Let Understanding Be Your Only Career | Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

[ Sound of the bell ]

Today is November 22, 2012,

and we are at the
Assembly of Stars meditation hall,

Dharma Nectar Temple, Lower Hamlet
during the Winter Retreat 2012-2013.

Thầy would like to remind everyone that
during walking meditation this morning,

the monks, nuns, and lay friends should
remember to bring their sitting mats.

Anyone who does not have a sitting mat

can bring something else to sit on.

There are also sitting mats available
in the bookshop if you need.

This morning Thầy reminded Upper Hamlet,
so Upper Hamlet will surely bring theirs.

In the past few weeks, we have been learning about Right View.

"Chánh kiến."
[ 正 見 ]

We will always be learning about Right View.

Right View is a correct understanding, an exact understanding.

In English, we usually translate it as Right View.

The French scholar, Louis de la Vallée-Poussin,
translated it as la bonne vue.

Good view.

But now it is translated as
"La vue juste" (Right View).

We know that Right View is an insight into truth.

We know that there are two levels of truths,

two realms of truth.

The first level is conventional truth,

and the second is ultimate truth.

One side is conventional truth,
and the other is ultimate truth.

So when the Buddha said that right view is

the view that transcends
the notions of being and non-being,

he was speaking about right view in
accordance with the ultimate truth.

This doesn't mean that when we say there is
birth and death, being and non-being,

cause and effect, me and you
that we are not speaking the truth.

That is also the truth, but it is the
relative truth, the conventional truth,

where there is you and me,

where brother Minh Niệm and brother
Pháp Niệm are two different people.

Right view,

is insight (tuệ 慧),

"Tuệ" is a kind of insight.

This insight is a direct insight.

A direct insight, an intuition that does not
need to go through reasoning or thinking.

We experience it directly. A direct insight

We know that this direct insight is a
kind of enlightenment, an awakening.

This enlightenment happens when we have
enough concentration and mindfulness.

Mindfulness and concentration leads to insight.

"Tuệ" is translated as insight.
So, insight is also called right view.

Although it's a different word, it has the same meaning.

For a practitioner, insight is the most important,

it is what we seek day and night.

The career of a practitioner is insight.

"Sự nghiệp" means career.

So, in the sutras, it is often said that
insight is the career of a practitioner.

First is the Sutra of the
Eight Realizations of the Great Beings,

which includes the phrase "Duy tuệ thị nghiệp".

Duy tuệ thị nghiệp
[ 惟 慧 是 業 ]

"Nghiệp" means our career,

our life's work.

We pursue it, we build a career out of it.

In English it's "career."

And this career only involves insight,

To take awakening to be our only career,

and not other projects or goals.

In the world, they may chase after fame:

"Having built a reputation in the world,

One must have a name among the
mountains and rivers"

Fame is a kind of career.

Wealth is a kind of career.

The career of businessmen or businesswomen
is to have a vast fortune.

And for generals, their career
is a glorious victory.

But the career of a practitioner is insight.

"Duy tuệ thị nghiệp" means only
understanding—insight—is my career,

Other than that, we do not look for anything else.

Because insight brings true
freedom, liberation, and happiness.

"Duy tuệ thị nghiệp."
Insight as my only career.

In the past, the Van Hanh University in Vietnam,

which Thầy initially helped to establish,

used these four words as its motto:
"Duy tuệ thị nghiệp."

"Tuệ 慧" is insight, is right view.

We know that when we have right view,

all our thinking

becomes right thinking.

"Chánh tư duy 正 思 惟,"
Right thinking.

Right thinking is the kind of thinking
that leads to insight,

to understanding and love,

helping us to let go of discrimination,

complexes, worries, and fears.

That's right thinking.

Thinking has two parts:

the first is tầm [ 尋 ]

and the second is từ [ 伺 ].

Tầm is vitarka,
and từ is vicāra.

In our mind,

there are notions.

When we come into contact with something,

seeds arise.

When our eyes are in contact with forms,
our ears are in contact with sounds,

our mind is in contact with the
objects of the mind, or phenomena,

and our nose is in contact with scents,
this contact gives rise to a notion.

Notions. Ideas.

This is called perception,
"tưởng 想 ,"

in Sanskrit samjñā.

Perceptions are like tiny particles,

there are many of them, like dust particles,
and together they make up our thinking.

When there is contact,

when the eyes come in contact with forms, it gives rise to a perception.

When the ears come in contact with sounds, it gives rise to a perception.

When our body comes in contact with tactile
stimulations, it gives rise to a perception.

These are notions.
Perceptions.

They are like the atoms that combine
to form different substances.

Our thinking is the same.

Our thinking, our initial and discursive thinking.

"Tầm," or initial thought,

is when we begin to gather the notions, the perceptions,

much like atoms coming together to form matter.

This is a way to make it easier to understand.

In terms of matter, it begins with
the smallest units like atoms.

In terms of mind, it begins with
the smallest units like notions.

These notions, these perceptions,
arise from contact.

Contact between the six sense organs
and the six sense objects create notions,

just like atoms coming together
to form matter.

When atoms combine, they form different types of matter,

like coal, water, oil, or food.

So atoms combine to form matter.

And here, notions combine to form thoughts.

These thoughts are initial and discursive thought.

Initial thought is similar to atoms bonding to form molecules.

Molecules are

combinations of atoms.

As the combination of notions progresses,

it becomes discursive thinking.

Discursive thinking is a bit more discriminating, investigating.

An example of initial and discursive thinking
is of a flower being visited by a bee.

When the bee visits the flower, landing on the flower,

that is initial thought.

The thinking starts.
In English it is called initial thought.

Initial thought.

When notions come together, like molecules forming.

Over here is a molecule,

atoms coming together to form a molecule.

Over here, perceptions combine,

notions combine to form initial thought.

Initial thinking.

These notions combine to form initial thinking,

and when it goes deeper,

there is differentiating, comparing, predicting,

so this is called prolonged thinking, discursive thinking.

Many molecules coming together form matter,

like cells, tissues.

Here too.

At first, when the butterfly lands on the flower,

that is just initial thought.

The thinking is still in its initial stage,

without differentiation, comparison,
cross-examination, reflection.

When the bee goes in and out,

examining the flower to see how to extract pollen,

that is discursive thinking, prolonged thinking.

So thinking has two parts:
initial thinking and discursive thinking.

Here, we have samjñā, notions.

These notions arise from the contact between
the six sense organs and the six sense objects.

So, in our mind, there are always atoms—

Imagine our mind is also made of tiny particles.

These particles are notions.

When these notions come together,
they become initial thinking,

and when it goes deeper into comparing,

estimating, imagining,
it is called discursive thinking.

On one side is matter, on the other side is mind.

Matter is also made of tiny atoms, tiny particles.

And mind is also made of tiny particles,

but these particles are notions (samjñā).

Imagine in each moment,

the countless notions that mind produces.

These notions often arise from
contact and feeling.

Contact (sparśa)

is the interaction between the six
sense organs and the six sense objects.

