This Sutra Is Key To Restoring The Buddha's Original Message | Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

[ Three sounds of the bell ]

Dear sangha, today is December 16, 2012.

We are at the Still Water meditation hall
in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village

during the Winter Retreat 2012-2013.

About five or six years ago,

in 2007,

Thầy welcomed a journalist from "Time Magazine" at

Pháp Vân Temple, in Saigon.

She had interviewed Thầy several times before.

That year, Thầy went back to Vietnam to organize
some Great Requiem Ceremonies

to pray for those who died

in the Vietnam War.

After completing the interview, the journalist asked, "Thầy,

do you have any special message for the readers of

Time Magazine?

You have shared everything, but is there a

special message you would like to offer at this time?

Thầy breathed and replied, "Yes."

After a little while, Thầy said,

"Go home and heal yourself."

Go home and heal yourself.

It means not to be so dispersed anymore.

That answer moved her deeply.

So much so that

she didn't write up the interview anymore.

She took a flight back to America and
looked into healing herself.

"Go home and take care of yourself."

That was Thầy's message

for the readers of her articles.

But she didn't fully understand what Thầy said.

She thought it meant to forget about everything,

buy a plane ticket, and return to America,
thinking that's what "going home" meant.

In fact, to "go home" for Thầy has a different meaning,

a deeper meaning.

You don't need to buy a plane ticket
to go back to the United States,

or Germany, or India, or the Netherlands
to call it "going home."

According to Plum Village's teaching, "home"

is right in the present moment.

It's here and now.

Because for a long time, we've been going around, searching.

searching.

We seek happiness.

We think there are many things we need to accomplish.

And we can't stop.

And because we can't stop, healing cannot happen.

If you keep doing things,
then healing is not possible.

If you keep searching,

looking for something,

if you are always trying to do something,

then healing would not be possible.

This was what Thầy meant.

"Go home" means

stop searching,

stop going around in circles.

You have to go home,
to arrive in the present moment.

And each step

during walking meditation

is enough to bring you home.

You don't need to but a plane ticket.

Every step brings you home

to the here and the now

Because our "true home"

is in the present moment,
in the here and now.

And to return to that true home,

each mindful step

has the capacity to bring us home immediately.

No need to buy a plane ticket.

The same is true for each breath.

If each breath has mindfulness in it,

just one in-breath is enough to bring us
back to the present moment,

to our true home.

Each breath brings the mind back to the body,

so that body and mind can reunite and be established
in the present moment, here and now.

And we feel we have arrived, we are home.

We don't need to do anything else.

There is nothing to do, there is nowhere to go.

Only then can healing take place.

Our society

is sick,
and each of us in some way or other is sick.

And each of us must heal ourselves

if we are to contribute to the healing of society.

You may have heard of the recent massacre in Newtown

that occurred yesterday in America.

A 20-year-old young man,

who appeared gentle on the outside,

suddenly went mad, took a gun, killed his mother,

and walked into the Newtown elementary school

and shot and killed about 26 people,

including 20 small children.

That is a sickness.

And that sickness is not just one person's illness;

it is the sickness of the entire society.

How do we heal it?

We have many hospitals, many clinics, many therapists.

But can we heal the sickness of our time?

Despair,

hatred,

feeling lost.

Such pity for the 20-year-old young man.

He has no way out. He feels that no one understands him.

The wounds in his heart are too great.

Perhaps that young man

killed not out of hatred

but because in his heart there's no peace.

How could one hold hatred for the 7, 8-year-old children,

so sweet and gentle like angels?

How could one bear to take a gun
and kill all those little children?

During the formal lunch today, we shall
send our energy to all the children.

But we have to see that this is a kind of illness,

an illness of our times.

If we want to heal our society,

we must first know how to heal ourselves.

And according to the Dharma doors
that we have learned here,

healing cannot happen if we cannot stop,

if we cannot find our way back to our true home.

And our true home is the island within ourselves.

Once home, there's no more going around in circles.

We have a chance to take care of and heal ourselves,

including our body and our mind.

There are wounds left from previous lifetimes,

from previous generations of our parents and ancestors.

When we do mindful movements,
like raising our hands,

and if we are truly there in the present moment,

we see that this is not a movement
aimed at having some health benefit.

We see that when we raise our hands,

our parents, grandparents, ancestors, our children,
all raise their hands with us.

We see that we do not have a separate self.

It's not a separate self that's raising the hands,

but when we raise our hands, all our ancestors, parents,

and children, even if they have not
manifested yet, raise their hands with us.

If we raise our hands like that and there's
joy, enlightenment, happiness,

and we can see that having a body

is something truly wonderful,

that being able to raise our hands is an incredible wonder,

and we feel the joy and the wonder of life,

then all our ancestors, friends, parents, and children also experience the joy

of being able to touch the wonders of life.

And we can only raise our hands like that

when we come back to the present moment.

We raise our hands not for some future health,

but to experience joy

and relaxation.

