
    It's like a mother holding her baby,
  • 37:00 - 37:03
    the baby suffers less after a few minutes.
  • 37:06 - 37:09
    I have also said
    that if you are a beginner,
  • 37:10 - 37:16
    you may like to borrow
    the energy of mindfulness of someone else
  • 37:16 - 37:19
    in order to help you
    to embrace your suffering.
  • 37:21 - 37:24
    Three or four people sitting with you,
  • 37:24 - 37:26
    breathing with you,
  • 37:26 - 37:29
    and offering their energy of mindfulness,
  • 37:30 - 37:34
    to help you to recognize
    and embrace the pain in yourself.
  • 37:34 - 37:37
    That is brotherhood, sisterhood.
  • 37:38 - 37:43
    If you live
    in the heart of a practice community,
  • 37:43 - 37:47
    you profit from the
    collective energy of mindfulness,
  • 37:47 - 37:49
    of the community.
  • 37:54 - 37:56
    We have learnt a very important thing:
  • 37:56 - 37:59
    if you know how to suffer,
  • 38:00 - 38:03
    you suffer much less.
  • 38:05 - 38:09
    That is an art,
    to suffer is an art.
  • 38:10 - 38:12
    Everyone has to suffer,
  • 38:13 - 38:15
    including the Buddha,
  • 38:15 - 38:17
    including Jesus Christ.
  • 38:18 - 38:21
    But those of us who know how to suffer,
  • 38:21 - 38:23
    we suffer much, much less.
  • 38:29 - 38:31
    We have to learn.
  • 38:33 - 38:37
    If you have the energy of mindfulness,
    you can go back to yourself.
  • 38:39 - 38:44
    You are not afraid of being overwhelmed
    by the suffering inside.
  • 38:49 - 38:52
    With that energy of mindfulness,
    you can embrace your suffering.
  • 38:53 - 38:56
    Even smile to your suffering,
  • 38:57 - 38:59
    as a mother holding her child.
  • 38:59 - 39:01
    If you know how to do that,
  • 39:01 - 39:04
    in three, five or eight minutes,
    you suffer less.
  • 39:06 - 39:10
    The energy of mindfulness is holding
    the energy of anger,
  • 39:10 - 39:13
    of fear, of despair.
  • 39:13 - 39:15
    Two kinds of energy.
  • 39:15 - 39:18
    They are not fighting each other,
  • 39:19 - 39:23
    but one is holding the other.
  • 39:23 - 39:27
    Very non-violently, very tenderly.
  • 39:28 - 39:32
    That is what everyone should learn,
  • 39:32 - 39:38
    it is possible
    to embrace our pain tenderly,
  • 39:39 - 39:40
    with compassion.
  • 39:41 - 39:47
    That helps you to get a relief
    after a few minutes of practice.
  • 39:47 - 39:54
    So we should remember
    that someone who knows how to suffer,
  • 39:54 - 39:57
    will suffer much less.
  • 39:58 - 40:01
    And then he can go further,
  • 40:01 - 40:03
    he can make good use of suffering
  • 40:03 - 40:09
    in order to create understanding,
    compassion and happiness.
  • 40:11 - 40:18
    Suffering has a role to play
    in creating happiness.
  • 40:20 - 40:24
    It's like when you grow lotus flowers,
    you need the mud.
  • 40:26 - 40:29
    Without the mud,
    lotus flowers cannot grow.
  • 40:30 - 40:33
    It's the same with happiness.
  • 40:33 - 40:35
    Happiness is a kind of lotus
  • 40:36 - 40:40
    and it needs some kind of mud,
    in order to grow.
  • 40:42 - 40:45
    The process is like this:
  • 40:45 - 40:47
    there is suffering,
  • 40:48 - 40:55
    and there is mindfulness
    that can look deeply...
  • 40:55 - 40:58
    into the nature of suffering.
  • 40:59 - 41:03
    We listen, we look deeply,
  • 41:03 - 41:08
    and from that kind of practice,
    called mindfulness of suffering,
  • 41:08 - 41:13
    understanding and compassion are born.
  • 41:14 - 41:17
    Understanding of suffering,
  • 41:18 - 41:23
    compassion coming out of
    that kind of understanding.
  • 41:26 - 41:32
    Understanding and compassion
    are the very foundation of happiness.
  • 41:34 - 41:38
    We know that understanding and compassion
    come from the mud,
  • 41:39 - 41:42
    come from suffering.
  • 41:42 - 41:47
    So there is a very deep connection
    between suffering and happiness,
  • 41:49 - 41:53
    like the connection
    between the mud and the lotus.
  • 41:54 - 41:58
    If you try always
    to run away from suffering,
  • 41:59 - 42:01
    you have no chance.
  • 42:02 - 42:07
    You have to see the goodness of suffering.
  • 42:10 - 42:15
    The goodness of suffering -
    (French) la bienfaisance de la suffrance.
  • 42:15 - 42:21
    It's like the mud,
    the mud is essential for the lotus.
  • 42:22 - 42:29
    So suffering is essential
    for the making of understanding and love,
  • 42:30 - 42:33
    which are
    the very foundation of happiness.
  • 42:34 - 42:38
    When you have seen that
    you have Right View.
  • 42:39 - 42:45
    Right View is the first element
    of the Noble Path leading to happiness.
  • 42:46 - 42:51
    You don't have any discrimination
    any more.
  • 42:52 - 42:57
    You know that there is a deep connection
    between suffering and happiness.
  • 42:59 - 43:04
    If you know how to make
    good use of suffering,
  • 43:04 - 43:08
    you can create a lot of understanding
    and compassion
  • 43:09 - 43:13
    that can create happiness in you
    and in the other person.
  • 43:14 - 43:18
    So there are two things
    we have to remember concerning suffering:
  • 43:19 - 43:22
    if you know how to suffer,
    you suffer less;
  • 43:23 - 43:26
    if you know how to make good use
    of suffering,
  • 43:26 - 43:28
    you can create happiness.
  • 43:29 - 43:33
    That is why mindfulness of suffering
    is very, very important.
  • 43:34 - 43:37
    We should not try
    to run away from suffering,
  • 43:38 - 43:41
    pretending that it's not there.
  • 43:42 - 43:47
    In our civilization,
    most people do that.
  • 43:48 - 43:53
    They pretend that there is no suffering
  • 43:53 - 43:59
    and they buy, they consume,
    in order to cover up the suffering inside.
  • 44:02 - 44:05
    We consume not because we need to consume.
  • 44:06 - 44:12
    There are people who go
    to look for something to eat,
  • 44:13 - 44:16
    but they are not hungry at all.
  • 44:19 - 44:23
    They eat because they want to forget
    the suffering inside.
  • 44:24 - 44:25
    Eating is one way,
  • 44:27 - 44:32
    one of the ways to help us to run away
  • 44:32 - 44:37
    and not to have to confront,
    to get in touch with the suffering.
  • 44:41 - 44:44
    We can practice by ourselves,
  • 44:44 - 44:50
    but if we have a community of practice
    supporting us,
  • 44:51 - 45:01
    the practice of mindfulness of suffering
    can be easier,
  • 45:03 - 45:09
    because we have brothers and sisters
    in the practice supporting us.
  • 45:10 - 45:14
    They provide understanding and compassion,
  • 45:14 - 45:16
    and with that kind of collective energy,
  • 45:17 - 45:22
    we can easily recognize and embrace
    our suffering.
  • 45:25 - 45:26
    Clear?