That is contact (sparśa).

And that contact gives rise to notions.

This contact gives rise to other things, like feelings.

When contact happens,
it leads to feelings (vedanā).

And contact and feeling
give rise to notions (samjñā).

Contact can also draw our attention.

Normally, we wouldn't pay attention to it,

because there's nothing attractive about it.

But suddenly contact happens.

There's something a bit strange or special,
so we pay attention to it,

this attention is called "tác ý" (manaskāra),
meaning you pay attention to it.

This attention is called manaskāra.

For example, we are lost in thought

and suddenly we hear the sound of a bell.

Contact happens between our ear and the bell sound,

and suddenly, we stop thinking,
we pay attention to the sound of the bell.

Having paid attention to the sound of
the bell, we let go of all our thinking.

We begin to focus on our
in-breath and out-breath,

and re-establish our body and mind
in the present moment.

This kind of attention is called "như lý tác ý"

It's "yoniso manaskāra,"
appropriate attention.

It's a very good kind of attention.

So whenever we hear birds singing,
pines rustling, flowers blooming,

or see a friend doing walking meditation,
we pay attention to these things,

it is very good.
That's appropriate attention.

But when we pay attention to things that
disturb our mind, that pull us away,

like when we chase after a particular image or sound

that makes us lose our self-control,

makes us angry, sad, burdened or fearful,

that attention is called inappropriate attention (ayoniso manaskāra).

Yoniso manaskāra is
appropriate attention,

and ayoniso manaskāra is
inappropriate attention.

"Như lý tác ý"
Appropriate attention.

"Phi như lý tác ý"
Inappropriate attention.

So as practitioners we must practice appropriate attention,

so as not to be swept away by things
that are not beneficial for our practice,

or to be pulled away by inappropriate attention.

Initially, we have notions that arise from contact,

from attention, and from feelings.

These notions come together to form
initial thinking and discursive thinking.

And we may arrive at a decision,
which is volition, "tư" 思.

We decide to follow it,

to take hold of it,

or to let go of it.

So that is cetanā, or volition, the desire.

If the attention, perception, and feeling
should lead to thinking,

then depending on whether that thinking
is right thinking or wrong thinking

that will define the kind of reaction we have.

For example,

when we hear, see, or touch something
that is not to our liking,

we get very upset or angry.

First, we want to ignore it,
second, we want to run away from it

or we may want to punish.

Ignoring, running away, punishing,
getting mad, that is volition.

"Volition" means our desire to do
something in retaliation,

whether by chasing after it or
punishing, clinging to it.

With mindfulness, concentration, and
insight intervening,

we will have a different attitude.

That person may say something
unkind or do something unkind,

but if we can see and understand,

we will not have the intention to punish,
to leave, or to seek revenge;

instead, we would want to say or do something
to help the other person suffer less.

That is also volition.

"Tư".

This is also volition.

This is contact, this is feeling, this is notion,

perception, this is attention, this is volition.

These are mental seeds, the initial mental seeds.

These mental seeds are always
present at any moment of daily life.

[The sound of the bell ]

In Plum Village, we are taught that
in sitting or walking meditation,

we should stop our thinking.

Because our usual thinking
tends to be wrong thinking,

meaning the thinking happens
in a state of dispersion.

This kind of thinking pulls us
away from the present moment,

dragging us into the past, into the future,
and creating anxiety and fear.

As a result, we are unable to live the wonderful
moments and touch the wonders of life.

So, while doing sitting or
walking meditation,

a practitioner should learn to stop the thinking.

Right thinking or wrong thinking,
we just stop the thinking.

From time to time, we need to think,

but often our thinking is wrong thinking.

We think about this, we think about that,
we think until our head spins,

and that is wrong thinking.

Stopping the wrong thinking so that we
can learn how to engage in right thinking.

So, when we practice walking meditation,

whether alone or with the community,

we must practice not only stop the talking,

but also to stop thinking.

After every morning practice session, we read the phrase:

"The Earth is holding us up with each step,

let us stop the thinking so we can
touch the wonders of life."

Now we should add: "Let us stop the thinking
so we can touch life more deeply."

Even if we don't talk but we are thinking non-stop

we are not truly present to touch life.

So, not only do we stop talking,
but we must also stop the thinking,

which means neither initial
nor discursive thinking.

No initial and discursive thinking is already
the second stage of meditation (the second dhyāna).

The first dhyāna still has thinking, but in the
second dhyāna, there is no more thinking.

So you should enter the second dhyāna
and stop the thinking.

In France, there was a philosopher
named René Descartes.

He discovered a truth

which he was very excited about and
considered it a mathematical formula.

He said: I think, therefore I am.

I think, therefore I am.

Je pense, donc je suis.

I think, therefore I am.

If we examine it closely,
we see it is not quite true.

Because when we think,

our thoughts pull us into the past,
into the future, into worries,

we are not truly there to live our life
in the present moment.

Descartes wanted to prove that if
there is thinking, there must be a thinker.

So, if thinking is happening,
there must be a thinker.

If there is the act of thinking,
there must be "I" that thinks.

Because there is thinking happening,
it must prove that there is a self, an "I".

This is very contrary to the
teachings of Buddhism.

In Buddhism, we learn that there are only thoughts,
but no thinker.

Il n'y a que la pensée, il n’y a pas de penseur.

Thought without thinker.

There are thoughts, but there is no thinker.

This is the Buddha's teaching, and it is
something that is very difficult to accept.

In the past, Thầy saw a cartoon depicting

Descartes in his philosopher's robe.

He was raising his finger, reciting his famous saying.

Je pense, donc je suis.

I think, therefore I am.

Behind him was a horse,

raising its head and asking,
"You are what?"

I think, therefore I am.

You are what?

The horse said, "You are what?"

The answer is very clear:

I think, therefore I am only in my thinking.

When we think, we are those thoughts.

If those thoughts have nothing to do
with reality, if they go in circles,

then we are also going in circles.

So in sitting meditation,
we go in circles,

and when we go to work,
we go in circles.

So, if we truly want to be present,

first we must practice to stop our thinking.

Si vous voulez être là,
il faut arrêter votre pensée.

This is the opposite of Descartes' idea.

Soto Zen is like that.

In Soto-Zen, no thinking.

No thinking is the essence of Zen.

Phi tư duy thị thiền chỉ yếu giả.
No thinking is the essence of Zen.

Phi tư lương thị thiền chỉ yếu giả.
[ 非 思 量 是 禪 之 要 也 ]

This saying is from Soto Zen.

"Phi tư duy," no thinking.

That is the essential of Zen.

If we can stop the thinking, we enter the second dhyāna.

In the first dhyāna, there is still thinking,

but in the second dhyāna, there is no more thinking,

there is only the breath and the steps.

In walking meditation, there is only
the breath and the steps,

and in sitting meditation, there is only
the breath and our sitting posture.

We are in the second dhyāna.

If our mind is continuously thinking,

we can't get much done.
We can't practice.

