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[ Sound of the bell ]
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Today is November 22, 2012,
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and we are at the
Assembly of Stars meditation hall,
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Dharma Nectar Temple, Lower Hamlet
during the Winter Retreat 2012-2013.
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Thầy would like to remind everyone that
during walking meditation this morning,
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the monks, nuns, and lay friends should
remember to bring their sitting mats.
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Anyone who does not have a sitting mat
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can bring something else to sit on.
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There are also sitting mats available
in the bookshop if you need.
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This morning Thầy reminded Upper Hamlet,
so Upper Hamlet will surely bring theirs.
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In the past few weeks, we have been learning about Right View.
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"Chánh kiến."
[ 正 見 ]
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We will always be learning about Right View.
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Right View is a correct understanding, an exact understanding.
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In English, we usually translate it as Right View.
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The French scholar, Louis de la Vallée-Poussin,
translated it as la bonne vue.
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Good view.
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But now it is translated as
"La vue juste" (Right View).
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We know that Right View is an insight into truth.
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We know that there are two levels of truths,
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two realms of truth.
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The first level is conventional truth,
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and the second is ultimate truth.
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One side is conventional truth,
and the other is ultimate truth.
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So when the Buddha said that right view is
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the view that transcends
the notions of being and non-being,
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he was speaking about right view in
accordance with the ultimate truth.
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This doesn't mean that when we say there is
birth and death, being and non-being,
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cause and effect, me and you
that we are not speaking the truth.
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That is also the truth, but it is the
relative truth, the conventional truth,
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where there is you and me,
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where brother Minh Niệm and brother
Pháp Niệm are two different people.
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Right view,
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is insight (tuệ 慧),
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"Tuệ" is a kind of insight.
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This insight is a direct insight.
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A direct insight, an intuition that does not
need to go through reasoning or thinking.
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We experience it directly. A direct insight
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We know that this direct insight is a
kind of enlightenment, an awakening.
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This enlightenment happens when we have
enough concentration and mindfulness.
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Mindfulness and concentration leads to insight.
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"Tuệ" is translated as insight.
So, insight is also called right view.
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Although it's a different word, it has the same meaning.
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For a practitioner, insight is the most important,
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it is what we seek day and night.
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The career of a practitioner is insight.
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"Sự nghiệp" means career.
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So, in the sutras, it is often said that
insight is the career of a practitioner.
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First is the Sutra of the
Eight Realizations of the Great Beings,
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which includes the phrase "Duy tuệ thị nghiệp".
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Duy tuệ thị nghiệp
[ 惟 慧 是 業 ]
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"Nghiệp" means our career,
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our life's work.
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We pursue it, we build a career out of it.
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In English it's "career."
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And this career only involves insight,
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To take awakening to be our only career,
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and not other projects or goals.
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In the world, they may chase after fame:
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"Having built a reputation in the world,
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One must have a name among the
mountains and rivers"
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Fame is a kind of career.
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Wealth is a kind of career.
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The career of businessmen or businesswomen
is to have a vast fortune.
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And for generals, their career
is a glorious victory.
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But the career of a practitioner is insight.
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"Duy tuệ thị nghiệp" means only
understanding—insight—is my career,
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Other than that, we do not look for anything else.
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Because insight brings true
freedom, liberation, and happiness.
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"Duy tuệ thị nghiệp."
Insight as my only career.
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In the past, the Van Hanh University in Vietnam,
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which Thầy initially helped to establish,
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used these four words as its motto:
"Duy tuệ thị nghiệp."
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"Tuệ 慧" is insight, is right view.
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We know that when we have right view,
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all our thinking
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becomes right thinking.
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"Chánh tư duy 正 思 惟,"
Right thinking.
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Right thinking is the kind of thinking
that leads to insight,
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to understanding and love,
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helping us to let go of discrimination,
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complexes, worries, and fears.
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That's right thinking.
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Thinking has two parts:
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the first is tầm [ 尋 ]
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and the second is từ [ 伺 ].
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Tầm is vitarka,
and từ is vicāra.
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In our mind,
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there are notions.
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When we come into contact with something,
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seeds arise.
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When our eyes are in contact with forms,
our ears are in contact with sounds,
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our mind is in contact with the
objects of the mind, or phenomena,
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and our nose is in contact with scents,
this contact gives rise to a notion.