  • 45:26 - 45:28
    (Laughter)
  • 45:28 - 45:30
    Thank you.
  • 45:33 - 45:37
    We'll read from one written question.
  • 45:42 - 45:44
    Bell, the bell.
  • 45:45 - 45:46
    (Laughter)
  • 45:46 - 45:48
    (Half Bell)
  • 45:52 - 45:59
    (Bell)
  • 46:15 - 46:19
    (Br. Mountain) "The errors of the past
    have caused a lot of suffering"
  • 46:20 - 46:22
    "and are very difficult to liberate."
  • 46:22 - 46:27
    "My errors have created in the past
    quite a heavy burden."
  • 46:27 - 46:31
    "How can I forgive myself
    for this pain I've caused"
  • 46:31 - 46:35
    "and how to be sure
    that I've forgiven others?"
  • 46:36 - 46:40
    "What can I do if I offer
    forgiveness and reconciliation"
  • 46:40 - 46:42
    "again and again to others,"
  • 46:42 - 46:45
    "but the others don't respond positively"
  • 46:45 - 46:49
    "and they keep the door closed?"
  • 47:00 - 47:03
    This is a very good question.
  • 47:03 - 47:05
    (Laughter)
  • 47:15 - 47:27
    First of all, everyone can learn
    from their own mistakes, unskillfulness.
  • 47:28 - 47:31
    All of us are unskillful at times.
  • 47:36 - 47:38
    Even the Buddha as a teacher,
  • 47:38 - 47:41
    he was unskillful at times,
  • 47:41 - 47:44
    and he learnt from his unskillfulness.
  • 47:56 - 47:58
    (Laughter)
  • 48:01 - 48:08
    So first of all, we should remember
    that we are a human being,
  • 48:08 - 48:12
    and we can be unskillful at times.
  • 48:18 - 48:22
    The practice of mindfulness
    can always transform,
  • 48:24 - 48:27
    even transform the past.
  • 48:30 - 48:32
    You think that the past is already gone
  • 48:32 - 48:35
    and you can't do anything
    concerning the past,
  • 48:36 - 48:38
    but that is not true.
  • 48:39 - 48:41
    You can change the past,
  • 48:42 - 48:45
    because the past is still there
    in the present.
  • 48:46 - 48:50
    The wound of the past is still there
    in the present moment
  • 48:50 - 48:53
    and you can touch it.
  • 48:55 - 49:01
    Suppose in the past you have said
    something unkind to your grandma,
  • 49:06 - 49:09
    and now you regret it.
  • 49:09 - 49:14
    Your grandma is no longer there
    for you to say sorry.
  • 49:19 - 49:23
    You have that complex of guilt
    following you all the time,
  • 49:25 - 49:28
    but according to this practice,
    you can do something.
  • 49:31 - 49:34
    You breathe in and out mindfully,
  • 49:34 - 49:40
    and you recognize that your grandma
    is still alive in every cell of your body.
  • 49:41 - 49:43
    You continue your grandma.
  • 49:44 - 49:47
    That is the truth.
  • 49:47 - 49:50
    The genes of your grandma are in you.
  • 49:53 - 49:57
    Your grandma has not really died.
  • 49:57 - 50:00
    She continues in you.
  • 50:00 - 50:05
    So having seen your grandma in you,
    you say:
  • 50:05 - 50:07
    "Grandma, I am sorry."
  • 50:10 - 50:12
    "I was not skillful."
  • 50:13 - 50:16
    "I promise you that from now on,"
  • 50:16 - 50:20
    "I will never say
    something like that again."
  • 50:22 - 50:28
    And if you are sincere, mindful,
    determined,
  • 50:29 - 50:33
    then you can see your grandma in you,
    smiling,
  • 50:33 - 50:36
    and you are healed,
    you are healed.
  • 50:38 - 50:41
    So you can transform the past.
  • 50:42 - 50:46
    You make an aspiration,
    a strong aspiration,
  • 50:48 - 50:51
    that from now on, you will not say
    things like that any more.
  • 50:51 - 50:54
    You will not do things like that any more.
  • 50:55 - 50:57
    That is a powerful energy,
  • 50:57 - 51:02
    that can transform even the past
    and you feel lighter. Lighter!
  • 51:13 - 51:17
    During the Vietnam war,
    there was an American soldier
  • 51:18 - 51:21
    who killed five children in Vietnam.
  • 51:27 - 51:34
    His unit was destroyed by the guerillas,
  • 51:35 - 51:38
    so he was very angry.
  • 51:38 - 51:40
    He came back to that village,
  • 51:41 - 51:43
    looking for a way to retaliate.
  • 51:45 - 51:48
    He brought with him a bag of sandwiches,
  • 51:52 - 51:55
    and he put explosives in the sandwich.
  • 51:57 - 52:00
    He left them by the gate of the village.
  • 52:01 - 52:05
    He hid himself
    and he saw five children coming out,
  • 52:06 - 52:09
    and enjoying eating the sandwiches.
  • 52:09 - 52:14
    After that, the children
    showed the signs of sickness
  • 52:14 - 52:17
    and they cried, they yelled,
  • 52:17 - 52:21
    and their mothers came out
    and tried to help.
  • 52:22 - 52:25
    But the soldier knew
    that nothing could be done,
  • 52:26 - 52:29
    because the village was so far
    from a city.
  • 52:32 - 52:37
    He saw the five children dying
    in the arms of their mothers.
  • 52:41 - 52:45
    The soldier survived the war
    and went back to America.
  • 52:47 - 52:49
    He could no longer sleep.
  • 52:52 - 52:57
    Every time he found himself
    with a few children in the same room,
  • 52:58 - 53:00
    he could not stand it,
    he had to run out of the room.
  • 53:02 - 53:06
    He could not share the story with anyone,
  • 53:06 - 53:08
    until one day,
  • 53:13 - 53:17
    we offered a retreat for war veterans
    in California,
  • 53:19 - 53:22
    and he came.
  • 53:23 - 53:29
    After four days of practice,
    he got enough trust.
  • 53:32 - 53:38
    During the sharing, he told us the story,
    crying a lot.
  • 53:45 - 53:47
    I was in the group.
  • 53:49 - 53:52
    I promised to give him a consultation.
  • 53:56 - 54:00
    I told him: "Daniel,
    you have killed five children."
  • 54:02 - 54:04
    "That is the truth."
  • 54:04 - 54:07
    "And you suffer."
  • 54:07 - 54:10
    "But now there are other children
    who are dying"
  • 54:11 - 54:15
    "in Africa, in Asia, in many countries,"
  • 54:16 - 54:19
    "and even in America,
    children are dying."
  • 54:20 - 54:22
    "There are poor people."
  • 54:22 - 54:26
    "There are children who only need
    one tablet of medicine"
  • 54:27 - 54:30
    "in order for their life to be saved."
  • 54:30 - 54:34
    "Thousands and thousands of children
    like that are dying all over the world."
  • 54:35 - 54:41
    "If you make the aspiration to go to them,
    every day you can save five children."
  • 54:43 - 54:48
    "You don't have to lie down
    in the corner of the past"
  • 54:48 - 54:50
    "and suffer like that."
  • 54:50 - 54:53
    "If in the past you have
    killed five children,"
  • 54:53 - 54:56
    "then today, you can save five."
  • 54:56 - 54:59
    "If you can save five today,
    five tomorrow,"
  • 54:59 - 55:04
    "then you can see the five you killed
    begin to smile in you"
  • 55:04 - 55:07
    "and you are healed."
  • 55:08 - 55:11
    So he followed those instructions.