Because when we can raise our hands like that,
it means we have arrived, we are home.

In Vietnam, there are at least two teachers of meditation.

Thầy Thanh Từ teaches,

"Aware of delusions, but don't pursue them."

And Thầy Nhất Hạnh teaches,
"I have arrived, I am home."

And "I have arrived, I am home" is a practice for us.

With each breath, with each step,
we must arrive, we must be home.

While brushing your teeth, rinsing your mouth,
or going to the bathroom,

you have to arrive, you have to be home.
Don't rush.

Find joy in these actions.

When you brush your teeth, you must brush
in such a way that you have joy.

You are living in the present moment,

not rushing to finish to do something else.
That is the practice.

It's the same when you go to the bathroom.
Going to the bathroom is a great joy.

Why rush to finish?

And when you walk to the meditation hall,
there's no need to rush.

In the meditation hall you also sit and breathe,
so what's the rush?

Each step to the meditation hall
is already the meditation hall.

And that's our practice.

And don't say that you can't do it.
How can you not do it?

It's very easy. Not only is it easy,
but it also brings joy right away.

So when we take a step and we arrive,
we are home in the present moment,

we touch the wonder of our body,
the wonders and life,

we no longer have the energy pushing us to go in circles,

to leave the present moment in search of future happiness.

In that moment, there is relaxation.

And by relaxing, by dwelling in the present moment,

healing occurs immediately.

Healing happens in every moment of daily life.

Every minute, every second is healing.

Every breath is healing, every step is healing,

and that is the true sense of "going home."

So it's not about buying a plane ticket and
sitting on a plane to go home.

Even if you buy a plane ticket,
wait ten hours on the plane,

arrive at the airport, take a taxi home,

enter your room, close the door, and lie down,
you might not be home yet.

Maybe you say, "home sweet home," but after a few days,

you find it's not "sweet home" anymore.
You want to leave again.

You don't have a home

because you don't know how to practice
according to the Buddha's teaching

that our true home is the island within.
And we must go home to it.

So the journalist understood Thầy,
but not very deeply.

That's why after the interview,
she didn't write up the article,

she bought a plane ticket and
flew back to America right away.

And who knows if she was able heal herself,

especially if she didn't know what "true home" means.

Yesterday, in Sơn Hạ, Thầy wrote

"go home and heal."

"Home" doesn't mean your house in
America or Germany or Thailand.

Your home is here and now.

Be at home, here and now.

And that is the practice of mindfulness.

When you drive, you don't need to speed.

In every moment of driving, you have
already arrived, you are already home.

When you walk it's the same.

Walking from the parking lot to your office,

each step is home.

Every step, every breath has the capacity to heal.

"I have arrived, I am home" has been
a teaching of Plum Village for over 30 years.

If anyone asks what you have learned or
practiced in Plum Village, you can simply say:

In Plum Village we only learn one thing:
"I have arrived, I am home."

This is not a theory; it is a way of being.

Some of us have attained the realization of
"I have arrived, I am home."

When we see them walk, stand, sit, or eat,
we know this person has arrived.

They have peace,

fulfillment in the present moment,

They are no longer searching for anything,
no longer running in circles.

So the fruit we can realize is,
"I have arrived, I am home."

And you can't fake it.

If you haven't arrived,
people look and know immediately.

If we have arrived, if we are dwelling in that realization,

we see that person has peace, happiness, fulfillment.

That person is someone who is healing,
who has been healed.

So you don't need to learn much,

just learn those two lines,
I have arrived, I am home.

And we have to be able to do it.

And it's not that once we've arrived then we'll be happy,
but during the process, happiness is already there.

Every step, every breath carries happiness.

Washing vegetables brings happiness,
cutting carrots brings happiness,

even cleaning the toilet brings happiness.

Because we see that everything is a wonder.

That's what meditation is about.
How wonderful

to chop wood,

to fetch water,

to cook for the community.

The wonder lies in such ordinary things.

We have freedom.

We have arrived, we are home, so healing

becomes a reality in every moment.

So if we don't feel peace in our bodies,

don't feel enough peace in our hearts,

we must practice this Dharma door.

It's simple enough for us to learn,

and we have a Sangha to support us.

Because our friends, of whatever gender or age,

are practicing to arrive, to have
peace and happiness in the present moment.

Some have succeeded,

and when we look at them, we see, and
we have faith that we can do it too.

And if you practice wholeheartedly for three days,

you'll already see a change.

Our true home is every step,

our true home is every breath.

Healing is every step,
healing is every breath.

We do it for ourselves, for our families,

for the children who were massacred

the other day in Connecticut.

Because who are those children?

They are

our children, our grandchildren,

they are us.

Our society is sick,

and each of us has a bit of sickness.

That's why we must heal ourselves, and to heal,

we must practice arriving, being at home.

If you are a Buddhist, you practice like this.

If you are not a Buddhist, you also practice like this.