It's like having a radio station
that's always broadcasting,

commentating on this and that,
never stopping.

It's like a beehive with bees
buzzing all day and night.

How can we turn it off?

Is there a button to press to stop the thinking?

It's like a swarm of frogs jumping around wildly.

Our mind is always like that.

That is wrong thinking.

So we must find a button
that we can press to stop.

And there is such a button,

it is the breath and the steps.

We focus on the breath and the steps,

only focus on the breath and the steps,

and the thinking stops.

Put all our attention on the breath,

put all our attention on the steps,
and naturally the thinking stops.

That is what we must do in sitting meditation.

This is the first thing we must do.

We can go much further in sitting meditation,
but first, we make use of the breath,

the steps, our posture,

focus only on these things,
and the thinking naturally stops.

So we should remember that when
we practice walking meditation,

we not only stop the talking,
but also the internal discourse.

We may stop the verbal discourse,

but we allow the internal discourse to continue.

Mental discourse.

We must stop the mental discourse.

Stop the two discourses, the external discourse and
the constant internal discourse,

and start living,
touching the wonders of the universe.

So, when you come to Plum Village for a week,

you must make good use of your time.

Each step should allow you to
touch the wonders of life,

so that you can nourish and heal yourself,

and to get insight.

Getting insight does not come from thinking.

We tend to believe that thinking leads to insight,

but most of our thinking is wrong thinking.

So not only do we not have insight, we have more confusion,

confusion in our minds.

We have to use our intelligence to practice.

We have two feet.

Two feet that can take wonderful steps.

As for Thầy, Thầy has created
some practices for himself.

For example, when Thầy breathes in,
Thầy takes three steps,

and Thầy says “Every step.”
"Mỗi bước chân."

That is when breathing in.

And when breathing out, Thầy says “is a miracle.”

"Mỗi bước chân là phép lạ."
Every step is a miracle.

So the in-breath goes with three steps
and the words "every step,"

and the out-breath,
three steps and "is a miracle."

This is not thinking.

These are meditation phrases to remind us,

like the sound of a bell,

or a practice gatha that reminds us

to come back to the present moment,
to help us to stop the thinking.

These practices can help to stop the thinking;
they are not thinking themselves.

So, with each step,

we are aware of each step, all three of them.

Breathing out we say, is a miracle.

What is the miracle?

We must see that each step is a miracle.

We are still alive,

with two legs to walk and two lungs to breathe;

that is already a miracle,
a kind of miracle.

We know that the miracle is to walk on earth.

We don't need to walk on clouds
for it to be a miracle.

Walking with awareness that we are still alive,
walking on this beautiful planet,

that is already enlightenment.

Most people on this earth walk as if
they are being chased by ghosts.

Sleepwalkers.

They walk as if in a dream, in forgetfulness.

But for us, each step is taken
in mindfulness, in awakening,

and we are in touch with the wonders of life, with the miracles.

That is a kind of miracle that we are performing,

the miracle of walking on earth.

All it takes is mindfulness,
remembering that we are alive,

that we are truly present.

To truly be, and not in the way
Descartes described.

And we are walking very relaxingly, very peacefully.

That is already a kind of a miracle.

Anyone can do this:
making each step a miracle.

We see that the sun is a wonder,

the sunlight is a wonder,

and we are in touch with that sunlight.

The trees, the mist are very beautiful.

But thinking makes us lose touch
with everything.

So when we stop thinking,
we reclaim everything again.

So no thinking is wonderful;
we begin to live truly and deeply.

Every step is a miracle.

Thầy finds that when breathing out,

the number of steps is always
more than when breathing in.

So when Thầy breathes in, Thầy takes 3 steps,

and when breathing out, Thầy takes 5 steps.

"Is a miracle,"

and Thầy repeats "a miracle" again to make it five words.

"Every step/ Is a miracle, a miracle."

And walking 3 or 4 times like that,

Thầy really sees that he is performing
a miracle. It is truly wonderful.

We are practicing what Zen Master Linji said:
"The miracle is to walk on earth."

So we are performing a miracle.

We can perform miracles.

If we see clearly that we have a body,

and we are are taking mindful steps,

we are touching the wonders of life.

That is a miracle that anyone can perform.

"Every step/ Is a miracle, a miracle."

Enjoy each step deeply.

And then you can move on to another line,

"Mỗi bước chân là nuôi dưỡng"
Every step is nourishing,

Is nourishing, is nourishing.

All the wonders of the universe, like fresh air,

like sunlight, like green trees,
all have a nourishing effect.

And here we are more or less sick,

and what we are seeking is a way to heal,

healing for the mind as well as the body.

And so, walking meditation is
a very good way to heal.

Every step / is a miracle, a miracle

Every step/ is nourishing, nourishing.

If we want to heal,
we need to be nourished,

and all the nourishing elements are there,
only we are unable to touch them.

So, with each step we must touch the wonders
of the universe to get the nourishment.

When we feel that each step has
that quality of nourishment,

we are being nourished and
healing begins to take place.

Where there is nourishment, there is healing.

"Mỗi bước chân là phép lạ, phép lạ"
Every step / is a miracle, a miracle

"Mỗi bước chân là nuôi dưỡng, nuôi dưỡng"
Every step/ is nourishing, nourishing.

Vietnamese, like Chinese, is a monosyllabic language,

so breaking it down into individual words is very easy.

English and French are a bit more difficult,

but it can still be done.

Every step is a miracle

Every step is a miracle, miracle.

It's works. Why not?
It's like when we sing.

Every step is nourishing, nourishing.

Every step is healing.

Every step is healing, healing.

It's healing, healing.

And don't just mouth the words;
we must have healing right at that moment.

During walking meditation, the healing
and nourishment must take place.

So we don't want to ruin it by talking, or thinking.

Because talking and thinking will take away
the chance for nourishment and healing.

So, from the residence to the meditation hall,

we walk in such a way that
each step is a miracle,

is happiness, is nourishment, is healing.

If we want, we can practice
each phrase many times.

Every step has the capacity to heal and to nourish.

Every step can be a miracle.

Every step is relaxation.

"Mỗi bước chân là thảnh thơi"
Every step is freedom.

A practitioner must be free.

If we are burdened, we cannot
be a true practitioner.

"Thảnh thơi" means freedom.

Every step is freedom, freedom.

While walking like that, we are truly free.

The newly ordained novice goes,
“I feel so free, so free."

"No one can catch me anymore.”

Every step is freedom, freedom.

There's a lot of happiness while walking like that,

because we are truly free.

Only when we are free can we be in touch.

And only by being in touch can we
be healed and nourished.

So just practice according to those four phrases.

And you don't need to copy Thầy,
you can make up your own phrase.

In the sutras, there are so many
beautiful phrases, for example:

Every step brings me to
the Pure Land, the Pure Land.

The Pure Land is here and now.

Every look reveals
the Dharma body, the Dharma body.

When the six senses touch the
six sense objects, six sense objects

We are aware, diligently we guard our mind, guard our mind.