  • 55:13 - 55:18
    I could see the transformation
    and healing taking place
  • 55:19 - 55:23
    right during the time he listened
    to the advice,
  • 55:24 - 55:26
    because during the time he listened to me,
  • 55:26 - 55:28
    he made that vow:
  • 55:29 - 55:32
    "I will go out and try to save children."
  • 55:32 - 55:35
    "I am young enough to do the work."
  • 55:36 - 55:41
    The tremendous amount of energy
    given to him by that aspiration...
  • 55:42 - 55:45
    began to heal him right away.
  • 55:46 - 55:51
    After that he practiced helping
    children in the world to survive.
  • 55:56 - 55:58
    He was healed.
  • 55:59 - 56:02
    He married a dentist in England
  • 56:03 - 56:05
    and lead a normal life.
  • 56:06 - 56:08
    This is a real story.
  • 56:10 - 56:17
    So the fact is that you can
    liberate yourself from the past,
  • 56:17 - 56:19
    from the prison of the past.
  • 56:21 - 56:27
    You can make a strong determination,
    a strong aspiration, to go and help:
  • 56:28 - 56:31
    to help the people who are abused,
  • 56:31 - 56:34
    to help the people who are victims
    of sexual abuse, and so on.
  • 56:36 - 56:38
    And then you can heal yourself.
  • 56:40 - 56:46
    That is the power of aspiration -
    the [third] nutriment we call "volition."
  • 56:50 - 56:54
    If you have transformation
    and healing in you,
  • 56:56 - 57:00
    you become a pleasant person,
  • 57:00 - 57:03
    you are full of compassion, understanding,
  • 57:04 - 57:10
    and your presence is very fresh,
  • 57:11 - 57:14
    very pleasant for other people.
  • 57:15 - 57:20
    If you propose to him or to her
    the practice of reconciliation
  • 57:22 - 57:24
    and if the other person refuses to do it,
  • 57:25 - 57:28
    it's because you are not fresh enough,
  • 57:28 - 57:31
    you have not healed yourself enough.
  • 57:33 - 57:38
    You have to show yourself
    as someone who has transformed,
  • 57:38 - 57:42
    who has healed himself, or herself.
  • 57:46 - 57:51
    The healing in you will help start
    the healing in the other person.
  • 57:52 - 57:54
    There are many ways.
  • 57:57 - 58:01
    You can write him or her a letter of love.
  • 58:02 - 58:07
    You can ask a friend to talk to him or her
    on your behalf.
  • 58:11 - 58:14
    There are many ways to do it.
  • 58:16 - 58:21
    If you have already
    reconciled with yourself,
  • 58:22 - 58:26
    renewed yourself to become a new person,
  • 58:26 - 58:30
    then transforming him,
    reconciling with him,
  • 58:30 - 58:32
    becomes much easier.
  • 58:32 - 58:38
    If you still find it difficult
    to invite the other person to reconcile,
  • 58:39 - 58:43
    it's because you have not started
    the process of reconciliation from within.
  • 58:45 - 58:49
    If you have,
    then you have healed yourself.
  • 58:50 - 58:56
    Then it will be much easier to help him
    to reconcile,
  • 58:57 - 58:59
    with himself and with you.
  • 59:02 - 59:03
    OK?
  • 59:04 - 59:06
    (Br. Mountain) Thank you, Thay.
  • 59:23 - 59:25
    (Half Bell)
  • 59:29 - 59:36
    (Bell)
  • 60:00 - 60:01
    Well...
  • 60:02 - 60:04
    (Spanish) Sorry, in Spanish.
  • 60:07 - 60:11
    First, I would like to thank you,
  • 60:12 - 60:14
    because until yesterday,
  • 60:15 - 60:22
    I thought I was practising
    mindful listening properly,
  • 60:23 - 60:27
    just because I tried
    to listen to every word
  • 60:27 - 60:29
    that the other person was saying.
  • 60:30 - 60:32
    Yesterday I understood
  • 60:32 - 60:35
    that my practice was not right,
  • 60:35 - 60:38
    because no matter
    how hard I tried to listen,
  • 60:38 - 60:41
    if I did not add compassion,
  • 60:42 - 60:47
    the practice was not going to improve.
  • 60:49 - 60:51
    I thank you for that.
  • 60:51 - 60:53
    My question has nothing to do with myself,
  • 60:54 - 60:56
    it has to do with my daughter.
  • 60:56 - 60:58
    She is 3 years old.
  • 60:59 - 61:07
    I wish she will not need to be 35
    to begin to practice mindfulness,
  • 61:07 - 61:10
    as it happened to her mother.
  • 61:10 - 61:13
    I want to begin to practice with her,
  • 61:13 - 61:17
    but everyone tells me
    that she is still too young.
  • 61:17 - 61:23
    I see that children live more
    in the present moment than us, adults.
  • 61:23 - 61:26
    But they do it for short periods.
  • 61:27 - 61:31
    I don't want to begin with
    formal practices too early,
  • 61:35 - 61:40
    because it would not be
    appropriate for her age.
  • 61:40 - 61:45
    Is there a good age
  • 61:45 - 61:50
    to begin the practice of mindfulness
    with children?
  • 61:54 - 61:59
    (Br. Mountain) So I will try to touch
    the essence of the question.
  • 61:59 - 62:01
    She has a daughter
    who is 3 years old
  • 62:02 - 62:04
    and she would like
    to teach her mindfulness
  • 62:05 - 62:08
    and start already with the seed
    of mindfulness at that age,
  • 62:08 - 62:14
    and not wait until her daughter is 35
    to start the practice of mindfulness.
  • 62:14 - 62:20
    So is there any good age
    to start teaching mindfulness to children?
  • 62:20 - 62:25
    Some people say she's too young
    for me to teach her mindfulness.
  • 62:26 - 62:28
    She's only 3 years old.
  • 62:28 - 62:31
    Is there a good age to start teaching
    mindfulness to children?
  • 62:36 - 62:40
    (Thay) You can teach
    your child mindfulness,
  • 62:41 - 62:46
    even when your child
    is still inside of you!
  • 62:46 - 62:48
    (Laughter)
  • 62:58 - 63:01
    You practice mindful breathing
  • 63:01 - 63:03
    and you talk to your child:
  • 63:03 - 63:06
    "Breathing in, I know you are there"
  • 63:06 - 63:08
    "and I am so happy."
  • 63:09 - 63:15
    You are mindful of the presence
    of the baby in yourself.
  • 63:17 - 63:22
    If you are mindful, the child in you
    is mindful at the same time,
  • 63:23 - 63:30
    because you and him or her
    are not two entities.
  • 63:36 - 63:39
    Everything you eat is for your child.
  • 63:39 - 63:42
    Everything you drink is for your child.
  • 63:46 - 63:50
    Your happiness is your child's happiness.
  • 63:51 - 63:53
    Your anger is your child's anger.
  • 63:55 - 63:59
    If you conceive a baby,
    you have to be very careful.
  • 63:59 - 64:01
    You have to be very mindful.
  • 64:04 - 64:06
    Anything you consume
    of the Four Nutriments,
  • 64:06 - 64:09
    the child consumes also.
  • 64:10 - 64:15
    So be gentle,
    consume only the healthy things,
  • 64:17 - 64:19
    in terms of the Four Nutriments:
  • 64:19 - 64:23
    what you read, what you listen to,
  • 64:25 - 64:30
    what you eat,
    what you hear as conversation.
  • 64:30 - 64:33
    They will go directly to the baby.