If not, you continue to go in circles, searching,

and you will never be able to heal yourself,
so how can you heal the world, heal society?

Now we shall study the sutras.

The attendants, please give this to the translators,

and please distribute the remaining copies.

There is a second worm in the Sutra.

Now we have to find it and remove it,

or else it will ruin the pot of soup.

A few weeks ago, we caught a pretty big worm.

Now we remove a different worm.

Now we shall look at the Three Dharma Seals,

three seals that prove that a teaching

is in accord with the Buddha’s teaching.

The Three Dharma Seals in Pali is trilakkhaṇa,

in Sanskrit it's trilakṣaṇa.

Dharma seal.

A seal is a mark, a stamp.

Any teaching that doesn't possess this seal

cannot be considered a teaching of the Buddha.

In the Northern Buddhist tradition, these
Three Dharma Seals are

impermanence,

non-self,

and nirvana.

However, in Theravada Buddhism,

the Three Dharma Seals are impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

Meanwhile, in Northern Buddhism,

the Three Dharma seals are impermanence, non-self and nirvana.

Impermanence and non-self represent the historical dimension.

But thanks to comtemplating impermanence and non-self,

we can connect with the ultimate dimension,
which is nirvana.

On the level of the historical dimension,

or the conventional truth,

there are the wrong views of permanence and a separate self.

Looking at phenomena as permanent
and having a separate self

brings about a lot of suffering.

This is why the Buddha introduced
the first two seals: impermanence and no-self.

Impermanence and non-self are like a vehicle

that can take us to nirvana, which is happiness.

Impermanence and no-self are not the ultimate goals;
they are the path, the medicine,

the antidote to cure the illness of wrong views.

Because normally we see things as permanent and having a self,

we see 'me' and 'you' as separate entities.

Though everything is impermanent, we perceive it as permanent,

which is a wrong view.

So, the Buddha offered an antidote to this: (impermanence and non-self.)

"Thuốc giải độc"
is antidote.

"Giải độc dược"
解 毒 藥.

And we have to remember that the teachings of the Buddha

function as antidotes

to liberate us.

The aim of the Buddha was not to
set up a new system of philosophy

or theory.

The aim of the Buddha was to relieve suffering,
not to make theories.

The Buddha is there to help and not to make theories.

It is important to understand this.

So it would be wrong to try to establish
Buddhism as a school of philosophy.

The Buddha is not a philosopher.

He's not interested in establishing a system of

metaphysics.

His aim is to provide an antidote,

And wrong view is a kind of poison.

The wrong views about permanence and self
bring about a lot of suffering.

Things are impermanent and without a self,
but we see them as permanent and having a self,

so we suffer, we get disappointed,

we despair.

So, the Buddha taught impermanence and non-self
as an antidote to this wrong view.

His aim was not to teach impermanence and non-self as theories.

They are a skillful means,
an antidote and not a theory.

And if we are caught in impermanence and non-self,

it's as if we've been bitten by a snake.

Many people have misunderstood
the teachings of the Buddha

and have worshipped them as absolute truth.

But they do not realize that the teachings
of the Buddha are merely skillful means

to lead us to

right view.

And nirvana is the cessation of suffering, turmoil and heat.

Nirvana can be translated as coolness.

When afflictions such as anger,

despair, and hatred flare up, they are like flames.

These flames cause us great pain and suffering.

And when we can extinguish these flames,
there is a state of coolness, of calm.

That is nirvana.

That's why nirvana is translated as extinction,

the extinction of the flames
of afflictions and wrong views.

We have learned that there are two kinds of obstacles:
the obstacle of afflictions and the obstacle of knowledge,

and Nirvana is the extinction of these two kinds of obstacles.

So, impermanence and non-self are not absolute truths to be worshipped,

and should anyone touch it you become
outraged and take up arms to kill for it.

It's not like that.

Impermanence and non-self are antidotes.

And once you are cured, you can discard the medicine.

Don't put it on an altar to worship.

It's like buying a hoe to cultivate potatoes.

The hoe's purpose is for cultivation, not for consumption.

It is a tool to use.

It is not a tool to worship,

but to use.

The teaching is like a tool,

a tool for us to cultivate, to use, to get insight,
the insight of nirvana,

the insight that brings about peace.

So, impermanence

is a skillful means, is an antidote.

Do not take impermanence and non-self as eternal absolute truths.

This is very important.

If we see that, we can overcome fanaticism

and dogmatism.

"Thái độ giáo điều" means dogmatism.

"Cuồng tín" means fanaticism.

This is not in Buddhism.

There is no fanaticism, no dogmatism,
no killing, no combatting, no eradicating,

especially when someone offends
our faith, our teacher, our teachings,

we do not get angry,

because our teachings are skillful means

and not absolute truths.

So, in Buddhism, there is no dogmatism, no dogma to defend.

No fanaticism.

When we practice the 14 Mindfulness Trainings,
we see this clearly.