You can practice with any sutra.

Chants like "Taking refuge in Amitabha,
In the wonderful ultimate dimension"

can be used for walking meditation.

For sitting meditation, instead of
"Every step," we say "Every breath."

"Every breath is a miracle."

Because we are still alive, still
breathing in and out, which is a rare thing.

There will come a time when we
take our last breath,

and even if we wanted to take one more
breath, we wouldn't be able to.

Every breath / is a miracle, a miracle

Every breath / is nourishment, nourishment.

Every breath / is healing, healing.

Every breath / is freedom, freedom.

Entering sitting meditation, once we
calm the body, the breath, the mind,

we begin to experience the
joy of meditation, or Dharma joy.

"Pháp lạc" is the joy of meditation,
it's a kind of nourishment

The joy of meditation is the food for meditators.

"Thiền duyệt" is the joy of meditation.

"Thiền duyệt vi thực" is the happiness we
produce as we practice meditation,

and it's our daily food.

"Thiền duyệt vi thực."
The joy of meditation is daily food.

The joy of meditation as daily food,

means taking the joy of meditation
practice to be our daily food.

This food nourishes us and heals us.

If Thầy, the nuns, monks, or lay friends

come up with such phrases to practice,

and if you find them effective, then
please share them with the community,

and we can include them in the Chanting Book

so that our treasury of practice
grows and deepens.

Everyone has the right to
come up with new gathas,

new meditation phrases to practice.
You don't have to copy Thầy or anyone else.

At first, you can use Thầy's
for the time being,

and later, as you progress in the practice,
you can create your own practice gathas.

If you find happiness and success in
doing so, share it with others.

Add them to the Chanting Book
for future generations.

So how can we ensure that our walking
meditation sessions are not wasted.

Each walking session brings us relaxation,
nourishment, and healing, so why aren't we going?

The same applies to sitting meditation;

if we know how, and if we really want
freedom, healing, and nourishment,

we wouldn't feel sleepy.

We would feel that we really need the sitting,

we really need the walking.

Today, we continue the story of Chanda.

The Chanda Sutra.

The monk Chanda sought out Ānanda.

The venerable Ānanda was in the country of Kosambi.

Chanda traveled for many days to get there.

Upon arrival, he complained to Ānanda:

Now that the Buddha has passed away,

I have no refuge.

I've sought out the senior monks

and I've been to the Deer Park.

The teachers taught me the three Dharma seals:

"all formations are impermanent, all dharmas are without self,

nirvāṇa is peace."

The teachers repeated these over and over,
and I've memorized them, but I am not satisfied.

I do not know

how can I truly see and understand the Dharma,

rather than just hearing these Dharma seals and thinking that is enough.

Now, please teach me.

I thought that if the teachers at
Deer Park could not teach me,

then I must go find the venerable Ānanda.

Ānanda said: I am very happy,

because you are a very sincere person.

If you do not understand,
you say you do not understand.

There are people who do not understand
but do not admit that they do not understand.

This means you have the capacity to
understand, so I will teach you.

When Chanda heard that he was very pleased.

It was the first time a great elder,

a close disciple of the Buddha,

praised him for having the
capacity to understand

the profound teachings of the Buddha,

so it instilled great faith and enthusiasm in him.

This has been translated into Vietnamese, French, and English,

so if you have it, please bring it out to read.

Then Ananda said to Chanda:

“Good, Chanda! I am glad.

I am happy for you that you are able

to stand before a practitioner of the holy life
and not hide what is in your heart,

with the desire of putting an end to
the obstacles of doubt in your mind."

Meaning, if you have doubts,

things you do not understand,

and you dare to express your doubts
and lack of understanding.

"Chanda! Ordinary people (people in the world who do not practice)

ignorant worldly people are not able to
understand that form is impermanent,

and feelings, perceptions, mental formations,
and consciousness are also impermanent.

They do not know that
all formations are impermanent,

all objects of mind are
without a separate self,

and Nirvāṇa is peace, security
and the silence of concepts.

Now that you have the capacity to receive
the deep and wonderful teachings,

listen carefully and I shall instruct you.”

Then Chanda thought: “I am happy.

I feel a wonderful state of mind,

because I know that now I am able to receive
the Dharma that is deep and lovely.”

Then Ananda said to Chanda:

“I myself heard the Buddha give the following
teaching to the Venerable Mahakātyāyana:

People in the world are normally
caught in one of two extremes

the view of being and the view of non-being.

Right view.

Since worldly people are caught in these two objects of perception,

People in the world are caught in the realms of perception,

their minds are bound.

[In this sutra, we should cross out the word "một người," it shouldn't be here]

Since worldly people are caught in these two objects of perception,

[cross out the word ... you don't have the sutra? Ah, that's good.

Give Thầy a pen so Thầy can cross it out.

We haven't passed them out?

Next time we'll have the Chanda Sutra.]

It means when the six senses come into
contact with the six sense objects,

a realm appears, which is the object of perception.

When the six senses contact the six sense
objects, there are six forms of perceptions,

and we get caught in those perceptions.

Since worldly people are caught in these two
objects of perception, their minds are bound.

Being bound means being attached to their likes and dislikes,

to craving or aversion,

to grasping or running away.

If someone does not accept, does not grasp,

does not stand firm in these perceptions,

does not compare and measure a
separate self that they are then caught in,

then they will see that when the causes are
sufficient for suffering to arise, suffering arises.

and when the causes are no longer
sufficient, suffering ceases.

This sentence means that

when the six sense organs come into
contact with the six sense objects

and perception arises,

we can get caught in that perception.

To be caught in a perception

is called grasping, thủ 取.

La prise.

Grasping.
To be caught is grasping.

When we are caught and remain there,
it is called dwelling, trú 住.

Initially, there is contact, xúc 觸,

and then we get caught in the object of that contact

and we get stuck there,

so if there is no contact, no grasping, no dwelling, and no measuring—

no measuring, kế 計, means
not comparing with a self—

then we can see the truth.

What Chanda wanted to say was,

"I heard those three sentences and I wasn't
happy because I couldn't understand."

I was told that all things are
impermanent, empty, and without a self,

and when one can understand emptiness,

when one can let go of the self,

one can see and understand the Dharma.

But if there is no self,

who is the one that sees the Dharma,
that understands the Dharma?

So, I still have not understood what is non-self,

what is emptiness, what is nirvāṇa.

Because nirvāṇa means emptiness,

the cessation of all craving and attachment.

The Buddha taught Venerable Kaccayana that

for people in the world, when the six sense organs
come into contact with the six sense objects,

perceptions arise.

and we can be caught in these perceptions
and remain in them, unable to get out.

We cling to the idea that there is a self

who is perceiving,

who has these perceptions.

That is why we cannot see and
understand the Dharma.

But there is no need for a self.

In here, there is no need for a self,

yet there is still contact, dwelling, grasping happening.

It's like saying there are only thoughts, but no thinker.

Il n'y a que la pensée, il n’y a pas de penseur.

