2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem
-
0:10 - 0:20[gong]
-
0:41 - 0:53[gong]
-
1:12 - 1:23[gong]
-
1:41 - 1:42So, good afternoon,
-
1:44 - 1:49dear respected Thay, dear beloved
brothers and sisters and friends -
1:51 - 1:56Today is Thursday, the 26th of July 2018
-
2:00 - 2:06We are in the Still Water Hall,
meditation hall of Upper Hamlet -
2:07 - 2:14and this is the last Dharma Talk of the
third week of our annual Summer Retreat. -
2:15 - 2:17and it's very hot.
-
2:19 - 2:25Thank you for coming to sit here,
I try to keep it short and sweet, -
2:25 - 2:29so we can all go out
and enjoy some fresh air after this. -
2:31 - 2:35Today I'll be speaking
about the four Brahmavirahas, -
2:36 - 2:42the four immeasurable minds
that really are a guide -
2:42 - 2:48to how we can respond
to life situations with love -
2:49 - 2:51and I think it's a hot day,
-
2:51 - 2:54so maybe we have to respond
with love by keeping it short. -
2:57 - 3:01Today we celebrate the Full Moon festival
together, here in Upper Hamlet -
3:03 - 3:06and that's why we have
the Dharma talk in the afternoon, -
3:07 - 3:13so the friends from the New Hamlet don't
need to ride the bus back and forth twice. -
3:14 - 3:17An expression of love and understanding.
-
3:18 - 3:19A good start.
-
3:21 - 3:24We started this week with a smile,
do you remember? -
3:26 - 3:30Sister Hoi Nghiem shared how
every morning when she recites the ghata, -
3:32 - 3:33waking up this morning I smile,
-
3:34 - 3:3624 brand new hours are before me,
-
3:38 - 3:40I vow to live them fully each moment
-
3:40 - 3:43and look at all beings
with the eyes of compassion. -
3:44 - 3:46And when she notices
that she forgot to smile, -
3:47 - 3:50she will lie down again
and start all over again. -
3:51 - 3:55So my question is, how many times
did you lie down again this week? -
3:57 - 3:58Did you remember?
-
4:00 - 4:04But that story definitely brought
a smile to our face, didn't it? -
4:07 - 4:08Anyway,
-
4:11 - 4:19in case you missed the chance
to smile, we're waking up. -
4:20 - 4:24I thought, maybe we start by giving you
a chance to smile -
4:27 - 4:29and to enjoy your smile.
-
4:43 - 4:46A smile makes us feel better
straight away. -
4:46 - 4:48whether we're the ones who receive it,
-
4:49 - 4:50or the ones who offer it.
-
4:51 - 4:54or the ones who just smile
because, why not? -
4:55 - 4:56Why would we not smile?
-
4:57 - 4:59It makes us feel better straight away.
-
5:02 - 5:05and as we heard,
it's the best way to start the day -
5:07 - 5:09A smile can even turn "Monday morning",
-
5:10 - 5:12if that still exists, nowadays
that we work from home -
5:13 - 5:16Monday morning, not a too pleasant morning
-
5:16 - 5:21and I hope that it can also turn
a hot Thursday afternoon -
5:22 - 5:23into a pleasant afternoon.
-
5:26 - 5:30Let's start with a short meditation
to bring our mind home to our body. -
5:31 - 5:32Make yourself comfortable.
-
5:39 - 5:42and let's bring some loving
kindness to ourselves -
5:44 - 5:50by, during the meditation,
going through our body -
5:51 - 5:55and whenever we encounter
a feeling of tension, -
5:56 - 6:00on the outbreath, to relax the tension,
to soften it -
6:01 - 6:05and to smile to it, to say,
"I know you're there, -
6:07 - 6:10I love you too, you are also me.
-
6:13 - 6:17So let's start by enjoying
a sound of the bell. -
6:29 - 6:40[gong]
-
6:59 - 7:03Let us become aware of the air
as it flows into and out of our body, -
7:06 - 7:09and smile to our inbreath and outbreath
-
7:14 - 7:18knowing that we are alive in this moment.
-
7:26 - 7:27Let us become aware of our body
-
7:29 - 7:32and scan our body from the top of our head
-
7:33 - 7:35all the way down to the tip of our toes.
-
7:39 - 7:44And we sweep along any tension
we may find on our way -
7:47 - 7:49Maybe there's tension in our head,
-
7:51 - 7:53maybe behind our forehead,
-
7:56 - 7:59or around our eyes, behind our eyes,
-
8:03 - 8:05around our ears
-
8:08 - 8:09our jaws,
-
8:13 - 8:15maybe our neck,
-
8:17 - 8:20and on every outbreath, we smile,
-
8:22 - 8:30which helps to soften
the tension we encounter. -
8:35 - 8:36Become aware of our shoulders,
-
8:40 - 8:42and then sweep down into the arms,
-
8:46 - 8:49our hands and our fingers.
-
8:51 - 8:55On every outbreath, softening the tension
-
8:55 - 8:58by offering it a smile.
-
9:05 - 9:08We sweep down our trunk
-
9:09 - 9:11our back and our front.
-
9:15 - 9:18And then the lower part of our body,
-
9:20 - 9:23the buttocks and the abdomen.
-
9:27 - 9:32Softening any tension we may find
in the buttocks or in the abdomen -
9:34 - 9:36by offering it a smile.
-
9:45 - 9:47Then we sweep down into the legs,
-
9:49 - 9:51all the way down into the feet,
-
9:53 - 9:55to the tip of the toes.