  • 64:33 - 64:40
    So your practice of mindfulness is
    the practice of mindfulness of your child.
  • 64:42 - 64:49
    So you can begin at a very early age
    with your child.
  • 65:00 - 65:07
    The baby may not understand yet
    the talking of adults,
  • 65:12 - 65:20
    but the baby can be aware of the energy
    that you radiate.
  • 65:22 - 65:29
    If father and mother are in harmony,
    loving each other,
  • 65:29 - 65:32
    the baby feels that.
  • 65:33 - 65:39
    Don't say that he does not understand
    what we are saying to each other yet.
  • 65:39 - 65:42
    Don't do that.
  • 65:43 - 65:46
    The baby may not understand
    what you are saying,
  • 65:46 - 65:51
    but the baby can feel
    the harmony or disharmony between you.
  • 65:54 - 66:03
    So your practice of mindfulness,
    of reconciliation, of harmony...
  • 66:04 - 66:08
    has a direct impact on your child.
  • 66:11 - 66:14
    When you hold your baby,
  • 66:14 - 66:18
    if you hold your baby in mindfulness,
  • 66:19 - 66:21
    the baby feels that.
  • 66:22 - 66:24
    That is a way to teach mindfulness.
  • 66:27 - 66:30
    When you feed your baby
    with your own milk,
  • 66:31 - 66:34
    you are aware of that,
  • 66:34 - 66:36
    you feel the happiness,
  • 66:37 - 66:42
    so the baby not only is feeding himself
    from the milk,
  • 66:42 - 66:44
    but from your love too.
  • 66:45 - 66:50
    So you can teach the baby mindfulness
    right away in the beginning.
  • 66:54 - 67:00
    I remember at a Dharma talk in Germany,
  • 67:01 - 67:06
    there were 1000 people in the talk.
  • 67:07 - 67:09
    I remember in the front row,
  • 67:10 - 67:15
    there were 3 or 4 mothers,
    breast-feeding their babies.
  • 67:18 - 67:22
    The atmosphere in the talk
    was very, very peaceful,
  • 67:24 - 67:29
    because we practiced mindful breathing,
    mindful smiling.
  • 67:31 - 67:33
    It was very nice.
  • 67:33 - 67:40
    Before I started the talk,
    I looked at the babies.
  • 67:40 - 67:43
    They were so happy, so calm.
  • 67:43 - 67:48
    They were getting the nutriments
    not only from the breast of their mother,
  • 67:49 - 67:52
    but they were getting nutriments
  • 67:52 - 67:57
    from the collective energy
    of mindfulness and compassion
  • 67:58 - 68:00
    generated by the practice.
  • 68:01 - 68:07
    So children, they know the value
    of the practice of mindfulness.
  • 68:13 - 68:18
    When you are about to have breakfast
    with your child,
  • 68:20 - 68:27
    if the child is 3, or 4, or 5 years old,
    you can say:
  • 68:29 - 68:34
    "Darling, it's wonderful
    that we have breakfast together."
  • 68:34 - 68:37
    You show your appreciation...
  • 68:37 - 68:43
    that mother and son, mother and daughter,
    are there having breakfast together.
  • 68:44 - 68:46
    You cherish every moment.
  • 68:51 - 68:56
    There is a mantra that we practice
    in Plum Village.
  • 68:59 - 69:04
    From time to time, we remind
    the other person or people...
  • 69:06 - 69:13
    that the moment we spend together
    is a wonderful moment.
  • 69:17 - 69:20
    That can be practiced with children too.
  • 69:22 - 69:27
    The mantra is: "This is a happy moment."
  • 69:29 - 69:32
    "This is a wonderful moment."
  • 69:32 - 69:35
    "Don't you agree?"
  • 69:35 - 69:39
    "This is a legendary moment
    that we share with each other."
  • 69:40 - 69:47
    That mantra, we can practice,
    we can pronounce, several times a day.
  • 69:50 - 69:53
    I myself practice that mantra a lot
    with my students.
  • 69:55 - 69:59
    Walking together, sitting together,
    eating together,
  • 70:01 - 70:04
    we remind each other
    that this is a wonderful moment.
  • 70:05 - 70:10
    We are still alive,
    we are sharing a cup of tea.
  • 70:12 - 70:14
    This is always possible.
  • 70:18 - 70:22
    So children are receptive
    to that kind of practice.
  • 70:23 - 70:25
    They know that
    we appreciate their presence.
  • 70:27 - 70:32
    We offer attention to them,
    and they are happy.
  • 70:32 - 70:36
    They learn in a way
    that we cannot conceive.
  • 70:38 - 70:43
    They learn without knowing
    that they are learning.
  • 70:44 - 70:48
    We transmit the practice of mindfulness
    by our way of life.
  • 70:52 - 70:55
    If the parents smoke and drink alcohol,
  • 70:56 - 70:59
    the children will smoke and drink alcohol.
  • 70:59 - 71:04
    If the parents practice mindfulness,
    loving speech, and deep listening,
  • 71:04 - 71:06
    then the children will do it.
  • 71:06 - 71:09
    They do not have to know
    that they are learning.
  • 71:11 - 71:15
    So the learning, the practice,
    can be non-formal.
  • 71:17 - 71:20
    You don't have to say that,
    "I am practicing mindfulness."
  • 71:21 - 71:26
    You just enjoy the practice
    of mindfulness, of breathing,
  • 71:26 - 71:28
    walking, eating and so on.
  • 71:28 - 71:32
    That will have an effect on the children,
  • 71:32 - 71:34
    even the very young ones.
  • 71:37 - 71:40
    Three years old may be too late!
  • 71:41 - 71:44
    (Laughter)
  • 72:06 - 72:08
    (Half Bell)
  • 72:12 - 72:19
    (Bell)
  • 72:33 - 72:36
    Dear Thay, dear brothers and sisters,
  • 72:38 - 72:43
    I want to deeply thank you
    for sharing your time with us.
  • 72:45 - 72:49
    My question is regarding hurt kids.
  • 72:51 - 73:00
    How can we guide them,
    help them to look deeply,
  • 73:01 - 73:08
    and try to understand the root cause
    of their suffering,
  • 73:09 - 73:12
    such as anger, anguish, or fear,
  • 73:14 - 73:17
    when they are small?
  • 73:23 - 73:29
    (Br. Mountain) So the question is
    about children:
  • 73:29 - 73:31
    How to guide them to look deeply,
  • 73:32 - 73:35
    and try to understand the cause
    of these children's suffering
  • 73:36 - 73:39
    - anger, anguish, fear -
  • 73:40 - 73:41
    so how to help them?
  • 73:41 - 73:43
    Any particular age?
  • 73:43 - 73:46
    (Lady) Maybe six, seven or eight.
  • 73:47 - 73:49
    (Br. Mountain) Six, seven or eight.
  • 73:50 - 73:55
    So how to help little children
    understand the cause of their suffering?
  • 74:05 - 74:09
    We should not try
    to give the teaching...
  • 74:11 - 74:14
    orally only,
  • 74:16 - 74:19
    because often it does not work.
  • 74:23 - 74:28
    As teachers, we have
    the tendency to explain.
  • 74:32 - 74:35
    In order to explain, we have to use words.
  • 74:37 - 74:40
    That may turn them off.
  • 74:41 - 74:45
    They are not interested
    in words and concepts.
  • 74:55 - 75:02
    I think we should use
    very simple expressions,
  • 75:02 - 75:05
    simple, simple words.