There is action, but no actor.

There is action, tác nghiệp 作業,

but there is no actor, tác giả 作者.

There is feeling, thọ 受,

but there is no feeler, thọ giả 受者.

There is feeling, but there is no feeler.

[Please give Thầy the sutra book.]

There is feeling, but no feeler.

There is thinking,

There is thinking,

but there is no thinker.

This is very important. There is no need
for a self for these things to happen.

For example, when we speak about rain,

we often say "The rain falls."

and for wind, we say "the wind blows."

We imagine there is a subject,

an actor,

and actor and an action

that are separate entities.

Outside of the actor, there is action;

outside of action, there is an actor.

When we say "I think," outside of the "think" there is an "I."

If there is no "I," how can there be "thinking?"

So that was what Chanda was questioning.

If there is no self, how can there be thinking?

If there is no self, who is it that sees and understands the Dharma?

Who is it that enters nirvāṇa?

That was the question, which Ānanda understood,
so he said there is no need for an "I."

Is "rain" and "fall" two different things?

Is it possible to have rain that does not fall?

If rain does not fall, it can't be rain, right?

So we take the fall out of the rain.

You cannot take the actor out of the action.

The rain is the falling.

The flower is the blooming.

The cloud is the floating, the rain is the falling,
the wind is the blowing.

Wind, of course, must blow.

If the wind does not blow, it's just air,
it's not wind. Right?

So, the "blowing" is inherent in the "wind."

The actor and the action are one.

Imagine the wind as this book,

and there's a wind god behind it blowing.

That can't be.
There's no need for a wind god.

There is no god behind the wind.

Only the wind is needed, not a wind god.

So, only thinking is needed, not a thinker.

There is only action, no need for an actor.

This is the essence of the Buddha's teaching, non-self.

Insight—right view—is first the
insight of impermanence.

Impermanence leads to non-self.

What is self?
Self is something that lasts forever.

It always stays the same.

If a child had a self,

then the child would always remain a child.

The child could never become an adult,
could never grow old.

But thanks to non-self,
the child can become an adult.

Without non-self, without impermanence,

how could a child ever become
a beautiful young woman?

The child would forever remain a child.

Without non-self and impermanence,

a seed of corn would always remain a seed of
corn, it can never become a plant of corn.

So, impermanence is something wonderful,
not something dreadful.

Thanks to impermanence, life is possible;

and if something is impermanent,
it is also non-self.

The self is something that remains itself, it is self nature.

We learned this last time.
Self nature (tự tánh, svabhāva).

A baby does not have self nature.
And that is not bad news either.

If a baby had self nature,

how could the it possibly become
a young woman or a young man?

So, non-self is something really wonderful.

Not having a self nature means there is
nothing permanent and unchanging.

But self is something permanent and unchanging.

And if something is impermanent,
it must also be non-self.

If you have accepted impermanence as a truth,

then you must also accept no-self, inevitably.

Because self is something permanent,
it always remains the same.

Now, science has accepted impermanence,

and sooner or later science will
certainly have to accept no-self.

Recent scientific discoveries are beginning
to show that no-self is a truth.

For example, our brain consists of billions of neurons,

and none of them are in control, issuing commands,

but they relate and communicate with each other.

When a thought or feeling arises,

it is the result of all the neurons working together,

not because there is a boss saying
you must generate a thought,

you must generate a feeling,
you must do this or that.

Neuroscientists

say that our brain is like an orchestra.

All are playing an instrument,
but there is no conductor.

No maestro.
No one holding a baton

No need for brother Pháp Linh.

An orchestra without a conductor,

without a boss.

Our body is the same.
Our body is made up of countless cells,

yet no cell claims to be the president,

the leader of all others,
and all must follow.

These are clear manifestations of
impermanence and non-self.

Scientific discoveries affirm the truth of
impermanence and non-self,

but the question is whether we can apply

the insight of impermanence and non-self
in our daily lives so we can suffer less?

If reality is impermanent and without a self,

but we keep thinking it is permanent and
has a self, then we suffer,

and that is called delusion.

So it is not about making declarations,

but whether we can apply that insight.

We can see right away that it doesn't make sense.

Rain. Now that there is rain, it must fall.

If it doesn't fall, it cannot be called rain.

Wind. Now the wind must blow.

Wind is already blowing;
if it doesn't blow, there's no wind.

So, the presence of rain is the action of falling.

The presence of wind is the action of blowing.

The presence of the table is the
function of the table.

We have learned in the 44 Paramārtha Gāthās of Asanga:

Things have no function,

Their existence is their function.

Things have no function.
Their existence is their function.

Just like in Chinese philosophy, they say,

“The king kings, the subject subjects,
the father fathers, and the son sons."

The father,

fathers.

Here is a verb (fathers),
here is a noun, the subject (father).

The subject and the verb are one.

The actor and the action are one.

If a father does not father,
he cannot be a father.

Being a father is already an action.

"Quân quân thần thần phụ phụ tử tử"

means the king must truly be a king.

There is no need to do anything else, just be a king.

A subject must truly be a subject,

a father must truly be a father,

and a child must truly be a child.

They don't need to be anything else and
there will be peace in the world.

"Quân quân" means the king kings,

"thần thần" means the subject subjects,

the father fathers, and child childs.

Our presence is our action.

So, every noun is a also verb.

So there is no need for a subject that
lies outside of the verb.

There is no need for an actor that
lies outside of the action.

This is what Ānanda wanted to teach Chanda.

Chanda thought that a self is needed in order

to be free from rebirth and enter nirvāṇa.

If there is no self, then who is free
from rebirth, who enters nirvāṇa?

If there is no self, then who sees,
who hears, who practices,

who is the actor and who receives
the fruit of action?

If there is no self, who sees and
understands the Dharma?

So, he couldn't understand what the teachers at Deer Park said,

that all formations are impermanent, all phenomena
are non-self, and nirvāṇa is peace.

This is what Ānanda taught:

If a person, while in contact, does not get caught in the contact,

does not not remain caught in the contact,

and does not see the need for a self in the contact,

then that person begins to see the truth,
begins to see and understand the Dharma.

That person sees that when conditions
are sufficient, things manifest.

And when conditions are no longer
sufficient, those things cease to exist.

There is no need for a self to play any role in this.

In this sutra the example is,

when the conditions are sufficient for
suffering to arise, suffering arises,

and when the conditions are sufficient for
suffering to cease, suffering ceases.

There is no need for a self to initiate

the arising or ending of suffering.

This is the most difficult passage in
the Discourse on the Middle Way.

Now, let's read it again.

Since worldly people are caught in the objects of perception,

their minds are bound.

If someone does not accept, does not grasp,

does not stand firm in these perceptions,

does not compare and measure a separate
self that they are then caught in,

then they will see that when the conditions are
sufficient for suffering to arise, suffering arises,

and when the causes are no longer
sufficient, suffering ceases.

(Thầy added a sentence to
make it easier to understand)

And in that, there is no need for a self,

and notions of being and non-being cannot be applied.

