Especially in the Mahayana tradition, there is a practice called Paramita. Paramita means perfection. It means crossing over to the other shore. You are on this shore, the shore of suffering, the shore of anger, the shore of depression. And you don't want to stay on this shore. You want to cross over to the shore of well-being, of non-anger. You have to do something in order to leave this shore and to go to the other shore. That is called Paramita. And the first Paramita is the practice of giving. To love means to offer joy and happiness.

[01:12]

I will now try to present the six Paramitas like the six petals of a flower. And the first Paramita is the practice of giving, Dana Paramita. That is the practice of love. Giving has the capacity to bring us to the other shore, the shore of well-being, the shore of non-anger, the shore of harmony, the shore of good relationship.

[02:18]

And giving here does not mean that you have to have money. According to the teaching, the best thing you can offer to the person you love is your true presence. And practicing Buddhist meditation, you know how to produce your true presence. You practice mindful breathing in and out. You bring your body and your mind together. You produce your total presence. And that is the greatest gift you can make to the person you love. That is the practice of giving. How can you love if you are not there? To love, you have to be there for the person you love.

[03:22]

And this, the practice of meditation can afford, can help. There is a young boy, a young man, 12 years old. His father said, my son, I know tomorrow will be your birthday. Tell me what you want. I will buy it for you. The young man hesitated. He knows that his father is very rich. He cannot afford to buy anything that he wants. But it does not seem that he wants anything. Yes, he wants one thing, the presence of his father. But that is so difficult. His father is rich. That is why he has to spend a lot of time in order to continue to be rich. And that is why all his time and energy has to be spent in making money. He could not afford to offer himself to his wife and his children, to be rich.

[04:26]

I think that is a disadvantage. And if the young man can say it plainly, he will say, Daddy, I don't want anything. I want you. I want your presence. And if the father knows something about mindful breathing, he will say, okay, and then he will practice mindful breathing in, mindful breathing out, so that he can have one day off. And walking mindfully toward the direction of his son, he sits down. And looking deeply into the eyes of his son, he smiles and he says, Darling, I am here for you. I am really here for you. And that is the greatest gift a father can give to his son.

[05:29]

To make yourself available, to produce your true presence, is the first, the most precious gift. And this is my first mantra to be offered to you. A mantra is a magic formula that has the power to transform the situation. If you have someone that you love so much, that you want to make happy, you can practice this. You practice the first mantra. A mantra is something we utter only when we are in a perfect state of concentration. Otherwise, it is not a mantra. Your mind and your body have to be completely united in concentration in order for the mantra to work. Darling, I am here for you, is the mantra.

[06:34]

You don't have to practice this mantra in Sanskrit. You can practice it in English. You begin by breathing in and breathing out in order to bring your mind and body together. You may practice walking meditation for half a minute or one minute, and there you are with your true presence. You go to the person you love, you sit down, you look at him or at her, and you open your mouth and you pronounce the first mantra, Darling, I am really here for you. And you see the transformation. We have learned that once we are there,

[07:49]

something else is also there, life. When you are really there, to 100% of yourself, you can recognize the presence of the person you love. And this is a very deep practice, because to be loved means to be recognized as existing. If you say you love him or her, but you don't do anything to prove that you recognize his presence or her presence, that's not true love yet. So after having practiced so that you can produce your true presence, you go to him or to her, embracing him or her with the energy of mindfulness, and pronounce the second mantra, Darling, I know you are there,

[08:56]

and I am very happy. While you pronounce that mantra, you embrace the person you love with the energy of mindfulness, because to love means to recognize the presence of the person you love. These practices are very simple, but very powerful. That is the practice of giving. You only have to produce your true presence, and then you can do it. And you can guarantee that the practice will be effective. What else can we give? We can give our freshness.

[10:01]

We restore the flowerness in us. Maybe we need only to breathe in and out a few times and restore our flowerness, and become more pleasant. And this is what we offer to the person we love. What else can we offer? We can offer our stability. Again, the children have learned the practice of mountain solid. Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain. And breathing out, I feel solid. Yes, the person we love needs us to be solid, needs us to be stable. That solidity, that stability, is a very precious kind of gift

[11:05]

that you can make to the person you love. What else can we offer to the person we love? Peace. It's so wonderful to sit close to someone that is peaceful. You profit so much from his peace for her peace. And that is why, offer him, offer her your peace. Breathing in, I see myself as still water. Breathing out, I reflect things as they truly are. Peace and lucidity, that is something very valuable you can offer to the person you love. And then, what else?