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Notions. Ideas.
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This is called perception,
"tưởng 想 ,"
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in Sanskrit samjñā.
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Perceptions are like tiny particles,
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there are many of them, like dust particles,
and together they make up our thinking.
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When there is contact,
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when the eyes come in contact with forms, it gives rise to a perception.
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When the ears come in contact with sounds, it gives rise to a perception.
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When our body comes in contact with tactile
stimulations, it gives rise to a perception.
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These are notions.
Perceptions.
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They are like the atoms that combine
to form different substances.
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Our thinking is the same.
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Our thinking, our initial and discursive thinking.
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"Tầm," or initial thought,
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is when we begin to gather the notions, the perceptions,
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much like atoms coming together to form matter.
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This is a way to make it easier to understand.
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In terms of matter, it begins with
the smallest units like atoms.
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In terms of mind, it begins with
the smallest units like notions.
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These notions, these perceptions,
arise from contact.
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Contact between the six sense organs
and the six sense objects create notions,
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just like atoms coming together
to form matter.
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When atoms combine, they form different types of matter,
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like coal, water, oil, or food.
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So atoms combine to form matter.
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And here, notions combine to form thoughts.
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These thoughts are initial and discursive thought.
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Initial thought is similar to atoms bonding to form molecules.
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Molecules are
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combinations of atoms.
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As the combination of notions progresses,
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it becomes discursive thinking.
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Discursive thinking is a bit more discriminating, investigating.
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An example of initial and discursive thinking
is of a flower being visited by a bee.
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When the bee visits the flower, landing on the flower,
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that is initial thought.
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The thinking starts.
In English it is called initial thought.
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Initial thought.
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When notions come together, like molecules forming.
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Over here is a molecule,
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atoms coming together to form a molecule.
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Over here, perceptions combine,
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notions combine to form initial thought.
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Initial thinking.
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These notions combine to form initial thinking,
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and when it goes deeper,
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there is differentiating, comparing, predicting,
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so this is called prolonged thinking, discursive thinking.
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Many molecules coming together form matter,
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like cells, tissues.
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Here too.
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At first, when the butterfly lands on the flower,
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that is just initial thought.
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The thinking is still in its initial stage,
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without differentiation, comparison,
cross-examination, reflection.
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When the bee goes in and out,
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examining the flower to see how to extract pollen,
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that is discursive thinking, prolonged thinking.
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So thinking has two parts:
initial thinking and discursive thinking.
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Here, we have samjñā, notions.
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These notions arise from the contact between
the six sense organs and the six sense objects.
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So, in our mind, there are always atoms—
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Imagine our mind is also made of tiny particles.
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These particles are notions.
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When these notions come together,
they become initial thinking,
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and when it goes deeper into comparing,
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estimating, imagining,
it is called discursive thinking.
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On one side is matter, on the other side is mind.
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Matter is also made of tiny atoms, tiny particles.
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And mind is also made of tiny particles,
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but these particles are notions (samjñā).
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Imagine in each moment,
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the countless notions that mind produces.
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These notions often arise from
contact and feeling.
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Contact (sparśa)
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is the interaction between the six
sense organs and the six sense objects.
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That is contact (sparśa).
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And that contact gives rise to notions.
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This contact gives rise to other things, like feelings.
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When contact happens,
it leads to feelings (vedanā).
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And contact and feeling
give rise to notions (samjñā).
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Contact can also draw our attention.
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Normally, we wouldn't pay attention to it,
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because there's nothing attractive about it.
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But suddenly contact happens.
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There's something a bit strange or special,
so we pay attention to it,
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this attention is called "tác ý" (manaskāra),
meaning you pay attention to it.
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This attention is called manaskāra.
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For example, we are lost in thought
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and suddenly we hear the sound of a bell.
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Contact happens between our ear and the bell sound,
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and suddenly, we stop thinking,
we pay attention to the sound of the bell.
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Having paid attention to the sound of
the bell, we let go of all our thinking.
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We begin to focus on our
in-breath and out-breath,
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and re-establish our body and mind
in the present moment.
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This kind of attention is called "như lý tác ý"
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It's "yoniso manaskāra,"
appropriate attention.
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It's a very good kind of attention.
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So whenever we hear birds singing,
pines rustling, flowers blooming,
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or see a friend doing walking meditation,
we pay attention to these things,
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it is very good.