A true Buddhist never takes up arms to

attack those who oppose their beliefs.

So, in the 10th century when the Muslims came
and attacked and slaughtered Buddhist monks,

the monks in India chose to flee.

Carrying a few scriptures, they fled north,

first to Nepal.

If we had organized an army to fight back,
we would be contradicting ourselves,

because our path is one of compassion and nonviolence.

If we wished to protect Buddhism through
violence and hatred, what are we protecting?

That is not Buddhism.

So back then the monks chose to flee,

bringing with them a few scriptures.

We are grateful to them for not organizing violent resistance,

for applying nonviolent means in order
to continue to be true Buddhists.

So we offer the teachings of impermanence
to free ourselves from the notion of permanence.

We offer the teachings of no-self to
free ourselves from the notion of self.

But once we are free, we must let go
of impermanence and non-self.

Just like medicine,

when you are cured, why keep the medicine?

Taking more is not good for you.

If you are not sick you shouldn't take it.

So, medicine is for healing the illness.

Because of the illness, there is the medicine.

If there is no illness, why take
medicine and suffer unnecessarily?

So, impermanence, non-self, and even
interbeing and emptiness are only medicines,

antidotes and not absolute truths to worship.

This helps us avoid dogmatism and rigidity.

That said, we can go deeper into the details.

Many Buddhists are

obsessed.

(What's the word in Vietnamese?)

"Ám ảnh?"
Obsessed.

Many Buddhists are obsessed with
the idea that rebirth is suffering,

life is suffering,

so they have made suffering as
one of the three dharma seals.

The teachings begin with the Four Noble Truths,

and the Buddha taught the first truth as suffering,

ill-being.

When hearing this, many conclude that
since the Buddha said so,

everything must be suffering.

But the Buddha did not teach only suffering;
he taught other things as well.

According to the teaching of interbeing,
if there is suffering, there must be happiness.

Without happiness, how could there be suffering?
Without the left, how can the right be?

In terms of interbeing, where there is suffering, there is
happiness, where there is happiness, there is suffering.

This is called the principle of "waiting for each other."

This is because that is.

This is the best line in Buddhism.

This is because that is.

So, if there is suffering, we know there is happiness.

If there is happiness, we know there is suffering.

But because of their obsession with the idea of suffering,

these Buddhists do not see the third truth, which is happiness.

Happiness is the cessation of suffering.

The third truth is cessation, the absence of suffering,
which is the presence of happiness.

Just like the absence of darkness is the presence of light.

The Buddha did not teach only suffering; he also taught happiness.

But because we are obsessed with suffering,
we do not see the third noble truth.

Why is happiness not included in the dharma seals but only suffering?

Suffering—ill-being—is the first truth, and
the second truth is the path leading to ill-being.

A way of life, a way of being that
has brought about ill-being.

Starting with the wrong view that things are permanent and have a self.

But the opposite of ill-being is well-being,

and the path leading to well-being is the fourth truth.

The path leading to well-being,

or the path leading to the end of the making of ill-being.

The third noble truth is the end of the making of ill-being.

So how have we understood the teachings on the Four Noble Truths

that we have become obsessed with one truth

and fail to see the other truths clearly?

This overemphasis leads to an imbalance,

especially when people think that always reminding
themselves that life is suffering will lead to enlightenment.

Etaṃ duḥkhaṃ duḥkhanti.

So, they made suffering one of the three dharma seals.

But even people in the world see suffering,

so we don't need to turn it into a dharma seal.

If things are impermanent and non-self,
and we don't recognize them as such, we suffer.

So, the three dharma seals— impermanence,
non-self, and nirvana— connect perfectly

with the two dimensions: the historical and the ultimate.

In the historical dimension there is permanence and self,

In the ultimate dimension, there is
impermanence and non-self, leading to nirvana.

There is a clear path.
Observing impermanence and non-self

reveals interbeing, the middle way, dependent co-arising,

and allows us connect with nirvana.

So, the three dharma seals
without nirvana are incomplete.

The three dharma seals without nirvana is not complete.

Yet, this incomplete teaching is there
throughout Southern Buddhism.

We have a sutra,

Fortunately there is the Chanda Sūtra.

Do you have the English copy?

It is the Samyukta Āgama 262.

This sutra speaks of Venerable Chanda.

After the Buddha's passing,
Venerable Channa sought teachings

and went to Deer Park, where he
met many senior monks

and asked about the essence of the Dharma.

All the monks repeated the three Dharma seals,

stating that they are impermanence, non-self, and nirvana.

The sentence on impermanence, non-self, and nirvana
is repeated four or five times in this sutra.

It was like a formula at the time.

It was just right after the Buddha's passing,

so the monks remembered very clearly

that the Three Dharma Seals are
impermanence, non-self, and Nirvana.

All formations are impermanent, all dharmas are
without self, and Nirvana is perfect peace.