-
9:57 - 10:03And here too, softening any tension
we may encounter, -
10:06 - 10:08and offering it a smile.
-
10:18 - 10:20Now become aware that we have arrived
-
10:21 - 10:23on our chair or on our cushion
-
10:24 - 10:26or on the ground,
if you're sitting on the ground. -
10:32 - 10:37Our body is here
and our mind is in the now, -
10:37 - 10:38in the present moment.
-
10:48 - 10:50Body and mind, relaxed.
-
11:07 - 11:12And we like to allow
a smile to be born on our lips. -
11:42 - 11:53[gong]
-
12:27 - 12:32We usually smile when we want
to acknowledge the presence of someone, -
12:34 - 12:35of someone we meet,
-
12:36 - 12:39it is very common to smile then.
-
12:40 - 12:43When we walk around
the grounds of Plum Village -
12:44 - 12:47we're bound to meet people,
because there are many of us, here, -
12:48 - 12:52So we have a lot of opportunities
to smile throughout the day. -
12:55 - 12:59A smile or a nod of the head,
something like this. -
13:00 - 13:04In some cultures they do that,
not a smile. -
13:07 - 13:10At home, when we walk in the streets
and we meet a neighbor, -
13:11 - 13:15we also smile, even if they're
on the other side of the street -
13:15 - 13:17Maybe we wave as well,
-
13:18 - 13:20but often, we just smile.
-
13:20 - 13:23To let them know, "I see you,"
-
13:24 - 13:29"I've seen you,
I acknowledge your presence," -
13:30 - 13:32and this is very important.
-
13:39 - 13:44Everybody needs love, needs to be loved,
-
13:45 - 13:48and everybody has a need to love as well.
-
13:49 - 13:51But very often, the way we love
-
13:55 - 13:58ends up imprisoning the other person,
-
14:02 - 14:04and also ourselves.
-
14:05 - 14:10So how can we love and be free
at the same time? -
14:25 - 14:29What may happen when we meet somebody
and we offer them a smile, -
14:30 - 14:32tears come to their eyes.
-
14:33 - 14:38Because they have a feeling
that they haven't been seen -
14:39 - 14:43or acknowledged in their being,
for a long time. -
14:44 - 14:46We may live with other people
-
14:48 - 14:49but we're so busy,
-
14:50 - 14:53we watch many things,
-
14:54 - 14:57we look at many things, but
we don't look at the people we live with. -
14:59 - 15:01We already heard it this week,
-
15:02 - 15:07but it also strikes me every time
I travel, for instance, -
15:07 - 15:13and I'm in the departure lounge,
there are many people, -
15:14 - 15:16and they're all sitting
with their gadgets, -
15:18 - 15:21Last time, when I came into the lounge,
-
15:21 - 15:26I tried to guess who was with who.
That was quite difficult! -
15:26 - 15:29Because they're sitting with their
back to each other, doing this, -
15:29 - 15:32and I thought,
I don't think they came together. -
15:32 - 15:35But when it is time to board,
they speak to each other -
15:35 - 15:38and they go off together to board.
-
15:38 - 15:41I said, "apparently
they did come together." -
15:43 - 15:45But it's difficult to tell.
-
15:47 - 15:50Usually I can tell
if children and parents are together, -
15:50 - 15:53because they sit together
and they may say something, -
15:53 - 15:56but they're also quite...
-
16:03 - 16:07immersed in whatever
they're doing with their gadgets -
16:08 - 16:10This is such a pity,
-
16:10 - 16:15because the most precious thing we can
offer each other is our true presence. -
16:16 - 16:23And when we sit in a departure lounge,
a waiting room, -
16:24 - 16:27we have nowhere to go and nothing to do
until we board the plane. -
16:29 - 16:32It's a very good opportunity
to be there for each other. -
16:33 - 16:36and to just offer each other's presence.
-
16:41 - 16:47Thay gave us a mantra that says
"I am here for you." -
16:48 - 16:52This is not a mantra in Sanskrit
or some other language, -
16:53 - 16:58this is a mantra in colloquial language,
-
16:58 - 16:59"I am here for you."
-
17:00 - 17:02In French, "Je suis là pour toi,"
-
17:03 - 17:05and you can translate it
into your own language. -
17:07 - 17:09and to go to our loved ones,
-
17:09 - 17:13first, bring our mind home to our body,
as we did just now. -
17:14 - 17:19to be truly present, and then say:
"Darling, I'm here for you." -
17:22 - 17:27and then I leave it up to you
to discover what happens after that, -
17:27 - 17:30and then you can let us know next year.
-
17:31 - 17:32I'm truly here for you.
-
17:37 - 17:43To hear, to listen, to understand.
-
17:47 - 17:50True Love comes from understanding,
-
17:50 - 17:53and in order to understand,
we need to listen carefully. -
17:54 - 17:57We need to listen to what's being said
inbetween the lines -
18:00 - 18:05At the beginning of the week,
we chanted Namo Avalokiteshvaraya, -
18:06 - 18:10we invoked the name
of the Bodhisattva Avalokitha, -
18:11 - 18:13who has the capacity to listen,
-
18:14 - 18:18and, also, to hear what's being said
and what is left unsaid. -
18:20 - 18:25To really listen,
because our loved one, or our friend, -
18:26 - 18:27our parent or our child,
-
18:28 - 18:30may be saying something in words,
-
18:31 - 18:33may be saying one thing in words,
-
18:34 - 18:37but their eyes may be saying
something else. -
18:39 - 18:44So, being present and looking into
their eyes, maybe their body language, -
18:45 - 18:48we will be able to hear
what's being left unsaid, -
18:49 - 18:51but what actually wants to be heard.