That's appropriate attention.
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But when we pay attention to things that
disturb our mind, that pull us away,
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like when we chase after a particular image or sound
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that makes us lose our self-control,
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makes us angry, sad, burdened or fearful,
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that attention is called inappropriate attention (ayoniso manaskāra).
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Yoniso manaskāra is
appropriate attention,
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and ayoniso manaskāra is
inappropriate attention.
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"Như lý tác ý"
Appropriate attention.
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"Phi như lý tác ý"
Inappropriate attention.
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So as practitioners we must practice appropriate attention,
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so as not to be swept away by things
that are not beneficial for our practice,
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or to be pulled away by inappropriate attention.
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Initially, we have notions that arise from contact,
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from attention, and from feelings.
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These notions come together to form
initial thinking and discursive thinking.
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And we may arrive at a decision,
which is volition, "tư" 思.
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We decide to follow it,
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to take hold of it,
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or to let go of it.
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So that is cetanā, or volition, the desire.
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If the attention, perception, and feeling
should lead to thinking,
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then depending on whether that thinking
is right thinking or wrong thinking
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that will define the kind of reaction we have.
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For example,
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when we hear, see, or touch something
that is not to our liking,
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we get very upset or angry.
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First, we want to ignore it,
second, we want to run away from it
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or we may want to punish.
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Ignoring, running away, punishing,
getting mad, that is volition.
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"Volition" means our desire to do
something in retaliation,
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whether by chasing after it or
punishing, clinging to it.
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With mindfulness, concentration, and
insight intervening,
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we will have a different attitude.
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That person may say something
unkind or do something unkind,
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but if we can see and understand,
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we will not have the intention to punish,
to leave, or to seek revenge;
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instead, we would want to say or do something
to help the other person suffer less.
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That is also volition.
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"Tư".
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This is also volition.
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This is contact, this is feeling, this is notion,
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perception, this is attention, this is volition.
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These are mental seeds, the initial mental seeds.
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These mental seeds are always
present at any moment of daily life.
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[The sound of the bell ]
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In Plum Village, we are taught that
in sitting or walking meditation,
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we should stop our thinking.
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Because our usual thinking
tends to be wrong thinking,
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meaning the thinking happens
in a state of dispersion.
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This kind of thinking pulls us
away from the present moment,
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dragging us into the past, into the future,
and creating anxiety and fear.
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As a result, we are unable to live the wonderful
moments and touch the wonders of life.
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So, while doing sitting or
walking meditation,
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a practitioner should learn to stop the thinking.
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Right thinking or wrong thinking,
we just stop the thinking.
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From time to time, we need to think,
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but often our thinking is wrong thinking.
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We think about this, we think about that,
we think until our head spins,
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and that is wrong thinking.
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Stopping the wrong thinking so that we
can learn how to engage in right thinking.
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So, when we practice walking meditation,
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whether alone or with the community,
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we must practice not only stop the talking,
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but also to stop thinking.
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After every morning practice session, we read the phrase:
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"The Earth is holding us up with each step,
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let us stop the thinking so we can
touch the wonders of life."
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Now we should add: "Let us stop the thinking
so we can touch life more deeply."
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Even if we don't talk but we are thinking non-stop
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we are not truly present to touch life.
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So, not only do we stop talking,
but we must also stop the thinking,
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which means neither initial
nor discursive thinking.
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No initial and discursive thinking is already
the second stage of meditation (the second dhyāna).
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The first dhyāna still has thinking, but in the
second dhyāna, there is no more thinking.
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So you should enter the second dhyāna
and stop the thinking.
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In France, there was a philosopher
named René Descartes.
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He discovered a truth
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which he was very excited about and
considered it a mathematical formula.
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He said: I think, therefore I am.
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I think, therefore I am.
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Je pense, donc je suis.
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I think, therefore I am.
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If we examine it closely,
we see it is not quite true.
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Because when we think,
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our thoughts pull us into the past,
into the future, into worries,
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we are not truly there to live our life
in the present moment.
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Descartes wanted to prove that if
there is thinking, there must be a thinker.
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So, if thinking is happening,
there must be a thinker.
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If there is the act of thinking,
there must be "I" that thinks.
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Because there is thinking happening,
it must prove that there is a self, an "I".
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This is very contrary to the
teachings of Buddhism.