Everyone knew this by heart.

We are lucky this sutra remains

as proof that these are the three Dharma seals.

Interestingly, in the Pali canon,
they removed the word nirvana

but did not dare add the word suffering.

There is a Pali version of this sutra,

but it only mentions impermanence and non-self.

They dared to omit nirvana,

but they did not include suffering.

Some commentaries

explain why suffering wasn't included—because they feared

that to say everything is suffering, it would imply that

the Dharma, the Four Noble Truths, the Noble
Eightfold Path, and even Nirvana is also suffering,

which would not be appropriate, so they didn't
include it as it would put them in a hard place.

Therefore, in the Pali version, only two seals
are mentioned: impermanence and non-self.

They didn't dare add suffering because
it would be problematic,

suggesting that the Dharma, the Buddha,
and the Sangha were also suffering,

which would not be acceptable.

So that's where they were stuck at.

If you read the Chanda Sutra, number 262 in the Samyukta Agama,

you will see this formula repeated many times:

all formations are impermanent, all dharmas are
without self, Nirvana is perfect peace.

So this sutra is an invaluable treasure.

The structure of the sutra is very tight

because the senior monks repeated this sentence
many times, so changes were not made easily.

Elsewhere, things might have been altered.

Another piece of evidence is

from the treatise by Nagarjuna,
the Maha Prajnaparamita Shastra,

where Nagarjuna also mentions that the three Dharma
seals are impermanence, non-self, and Nirvana.

Meanwhile, in the Theravada tradition,

the three seals are said to be
impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

Back in those days, Ananda did this work frequently.

He was responsible for repeating the Buddha's teachings

so that the monks could learn them.

The sutra masters

had to memorize the Buddha's words because

there were no recorders,

no paper, no pens back then,
so they had to memorize them.

When Ananda noticed mistakes in the recitation,
he would correct them,

saying, "The Buddha did not say it that; I did not
recount it like that, so please correct it."

For many decades as the Buddha's attendant,

that was what Ananda did; he corrected inaccurate repetitions.

Now, Thay Nhat Hanh is simply doing the work of Ananda.

Thay Nhat Hanh is the continuation of Ananda.

When there are inaccuracies transmitted,
Thay corrects them; nothing more.

The Buddha did not say that,
or Ananda did not transmit it like that.

It’s just someone remembered incorrectly or
put a teaching in the wrong place.

So later, if someone asks who are you
to correct the Buddha's sutras?

We can say we're not correcting the Buddha's sutras;
we're simply doing the work of Ananda.

If the Buddha's teachings were repeated
incorrectly, we have to correct it,

otherwise, it would be unfair to the Buddha, that’s all.

Now do you know the way?

This document has one side in English and the other in Vietnamese.

It is in the Samyutta Nikaya 22-59.

Thầy will read the English first.

This section appears frequently in the sutras.

It's one thing if it was correctly recorded,

but once a mistaken transmission takes place,

all of the sutras would systematically carry this error.

What do you think, O monks, is rupa permanent or impermanent?

That is the Buddha's question.

The monks replied: Impermanent, Venerable One.

So far, nothing to complain about.

What do you think, O monks, is rupa permanent or impermanent?

Impermanent, Venerable One.

Are feelings, perceptions, mental formations and
consciousness permanent or impermanent?

Impermanent, Venerable One. So far it's perfect.

Are feelings, perceptions, mental formations and
consciousness permanent or impermanent?

Impermanent, Venerable One.

So far it's perfect.

But here comes the worm.

But what is impermanent?
Is it something pleasant or painful?

It's a mistake to put suffering here.

It should follow with non-self to be logically correct.

If we do not accept impermanence, that's one thing.

But once we accept impermanence, we must accept non-self.

Because what is self? Self is something
that is permanent, unchangeable.

An eternal soul.

But looking into the five skandhas, we see that there
is nothing permanent, ever-lasting or indestructible.

In our feelings, perceptions, and mental formations,

there is nothing that lasts forever or is indestructible.

So, accepting impermanence means accepting non-self.

Right?

If we believe in an immortal soul

that goes through rebirth,

that creates karma,
that receives retribution,

then we do not truly believe in impermanence.

Because if there is an immortal soul
passing through time and space like that,

then there is permanence.

So accepting impermanence means accepting non-self.

Impermanence leads to non-self. But here,
impermanence is said to lead to suffering.

That doesn't make sense because impermanence

can lead to joy.

For example, if a dictatorship collapses,

the people would be very happy.

If not for impermanence, how could a dictatorship collapse?

And if we are ill, if the illness were permanent,
how could there be hope for healing?

Because illness is impermanent,
we have the possibility for healing,

so impermanence is not the culprit.

Impermanence is a good thing.

If things were not impermanent, a seed of corn
would always remain a seed and never become

a plant of corn and give corn for us to eat.

If things were not impermanent,
a baby would remain a baby forever,

never becoming an adult.