-
18:53 - 18:54What wants to be heard.
-
19:03 - 19:08So let us enjoy a sound of the bell,
-
19:09 - 19:13and offer ourselves our true presence
one more time. -
19:13 - 19:15Bringing our mind home to our body.
-
19:18 - 19:20"Hello body, I'm here for you",
-
19:21 - 19:25making ourselves present for ourselves.
-
19:36 - 19:48[gong]
-
20:18 - 20:19When I wake up in the morning,
-
20:21 - 20:25like my sister,
I don't always remember to smile. -
20:26 - 20:29But I remember smiling in the morning,
better, -
20:30 - 20:33if I remember to smile
before I go to sleep. -
20:34 - 20:37So, if you didn't remember to smile
in the morning, -
20:38 - 20:40try smiling at night,
-
20:40 - 20:42and you may also remember better.
-
20:44 - 20:46But then, when I get to the bathroom,
-
20:46 - 20:48I see a mirror.
-
20:48 - 20:52When I first came to Plum Village,
we didn't have so many mirrors, -
20:52 - 20:53but now we have more mirrors,
-
20:53 - 20:55so I have a chance to see myself.
-
20:57 - 21:00Some of you who have been
coming for a long time, remember this. -
21:04 - 21:09We don't have any hair, I don't need
to put on make up and things like that -
21:10 - 21:13so I look in the mirror and I think,
why should I look in the mirror? -
21:14 - 21:16Oh, I could smile at myself, why not?
-
21:16 - 21:17"Hello!
-
21:20 - 21:23Good morning, how are you?"
Why not? -
21:23 - 21:24So that's what I do.
-
21:25 - 21:30I forget to smile when I wake up,
I remember when I look into the mirror. -
21:31 - 21:35Try it. It's bit kind of awkward
in the beginning, smiling at yourself -
21:36 - 21:37but it's worth the while.
-
21:38 - 21:41If we practise,
if we're talking about true love -
21:41 - 21:43maybe we can start by loving ourselves.
-
21:44 - 21:47So the least we can do,
is offering ourselves a smile. -
21:49 - 21:54And saying, ok, I know you're there,
and I'm so happy. -
21:54 - 21:56How are you today?
-
22:00 - 22:01When we smile,
-
22:04 - 22:07in the gatha, we smile to a new day.
-
22:08 - 22:12In the gatha, that's the little poem
that the sister recited, -
22:13 - 22:15waking up this morning, I smile,
-
22:15 - 22:18it's a little poem that we recite
when we wake up in the morning. -
22:19 - 22:21When we wake up in the morning,
-
22:21 - 22:25because we want to water
the seed of compassion in us. -
22:25 - 22:28To look at all beings with compassion,
-
22:28 - 22:32and I thought, well, since I'm
the first being to meet this morning, -
22:33 - 22:35why not smile to myself?
-
22:37 - 22:41So we wake up
and we can smile to the new day. -
22:42 - 22:43This is a new day.
-
22:46 - 22:50We could reflect,
how did I live my day yesterday? -
22:51 - 22:52This is a new day.
-
22:53 - 22:55I can live it
with a little bit more compassion -
22:58 - 23:00for myself and for others.
-
23:02 - 23:06We smile to the people around us,
our loved ones, and smile to nature. -
23:06 - 23:09Sometimes it seems much easier
-
23:09 - 23:12to smile to a singing bird
or to a tree or to a flower -
23:13 - 23:15than to the person who's right next to us.
-
23:17 - 23:22However, the person who's right next to us
is also a flower. -
23:23 - 23:27And our smile will make her,
him, them, bloom. -
23:30 - 23:35So we can practice smiling to nature
-
23:35 - 23:41in order to develop
the capacity of smiling. -
23:43 - 23:47We can also smile to our joy,
as well as our suffering. -
23:48 - 23:51And then we can just smile
for the joy of smiling. -
23:53 - 23:54Many years ago,
-
23:57 - 24:01this was before I ordained,
but I already knew of the practice, -
24:03 - 24:04I was walking down the street,
-
24:05 - 24:07and all of a sudden somebody stopped
and turned around, -
24:07 - 24:09and I thought,
Oh, maybe I know this person, -
24:10 - 24:12so I turned around and said:
"Do I know you?" -
24:12 - 24:16He said: "No - such a beautiful smile,"
and I said: "Oh? Ok." -
24:17 - 24:19And I thought,
I didn't even know I was smiling, -
24:19 - 24:24but I was smiling
for no reason whatsoever, -
24:25 - 24:31just smile because I was feeling well,
I guess. -
24:31 - 24:32You know?
-
24:32 - 24:33I was smiling.
-
24:33 - 24:37So we don't need a specific
or a particular reason to smile, -
24:39 - 24:41we can smile just like that.
-
24:46 - 24:52Thay said: "Sometimes our smile
is born from love, -
24:52 - 24:55and sometimes love
is born from our smile." -
24:57 - 24:58I like that.
-
25:05 - 25:07So true love has four aspects,
-
25:07 - 25:10and these four aspects
are within ourselves. -
25:10 - 25:13They are within ourselves
in the form of a seed. -
25:14 - 25:16We already heard about seeds this week,
-
25:16 - 25:18in our store consciousness,
-
25:18 - 25:20that need to be watered in order to bloom,
-
25:21 - 25:22into a flower.
-
25:22 - 25:25That is to say, a seed is a potential.
-
25:25 - 25:31We have the capacity to love,
-
25:31 - 25:33to have loving kindness in our heart.