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In Buddhism, we learn that there are only thoughts,
but no thinker.
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Il n'y a que la pensée, il n’y a pas de penseur.
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Thought without thinker.
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There are thoughts, but there is no thinker.
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This is the Buddha's teaching, and it is
something that is very difficult to accept.
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In the past, Thầy saw a cartoon depicting
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Descartes in his philosopher's robe.
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He was raising his finger, reciting his famous saying.
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Je pense, donc je suis.
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I think, therefore I am.
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Behind him was a horse,
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raising its head and asking,
"You are what?"
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I think, therefore I am.
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You are what?
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The horse said, "You are what?"
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The answer is very clear:
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I think, therefore I am only in my thinking.
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When we think, we are those thoughts.
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If those thoughts have nothing to do
with reality, if they go in circles,
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then we are also going in circles.
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So in sitting meditation,
we go in circles,
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and when we go to work,
we go in circles.
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So, if we truly want to be present,
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first we must practice to stop our thinking.
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Si vous voulez être là,
il faut arrêter votre pensée.
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This is the opposite of Descartes' idea.
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Soto Zen is like that.
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In Soto-Zen, no thinking.
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No thinking is the essence of Zen.
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Phi tư duy thị thiền chỉ yếu giả.
No thinking is the essence of Zen.
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Phi tư lương thị thiền chỉ yếu giả.
[ 非 思 量 是 禪 之 要 也 ]
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This saying is from Soto Zen.
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"Phi tư duy," no thinking.
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That is the essential of Zen.
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If we can stop the thinking, we enter the second dhyāna.
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In the first dhyāna, there is still thinking,
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but in the second dhyāna, there is no more thinking,
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there is only the breath and the steps.
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In walking meditation, there is only
the breath and the steps,
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and in sitting meditation, there is only
the breath and our sitting posture.
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We are in the second dhyāna.
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If our mind is continuously thinking,
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we can't get much done.
We can't practice.
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It's like having a radio station
that's always broadcasting,
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commentating on this and that,
never stopping.
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It's like a beehive with bees
buzzing all day and night.
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How can we turn it off?
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Is there a button to press to stop the thinking?
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It's like a swarm of frogs jumping around wildly.
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Our mind is always like that.
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That is wrong thinking.
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So we must find a button
that we can press to stop.
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And there is such a button,
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it is the breath and the steps.
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We focus on the breath and the steps,
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only focus on the breath and the steps,
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and the thinking stops.
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Put all our attention on the breath,
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put all our attention on the steps,
and naturally the thinking stops.
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That is what we must do in sitting meditation.
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This is the first thing we must do.
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We can go much further in sitting meditation,
but first, we make use of the breath,
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the steps, our posture,
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focus only on these things,
and the thinking naturally stops.
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So we should remember that when
we practice walking meditation,
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we not only stop the talking,
but also the internal discourse.
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We may stop the verbal discourse,
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but we allow the internal discourse to continue.
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Mental discourse.
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We must stop the mental discourse.
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Stop the two discourses, the external discourse and
the constant internal discourse,
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and start living,
touching the wonders of the universe.
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So, when you come to Plum Village for a week,
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you must make good use of your time.
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Each step should allow you to
touch the wonders of life,
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so that you can nourish and heal yourself,
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and to get insight.
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Getting insight does not come from thinking.
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We tend to believe that thinking leads to insight,
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but most of our thinking is wrong thinking.
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So not only do we not have insight, we have more confusion,
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confusion in our minds.
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We have to use our intelligence to practice.
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We have two feet.
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Two feet that can take wonderful steps.
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As for Thầy, Thầy has created
some practices for himself.
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For example, when Thầy breathes in,
Thầy takes three steps,
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and Thầy says “Every step.”
"Mỗi bước chân."
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That is when breathing in.
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And when breathing out, Thầy says “is a miracle.”
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"Mỗi bước chân là phép lạ."
Every step is a miracle.
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So the in-breath goes with three steps
and the words "every step,"
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and the out-breath,
three steps and "is a miracle."
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This is not thinking.
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These are meditation phrases to remind us,
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like the sound of a bell,
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or a practice gatha that reminds us
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to come back to the present moment,
to help us to stop the thinking.
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These practices can help to stop the thinking;
they are not thinking themselves.
