World Suffering

(Bell is awoken.)

(Bell is invited to sound.)

We can visualize a doctor, a physician,

who has to met with many sick people.

And he can say,

"How can I enjoy my health if

many people around me are sick?

And we know that if the doctor is sick,

there is no hope for anyone.

So the job and the duty of a doctor

is to keep himself healthy so that he can

help his patients.

So, if you see many, too many, people

suffer in the world around you,

and if you don't how to suffer less,

how to nourish yourself with

joy and happiness

and you will be like everyone,

and you cannot help.

So there must be a way

to help you to suffer less.

So that you can help other people

who suffer more.

And that is why the practice of mindfulness

can help you.

In principle, you know that

there is fresh air available.

There is fresh water available.

There are many refreshing and healing

elements of nature, around us and in us.

And if you know how to get in touch with them,

you can get the nourishment and healing

that you need.

And that is not only for you,

because if you suffer less,

if you can nourish yourself

with joy and happiness,

then you will be able to help

other people around you.

So, the practice is to preserve ourselves.

not to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed

by the situation of suffering all around.

And this is possible with mindfulness.

Because you know that the fresh air

is available, the sunshine is available,

the fresh water is available,

Many wonders of life are available.

Mother Earth is there to help you heal

and be nourished.

And if you are aware of that,

you allow Mother Earth and all

these wonders to embrace you and

to help you heal.

And you become an instrument of healing

for other people around you.

So, the doctor, the physician, has to

take care of himself.

He knows that his well-being, his health,

is very important for the people who suffer

and who come to him for help.

The practice of mindful breathing,

of mindful walking, allowing yourself

to be fully present in the here and the now

in order to be nourished by nature

is very important.

If we can stop running,

looking for things,

we can allow ourselves to be

fully present in the here and the now.

And let refreshing and healing

elements of nature to heal us.

And then we can become an instrument of

peace, of happiness, of joy,

to help other people to suffer less.

Around us there is a lot of, there may be

a lot of anger, bitterness, resentment.

And if we don't know how

to hold ourselves,

to take care of ourselves,

nourish ourselves, we will be overwhelmed

by that collective energy of hate, anger,

bitterness and so on.

So take care of yourself.

It's very important.

And in order to do that, you have to

go home to yourself.

There is a safe island within.

We have to go home to ourselves

by the way of mindful breathing,

mindful walking,

and we can calm down

our body, our feelings,

and begin to feel peace.

And we will be able to

see things more clearly.

We know what to do,

and what not to do,

in order not to make the situation worse.

And we realize that one in-breath,

or one mindful step, can already help.

to bring a little more of calm, of peace,

so we are not, we do not give up.

We see that hope is always there.

And we don't feel powerless, helpless.

Because if we know how to practice

mindfulness of breathing and of walking,

we see that one single in-breath,

one single step,

can already make a differentce.

And that is exactly what makes us hopeful.

The problem is not only what you can do.

You are motivated by the desire

to do something

to help the world suffer less.

But to do is just one

of the things you can do.

To be is another way of doing.

If you can be relaxed,

if you can be peaceful,

if you can be compassionate,

that is a lot of action already.

The way you sit and look at the people

can already be very helpful.

If you have peace, tranquillity, compassion,

and then your presence is already

very helpful. So to be is very important.

And to do is something that comes from

that kind of being.

To be peace first.

And to do peace later.

And then there is the factor of Sangha.

If you have friends who know how to be

to be relaxed, to be peaceful,

to be fresh, to be healthy,

and then together you can create

a powerful collective energy of

peace, joy, happiness,

that can rescue many people.

And that is, that belongs, also to

the realm of being.

You are peace. You are fresh.

You are compassionate.

And that collective energy of peace,

freshness, and compassionate,

has begun to contribute to

the well-being of the world.

And, of course, that energy of peace and

compassion, will allow you know what to do

in order to promote more peace

and freshness and joy in the world.

So, the answer is how to protect oneself

from being carried away by

the collective energy of hate,

violence, bitterness, anger.

How to create an island of peace and

freshness and compassion within.

And then if there is a group of people

who can do that, then they can be

a refuge for many other people.

That is why building a group of practionners

is very, very important.

(Bell is awoken.)

(Bell is invited to sound.)