  • 75:16 - 75:18
    Suppose when...
  • 75:21 - 75:25
    when we have anger in us,
  • 75:28 - 75:34
    when mother has anger in herself,
  • 75:42 - 75:47
    if the child wants her
    to do something,
  • 75:48 - 75:51
    to say something, for him.
  • 75:54 - 76:01
    If the mother realises that it's not good
    to do it, to say it,
  • 76:01 - 76:03
    when she's angry,
  • 76:04 - 76:07
    she may tell her child
  • 76:07 - 76:11
    that Mummy does not feel good in herself.
  • 76:11 - 76:14
    Mummy is a little bit angry.
  • 76:14 - 76:20
    You should allow Mummy
    to breathe, to walk,
  • 76:20 - 76:23
    in order to calm herself first.
  • 76:24 - 76:26
    You can do it like that.
  • 76:27 - 76:29
    That is teaching.
  • 76:32 - 76:35
    You teach by your own life.
  • 76:38 - 76:42
    If they see you practicing
    when you are angry,
  • 76:44 - 76:46
    they will believe you.
  • 76:47 - 76:50
    Next time when they get angry,
  • 76:51 - 76:53
    you may say something:
  • 76:53 - 76:56
    "Darling, why don't you do it like Mummy?"
  • 76:58 - 77:01
    "Don't say anything, don't do anything,"
  • 77:01 - 77:06
    "it may do harm to yourself
    and to others."
  • 77:06 - 77:09
    "Do like Mummy, just breathe"
  • 77:10 - 77:11
    "and know that we are angry."
  • 77:12 - 77:17
    "If we know how to breathe like that,
    walk like that,"
  • 77:17 - 77:19
    "then we will feel better."
  • 77:20 - 77:22
    "Why don't you hold Mummy's hand"
  • 77:22 - 77:27
    "and we will breathe together,
    make a few steps together."
  • 77:28 - 77:30
    That is teaching.
  • 77:31 - 77:35
    The same thing is true
    with other mental formations,
  • 77:37 - 77:40
    like fear, jealousy and so on.
  • 77:43 - 77:52
    So there is a kind of teaching
    called teaching by your own life,
  • 77:54 - 77:55
    by your own body.
  • 77:56 - 77:58
    This is very good.
  • 77:58 - 78:05
    So as a teacher, I know the value
    of that kind of teaching.
  • 78:08 - 78:11
    You teach by the way you walk,
  • 78:12 - 78:14
    by the way you sit down,
  • 78:15 - 78:17
    by the way you eat,
  • 78:18 - 78:20
    by the way you look,
  • 78:20 - 78:23
    by the way you react to a provocation.
  • 78:25 - 78:31
    That teaching is well received
    by the young people.
  • 78:31 - 78:34
    You don't have to use a lot of words.
  • 78:39 - 78:42
    Another question from the floor.
  • 78:44 - 78:47
    (Br. Mountain) Dear Thay, dear Sangha,
  • 78:47 - 78:50
    this is a question from a man, I guess,
  • 78:51 - 78:53
    because it says:
  • 78:53 - 78:57
    "How can men today
    avoid becoming soft men?"
  • 78:59 - 79:04
    "How can men become more confident,"
  • 79:04 - 79:07
    "without becoming aggressive?"
  • 79:07 - 79:13
    "How can a man avoid becoming a soft man?"
  • 79:14 - 79:21
    Sometimes men, maybe in Spain,
    have been aggressive in the past
  • 79:21 - 79:23
    and now when we practice,
  • 79:23 - 79:27
    we become soft,
    very receptive and attentive,
  • 79:27 - 79:29
    and maybe we become too soft.
  • 79:30 - 79:32
    Too soft!
  • 79:33 - 79:35
    (Laughter)
  • 79:48 - 79:52
    Yesterday, we spoke about Noble Silence,
  • 79:55 - 79:58
    a kind of silence that is very powerful.
  • 80:00 - 80:03
    It's not oppressive at all.
  • 80:04 - 80:06
    It's very alive.
  • 80:07 - 80:10
    When we stop our talking,
  • 80:12 - 80:14
    when we stop our thinking,
  • 80:14 - 80:17
    we breathe, we become alive,
  • 80:17 - 80:23
    we are aware of being with each other
  • 80:24 - 80:28
    and that kind of silence is very powerful.
  • 80:28 - 80:30
    In the Buddhist tradition,
  • 80:31 - 80:37
    they describe the silence
    as "thundering silence."
  • 80:38 - 80:40
    Powerful like thunder.
  • 80:42 - 80:44
    (French) The thunder.
  • 80:44 - 80:47
    Thundering silence.
  • 80:48 - 80:53
    There are those who believe that
    when they have too much compassion,
  • 80:54 - 80:56
    they become very soft,
  • 80:56 - 80:58
    and that is not true.
  • 80:59 - 81:01
    Compassion is not soft.
  • 81:02 - 81:05
    Compassion is very, very powerful.
  • 81:11 - 81:14
    When you have great compassion,
  • 81:14 - 81:20
    you can die, you are ready to die
    for the sake of helping people.
  • 81:21 - 81:23
    You are very powerful.
  • 81:26 - 81:35
    It is violence that makes you weak,
  • 81:36 - 81:38
    because you are weak,
  • 81:38 - 81:41
    that is why you need a gun,
  • 81:41 - 81:43
    you need an army.
  • 81:46 - 81:48
    If you are really powerful,
  • 81:49 - 81:51
    you can help many people around,
  • 81:52 - 81:54
    many countries around,
  • 81:54 - 81:56
    and you are safer.
  • 81:57 - 81:59
    If you are too afraid,
  • 82:00 - 82:03
    you need a gun, you need an army.
  • 82:05 - 82:08
    That is why cultivating compassion,
  • 82:09 - 82:11
    you protect yourself much better
  • 82:12 - 82:17
    than with an army, with a gun.
  • 82:19 - 82:23
    If you carry a gun,
    that means you are afraid,
  • 82:24 - 82:26
    you are fearful.
  • 82:36 - 82:39
    Compassion makes us...
  • 82:43 - 82:46
    Compassion gives us a lot of energy.
  • 82:52 - 83:00
    With compassion, you can do everything
    in order to help people.
  • 83:02 - 83:03
    You are not afraid.
  • 83:05 - 83:07
    In the Lotus Sutra,
  • 83:07 - 83:11
    compassion is described as "thunder."
  • 83:14 - 83:18
    It's like a cloud, a big cloud in the sky.
  • 83:19 - 83:22
    It looks very soft,
  • 83:24 - 83:28
    but a cloud can generate thunder,
  • 83:29 - 83:31
    lightning and thunder.
  • 83:32 - 83:34
    So in the Lotus Sutra,
  • 83:35 - 83:38
    compassion is described
    as lightning and thunder.
  • 83:39 - 83:41
    Very, very powerful.
  • 83:43 - 83:46
    If you have violence in you,
  • 83:47 - 83:52
    your nature is weak, and not powerful.
  • 83:53 - 83:55
    But if you have compassion in you,
  • 83:55 - 83:57
    you are really powerful.
  • 83:59 - 84:03
    With violence in you, you suffer.
  • 84:10 - 84:14
    Children, adults, teenagers,
  • 84:15 - 84:19
    if they have a lot of violence in them,
  • 84:20 - 84:21
    then they suffer,
  • 84:21 - 84:23
    and we can see the suffering.
  • 84:24 - 84:26
    And they are weak.
  • 84:28 - 84:31
    If we cultivate compassion,
    we are healthy,
  • 84:33 - 84:35
    and we are powerful.