[12:09]

Freedom. Space. The person you love needs a lot of space in order to be happy. When you arrange flowers, you know that each flower needs some space around her in order to radiate her beauty. A person is like a flower. Without space around and without space inside, a person cannot be happy. To be free and to offer freedom to the person you love is wonderful. And you know, these things you cannot buy from the supermarket. You have to produce them by your practice. And you never run out of it. The more you offer, the more you have more of it.

[13:12]

That kind of gift you are giving all the time. And the more you give, the more you have it. Because when you give these things to the person you love, she becomes very happy. And because she is happy, the happiness goes back to you right away. It means that you may think that you give him that, but in fact you are giving yourself that kind of gift at the same time. Because in that kind of relationship, you and her, you are one. Whatever you give to her, you give to yourself. The Buddha also said, when you are angry at someone, and if you have tried everything, and yet your anger is still there,

[14:17]

try, give him something. I was very surprised when I heard that teaching. First it looked funny, but I had tried, and it worked very well. when you are angry at someone, the natural tendency is to punish him. Because he has made you suffer, she has made you suffer. And the natural tendency is to punish him, to punish her, so that you get a relief. But we know, we all know, that when we punish, the other person will suffer more, and she will make us suffer more. That will be an escalation of suffering and anger. The Buddha proposed something different. He said, if you are angry at him, at her,

[15:23]

and if you have tried, and everything does not work, then send him a gift. I guess that you are too angry, when you are too angry at someone, you don't want to go and buy a gift, and prepare the gift ready. I think when you are not angry at him, you take the opportunity to prepare the gift, so that it is ready there. And when you get angry at him, go and post that gift to him or to her. And after it is gone, you feel better right away. The practice of giving can bring you to the other shore very quickly. Whatever kind of gift you make, whether your presence, your stability, your freshness, your solidity, your freedom,

[16:27]

or just a material gift, can work like a miracle. They are very effective. Whatever you give can bring you over to the shore of non-anger right away. That is why I recommend strongly to you the practice of the first parameter. The first parameter is wonderful in dealing with anger. Whether the person who makes you angry is your husband, your wife, your father, your son, next time when you get angry at him or her, practice dana paramita, the practice of giving. It is the practice of love. And you will be surprised to see that. Why is it so easy? The second practice to help you to cross to the other shore

[17:31]

is the practice of understanding, of insight. Understanding is prajna paramita, crossing over by understanding, by insight. You know that understanding is also a great kind of gift. It is so pleasant to live close to a person who is able to understand. Understand us, right? Therefore, understanding is a great gift. If you know how to show that you understand him or her, you are offering the best kind of gift to him or her.

[18:33]

You feel happy, you feel loved when the other person understands you. That is why practicing looking deeply so that you can understand the suffering, the difficulty, the deepest aspiration of the person you love is also the practice of giving. We find out that the six paramitas inter-are. In prajna paramita there is dana paramita. The practice of understanding is also the practice of giving. And understanding has several levels. If you continue your practice of looking deeply, one day you will touch the ultimate dimension of reality. You discover the realm of no birth and no death,

[19:42]

no coming, no going. That kind of insight is the highest because it can dissipate all fear and ignorance. And that is the greatest gift you can give yourself and you can give to the person you love. The Prajna Paramita Sutra is an offering of the Buddha to us. If we practice accordingly, we will get the highest kind of understanding that will free us from all illusion and suffering and offer us non-fear. But to begin to understand the other person is already a great gift. And that is why prajna paramita, understanding as a practice of crossing over to the other shore,

[20:49]

is already something that you can practice right now. The third practice of paramita is the practice of the precepts, the mindfulness training. If we live according to the five mindfulness trainings, we practice mindful consumption, we protect ourselves, we protect the people we love,

[21:50]

we protect our family and society. That is the greatest kind of gift at the same time. Suppose we practice refraining from drinking alcohol. The practice of refraining from... The practice of not drinking alcohol is a gift also. When we practice not drinking alcohol,

[22:58]

not only we protect us, but we protect our family, we protect our society. You see? I remember a lady in London. On the eve of the day when the five mindfulness trainings were offered, she struggled very hard for the last time. She said, Yes, Thay. I have been drinking two glasses of wine every week in the last 20 years. And it has not done me any harm at all. Why should I give up my two glasses of wine? It's so nice. I said, Yes. It's true that in the last 20 years you have been drinking two glasses of wine every week. It has not done you any harm.