So, impermanence is something wonderful.

Without impermanence, how could life be possible?

So thinking of impermanence as negative is incorrect.

To say impermanence is suffering is incorrect.

So, inserting suffering here is not correct.

Another reason, a very practical and solid reason, is that

a dharma seal refers to the nature of things.

For example, this piece of paper.

To say it is impermanent is correct.

To say it is non-self is correct.

To say it is nirvana is also correct,
because its nature is no birth, no death.

But to say it is suffering is very funny.

Because suffering is a feeling.

Things are impermanent but we consider them
to be permanent, so we suffer.

Things are non-self but we perceive them
as having a self, so we despair.

Things are of the nature of no-birth and no death but
we see them as having birth and death, so we suffer.

This suffering arises from delusion, not from things themselves.

So, impermanence as a dharma seal is correct,
non-self as a dharma seal is correct,

nirvana as a dharma seal is correct, but
suffering as a dharma seal is not correct.

That is a very sharp,
very robust argument.

Like that stone over there, it is impermanent.

Although it is a stone, it is impermanent and non-self.

But to say the stone is suffering is very funny.

Suffering is something that arises

when we have afflictions,
when we have wrong perceptions.

But what is impermanent is something
pleasant or painful? Painful, venerable one.

This doesn't make sense. Impermanence leading to
non-self is very correct, very logical.

But impermanence leading to suffering is not correct.

Because we have seen that impermanence
can bring about a lot of happiness.

For example, if illness is not impermanent,
how can we heal and be happy, right?

We fail to see the positive side of impermanence.

If a seed of corn is not impermanent, how can it
become a plant of corn and give us corn to eat?

It would remain a seed forever and ever.

So, it is not logical.

It is the same when we say in the
12 Nidānas that feeling leads to craving.

For someone who is liberated,

feeling does not lead to craving,

but can lead to liberation.

It is forcing things to say that impermanence leads to suffering.

But what is impermanent, painful, subject to change,

could it be rightly said, this belongs to me,
this is I am, this is myself?

No, Venerable One.

But what is impermanent, painful,
subject to change, could it be rightly said,

this belongs to me, this is I am, this is myself?
No, venerable one.

And this passage appears frequently in the sutras,
repeated dozens, hundreds of times.

So if it is wrong in one place,
it is wrong everywhere, consistently wrong.

And people have inserted impermanence, suffering,
and non-self as the Three Dharma Seals.

So it is time to clear Buddha's name and
restore the true teaching,

and we have very compelling evidence.

First, the formula of impermanence, non-self,
and nirvana found in the Chanda Sutra,

which all the elders at Deer Park repeated when
Chanda asked about the essence of the teachings.

Everyone said the essence of the Buddha's teaching
is impermanence, non-self, and nirvana.

This clearly includes two dimensions,
the historical and the ultimate.

Whereas (impermanence, non-self and suffering)
only relates to the historical dimension,

not the ultimate dimension.

Without nirvana—perfect peace—it is not Buddhism.

Meanwhile, Southern Buddhism speaks much about Nirvana

yet does not include Nirvana as one of the Three Dharma Seals.

Now it is time to revise that passage,

to restore the true meaning of the Buddha,
to restore the dharma seal of the Buddha.

First, Thầy will read in Vietnamese.

Do you think this passage sounds
like something the Buddha would say?

And did Ananda recite it like this?

What do you think, oh monks, is rupa permanent or impermanent?

Impermanent, venerable one.

Feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness,
permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable One.

But is what is impermanent subject to change?
Could it be rightly said that this is a self,

this belongs to me, this I am, this is myself?
No, venerable one.

Monks meditating on impermanence and non-self,

practitioners will get the right view of
no birth, no death, no being, no non-being,

no coming, no going, no eternity, no annihilation.
This is nirvana, this is the calming down,

this is the liberation from suffering, this is true happiness.

This is the passage we want to restore

so that it is perfectly aligned with the Buddha’s teaching,

without any blemish.

What do you think, oh monks, is rupa permanent or impermanent?

Rupa means matter.

Is rupa permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable One.

Are feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and
consciousness permanent or impermanent?

Impermanent, venerable one.

But is what is impermanent subject to change?

Could it be rightly said that this is a self,

this belongs to me, this I am, this is myself?

No, Venerable One.

Monks meditating on impermanence and non-self,

practitioners will get the right view of
no birth, no death, no being, no non-being,

no coming, no going, no eternity, no annihilation.

This is nirvana, this is the calming down,
this is the liberation from suffering,

this is true happiness.

And this is the restoration of the sutra.

This is the work of Ananda, and we are
just the continuation of Ananda,

continuing to restore the three Dharma seals.

There are very big worms in the sutra.
Let me show you one of these big worms.

In Majjhima Nikaya 36,

there is a passage where the Buddha recounted
his practice before enlightenment.