  • 84:37 - 84:39
    Violence makes you sick.
  • 84:41 - 84:47
    It is destroying our health,
    physical and mental.
  • 84:48 - 84:50
    Violence.
  • 84:52 - 84:58
    When you produce a thought
    full of hate and violence,
  • 85:00 - 85:05
    that thought begins to destroy you
    and destroy the world.
  • 85:07 - 85:10
    But if you have Right Understanding,
  • 85:10 - 85:15
    you generate a thought
    of compassion, of understanding.
  • 85:16 - 85:19
    That thought begins to heal you
  • 85:19 - 85:22
    and begins to heal the world.
  • 85:24 - 85:27
    That is the practice of Right Thinking:
  • 85:27 - 85:29
    thinking in such a way
  • 85:29 - 85:33
    that you can generate
    understanding and compassion.
  • 85:35 - 85:38
    That is real power.
  • 85:43 - 85:47
    Compassion can be expressed
    in the way you think,
  • 85:48 - 85:51
    in the way you speak,
  • 85:52 - 85:55
    and in the way you act.
  • 86:02 - 86:09
    If you are motivated by the desire
    to help a person to suffer less,
  • 86:10 - 86:16
    you can use loving speech,
    compassionate speech.
  • 86:17 - 86:20
    What you write down in a letter,
  • 86:20 - 86:22
    what you say,
  • 86:23 - 86:26
    what you tell him or her
    on the telephone...
  • 86:26 - 86:30
    has so much compassion.
  • 86:32 - 86:36
    When you are able
    to say something compassionate,
  • 86:36 - 86:39
    you feel wonderful within yourself,
  • 86:39 - 86:41
    you can heal yourself.
  • 86:47 - 86:51
    You can begin to help
    heal the other person.
  • 86:53 - 86:56
    So compassion has the power to heal.
  • 87:02 - 87:04
    That is why all of us have to learn
  • 87:05 - 87:09
    how to generate
    the energy of compassion in us.
  • 87:10 - 87:12
    If we want to heal ourselves,
  • 87:12 - 87:16
    we have to generate
    the energy of compassion.
  • 87:16 - 87:18
    If we want to heal our family,
  • 87:19 - 87:22
    make our family happy, harmonious again,
  • 87:23 - 87:28
    we have to generate,
    to cultivate compassion.
  • 87:28 - 87:31
    If we want to heal our community,
  • 87:33 - 87:36
    our city, our nation,
  • 87:37 - 87:41
    we have to cultivate more compassion.
  • 87:42 - 87:47
    Compassion comes from understanding,
    understanding suffering:
  • 87:47 - 87:51
    our own suffering
    and the suffering of the other person,
  • 87:51 - 87:55
    even the suffering of the people
    who we believe to be our enemies.
  • 87:56 - 88:00
    They have a lot of suffering
    in themselves also.
  • 88:04 - 88:09
    So the answer to our situation
    is compassion.
  • 88:11 - 88:18
    And medically speaking,
    doctors are beginning to understand
  • 88:18 - 88:21
    that compassion has a healing power.
  • 88:22 - 88:25
    If you have so much hate,
    and despair, and anger,
  • 88:25 - 88:27
    then it's difficult to heal.
  • 88:27 - 88:30
    But if you have compassion,
  • 88:30 - 88:32
    it's easier to heal yourself.
  • 88:33 - 88:35
    At Stanford University,
  • 88:35 - 88:40
    they have begun to study
    the healing power of compassion.
  • 88:41 - 88:46
    Thay was invited to speak at Stanford
  • 88:46 - 88:50
    about the practice of compassion,
  • 88:50 - 88:54
    and someone asked
    exactly the same question.
  • 88:56 - 88:59
    Is it not true that
    compassion makes you weak?
  • 89:00 - 89:02
    No, the opposite.
  • 89:02 - 89:05
    Compassion makes you very strong.
  • 89:21 - 89:22
    Bell first.
  • 89:23 - 89:25
    (Bell)
  • 89:29 - 89:38
    (Bell)
  • 89:58 - 89:59
    I would like to ask:
  • 89:59 - 90:04
    If someone, at one moment,
    comes to me for help,
  • 90:05 - 90:09
    and I cannot (inaudible) for that person,
  • 90:10 - 90:13
    and I have that moment,
  • 90:13 - 90:17
    when I tell that person
    to embrace the pain,
  • 90:17 - 90:19
    to embrace the suffering.
  • 90:20 - 90:22
    What if the person doesn't accept
  • 90:22 - 90:25
    and maybe gets mad?
  • 90:26 - 90:29
    How can I keep helping the person?
  • 90:29 - 90:31
    I only have maybe a few minutes,
  • 90:32 - 90:35
    and then this person will go away.
  • 90:37 - 90:41
    (Br. Mountain) (Spanish) Could you ask
    the question in Spanish?
  • 90:41 - 90:46
    (Spanish) If someone
    comes to me for help
  • 90:46 - 90:49
    and I have a limited time,
  • 90:50 - 90:56
    and I try to help him
    and tell him to embrace his suffering,
  • 90:56 - 90:58
    his sorrow, his hate,
  • 90:59 - 91:03
    and that person at that moment
    refuses to do it
  • 91:03 - 91:05
    and gets even more angry,
  • 91:06 - 91:10
    How can I help that person
    in that limited time I have?
  • 91:12 - 91:16
    (Br. Mountain) So somebody comes to her,
    asking for help,
  • 91:16 - 91:20
    but she doesn't have
    much time to offer to this person,
  • 91:20 - 91:26
    and she tells this person that
    she just needs to embrace her suffering,
  • 91:26 - 91:28
    or anger, or whatever emotion,
  • 91:28 - 91:32
    but that person reacts,
    they don't want to hear that.
  • 91:32 - 91:35
    With this limited time that I have,
  • 91:36 - 91:39
    how can I help this person transform?
  • 91:40 - 91:46
    So basically, she says to this person
    that she needs to embrace her suffering,
  • 91:47 - 91:50
    but the person reacts
    and doesn't want to embrace the suffering.
  • 91:51 - 91:55
    And she doesn't have much time available
    to help the person.
  • 91:58 - 92:02
    What work do you do?
    What is your profession?
  • 92:02 - 92:05
    Is this something professional?
  • 92:07 - 92:13
    (Lady) I am a teacher,
    but I also help people with problems.
  • 92:17 - 92:22
    (Br. Mountain) So... a teacher,
    and you help people professionally?
  • 92:22 - 92:26
    (Lady) Teaching, yes, it's my profession.
  • 92:26 - 92:30
    And I help people... (inaudible)
  • 92:34 - 92:37
    (Thay)
    (Speaking in Vietnamese)
  • 92:38 - 92:43
    (Br. Inclusiveness)
    (Replying in Vietnamese)
  • 93:20 - 93:23
    If we are so busy,
  • 93:24 - 93:27
    if we do not have the time,
  • 93:28 - 93:30
    we cannot do anything.
  • 93:31 - 93:35
    So the problem is to arrange
    that you have plenty of time.
  • 93:39 - 93:42
    (Laughter)
  • 93:54 - 94:01
    There are those of us
    who are doctors,
  • 94:03 - 94:05
    lawyers,
  • 94:07 - 94:13
    and who are able to help people,
  • 94:17 - 94:24
    but our capacity is limited.
  • 94:26 - 94:31
    So many of us have become monks and nuns
    in order to have more time.