[23:59]

But are you sure that it will not do harm to your children? I noticed that if parents drink, then children will imitate. You do not have the seed of alcoholism in you. But who knows that the seed of alcoholism does not exist in your children? That is why when you give up two glasses of wine, you are doing it not only for you, but for your children and for your society. And she understood. The next morning she received the five mindfulness trainings. She is doing it as a bodhisattva for everyone, not for herself alone. In France, the Ministry of Health tries to advise people not to drink too much wine. And they advertise on television.

[25:02]

They say, Un verre ça va, Trois verres, Bonjour, Lady Gaga. A glass is okay. Three glasses welcome the damage. They want to say that you have to moderate in drinking. One glass of wine is okay. But three glasses of wine may cause a lot of destruction and damage. I told my students, if the first glass is not there, how could the third glass of wine happen? So not having the first glass of wine is wonderful, because that is the highest form of protection. And if you refrain from having your first glass of wine, you are protecting not only yourself,

[26:04]

but you are protecting all of us at the same time. And the practice of the five mindfulness trainings is also a form of love, the practice of giving. We have learned a little bit about edible food, and sense impressions as a source of food. The practice of the five mindfulness trainings is really the practice of mindful consumption. It ensures good health and the protection of our family and society. That is why the third parameter, the practice of mindfulness training, is also a great gift that we can make to our society,

[27:06]

to our family, to those we love. I hope that today we shall have time to discuss about the mindfulness trainings, the five mindfulness trainings. To me, the five mindfulness trainings are the only way out of our difficult situation. If we live accordingly, according to the five mindfulness trainings, we protect ourselves, we protect our family and our society, and we cut the source of nutrients that have been bringing us sorrow, fear, and ill-being. So please, let us come together and practice looking deeply together into the source of nutrients that have made ourselves suffer so much, and make an effort

[28:08]

to end that kind of nutrient, these sources of nutrients. With the Sangha supporting us, we'll be able to do it and to get out of our difficult situation. Sound of the bell Sound of the bell Sound of the bell

[29:30]

Sound of the bell [...] My dear friends, I would like to introduce to you Brother Phap Liem who will offer you a chant

[30:32]

for morning meditation. In the morning, we hear the sound of the bell and then everyone should prepare in order to be on his or her seat for morning sitting meditation. He's going to chant in the traditional way in Vietnamese, but this is the translation in English. The chant is long so that you have enough time in order to prepare to relax your body and to harmonize your breathing. Morning meditation The body of the Dharma is bringing morning light. Sitting still, my heart at peace,

[31:35]

I smile. This is a new day. I vow to go through this day with awareness because the sun of wisdom will soon be shining everywhere. Sisters and brothers in the Dharma, please diligently bring your mind into meditation. Namo Shakyamuni Shakyamunaye Buddhaya Three times. And when he called the name, he evoked the name Shakyamuni Buddha, all the brothers and sisters in the community responded with the same. And after three times of evoking the Buddha's name, there is a sound of the bell and we begin our morning meditation. In the evening meditation, we have another chant. Similar. Please enjoy.

[32:40]

Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha [...]

[34:13]

Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha

[35:43]

Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha

[37:02]

Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha

[38:29]

Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha Chanting the name of Shakyamuni Buddha

[39:47]

I was 16 when I became a novice. And I began to learn that chant. And I had to transmit that chant to my students. And among the students of mine, monks and nuns in Plum Village, Thay Phap Niem is one of those who can receive the transmission more easily than others. I am very glad to have students like Thay Phap Niem. She is called Dinh Nghiem. Sister Dinh Nghiem here is also a good nun. She can chant this very beautifully. Where is Dinh Nghiem? Can you stand up? Sister Dinh Nghiem was raised in France.

[40:56]

She attended school in France. And that is why she speaks French quite well. She visited Plum Village at the age of 14. And she wrote me a letter when she was 16. And she wanted to become a nun. But her mother did not allow her to become a nun. Thinking that living the life of a nun may be difficult. But in fact, she is now a very happy nun. Thank you. She has almost completed her training for a year in Plum Village. She is a fully ordained nun now. And she is able to organize retreats,

[41:58]

lead and teach retreats. Maybe she will offer you breathing in and breathing out in French. Would you like it? Breathing in, breathing out. Okay, microphone. Breathing in, breathing out in French. Thank you.

[43:11]

Thank you. Thank you. I would like to introduce to you the youngest monk in our group. Shakyopathyo.

