(3) "Being an Island": the Buddha's last teaching | by Thich Nhat Hanh, 2009 11 12

When the buddha was 80

one day he was very sick

and he knew 
that he would not live much longer.

He was in the vicinity of of Vaisali,

a city north of the Ganges River,

and he spent his time visiting groups of disciples around the cities

and gave them short Dharma talks

very short and

and very short and easy Dharma 
talks recommending practices.

And he said that... he said, "My dear friends,

we should not take refuge in anything except

in oneself, in ourselves."

There is an island

very safe very peaceful within every one of us,

and we should go back to ourselves 
and take refuge in that island.

Don't take refuge in anything else, in anyone else.

Go home to yourself and take 
refuge in the island of self.

And the buddha repeated that 
teaching in many short dharma talks.

He knew that his disciples 
used to rely too much on him

and there will be one day when his body,

his physical presence, is no longer available,

and his disciples will feel lost

if they are used to count too much on him.

So he gave that teaching in order for his students

to learn how to rely on the buddha and the dharma and the 
sangha

in themselves and not in someone else.

So the buddha the dharma and the sangha are
available within,

and you can get in touch with the buddha the dharma and the 
sangha

if you go home to the island of self.

In the Chinese canon

we find three words

'đơn tự châu' [

You, my friends, should 
take refuge in the island of self.

Because there is an island--very safe--within you,

and you have to learn to go back and take refuge.

In the pali canon, it's 'Attadīpā saranam.'

'Atta' means self,

'dīpā' is the island,

and 'saranam' is taking refuge.

'Attadīpā saranam.'

And that is why we have the gatha inspired by that teaching.

"Being an island unto myself, as an island unto myself."

So the first line is for your... for one in-breath

and the second line is for your out-breath.

And then your in-breath again, and your out-breath again

The buddha

is my mindfulness,

shining near shining far.

Wherever I find myself, the buddha is there 
as a light,

as an energy to to show me the way.

Because mindfulness is the energy that helps you 
to be really there

and knowing what is going on in your body, in your feelings,

and it helps you to know what to do and what 
not to do.

Shining the way.

and when you you practice breathing in and out like that

you generate the energy 
of mindfulness, concentration, which is

the real Buddha.

Not the Buddha made of copper or stone but a real Buddha.

A Buddha made of mindfulness concentration and insight.

because mindfulness always brings with it concentration and insight.

I don't know whether we have an 
established french translation but we can say,

"Il y a une île en moi même."

Je reviens à l'île en moi même.

Le Bouddha est ma pleine conscience

éclairant mon corps et mon esprit.

Je suis libre.

I am free.

I'm free means I am free from forgetfulness,

from fear,

from confusion,

because I am protected by... I am being protected by the buddha

I know where to go. I know what to do and what not to do.

I am free from confusion, from fear.

When you know where you go, you are no longer afraid.

So I am free two times, because there 
is one in-breath and one out-breath

In-breath, out-breath, in out, in out, in 
out, in out.

And you can practice in music.

Someone can play violin

and you practice with the music

In monosyllabic languages like 
Vietnamese, Chinese it's very convenient.

In Vietnamese we have 'quay về nương tựa,

hải đảo tự thân'

Maybe it's a good idea for our

European friends to learn 
the Vietnamese version and practice.

I go back and take refuge in the island of myself.

And when you walk you can take refuge.

Breathing in, you make two steps 
'quay về,'

Breathing out, two steps, 'nương tựa.'

'Quay... về... nương... tựa.'

It's like, 'being... an island... unto... myself,

being... an island... unto... myself.'

You can practice in a walking position, also.

I remember that so many years ago, maybe

25 30 years ago,

when i practiced this

...walking, I found that two steps is not 
enough

I want to walk a little bit

quicker, more quickly, so I add another word.

'CON quay về VÀ nương tựa

NƠI hải đảo CỦA tự thân.

I go back

And take refuge

in the island

of myself

So you have one, two, three for your in-breath.

One, two, three for your out-breath.

And if you want, you can make it into four words.

Chánh niệm này [This mindfulness]

chính là Bụt [is the Buddha himself]

đang soi sáng [shining]

khắp xa gần [near and far]

This mindfulness is the Buddha himself

he is shining near and far.

It's a very good translation.

So you enjoy breathing in and out

and generating the energy of mindfulness,

and at that time you are under protection of the buddha the real buddha mindfulness concentration

The real Buddha.

Mindfulness, concentration.

And then you go back.

Being as island unto myself, as an island into myself

and you continue,

Dharma is my breathing

gaurding body and mind.

I am free.

And then you repeat

the first four lines

and sangha is

my five skandhas

working in harmony

I am free.

Two times.

and you know the rest of the gatha.

The rest of the gatha is: Breathing in, breathing out,

I am blooming as a flower,

I am fresh as the dew

I am solid as a mountain

And so on.

This is a wonderful instrument,

a wonderful text for the practice of taking refuge.

When you don't have any problem,

practicing this gatha brings you a lot of solidity, freshness, happiness,

and that helps cultivate more mindfulness, 
concentration and insight

When you do have a problem like confusion, fear, anger,

taking refuge will bring you relief right away

And Thầy has been practicing this gatha for many decades already

and he still finds it very wonderful.

So he wants his friends to do it also

It's one of the most wonderful 
gathas that we have available.

Shall we sing together?

Being an island unto myself

as an island unto myself

Buddha is my mindfulness

shining near, shining far

Dharma is ... [laughter]

Sangha is my five skandhas working 
in harmony.

Taking refuge in myself

coming back to myself

i am free

I think we have to 
sing I am free, and then we

we breathe out before we continue to 
sing

because Thầy practices in Vietnamese

When you breathe in you cannot say, "I am 
breathing out."

You have to say, "I'm breathing in."

taking refuge in myself, coming back to myself, 
i am free

and there should be silence here in order for you to take an out-breath

And then you say, "Breathing in breathing out,

I am blooming as a flower ... continue.

Wherever you go we like to to bring our

our cell phone our computer, etc.,

because these things help us to solve

problems.

But your computer may be stolen, 
your portable also you might lose it.

But the practice you bring 
along.

No one can steal [it].

So wherever you go you bring your 
practice

because you are a practitioner.

Whether you go to the airport 
or to or to the railway station

or you take your car.

Whether you go to the marketplace or to 
the post office,

bring along your practice.

If you don't have a problem, the practice will help 
you to live deeply every moment of your daily life

and practicing 
like that you cultivate

solidity and freedom and compassion and insight

And if you have a problem?

Well, the practice will help you solve the problem.

When you have confusion, fear, anger,

it is that kind of practice 
that helps you to get out.