  • 94:32 - 94:33
    (Laughter)
  • 94:34 - 94:37
    Because as a monk or nun
  • 94:37 - 94:40
    you don't have to make a living.
  • 94:41 - 94:43
    You don't have to make a living.
  • 94:45 - 94:50
    You don't need a private house,
    you don't need a salary.
  • 94:50 - 94:53
    You don't need
  • 95:01 - 95:06
    a private bank account
    and so on.
  • 95:07 - 95:12
    So you have plenty of time to practice
    helping yourself
  • 95:14 - 95:17
    and helping other people.
  • 95:20 - 95:26
    So one of the ways to have the time
    is to live a simple life.
  • 95:30 - 95:34
    Especially and if possible to live
    in a community.
  • 95:36 - 95:40
    You don't need
    a private car, a private house,
  • 95:41 - 95:46
    a private bank account and so on.
  • 95:47 - 95:49
    You have plenty of time.
  • 95:49 - 95:53
    That is what the Buddha and his monks did.
  • 95:54 - 95:58
    They had plenty of time walking, sitting,
    helping people.
  • 96:06 - 96:11
    Time is not money.
  • 96:14 - 96:19
    But in our society,
    many people think of time as money.
  • 96:20 - 96:22
    Time is to make money.
  • 96:24 - 96:26
    Time is much more than money.
  • 96:27 - 96:31
    Time is life, and time is love.
  • 96:33 - 96:38
    You are given years,
    months and days
  • 96:38 - 96:40
    and hours and minutes
  • 96:40 - 96:45
    in order to live your life and to love,
    not to make money.
  • 96:46 - 96:53
    If your priority is to make money,
  • 96:53 - 96:58
    then you don't have the time
    to do the work of loving.
  • 96:59 - 97:02
    You have to love yourself.
  • 97:02 - 97:05
    Do you have the time to love yourself?
  • 97:06 - 97:12
    To take care of your body,
    to take care of your feelings and so on?
  • 97:14 - 97:15
    If you don't have the time to do that,
  • 97:16 - 97:19
    how can you help another person?
  • 97:24 - 97:28
    If you don't have the time,
    how can you love?
  • 97:31 - 97:36
    Everything you do in your daily life
    is an act of love.
  • 97:38 - 97:41
    Everything you say, everything you do
    in your daily life
  • 97:42 - 97:46
    can be an act of love,
    that is possible.
  • 97:49 - 97:54
    So please,
    reconsider the way you use your time.
  • 97:55 - 97:58
    What are you doing with your time?
  • 97:59 - 98:06
    Your time is to be,
  • 98:08 - 98:11
    to live your life and to love.
  • 98:13 - 98:19
    Look at the people in our society,
    the way they make use of their time.
  • 98:20 - 98:26
    They don't have the time
    to breathe, to sit, to walk,
  • 98:27 - 98:29
    to enjoy being alive,
  • 98:30 - 98:33
    to look at their children.
  • 98:38 - 98:40
    We are always in a hurry.
  • 98:41 - 98:44
    So there must be a kind a revolution.
  • 98:46 - 98:51
    Those of us who have chosen
    to be monks and nuns
  • 98:51 - 98:56
    or the lay practitioners
    who are living in the community,
  • 98:57 - 99:00
    we want a lot of time
  • 99:01 - 99:05
    so that we can
    take care of ourselves fully.
  • 99:06 - 99:10
    Heal ourselves and help heal
    and help other people.
  • 99:11 - 99:17
    When we organize a retreat,
    we do it as an act of love.
  • 99:27 - 99:32
    When we see the people
    transformed and healed,
  • 99:33 - 99:35
    that is our reward.
  • 99:36 - 99:39
    That is the benefit we get.
  • 99:39 - 99:42
    When we see people suffering less,
  • 99:43 - 99:46
    beginning to smile,
    reconciling with each other,
  • 99:46 - 99:48
    we are very happy.
  • 99:48 - 99:51
    We see that our life has a meaning.
  • 99:53 - 99:56
    This is nourishing us a lot.
  • 99:57 - 100:00
    So every one of us has to sit down
  • 100:00 - 100:04
    and reconsider how do we use our time.
  • 100:05 - 100:10
    Do we have the time
    to love, to serve?
  • 100:11 - 100:15
    Do we have the time
    to take care of ourselves?
  • 100:15 - 100:19
    Heal ourselves
    and help heal our society?
  • 100:20 - 100:22
    This is the question.
  • 100:22 - 100:26
    And you have to give
    the answer by yourself.
  • 100:46 - 100:48
    (Bell)
  • 100:51 - 100:57
    (Bell)
  • 101:16 - 101:18
    (Spanish) Dear Thay,
  • 101:20 - 101:23
    (inaudible)
  • 101:27 - 101:34
    How can we protect our Sangha,
  • 101:36 - 101:40
    especially if it is a very young Sangha,
  • 101:41 - 101:45
    composed by young people
  • 101:45 - 101:51
    who have few experience
    with the practice?
  • 101:51 - 101:56
    How can we protect ourselves
    when there are frailties?
  • 101:58 - 101:59
    (Brother) When there is what?
  • 101:59 - 102:01
    (Spanish) Frailties.
  • 102:04 - 102:06
    (Brother) Weakness?
  • 102:08 - 102:11
    (Br.Mountain) Can you
    repeat the question?
  • 102:12 - 102:16
    (Spanish) How can we,
    my Sangha friends and myself...
  • 102:17 - 102:22
    (Br.Mountain) How can my friends
    of the Sangha and myself...
  • 102:23 - 102:25
    ... protect our Sangha...
  • 102:25 - 102:28
    (Brother) ...how can we
    protect our Sangha...
  • 102:28 - 102:30
    ...especially if it is a young Sangha...
  • 102:31 - 102:34
    (Brother) ...especially
    if it's a young Sangha?
  • 102:35 - 102:37
    Yes, it is OK.
  • 102:39 - 102:41
    (Brother) You said something more.
  • 102:41 - 102:44
    -It is a young Sangha.
    -(Brother) It's a young Sangha.
  • 102:44 - 102:48
    -We are all young people...
    - (Br.) We are all quite young...
  • 102:48 - 102:52
    -...with little experience...
    -(Br.)...with little experience...
  • 102:52 - 102:56
    -...in the practice.
    -(Br)...in the practice.
  • 102:56 - 102:59
    (Br. Mountain) So how can we
    protect our Sangha
  • 103:00 - 103:05
    because we are a young Sangha,
    we have little experience.
  • 103:25 - 103:32
    Building a Sangha
    is a very basic practice.
  • 103:38 - 103:43
    If you have an aspiration,
  • 103:46 - 103:48
    a deep aspiration,
  • 103:48 - 103:52
    if you have a dream to realize,
  • 103:54 - 103:59
    you cannot do it
    without a community.
  • 104:16 - 104:23
    And that is why, building a community
    is very important.
  • 104:24 - 104:27
    The Buddha, after enlightenment,
  • 104:29 - 104:35
    knew that he needed a Sangha
    in order to realize his dream,
  • 104:36 - 104:39
    offering the practice
    and help change the world.
  • 104:41 - 104:46
    So he spent his time looking for friends
  • 104:47 - 104:51
    and set up a community of practice.
  • 104:54 - 105:00
    And at the end of the first year
    after enlightenment,
  • 105:01 - 105:04
    he already had a community
    of one thousand people.
  • 105:06 - 105:13
    He spent his time training them
    how to walk.
  • 105:14 - 105:18
    How to walk mindfully and generate peace
    and joy with every step.