-
25:34 - 25:36We have the capacity to be compassionate.
-
25:37 - 25:39We have the capacity to feel joy,
-
25:40 - 25:45we have the capacity to feel equanimity
and to be inclusive. -
25:47 - 25:51It's in seed form, the potential,
and when it's watered, -
25:52 - 25:53when the seed gets water,
-
25:56 - 26:00then it manifests as a mental formation,
-
26:00 - 26:03or in other words, as a state of mind.
-
26:05 - 26:08So these four aspects of love,
we call them: -
26:10 - 26:15the Four Immeasurable States of Mind,
the immeasurable minds. -
26:17 - 26:23And they're immeasurable
because we can extend these aspects -
26:24 - 26:27to all beings and to everything that is,
-
26:28 - 26:29including Mother Earth.
-
26:30 - 26:32They have no limit,
-
26:32 - 26:35the unlimited minds.
-
26:37 - 26:43They're within us, so it's not
something we have to get somewhere, -
26:43 - 26:46they are in us in potential.
-
26:46 - 26:49So it's a matter of watering them.
-
26:49 - 26:55We can water the seeds by practising
Deep Looking and Deep Listening -
26:57 - 27:04The first aspect is Maïtri,
also called Loving Kindness -
27:04 - 27:07or, here in Plum Village,
we sometimes call it Love. -
27:08 - 27:09Just Love.
-
27:12 - 27:16It is the intention
and the capacity to love. -
27:18 - 27:21We may have an intention, but that doesn't
mean we have the capacity. -
27:22 - 27:25The capacity, we develop.
-
27:27 - 27:32And the capacity to love
stems from understanding. -
27:37 - 27:40The capacity to offer joy and happiness,
-
27:47 - 27:52in order to offer happiness to others,
we have to understand them. -
27:52 - 27:55We have to know their aspirations,
their dreams, -
27:58 - 27:59their hopes.
-
28:01 - 28:05What is it they hope for in their lives?
What is it? -
28:07 - 28:12Sometimes our parents have had dreams
for their own future, as a young person, -
28:13 - 28:16but maybe conditions were not sufficient
for them to realize it. -
28:17 - 28:19Then they hope, they wish so much
-
28:20 - 28:26that their children will be able
to realize their dreams, -
28:27 - 28:31but we may have our own dream
which may not be the same, -
28:32 - 28:35and although our parents
want the best for us, -
28:36 - 28:41actually, we suffer a little bit.
-
28:42 - 28:44We suffer a little bit.
-
28:48 - 28:53Here in Plum Village, Thay teaches us
that we as elders need to look deeply -
28:53 - 28:58to understand the aspirations and the joys
and the suffering of our younger siblings. -
29:00 - 29:02So we have to listen to them.
-
29:04 - 29:08And sometimes I encourage
my younger sisters in the Dharma -
29:09 - 29:13to do things that I think will help them
to make progress on the Path. -
29:15 - 29:16And that can cause them suffering.
-
29:19 - 29:25So as a practise as an elder,
I'm practising looking and listening -
29:26 - 29:28in order to understand
what their dreams are -
29:29 - 29:33and to see what would be
the next step on their path, -
29:33 - 29:35and how can I offer support.
-
29:46 - 29:52So this is my practise
of making progress on the path, -
29:52 - 29:54is, to listen to my younger ones.
-
29:56 - 29:58Here in Plum Village,
we celebrate Christmas, -
29:59 - 30:04and it's an opportunity to offer a gift
to one of our sisters -
30:06 - 30:10A few years ago I went shopping
with another sister -
30:10 - 30:12who had just arrived,
-
30:13 - 30:16and then she looked
at what I put in the basket -
30:17 - 30:19and she said "Sister Dieu Nghiem,
-
30:19 - 30:22that is not your taste at all,
why do you buy those things?" -
30:23 - 30:25and I said: "Because this is
what my sister likes." -
30:29 - 30:30And I realized,
-
30:32 - 30:38maybe in the past I have offered things
to friends, to my siblings, that I like, -
30:38 - 30:42this would be a wonderful present,
because it's so beautiful, you know? -
30:43 - 30:48And I give it to them,
and now in hindsight, I think, hm.... -
30:50 - 30:54maybe that was a present that came
from a lot of love -
30:54 - 30:56and a little lack of understanding.
-
30:59 - 31:04But I remember
they all accepted it very gracefully, -
31:07 - 31:11so, they may have realized
it was a good intention. -
31:15 - 31:17Maïtri is also friendship.
-
31:17 - 31:22There's the word Mitra
that's connected to Maïtri, -
31:22 - 31:24and it means Spiritual Friend.
-
31:26 - 31:32A friend is somebody, a heart friend,
somebody that understands us, -
31:32 - 31:35who understands our dreams
and our aspirations, -
31:35 - 31:36our joys and our sufferings,
-
31:37 - 31:39with whom we can share from our heart
-
31:42 - 31:46with whom we can share our joys
and also our suffering -
31:47 - 31:51and who will listen
without judging or reacting -
31:52 - 31:54and who will not give advice.
-
31:56 - 31:58"You know what you should do"
-
32:04 - 32:07But also, it's on the path in our life,
-
32:08 - 32:12it's also that they can point out to us
-
32:15 - 32:17something that we don't see.
-
32:18 - 32:22and they can point that out to us
in a way that we can hear it. -
32:24 - 32:29So, to be a true friend,
to be a friend on the spiritual path, -
32:32 - 32:36it needs Deep Looking and Deep Listening,
and some understanding, -
32:37 - 32:42in order to point something out in a way
that it can be received. -
32:45 - 32:47I also noticed on my path,
-
32:49 - 32:53I have given some input and...