At one point, the Buddha used force to suppress his body and mind,

employing violent methods to subdue his mind and body,

but it was unsuccessful and only caused more suffering.

And he recounted it like this:

Suppose with my teeth clenched

and my tongue pressed against the roof of my mouth,

I beat down, constrain and crush mind with mind.

The Buddha had employed such violent methods.

Just as a strong man might seize a weaker man by the head or shoulders

and beat him down, constrain him and crush him,

so too with my teeth clenched and with my tongue
pressed against the roof of my mouth,

I beat down, constrained, and crush my mind with my mind.

Sweat ran from my armpits

but although tireless energy was aroused in me and
unremitting mindfulness was established,

my body was overwhelmed and uncalmed because
I was exhausted by the painful striving.

Such painful feelings arose in me
that they did not subdue my mind.

This was what the Buddha said.

Thấy will read it in English.

Suppose with my teeth clenched and my tongue
pressed against the roof of my mouth,

I beat down, constrain, and crush mind with mind.

While I was doing that, sweat ran from my armpits.

Just as a strong man might seize a
weaker man by the head or shoulders

and beat him down, constrain him, and crush him,

so too, with my teeth clenched and my
tongue pressed against the roof of my mouth,

I beat down, constrained, and crushed my mind with my mind,

and sweat ran from my armpits.

But although tireless energy was aroused in me

and unremitting mindfulness was established,
my body was overwhelmed

and uncalmed because I was
exhausted by the painful striving.

So the Buddha recounted his experience

and advised us not to use violent methods
to subdue the body and mind.

Yet, this passage was inserted into the
sutras as if it were something profound.

In the Vittaka Santana Sutta, M20,

Majjhima 20.

This sutra is also in Chinese, known as the
Sutra of the Superior Mind

in the Chinese Agamas.

In the Vittaka Santana Sutta,
this passage is also repeated.

Just as a strong man might seize a
weaker man by the head or shoulders

and beat him down, constrain him and crush him,

O monks, if while practicing in order to put an end
to unwholesome thought linked with craving and anger

and these afflictions continue to arise

and then you have to clench your teeth,
press your tongue on the roof of your mouth,

you have to beat down, constrain and crush mind with mind.

If while practicing,

in order to put an end to unwholesome
thought linked with craving and anger

and these afflictions continue to arise, you have to

you have to clench your teeth,

you have to press your tongue on the roof of your mouth,

you have to beat you down,

you have to do like that.

In this passage, it seems to suggest doing exactly

what the Buddha had done before enlightenment and failed.

This is very dangerous. In the Discourse on
the Four Establishments of Mindfulness

and Discourse on Mindfulness of the Body, Madhyama Āgama 8,

In the Chinese canon, we first see the sutra,

sutra 98 of the Madhyama Āgama

and the sutra of Mindfulness of the Body.

which is Madhyama Āgama 8,

also repeats that passage and says
that it is something we should do.

This is the paragraph in the Mindfulness of Body Sutra 98.

The practitioner contemplates the body as body, clenching their teeth,

pressing their tongue against the roof of their mouth, using mind
to control mind, subdue mind, extinguish and annihilate mind.

Like two wrestlers seizing a weaker person,
completely restraining this person freely,

the practitioner clenches their teeth,
presses the tongue on the roof of the mouth,

and uses mind to control, suppress, subdue mind.

They introduced in the sutra what the Buddha said
should not be done, saying that it should be done.

These are very large worms.

And it's not only in one sutra, but it appears in many sutras.

In both the Pali Canon and the Chinese Canon.

These two sutras in the Madhyama Āgama,
the Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra

and the Mindfulness of the Body Sutra
both have that paragraph.

And they advise people to do what
the Buddha had done and failed,

that is, using violent methods to subdue mind and body.

So, when we learn, we must learn with the spirit of a scholar.

Because in...

There is a sutra called the Kalama Sutra,

which is very wonderful.

The Kalama Sutra is where the Buddha spoke to
a number of young people of the Kalama tribe.

And that day, the Kalama youths surrounded the Buddha and asked,

From time to time, spiritual teachers pass through here,

and we invite them to give us teachings.

But each one says that their teaching is the best, the most correct.

So we don't know who to believe, because everyone
says that their teaching is the best, the most correct,

and that the teachings of other teachers are wrong.

So what does the Buddha teach?"

This is a very famous sutra because
the Buddha's teachings are very scientific.

The Buddha said, "O Kalama youth,

do not be quick to believe anything
even if it has been recorded in the sutras.

O Kalama youth, do not be quick to believe anything
just because a famous teacher has said it.

Whatever you hear, you must carefully
contemplate whether it is reasonable or not.

Use your own intelligence to examine
whether it is true or reasonable.

And you must apply it.

If it brings peace, liberation, and happiness,
then you may believe it,

but if your insight tells you otherwise,

and your practice shows that it is not correct,

then why should you believe in those things?

This is the Kalama Sutra, which demonstrates that
the spirit of inquiry in Buddhism is very scientific. .