  • 105:19 - 105:22
    How to hold their bow,
    how to sit, how to breathe.
  • 105:24 - 105:26
    So you will do the same.
  • 105:28 - 105:30
    With young members of the Sangha
  • 105:30 - 105:36
    the first thing you do is not to organize.
  • 105:37 - 105:42
    For other people, we have to organize
    so that we can practice together.
  • 105:43 - 105:47
    We should practice sitting together,
  • 105:47 - 105:52
    walking together,
    eating together, sharing together
  • 105:52 - 105:56
    in such a way, that every time we do that
  • 105:56 - 105:59
    we create more brotherhood
    and sisterhood
  • 106:00 - 106:02
    and mutual understanding.
  • 106:02 - 106:09
    We learn to make decisions
    together by consensus.
  • 106:12 - 106:14
    We try to listen to each other.
  • 106:15 - 106:18
    We try to understand different views.
  • 106:18 - 106:21
    We try to combine all these kind of views
  • 106:21 - 106:25
    in order to make a synthesis of all views
  • 106:27 - 106:32
    and we make a decision collectively.
  • 106:34 - 106:42
    Only when we have enough harmony,
    brotherhood, sisterhood, joy
  • 106:42 - 106:47
    should we organize a day of mindfulness
    or a retreat of mindfulness
  • 106:48 - 106:50
    and invite other people to come.
  • 106:54 - 107:00
    We operate as a Sangha
    and not as individuals.
  • 107:01 - 107:06
    An individual, no matter
    how talented he is or she is
  • 107:07 - 107:10
    cannot realize the big dream.
  • 107:10 - 107:14
    So we learn to organize,
  • 107:14 - 107:22
    to lead a retreat as a Sangha
    and not as a person.
  • 107:22 - 107:24
    An individual.
  • 107:26 - 107:28
    In Plum Village, we try to do that.
  • 107:30 - 107:33
    It's the Sangha who makes the decision
  • 107:35 - 107:37
    and not a person.
  • 107:38 - 107:45
    For this trip to Spain, organizing the
    retreats and the public talks
  • 107:45 - 107:47
    the Sangha did everything,
  • 107:48 - 107:52
    including choosing the title
    of the talk and the retreat.
  • 107:52 - 107:54
    Thay did not have to do anything.
  • 107:55 - 107:56
    He just obeyed the Sangha.
  • 107:57 - 108:01
    So you have plenty of time to walk,
    to sit, to breathe.
  • 108:02 - 108:04
    It's very good.
  • 108:04 - 108:09
    We should operate as a Sangha,
    not as individuals.
  • 108:10 - 108:15
    If you are able to build a Sangha
    with harmony and brotherhood,
  • 108:15 - 108:20
    you can do a lot of things
    in order to help people to suffer less.
  • 108:21 - 108:29
    Building a Sangha is
    the most noble thing to do for a person.
  • 108:32 - 108:38
    When I met with Dr. Martin Luther King
    for the first time in Chicago,
  • 108:43 - 108:46
    in 1966, we discussed about that.
  • 108:47 - 108:51
    Because he knew that without a Sangha,
    without a community
  • 108:51 - 108:54
    he could not realize his dream.
  • 108:55 - 108:59
    A year before that, he spoke
    with the theme "I have a dream".
  • 109:03 - 109:04
    I told him that:
  • 109:05 - 109:08
    "Your dream cannot become true
    if you don't have a community."
  • 109:08 - 109:10
    And he agreed.
  • 109:10 - 109:13
    I was using the word Sangha,
  • 109:15 - 109:19
    but he used the word 'beloved community'.
  • 109:20 - 109:25
    The second time we met was in Geneva.
  • 109:26 - 109:29
    We attended a Peace conference.
  • 109:30 - 109:34
    We had the opportunity to discuss more
    about building a Sangha.
  • 109:38 - 109:43
    Unfortunately, he was assassinated
  • 109:46 - 109:48
    not very long after that.
  • 109:49 - 109:58
    So, I made the vow
    to continue to build the Sangha,
  • 109:59 - 110:02
    not only for us, but for him.
  • 110:04 - 110:07
    Building a Sangha is very important.
  • 110:08 - 110:12
    With a Sangha, you can maintain
    your practice for a long time.
  • 110:13 - 110:18
    With a Sangha, you have an instrument
    to help people.
  • 110:19 - 110:21
    People can come
    and take refuge in the Sangha,
  • 110:21 - 110:25
    learn the practice
    of healing and transformation.
  • 110:26 - 110:33
    So everyone of us who finds
    the practice of mindfulness useful
  • 110:33 - 110:36
    should go home, to his city
  • 110:37 - 110:42
    and look around and identify
    elements of a future Sangha.
  • 110:43 - 110:49
    We should set up a group of people,
    learn to sit together, walk together,
  • 110:49 - 110:53
    breathe together,
    create brotherhood and sisterhood.
  • 110:53 - 110:58
    Then we will be able to help many people.
  • 111:00 - 111:04
    Schoolteachers have to set up
    their Sangha of schoolteachers.
  • 111:04 - 111:09
    Psychotherapists also have to set up
    Sanghas of psychotherapists.
  • 111:10 - 111:20
    Doctors, nurses, even business leaders
    have to come together and set up a Sangha
  • 111:20 - 111:22
    in order to support each other.
  • 111:23 - 111:25
    We all need a Sangha.
  • 111:25 - 111:29
    Without a Sangha,
    Thay cannot do anything.
  • 111:30 - 111:33
    So he is taking refuge in the Sangha.
  • 111:34 - 111:37
    We always operate as a Sangha.
  • 111:37 - 111:44
    If the Sangha has harmony, brotherhood,
    you can do a lot of things.
  • 111:49 - 111:52
    (inaudible)
  • 111:55 - 111:59
    Today we have walking meditation again,
  • 112:00 - 112:06
    but we should go with the same speed,
  • 112:08 - 112:11
    we should not walk too slow.
  • 112:12 - 112:18
    We should not create a traffic jam.
  • 112:18 - 112:20
    (Laughter)
  • 112:21 - 112:25
    Breathing in 2 steps,
    breathing out 3 steps,
  • 112:25 - 112:30
    and do not allow the line
    to be broken as yesterday.
  • 112:31 - 112:37
    We can enjoy every step and we are aware
    that we are walking with a community.
  • 112:37 - 112:42
    We flow like a river
    and not drops of water.
  • 112:42 - 112:44
    (Laughter)
  • 112:52 - 112:53
    (Bell)
  • 112:55 - 113:02
    (Bell)
  • 113:07 - 113:10
    That's long enough, that's good.
  • 113:11 - 113:13
    Thank you.
  • 113:13 - 113:20
    We shall gather and begin
    our walking meditation in...
  • 113:22 - 113:24
    (Br. Inclusiveness) 30 minutes,
  • 113:24 - 113:27
    ...in half an hour.
  • 113:36 - 113:41
    (The Plum Village Online Monastery)
  • 113:42 - 113:48
    (Mindful online broadcasts like this)
  • 113:48 - 113:54
    (are supported by viewers like you.)
  • 113:54 - 114:01
    (Donate at http://pvom.org)
  • 114:01 - 114:10
    (Thank you for your generosity.)
Title:
Barcelona Educators Retreat: Dharma Talk 11.05.2014
Description:

Dharma talk by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, Thay, for the Educators Retreat at University of Barcelona: "Happy Teachers Will Change The World".

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Video Language:
English
Duration:
01:54:12

English subtitles

Revisions