Kātyāyana, when someone is able to see that,

they have no more doubts,
they are no longer subject to the afflictions.

This insight is not transmitted to them by
someone else but is their own insight.

This is what the Tathagata means by right view.

This is a passage from the sutra,

There does not need to be a subject.

When conditions are sufficient, it manifests,

and when conditions are no longer sufficient, it ceases.

Liberation is the same.

We always think there is self
that undergoes rebirth,

entering this body, leaving that body,

entering another body, then leaving it,
going in circles—

that is the notion of rebirth of Brahmanism,

of the Upanishads, and not the rebirth of Buddhism.

Buddhism does not acknowledge
that kind of rebirth.

So, we must understand that there are
those who have not understood non-self.

In Buddhism, there are those who haven't
understood non-self and so they believe in rebirth.

But that kind of rebirth is more
Brahmanic than Buddhist.

But what can be done? Because they haven't
studied enough, haven't understood enough,

haven't been taught by Ānanda,

so their notions of rebirth, karma, and retribution

are still heavily influenced by Brahmanism.

Brahmanism believes in a self.

Although Buddhism has adopted the
teachings on karma, rebirth, and retribution,

the teachings and practices of Buddhism
regarding these concepts are different

because they must be understood
in the light of non-self.

There is continuity, there is action,
there is retribution, there is rebirth,

but there is no need for a self.

Just as water can be reborn as ice,

ice can be reborn as clouds,

clouds can be reborn as a river.

There is continuation, but there is no need
for a self to be reborn.

no need for an unchanging,
undying self to be reborn.

If you plant corn, you get corn;
if you plant beans, you get beans.

That is true, but no self is needed.

That is what this sutra proposes.

When all the conditions are sufficient,
the seed of corn becomes a plant of corn,

and there will be corn, but it doesn't
require a self for that to happen.

Of the 44 Paramārtha Gāthās of Asanga that we learned last year,

the first gatha is:
There is absolutely no subject,

no actor and no one who receives the fruit of action,

Dharmas (phenomenon, object of mind) have no function.

It is very wonderful.

There are only four sentences.

The first sentence is that there is absolutely no subject.

No boss, il n'y a pas de chef.

There is no actor, there is no receiver,

there is no performer of action,

there is no receiver of the fruit of action.

There is no need for an actor

and no receiver of action,
nonetheless there is action.

When conditions are sufficient, there is action

and when those conditions cease, action ceases.

There is no self involved.

This is the cream, the essence of
the Buddha's teaching: non-self.

So, in the Buddhist community,
there are millions of Buddhists,

but those who can see and understand the Dharma,

the enlightened ones, are very few.

Most of them are devotees

and their understanding is still caught i
n the notion of a separate self,

but we must allow them
to make gentle progress.

To understand the Buddha, we must understand no-self .

Some people claim to be Buddhists,

but their Buddhism is much less
than their Brahmanism.

Gradually, with practice, the more
the understanding of Buddhism deepens,

gradually they will be able to let go
of the idea of a self, a soul

and the superstitions that go along
with these concepts.

We will continue to learn about this.

Do you know?

After Chanda heard Ānanda speak,

he had a clear insight into the truth,
an enlightenment, and he understood.

Thầy hopes that after hearing this sutra,
you will have the same experience as Chanda.

It's recorded in the sutras that many people

upon hearing the Buddha speak,
they became enlightened then and there.

So Chanda was like that.

In a Dharma talk, if we put our whole heart and mind into it,

and if we have faith, we can

make a breakthrough and get the insight.

This is called "seeing the Dharma."

Since worldly people are caught in the
objects of perception, their minds bound.

If someone does not accept, does not grasp,
does not stand firm in these perceptions,

does not compare and measure a
separate self that they are then caught in,

then they will see that

when the conditions are sufficient for
suffering to arise, suffering arises.

When the conditions are no longer
sufficient, suffering ceases.

In that, there is no need for a self,

and the notions of being and non-being cannot be applied.

Kātyāyana, such a person no longer has any doubts,

they are no longer subject to the afflictions.

This insight is not transmitted to them
by someone else but is their own insight.

This is what the Tathāgata means by right view.

For the Dharma talk to continue,
conditions must be sufficient.

No need for a self,
only conditions are needed.

“Kātyāyana, why is this so?

When someone looks correctly at the
coming to be of the world,

they do not give rise to the idea of nonbeing,

and when they correctly observe the
destruction of the world,

they do not give rise to the idea of being.

Kātyāyana,

the Tathāgata has abandoned these two extremes

and teaches the Dharma dwelling in
the middle way.

The middle way.

This means: This is because that is and
this arises because that arises.

Because of ignorance, there are formations

because of formations, there is consciousness, and so on

until the mass of suffering arises.

It also means that this is not because that is not,

this ceases because that ceases.

With the ending of ignorance formations cease,

with the ending of formations, consciousness
ceases, until this mass of suffering is no more.

While Ānanda was giving this teaching

Chanda arrived at the state of freedom
from the dust of the world

and received the spotless eye of the Dharma.

Meaning he had clear eyes to see the truth.

Last time, we drew this Z shape,

and on this dimension,
there is the conventional truth,

where there is birth and death, being and non-being

above and below, self and others.

Where things are outside of each other.

And these truths have their applications.

For example, building a house, we must
have the concept of above and below,

we have to build the ground floor first,
we can't just start with the fourth floor.

So, the conventional truth has its value.

But behind the conventional truth, there is another truth,

which is the absolute or ultimate truth (paramartha-satya).

In the ultimate truth,

there is no birth and no death,
no being and no non-being.

no subject and no object;
these pairs of opposites no longer apply.

When we touch the ultimate truth, our worries,
fears, and pain and grief dissipate.

To move from conventional truth to
ultimate truth, we need a path.

This path is called the middle way,

a path that leads us from outer appearance to true nature,

from the explicate order to the implicate order.

Yesterday,
we had an exercise with the phrase:

This is because that is.

This is also called conditioned genesis,

pratῑtyasamutpāda,

which means things rely on
each other to manifest.

The left has to lean on the right in order to be,

the right has to lean on the left in order to be.

Being relies on non-being in order to manifest,
non-being relies on being in order to manifest.

Conditioned genesis is also interbeing,

this is that, this is in that,
not outside of that.

"Duyên khởi" can be translated as
conditioned genesis.

In the Holy Bible, la genèse,
genesis in Vietnamese is "sáng thế."

Genesis means the origin of the universe.

God created the universe.

That is called genesis.

Where does the world come from?

According to the Judeo-Christian tradition,
the world was created by God.

This is Christian genesis. It's in the bible.

God is the actor, the creator,

and the action is creating the world.

There is God (the creator),
there is God's action (creating),

and there is the world (the created).

But in Buddhism, the world is a formation.

The word “the making of,” samudaya, is the second

of the Four Noble Truths: Ill-being,
the causes of ill-being, the end of ill-being, the path.

"Tập" means the making of suffering.

This is the making of the world.