-
32:56 - 32:59it wasn't in a way it could be received.
-
32:59 - 33:02although I gave it
with the best of intentions -
33:03 - 33:08so I'm becoming more and more mindful
-
33:09 - 33:13of how I give some encouragements.
-
33:15 - 33:19However well meant, it needs to be
in the right way at the right time -
33:23 - 33:26But we may have a spiritual friend
who we know very well. -
33:28 - 33:30She can say a little bit more,
-
33:30 - 33:33because we have this friendship
that holds all this -
33:34 - 33:38and she can say,
like one of my sisters said, -
33:38 - 33:42"well, you could look at the habit energy.
-
33:43 - 33:47One of your habit energies is,
sometimes you're quite impulsive. -
33:49 - 33:51You react spontaneously to something,
-
33:52 - 33:54but it may not always be
the right thing to do. -
33:56 - 33:58And I said, "Thank you,
I will look into that." -
33:59 - 34:01I know it came from her care.
-
34:03 - 34:07So, having a good friend with whom
we can share, so that we can grow. -
34:09 - 34:12Our heart can become larger,
we can embrace more, -
34:14 - 34:15we can find more happiness
-
34:17 - 34:18for ourselves and for others
-
34:21 - 34:25So, to give some feedback,
-
34:26 - 34:28we have to be aware of
-
34:29 - 34:31from where we are giving that feedback.
-
34:35 - 34:39Sometimes someone in our community
may be passing through a difficult time, -
34:40 - 34:43therefore also cause some difficulties,
some suffering to others -
34:46 - 34:53and I'm becoming more and more aware
of what this touches in me. -
34:55 - 34:57Sometimes it touches a kind of annoyance,
-
34:58 - 35:01you know, can she not take better care
of her suffering, -
35:02 - 35:05instead of causing others also to suffer?
-
35:07 - 35:12And then, not so long ago, I thought,
wait a minute. -
35:14 - 35:18If I were suffering, and somebody wanted
to point something out to me, -
35:18 - 35:21how would I like to be approached?
-
35:24 - 35:26Then I thought, with kindness.
-
35:28 - 35:29With some love.
-
35:30 - 35:34So I took some time to be with my sister,
-
35:35 - 35:38to be able to touch her suffering.
-
35:39 - 35:40What is her suffering?
-
35:41 - 35:43The little I know about the roots,
can I just touch it? -
35:46 - 35:48and then I could interact with her,
-
35:48 - 35:51and a big smile came up on her lips,
-
35:52 - 35:57and I thought, yes, that was
because I came with love in my heart, -
35:59 - 36:01with compassion, and not with annoyance.
-
36:03 - 36:05and I thought just kindness,
-
36:06 - 36:08just plain kindness,
-
36:11 - 36:13how much does it take,
-
36:13 - 36:18and I asked myself, why does it take me
so long sometimes? -
36:20 - 36:25I realized, it takes long
because I'm not very kind to myself. -
36:26 - 36:29How can I be kind to others
if I'm not kind to myself? -
36:29 - 36:31Can I have a little bit more kindness
-
36:31 - 36:34and a little bit more compassion
to watch myself? -
36:38 - 36:43So lately I've been practising to look
at myself with the eyes of compassion. -
36:46 - 36:51and to see,
why do I think the way I think, -
36:52 - 36:55why do I speak the way I speak?
-
36:55 - 36:58Why do I act the way I act,
-
36:59 - 37:02in my interactions with others.
-
37:03 - 37:05What is happening for me?
-
37:10 - 37:14And when I look and I see my shortcomings,
-
37:17 - 37:20maybe a little impatience,
-
37:23 - 37:26a lack of understanding of myself also,
-
37:29 - 37:32I think, can I just accept myself as I am?
-
37:33 - 37:38I am as I am, because of
many causes and conditions -
37:42 - 37:45All the seeds that were watered in me
during my lifetime, -
37:46 - 37:49that I have allowed to be watered
in me, during my lifetime, -
37:51 - 37:54maybe seeds I have inherited
from my ancestors -
37:55 - 37:58I want something to be solved quickly,
I'm very efficient. -
37:59 - 38:03but that's not always the best way
to approach an issue -
38:07 - 38:08Sometimes you need time.
-
38:10 - 38:11One time I went to Thay and I said:
-
38:11 - 38:15"Thay, I'd like to address this issue
with one of the sisters." -
38:16 - 38:17And Thay said: "Too soon.
-
38:19 - 38:20Too soon, you have to wait."
-
38:21 - 38:25Thay told me: "Sometimes Thay also
has to wait for six months." -
38:26 - 38:30and I thought, ok, let me walk
in the footsteps of my teacher, -
38:31 - 38:32and practise waiting.
-
38:32 - 38:34Six months at least,
-
38:36 - 38:37you'll see when the time is right.
-
38:38 - 38:40I realized time needs to be right in me.
-
38:42 - 38:46When I can approach with loving kindness
as a spiritual friend -
38:47 - 38:51when I can approach with compassion,
then the time may be right. -
38:52 - 38:55It's not only the time
for the other person, -
38:55 - 38:57but for me, I have to be ready.
-
39:00 - 39:01So, to offer time.
-
39:05 - 39:08The second aspect of True Love
is Karuna, compassion. -
39:09 - 39:13It means the intention and the capacity
to relieve the suffering. -
39:15 - 39:17First of all, our own suffering.