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So, with each step,
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we are aware of each step, all three of them.
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Breathing out we say, is a miracle.
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What is the miracle?
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We must see that each step is a miracle.
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We are still alive,
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with two legs to walk and two lungs to breathe;
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that is already a miracle,
a kind of miracle.
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We know that the miracle is to walk on earth.
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We don't need to walk on clouds
for it to be a miracle.
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Walking with awareness that we are still alive,
walking on this beautiful planet,
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that is already enlightenment.
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Most people on this earth walk as if
they are being chased by ghosts.
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Sleepwalkers.
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They walk as if in a dream, in forgetfulness.
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But for us, each step is taken
in mindfulness, in awakening,
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and we are in touch with the wonders of life, with the miracles.
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That is a kind of miracle that we are performing,
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the miracle of walking on earth.
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All it takes is mindfulness,
remembering that we are alive,
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that we are truly present.
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To truly be, and not in the way
Descartes described.
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And we are walking very relaxingly, very peacefully.
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That is already a kind of a miracle.
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Anyone can do this:
making each step a miracle.
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We see that the sun is a wonder,
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the sunlight is a wonder,
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and we are in touch with that sunlight.
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The trees, the mist are very beautiful.
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But thinking makes us lose touch
with everything.
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So when we stop thinking,
we reclaim everything again.
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So no thinking is wonderful;
we begin to live truly and deeply.
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Every step is a miracle.
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Thầy finds that when breathing out,
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the number of steps is always
more than when breathing in.
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So when Thầy breathes in, Thầy takes 3 steps,
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and when breathing out, Thầy takes 5 steps.
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"Is a miracle,"
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and Thầy repeats "a miracle" again to make it five words.
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"Every step/ Is a miracle, a miracle."
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And walking 3 or 4 times like that,
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Thầy really sees that he is performing
a miracle. It is truly wonderful.
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We are practicing what Zen Master Linji said:
"The miracle is to walk on earth."
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So we are performing a miracle.
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We can perform miracles.
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If we see clearly that we have a body,
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and we are are taking mindful steps,
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we are touching the wonders of life.
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That is a miracle that anyone can perform.
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"Every step/ Is a miracle, a miracle."
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Enjoy each step deeply.
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And then you can move on to another line,
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"Mỗi bước chân là nuôi dưỡng"
Every step is nourishing,
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Is nourishing, is nourishing.
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All the wonders of the universe, like fresh air,
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like sunlight, like green trees,
all have a nourishing effect.
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And here we are more or less sick,
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and what we are seeking is a way to heal,
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healing for the mind as well as the body.
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And so, walking meditation is
a very good way to heal.
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Every step / is a miracle, a miracle
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Every step/ is nourishing, nourishing.
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If we want to heal,
we need to be nourished,
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and all the nourishing elements are there,
only we are unable to touch them.
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So, with each step we must touch the wonders
of the universe to get the nourishment.
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When we feel that each step has
that quality of nourishment,
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we are being nourished and
healing begins to take place.
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Where there is nourishment, there is healing.
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"Mỗi bước chân là phép lạ, phép lạ"
Every step / is a miracle, a miracle
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"Mỗi bước chân là nuôi dưỡng, nuôi dưỡng"
Every step/ is nourishing, nourishing.
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Vietnamese, like Chinese, is a monosyllabic language,
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so breaking it down into individual words is very easy.
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English and French are a bit more difficult,
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but it can still be done.
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Every step is a miracle
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Every step is a miracle, miracle.
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It's works. Why not?
It's like when we sing.
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Every step is nourishing, nourishing.
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Every step is healing.
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Every step is healing, healing.
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It's healing, healing.
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And don't just mouth the words;
we must have healing right at that moment.
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During walking meditation, the healing
and nourishment must take place.
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So we don't want to ruin it by talking, or thinking.
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Because talking and thinking will take away
the chance for nourishment and healing.
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So, from the residence to the meditation hall,
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we walk in such a way that
each step is a miracle,
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is happiness, is nourishment, is healing.
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If we want, we can practice
each phrase many times.
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Every step has the capacity to heal and to nourish.
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Every step can be a miracle.
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Every step is relaxation.
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"Mỗi bước chân là thảnh thơi"
Every step is freedom.
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A practitioner must be free.
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If we are burdened, we cannot
be a true practitioner.
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"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 ]