This world is made, is manifested
through conditioned genesis,

not by a god,

but by this relying on that in order to be.

This is called inter-arising, inter-causation.

In Christianity, for the question,
how did the world come to be?

The answer is God created the world.

Whereas in Buddhism, for the question
how did the world come to be?

The world came to be due to
causes and conditions.

This is because that is.

This is "duyên khởi,"
or conditioned genesis.

The answer is very clear and very simple.

The answer is:
This is because that is.

This is because that is.

This is Buddhist genesis.

Think of left and right.

The left is because the right is,
they rely on each other in order to be.

They wait for each other to
manifest at the same time.

Left and right, above and below,
subject and object, you and me,

father and son, they must wait for
each other to manifest simultaneously.

This is the Buddhist teaching on the
creation of the universe,

not by a God, but by this relying on that.

That's conditioned genesis.

So, the teaching of conditioned genesis
still uses the language of conventional truth

but it slowly leads us transcend

the words and notions of conventional truth

in order to enter the ultimate truth.

"Thắng nghĩa đế" is

the ultimate reality.

In Christianity, the ultimate reality may be God.

The ultimate reality is the reality of
no birth and no death,

no being and no non-being.

All notions of birth and death, being and non-being
belong to the dimension of conventional truth.

The ultimate reality is also called suchness,
nirvāṇa, space outside of space

Enjoying space outside of space.

When we enter the space outside of space

we have immense freedom.

In Vietnam during the Tran dynasty,
there was a very talented general

who defeated the Mongol army.

and that was General Trần Hưng Đạo.

General Trần Hưng Đạo had an elder brother
who was a lay Zen master.

He practiced very well, even more so than the monks.

His name was Tuệ Trung Thuợng Sĩ.

His birth name was Trần Tung.

He practiced meditation very well and left behind a work

in the treasure of Vietnamese literature.

He composed a song called "Phóng Cuồng Ca,"
the song of a madman.

which includes the line:

"With staff in hand, he enjoys walking
in the space outside of space."

"Chống gậy rong chơi chừ trời phương ngoại."

Trần Quốc Tung,

the elder brother of Trần Quốc Tuấn,

the elder brother of Trần Quốc Tuấn (King Hưng Đạo).

Space outside of space refers to a world that
transcends both space and time.

There's a lot of freedom.

In Sino Vietnamese it's "phương ngoại phương 方 外 方,"

"Phương ngoại phương" is
space outside of space, time outside of time

Transcending space, transcending time.

Because our idea of space and time are still very limited.

It contains birth and death,
being and non-being,

and we are living in this very limited space.

It is a world of being and non-being, birth and death,

and so we are not so free.

"Phương ngoại phương" means
space outside of space, time outside of time

and it's available in the here and in the now.

It's called nirvāṇa, suchness.

When we have insight, or right view, we
transcend being and non-being, birth and death,

then we can grab our walking stick and
take a stroll in the space outside of space.

The aim of a practitioner
is to attain great freedom.

To go beyond birth,

to go beyond death,

and to touch nirvāṇa in the here and in the now.

Le nirvāṇa visible, ici et maintenant.

The visible nirvāṇa in the here and the now.

That is strolling in the space outside of space.

"With staff in hand, strolling in the space outside of space."

So, from the dimension of conventional truth,

where there is birth and death,
being and non-being.

thanks to the insight of conditioned genesis,
this is because that is,

gradually we arrive at no birth and no death,
no being and no non-being.

So, from conventional truth,
we move into ultimate truth.

This is thanks to the practice of deep looking.

Conventional truth and ultimate truth are not
truths that are outside of each other.

To look for ultimate truth outside of
conventional truth is not possible.

That is why we have the example of
Zen Master Vân Phong.

One day, a disciple named Thiện Hội
came and said: "Dear Teacher!

You teach us how to break free

from the world of birth and death to
touch the world of no birth and no death.

Where is that world of no birth and no death?"

Master Vân Phong said it is right
within the world of birth and death.

If you abandon the world of birth and death,

there is no way you can find
the world of no birth and no death.

And that is why this drawing is just a representation.

To draw it correctly, it should be drawn like this

[ Thầy draws a horizontal line on the board—the collapsed Z ]

Looking at it, you can see.

Perhaps brother Phap Ao can make
something out of wood for Thầy,

which can be extended to have two levels,

and when collapsed, it becomes one level.

Next time, we will bring it out
for the community to contemplate.

Although there are two levels, in reality,
there is only one level.

No birth and no death can be found
within birth and death.

Space outside of space lies within space itself.

This is great freedom.

Once you reach this freedom,
all that remains is to enjoy,

No need to look for anything else.

And this isn't something that comes from hard labor,

but from insight, from our practice of deep looking.

The wisdom that guides us from the dimension of conventional truth

into the dimension of ultimate truth, is known as

the wisdom of adaptation

Tuỳ thuận trí 隨 順 智,
anulomajñānā.

This wisdom of adaptation connects the two truths together.

"Tuỳ thuận" means going in the right direction.

Being conducive to.

For example, when handling a bundle of rice plants,

if we stroke it in the right direction,

our hands won't get scraped,
the wheat will yield,

and that is adaptation.

We are using the words and notions of conventional truth

but have already begun to be free from them.

When we say:
This is because that is.

We still use the words this and that,
being and non-being,

but we have already started to get out of the
notions of this and that, being and non-being.

We on this path of adaptation so we can be connected,

Tương ưng means to be connected with.

Tương ưng or tương ứng,
sampri-samprayukta.

To be connected with the ultimate truth.

Although we are still

using the concepts and terms of
conventional truth,

but we go on the path of adaptation

to be able to connect with ultimate truth.

The wisdom of conformity

that allows us to be connected with—

"tương ứng với" means connected with.

The wisdom of adaptation that allows us to be connected with

is called

the wisdom of adaptation,

conditioned genesis,

and connected to emptiness.

Emptiness is the world of nirvāṇa,

of space outside of space,

of suchness.

Thanks to the teachings of conditioned genesis,

we gradually begin to conform (connect)
to the ultimate truth.

There is a sutra called the Udāna Sutra.

The Udāna is the Self-Spoken Sutras.

There's a line in that sutra...

Self-spoken means that no one asked,
but the Buddha spoke on his own.

There is a line that we have learned from

the Chinese Dhammapada.

In chapter 8, Battali villagers,
there are three passages about Nirvāṇa.

The third passage states:

There exists, monks, that which is unborn,

that which is unbecome,

that which is uncreated,

that which is unconditioned.

There exists

monks,

that which is unborn

that which is non-created,

that which is unbecome,

that which is created,

that which is unconditioned.

It is much longer, but we only need this part.

It contains four very important words:
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, and unconditioned.

Unborn,
vô sinh 無 生,

unbecome,
vô hữu 無 有,

uncreated,
vô tác 無 作,

unconditioned,
vô hành 無 行.

The Buddha said that there exists

that which is
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned.

If there were not the
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned,

then all that is born, become, created,
and conditioned would have no escape.