-
39:17 - 39:22A lot of our suffering is caused by
wrong perceptions, as we already heard. -
39:24 - 39:27So it's always good to go
and check our perceptions -
39:29 - 39:33"the other day, you said this;
can you tell me why you said that?" -
39:36 - 39:40In the beginning I said,
"You said that!" -
39:42 - 39:43quite unkindly.
-
39:43 - 39:45"Why did you say this?"
-
39:46 - 39:50I realize it doesn't inspire
the other person to reply -
39:52 - 39:55because there is already
a criticism in there, -
39:56 - 39:58the tone of my voice, the words I use.
-
40:00 - 40:04So, to ask, to check my perceptions,
-
40:05 - 40:10I also need to come from a place
of really wanting to understand -
40:11 - 40:15and to give the other person
the benefit of the doubt. -
40:19 - 40:23I also am unskillful at times,
not necessarily on purpose, -
40:26 - 40:30and I also appreciate when somebody
gives me the benefit of the doubt. -
40:33 - 40:37So, trust the other person,
we'll then be able -
40:38 - 40:43to understand that sharing with us,
-
40:43 - 40:45why we said something,
-
40:45 - 40:47will help relieve the suffering in us.
-
40:56 - 41:00Sometimes we find it difficult
to be with the suffering of someone else, -
41:01 - 41:05and we like it to go away,
-
41:06 - 41:11because their suffering makes us suffer.
-
41:11 - 41:13We suffer because they suffer.
-
41:14 - 41:17We have the intention
to help relieve their suffering, -
41:18 - 41:23but actually, underneath, there's the wish
that if they don't suffer anymore, -
41:24 - 41:25then I feel better.
-
41:26 - 41:27So we're doing it with a self-interest.
-
41:29 - 41:33My experience is, when I do this,
it doesn't work. -
41:35 - 41:36It just doesn't work.
-
41:38 - 41:40I think, when we suffer,
we're very sensitive -
41:40 - 41:43to with what kind of energy
someone approaches us. -
41:45 - 41:46If they want us not to suffer,
-
41:46 - 41:50because our suffering
is causing them difficulties, -
41:50 - 41:51is causing them suffering,
-
41:52 - 41:55so, "stop suffering please,
so I can be happy", -
41:56 - 41:58it doesn't work like that.
-
42:00 - 42:03If we listen in order to help
relieve the suffering, -
42:03 - 42:07it's with the sole purpose
that we would like the other person -
42:09 - 42:11to be relieved of their suffering,
-
42:11 - 42:12not because of us.
-
42:13 - 42:18If we find it difficult to be
with their suffering, we have to look, -
42:18 - 42:22why is it difficult to be
with the suffering of the other? -
42:23 - 42:24to understand,
-
42:26 - 42:28and to look after ourselves in a way
-
42:29 - 42:34that we can take care of our suffering,
-
42:35 - 42:38and then, maybe we're able
to be with their suffering. -
42:41 - 42:44At times, when we are
with somebody who suffers, -
42:45 - 42:47we just need to be with them.
-
42:47 - 42:49Just sitting next to them, breathing,
-
42:50 - 42:52not being overwhelmed by their suffering,
-
42:53 - 42:55not being carried away by their suffering.
-
42:56 - 42:59Maybe just an arm around their shoulders.
-
43:01 - 43:04Just to know that we are there for them.
-
43:04 - 43:05and that's all.
-
43:11 - 43:12Many years ago,
-
43:18 - 43:22I lived in a small center
with some other monastics, -
43:23 - 43:29and we had a neighbor,
and the wife was ill, she was dying. -
43:30 - 43:32Whenever he wanted to go shopping,
-
43:33 - 43:37he came to our door to ask
one of us to be with his wife. -
43:38 - 43:44So we would sit at her side
and breathe, and just be there. -
43:45 - 43:46Maybe hold her hand.
-
43:47 - 43:49Not really saying much.
-
43:53 - 43:55One day, he came again,
and he said: -
43:55 - 43:58"Sorry, I always come to ask one of you,
-
43:58 - 44:05because Lucie is so calm and peaceful
when one of you is there." -
44:06 - 44:10So I spoke to the other sister and said:
"What do you do?" -
44:10 - 44:13She said: "Nothing. I just sit there."
-
44:13 - 44:15I said: "So do I."
-
44:15 - 44:18And I asked her: "Are you afraid?"
and she said: "No." -
44:18 - 44:20I said: "Neither am I."
-
44:21 - 44:24So we could be with her fear.
We could just be there. -
44:26 - 44:27We didn't need to say much.
-
44:28 - 44:32And she was peaceful, and at ease.
-
44:36 - 44:38So, we don't always need words.
-
44:39 - 44:44Our true presence is already here,
and soothing. -
44:46 - 44:49Maybe we can enjoy a sound of the bell,
-
44:51 - 44:55and bring our mind home to our body,
-
44:56 - 44:58so we can make ourselves truly present
-
44:59 - 45:01especially present for ourselves,
-
45:05 - 45:09and maybe we don't need
to say anything to ourselves, -
45:10 - 45:12but just be there.
-
45:12 - 45:15Be with whatever is present in us.
-
45:25 - 45:33[gong]
-
46:04 - 46:05Boddhisatva
-
46:07 - 46:10As I was sitting here, I was saying,
"just be with the heat," -
46:10 - 46:12and then, "but look
at the people in front of me, -
46:12 - 46:14it's much hotter there."
-
46:15 - 46:18You're surrounded by 37°, many
-
46:18 - 46:20and I have a fan.
-
46:38 - 46:41One time, one of my sisters
came to share her suffering with me, -
46:41 - 46:42and I jumped into action,
-
46:43 - 46:46I came up with a number of solutions.