Do not be quick to believe anything
just because it is recorded in scriptures.

Do not be quick to believe anything
just because a famous teacher has said it.

In the West, the Kalama Sutra is sometimes called
the charter of free inquiry.

And our ancestral teachers have also said the same thing.

They advised us not to use our intellect to analyze each word

but to use our insight to penetrate the deeper meaning.

If you explain according to the letter
( Y kinh giải nghĩa 依經解義 )

You do wrong to the Buddhas of the three times.
( Tam thế Phật oan 三世佛冤 )

That means if we interpret each word in the sutras,

we create misundertanding for the Buddhas of the three times.

So, we must use our insight and not get caught in the words.

So a methodology we have is relying on wisdom,
not discriminating mind.

That means to rely on wisdom, not on discrimination.

"Y kinh giải nghĩa" means to rely on the sutras and
explain according to the letter,

which is doing wrong to the Buddhas of the three times.
This is what our ancestors have said.

So, when we learn, we must know how to use our wisdom, our logic,

and especially to think, contemplate, and apply it.

Then our faith can be called right faith;

otherwise, it is not right faith,

and we are bitten by the snake.

So, later on, if there are errors in
the sutras that we are able correct,

then when translating the sutras, we must include
these corrections, we must include our insights,

and we say that perhaps it was passed down incorrectly.

Based on the following evidence, it is very
likely that this section should read as follows

and this was the way in which Ānanda originally recorded it.

And most importantly, if a sentence is put in the wrong place,

the meaning could be the opposite
of what the Buddha intended.

So, in the sutras on the middle way and conditioned genesis,

sentences like "this is because that is,"

"this is not because that is not,"

"this arises because that arises,"

"this ceases to be because that ceases to be"

are good enough already.

No need to say more.

And the twelve nidānas that we have
learned are correct in another context

but not as further explanation for the middle way
and conditioned genesis leading to

emptiness and nirvana.

That is not correct.

So, we know that the path leading from
the conventional truth to the ultimate truth

requires skill, requires the wisdom of adaptation.

The wisdom of adaptation.
隨 順 智

In Sino Vietnamese: Tuỳ thuận trí.
隨順智

The wisdom of adaptation uses the teaching of co-arising,

co-arising is here

Co-arising.

The teaching of co-arising.

The middle way.

With the wisdom of adaptation,
using the teachings of co-arising middle way,

we can lead people to connect

with the teaching of emptiness,
with the nature of emptiness,

which is nirvana, perfect peace.

To access means to connect with it.

Connected to.

We must make it connected to nirvana.

Connected to.
Tương ứng.

Connected to.
Pratisaṃyukta.

Connected with emptiness.

Connected with emptiness.
śūnyatapratisaṃyukta

Meaning the wisdom of adaptation that
can connect with emptiness.

Altogether these words: conditioned, co-arising,
adaptation, emptiness, connected with,

mean the wisdom of adaptation using conditioned-arising

in order to connect with emptiness.

Emptiness, here,

is a term the Buddha used to describe nirvana,

and so we have to be very skillful in our use of the word.

Because if we are caught in the notion of emptiness,

we would be afflicted by an ailment that cannot be cured,

even the Buddha cannot save us.

This emptiness is sunyata 空,
it does not mean non-being 無.

Emptiness

is not the same as non-being.

This emptiness transcends both
being and non-being, birth and death,

eternalism and nihilism,

coming and going.

So, if we understand emptiness as non-being, it's wrong.

Because this emptiness transcends both
being and non-being, birth and death.

This emptiness is no-birth, no-death,
no being, no non-being.

So, this emptiness is a kind of

antidote,

a remedy,

And emptiness is not a philosophical theory,
it is a means to free us from the notions of

being and non-being, birth and death,
permanence and annihilation, and so on.

That is Nirvana. That is the absence of
all notions, the absence of all afflictions.

To be able to put an end to all the burning afflictions,

to extinguish all wrong views,

we must follow this path, which is the path of
adaptation that connects us with emptiness.

The wisdom of adaptation using

co-arising in order to connect with emptiness, with nirvana.

And this sentence is there in the sutra you have.

[ Discourse on the Adaptation of Conditioned
Genesis that connects with Emptiness ]

"And I have taught you, the itinerant bhikshus
coming from another country,

I have demonstrated to you the Dharma door of skilful adaptation
of conditioned genesis that helps to connect with emptiness."

This is in Saṃyukta Āgama 293 (Discourse on the Adaptation
of Conditioned Genesis that connects with Emptiness).

This phrase,

the wisdom of adaptation using co-arising
in order to connect with emptiness,

is a wonderful phrase.

It leads us from the historical dimension
to the ultimate dimension.

From permanence, self, we use impermanence, non-self

to arrive at co-arising, the middle way,

no being and no non-being, no birth and no death,
and we connect with nirvana.

[ Three sounds of the bell ]