There is a dimension called the ultimate dimension (bản môn),

which is unborn, unbecome,
uncreated, unconditioned.

If there were not the ultimate dimension

of the unborn, unbecome,
uncreated, unconditioned,

then those belonging to the historical dimension,
which are born, become, created, and conditioned,

would have no way out.

So, besides the dimension of conventional truth,

there is the dimension of ultimate truth,

and here the Buddha is talking about ultimate truth.

There is an
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned;

if there is no such an
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned,

then there will be no escape for what is born,

become, created, and conditioned.

Bhikkhus! There exists that which is unborn,
that which is unbecome,

that which is uncreated,
that which is unconditioned.

For if there were not, Monks, that which is unborn,

that which is unbecome, that which is uncreated,
that which is unconditioned,

they would be made known here the escape from which is born,

from which is,

from that which is become, from that which is created,

from that which is conditioned.

The ultimate dimension is very necessary

because without it, the historical dimension has no way out.

There is an unborn, unbecome,
uncreated, and unconditioned.

If there were not the
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, and unconditioned,

then those things that are born, become,
created and conditioned would have no way out.

This is a line from the Udāna.

“Atthi, bhikkhāve, ajātam, abhātam , akatam, asankhatam.”

Ajātam means the unborn.

Monks, there is that which is
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, and unconditioned.

Last year, when we studied the sutra "Enjoying
the Ultimate," we already learned this line.

So, it can be said that Nāgārjuna’s Mādhyamika Shastra,

is to provide proof for the Buddha's statement:

There is that which is
unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned.

The unborn is not death,

but that which helps us
transcend birth and death.

Unborn means unborn and undying, not just unborn.

When we transcend the notion of birth we
transcend the notion of death at the same time,

because the two notions of birth and death
go together like left and right.

To transcend one is to transcend both.

To realize the fruit of no-birth does not
mean that we will not be born again,

that we die an eternal death.

To realize the fruit of no-birth means
to transcend the cycle of birth and death.

When we say, "The karma is finished,

the birth is finished,
what needed to be done has been done,

the holy life has been accomplished,

now I don't have to be born again."

This way of speaking makes people misunderstand.

They might think that one will die forever.

So, we ourselves have made people
misunderstand the teachings of the Buddha.

“Birth is finished, the holy life has been lived,

what had to be done has been done,

there is no need to be reborn again."

This line describes someone who has realized
the path, but it can also lead to misunderstanding.

Realizing the fruit of no birth
does not mean to die forever,

to die for good,

but rather to transcend
the notions of birth and death.

Science has also discovered the
concept of no birth.

Science, when looking at matter and energy,

sees that the nature of matter and energy is
no-birth and no-death.

The first law of thermodynamics
states that matter and energy

cannot be created nor destroyed.

"Rien ne se crée, rien ne se perd

This is a truth.

This is truth that can be seen and proved,

but the key is whether we have

insight into this and can apply it in daily life.

Because if we truly touch the
nature of no birth and no death,

we will no longer fear birth and fear death.

Those who commit suicide fear birth,

and those who fear death fear annihilation.

The nature of ultimate truth is no-birth and no-death.

Humans, the Buddha, sentient beings, clouds
are of the nature of no-birth and no-death.

Nothing is destroyed, nothing is created.

From something you cannot become nothing,
from nothing you cannot become something.

If we can transcend the notions of birth and death,
we transcend the notions of being and non-being,

which is very liberating.

To say this is eternal death is not correct.

To say that Nirvāṇa is eternal death is not correct.

Nirvāṇa transcends the notions of birth and death,
being and non-being.

The word "hữu" is translated as being.

In English, people want to translate it
as becoming.

"Hữu" is bhāva, translated as becoming.

Because the word being can lead to misunderstanding.

as it gives the impression of something static,
not capturing the impermanent nature of reality.

So, the word becoming is better than
the word being.

Becoming implies that something is always changing.

So "vô hữu" is translated as no-becoming.

No-becoming does not mean non-being,
but rather neither being nor non-being,

which means transcending both
being and non-being.

So, unborn means transcending both
birth and death.

No-becoming means transcending
both being and non-being.

We must understand it like that.

"The door of no birth is opened,"

also means the door of no death is opened.

"The door of no-birth is opened" also means
the door of no-death is opened.

To say no birth means no longer being born,
or no longer going through samsāra,

means to be deeply influenced by the
teachings of transmigration in Brahmanism.

In Brahmanism, it is said that transmigration is suffering.

So, no birth means no more transmigration,

which is to die forever.

This is the greatest misunderstanding of
Western scholars regarding Buddhism.

There was an Englishwoman named Childers
who made the first Pali-English dictionary,

and when she came across the word Nirvāṇa,
she said Nirvāṇa, to me, is eternal death.

Other scholars like Barthélémy-Saint-Hilaire
also said the same:

There's clear evidence in the scriptures,
I read clearly that Nirvāṇa is only eternal death.

So, many Western scholars have
misunderstood the Buddha's teachings

and thought that Nirvāṇa is extinction,
is the eternal death.

They do not know that no-birth here
does not mean not being reborn,

but transcending the notions of birth and death.

Scientists, when looking deeply,

can see the no-birth nature of matter and energy.

The challenge for scientists is to apply
this understanding to themselves

so they are not afraid or anxious,
so they have freedom.

That is the difference between
a Buddhist practitioner and a scientist.

So, scientists must join hands with Buddhist
practitioners to share their discoveries,

and Buddhist practitioners must join hands with
scientists to share their practice experiences.

Both sides benefit.

That's how politicians speak.

Both sides benefit.

In Christianity, it is said that this world was created,

there must be a creator, a creation,
and an act of creation.

But looking deeply, nothing is created,
nothing is destroyed.

We will continue to learn this,

Next time we have one more session
to talk about Chanda.

Chanda is remarkable, having ordained at an old age
after the Buddha had passed away.

Yet he was able to meet Ānanda,

and upon hearing Ānanda's teachings,
he made a breakthrough

and attained the pure eye of the Dharma.

This was possible because Ānanda helped
Chanda overcome the complex

of thinking he couldn't understand.

Ānanda simply praised him with one sentence: "My brother,

you are very talented.

I am very happy to see that when you don't
understand, you say you don't understand,

and you have the desire to understand,
which means you have the ability to listen.

Now, listen to me. I will tell you how

the Buddha instructed Kātyāyana."

Chanda was overjoyed,

saying that standing before a virtuous and
noble teacher like the venerable Ānanda,

who said he had the ability to
understand and see the Dharma,

he was overjoyed.

In that state of mind, he opened his
heart to listen and became enlightened.

Today, Thầy has also followed the
venerable Ānanda's example

to recount the story of Kātyāyana.

If you do not have any complexes and
can stay in the present moment,

you too have the capacity to make a breakthrough

to see that the world of no birth and no death,

no being and no non-being,
no self—is a world that is real

that you can touch right here today.

[ Three sounds of the bell ]