-
46:47 - 46:51She said: "But Sœur Dieu,
I just want you to listen to me." -
46:52 - 46:54I thought: "Oh yes, of course."
-
46:55 - 46:59That's all.
That's more precious than anything else, -
46:59 - 47:03my solutions are my solutions, not hers.
-
47:05 - 47:07So, let's imagine,
-
47:09 - 47:13that we're faced
with a difficult situation. -
47:18 - 47:21How would we like to be approached?
-
47:22 - 47:27What kind of action or non-action
would help us to embrace our suffering? -
47:29 - 47:32It could be a bigger or smaller suffering.
-
47:33 - 47:36Maybe it's something
that you can offer yourself. -
47:37 - 47:40So, maybe we'll just close our eyes
and have another sound of the bell, -
47:40 - 47:42and let's just go to ourselves,
-
47:44 - 47:49how would I like to be approached?
-
48:10 - 48:15[gong]
-
48:52 - 48:56As I said before, what came up for me
this time again, is the question, -
48:56 - 48:58do I understand you enough?
-
48:59 - 49:01Do I understand myself enough?
-
49:05 - 49:07What can I offer myself?
-
49:08 - 49:13The third aspect of True Love is Muditha,
it means joy. -
49:14 - 49:16Muditha, it means joy.
-
49:26 - 49:29Joy and happiness, born from letting go.
-
49:33 - 49:35Many small things can bring joy.
-
49:37 - 49:39Coming back to the present moment,
-
49:39 - 49:42we can nourish our joy
with the beauty around us, -
49:42 - 49:46we can nourish our joy with the presence
of our loved ones around us. -
49:51 - 49:54We feel the gratitude and the joy
of their presence in our lives. -
49:57 - 50:03And the joy that is an immeasurable mind,
-
50:04 - 50:08is the joy that is filled
with peace and contentment. -
50:08 - 50:10So it's not the joy that has excitement
-
50:11 - 50:13it is this peace and contentment.
-
50:16 - 50:19And we feel this joy for ourselves
and for others. -
50:22 - 50:24It's also the joy,
-
50:32 - 50:34when someone we love is happy,
-
50:34 - 50:37when someone we love
maybe went through a difficult time -
50:37 - 50:39and then is happy.
-
50:39 - 50:40We feel this joy for them.
-
50:41 - 50:42"I'm so happy for you."
-
50:43 - 50:45That kind of joy.
-
50:46 - 50:51We rejoice in the well-being of others,
that kind of joy. -
50:52 - 50:55In our daily life we'll see
there are more opportunities than we think -
50:57 - 51:01to have joy and to rejoice
in the happiness of others. -
51:13 - 51:19The last aspect of True Love is Upeksha.
-
51:20 - 51:21Upeksha.
-
51:25 - 51:27It means inclusiveness.
-
51:30 - 51:35It means "we love everyone equally."
-
51:41 - 51:46The ones we find easy to love and
the ones we find more difficult to love. -
51:50 - 51:54As I said, we have the potential
to do this already, right? -
51:55 - 51:57It needs to be watered,
-
51:57 - 52:01that seed needs to be watered
in order to manifest as a state of mind. -
52:02 - 52:04If, at the moment, we say:
-
52:04 - 52:08"To love everybody, to be inclusive,
I'm not there yet", -
52:09 - 52:13That's alright,
because we're still practising, -
52:14 - 52:15we're going in the direction.
-
52:18 - 52:25To love everyone equally
also stems from compassion. -
52:29 - 52:30How can we be compassionate
-
52:30 - 52:37to somebody who behaves in a way
that causes suffering to other people? -
52:44 - 52:49If we try to put ourselves
in the skin of that person, -
52:50 - 52:52and try to imagine,
-
52:56 - 53:01what was the kind of family
this person may have been born into? -
53:02 - 53:04What was the childhood like?
-
53:04 - 53:06What was their environment
when they grew up? -
53:08 - 53:10What were the people they interacted with?
-
53:13 - 53:15What kind of education did he have?
-
53:17 - 53:19The environment forms us,
-
53:20 - 53:22so what is the environment
they grew up with? -
53:22 - 53:26Was it an environment that was
full of understanding and love, -
53:26 - 53:29or was it an environment where
there was hatred and violence? -
53:30 - 53:31If there was hatred and violence,
-
53:32 - 53:36the seed of hatred and violence
was watered in them -
53:40 - 53:42The seeds of discrimination
was watered in them. -
53:44 - 53:47So, no wonder they are the way they are.
-
53:50 - 53:52If we can really put ourselves
in the skin of the other, -
53:54 - 53:57understand how they came
to be as they are, -
53:58 - 54:03then we can include them in our love.
-
54:06 - 54:08Because we have compassion.
-
54:10 - 54:14Compassion does not mean
that we condone the act, -
54:15 - 54:17what they did is not right,
-
54:19 - 54:22but we can understand
what brought them to that point -
54:24 - 54:31what kind of mental food did they get,
-
54:32 - 54:34to what were they exposed?
-
54:36 - 54:40Thay says: "If we were born
where they were born, -
54:41 - 54:42in the family, in their environment,
-
54:45 - 54:47we would do exactly the same."
-
54:48 - 54:50[alarm clock sounds]
-
54:51 - 54:52This is my alarm.
-
54:55 - 54:57We would do exactly the same.
-
54:58 - 55:00In the beginning I thought,
no, I won't. -
55:02 - 55:04And then I thought, ah!
-
55:08 - 55:12But that means, I'm not putting myself
in the skin of the other person. -
55:17 - 55:19I haven't looked deeply enough.
-
55:21 - 55:25And, there is compassion and there is pity
-
55:26 - 55:29Pity doesn't go anywhere,
-
55:30 - 55:36but compassion motivates us
to do something, to act. -
55:39 - 55:44Maybe that person who does something
to cause suffering to others -
55:44 - 55:47needs our help,
because there's a lack of understanding. -
55:47 - 55:50You do suffering to the others,
you're doing it to yourself. -
55:52 - 55:56If you think, causing suffering to
somebody else is bringing you happiness, -
55:56 - 55:57it's not.
-
55:59 - 56:02Maybe they don't know,
and we need to help them. -
56:02 - 56:05And that's our engagement,
and Thay is very engaged. -
56:07 - 56:10Thay has spoken to politicians,
to business people. -
56:13 - 56:16In many countries Thay has adressed issues
-
56:17 - 56:20that were happening in the country,
-
56:21 - 56:27in order to help the politicians
understand, and the people to understand -
56:29 - 56:30what we can do,
-
56:32 - 56:37and also what maybe
would be better not to do. -
56:44 - 56:53So, with compassion and understanding
how things come to be, -
56:54 - 56:57our love can become inclusive.
-
56:58 - 57:01Of course, as I said before,
-
57:03 - 57:09the foundation for that is,
can we include ourselves in this love? -
57:12 - 57:18With all our strengths and weaknesses,
can we do that? -
57:22 - 57:26So, practising and developing
these four immeasurable minds -
57:26 - 57:29is the best way to take care of ourselves
our loved ones, -
57:30 - 57:31and all other beings.
-
57:32 - 57:34So they're not a kind of tools
that we have, like, -
57:34 - 57:36"oh I think we need loving kindness here,"
-
57:36 - 57:38"oh, I think I need compassion,"
-
57:38 - 57:40"oh, I think I need joy,
or inclusiveness." -
57:41 - 57:42No.
-
57:43 - 57:50It is, developing these aspects of love
in ourselves -
57:51 - 57:58so that we can respond to life
from these aspects. -
58:04 - 58:08To bring these four aspects
of love to mind, every day, -
58:11 - 58:13to water the seeds, to remember
-
58:16 - 58:19that we can respond with loving kindness
-
58:21 - 58:25we can respond with joy
to the joy of others -
58:26 - 58:29we can respond with compassion
to the suffering, -
58:30 - 58:37we can respond with inclusiveness
to all beings, including Mother Earth. -
58:48 - 58:50They become a state of mind.
-
58:50 - 58:53And when we bring them to mind often,
the Buddha said: -
58:53 - 59:00"Whatever we think about, or ponder upon,
becomes the inclination of our mind. -
59:01 - 59:04Becomes the way we respond to life."
-
59:05 - 59:08So we may like to look, how do we
respond to life right now? -
59:09 - 59:14Is it with fear? Is it with worries?
-
59:15 - 59:20Is it with anger?
Is it with love? -
59:20 - 59:22How do we respond to life?
-
59:24 - 59:28Just to know and say:
"Ok, this is where I stand now. -
59:29 - 59:32Practising the Four Immeasurable Minds,
-
59:32 - 59:37I go in the direction of responding
to life with True Love. -
59:39 - 59:45It's not only to life,
but also to individuals, -
59:46 - 59:48the person who's right next to me,
next to us, -
59:49 - 59:52the person we hope
to spend our whole life with, -
59:52 - 59:55can we have this mind of love
towards them? -
59:56 - 60:06This True Love, that is not centered
on just ourselves. -
60:11 - 60:18Instead of our love being like a cage,
robbing our loved one of their freedom, -
60:19 - 60:23our love is wide
and embraces all aspects of them. -
60:27 - 60:31Maybe we can think of our loved one as...
-
60:31 - 60:34a nice breeze that you hopefully
will experience soon -
60:37 - 60:43If we want to catch the breeze
and consider it our own, -
60:44 - 60:46it's like putting the little breeze
in a little cage, -
60:46 - 60:49and what happens
when you put it in a little cage... -
60:51 - 60:51it dies.
-
60:52 - 60:56In fact, I reflected on this,
if we love like that, -
60:57 - 61:02then the things we love in the other
person, will no longer be there. -
61:05 - 61:07as you will stop loving her
very, very soon. -
61:08 - 61:10We will stop loving them very, very soon.
-
61:12 - 61:17So, let's infuse our minds
with these four aspects of love, -
61:18 - 61:22so that we can love, and be loved
-
61:22 - 61:25and offer True Love
to ourselves and others. -
61:26 - 61:27And now I'm going to offer you
-
61:30 - 61:32a nice breeze outside.
-
61:32 - 61:36Thank you for being there,
free as the breeze. -
61:38 - 61:40Happy continuation on your path,
-
61:42 - 61:45may every step bring you
peace and happiness, -
61:47 - 61:51and remember, smile,
breathe when you look deeply, -
61:52 - 61:53and enjoy every step you take.
-
61:54 - 61:56Thank you very much.
-
62:07 - 62:15[gong]
-
62:37 - 62:47[gong]
-
63:05 - 63:16[gong]
- Title:
- 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem
- Description:
-
You can support us by:
- donating: https://plumvillage.org/support
- helping to caption & translate: https://amara.org/en/profiles/videos/plumvillage/ or http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UCcv7KJIAsiddB2YRegvrF7g - Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 01:03:47
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem | ||
Margriet Naber edited English subtitles for 2018 07 26 DT by sr Dieu Nghiem |