[44:35]

He came from South Africa. He is only 17. In three months he will be 18. Shakyopathyo, please stand up. Shakyopathyo was very happy the day he was ordained as a novice monk. And one week after his ordination, I asked him, Are you still happy? And he said, Still happy, very happy. And one month after I asked him the same question, He said, Still very happy, even happier. Shakyopathyo, please stand up.

[46:05]

Shakyopathyo, please stand up. And we used to have silent meals together several times a week. And it is my pleasure from time to time to ask Shakyopathyo whether he is still happy. And up to now he always said, I am happy. We are very happy to have Shakyopathyo our brother with us. Although he is young, he has been a monk only for one year, and yet he has brought to us a lot of happiness. Because he is happy, he brings us a lot of happiness. He came from South Africa. I remember one time when the president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, was visiting France.

[47:32]

And he was asked by the French press whether he would like to tell them what is the thing he likes the most, he wants the most. And then Nelson Mandela said, What I want the most is to be able to sit down. And doing nothing. Since the time I was released from prison, I have never had a chance to sit down and do nothing. When we come together in a retreat, we just want to do that, just sit down and doing nothing. And we are doing it for Nelson Mandela. I think Situ Fak Chau has been doing it for his president. I practice for you, I breathe for you, I walk for you, I enjoy a silent meal for you. When you are a monk,

[48:34]

you practice not only for yourself, but you practice for your ancestors, your children, your grandchildren, your people, your father, your mother, and your people also. The amount of peace and joy that you generate within yourself is for everyone. Situ Fak Chau said that the day his father learned that he wanted to become a monk, he was so happy. Ah, you are not going to be a lawyer or a doctor, you want to become a monk, I am so happy. It is rare to have a supporting father like him. Many of our brothers and sisters here, they look like Vietnamese, coming from Vietnam. But in fact, that is not true.

[49:35]

Many of them have been living in Europe and in America. And they have got their education in Europe or in America. Many of them speak French or English or Danish or Dutch, better than Vietnamese. Most of them have a double culture. They have come from different environments, and they have come to live, to try to live as a family. It is not easy in the beginning, but because there is the teaching, the practice, that is why we have been able to make it into a family. And everyone is enjoying his or her sangha now. Brother Phap Niem wrote a beautiful song

[50:37]

about how to live happily in the present moment. In fact, the lyrics are not his. The music is his. But the lyrics were written by the Buddha himself. How to enjoy living in the present moment. That is a poem spoken by the Buddha. And Brother Phap Niem has put it into music. Do not regret the past, because the past is already gone. Do not worry about the future, because the future is not yet there. The wise person goes back to the present moment and lives deeply in the present moment. You have to be diligent. You have to practice in order to liberate yourself

[51:40]

from illusion, suffering, and anger. If you don't practice, if you don't go back to the present moment and practice deeply, then it may be too late tomorrow. Those who know how to dwell deeply in the present moment and live happily and deeply in the present moment are the ones that are praised by the Buddha. Now I invite Brother Phap Niem to sing to you that song he wrote. And after that, I would like to invite Brother Phap Hien to sing it in English, because Phap Hien wrote his own music to the same yatha. I love you

[53:02]

I want to tell you that I love you I want to tell you that I love you I want to tell you that I love you I want to tell you

[54:09]

that I love you I want to tell you that I love you There is a discourse of the Buddha in the Bhaddhikarata Sutta translated as the better way to live alone. That is the teaching of the Buddha as how to enjoy living in the present moment. To live alone here does not mean to be cut off from society. But to live deeply in the present moment and not to live with one idea. That idea may be concerning the past, the future, worries, desire, anxiety.

[55:14]

So you have to get rid of that obsession about the past, the future, about that craving, that anger. Because if you live with that, you are not living alone, you are not free. Brother Pat Hien, Michael, may like to sing it to you in English. His own music. Listen, I will teach you what is meant

[56:17]

by knowing the better way to live alone. Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. The past no longer is and the future has not yet come. Oh, look deeply at life just as it is arising in the very here and now.

[57:20]

Recognize it, invincible, unshakable. Care for it with your heart and with your mind. We must be diligent today to wait till tomorrow is too late for best comes unexpectedly. And how can we bargain with it? The sage calls one who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night and day.

[58:23]

The one who knows the better way to live alone. Last year, Thammy and her group came from America. They belonged to a firm called Sound Stroke. They came and recorded the chanting of monks and nuns. And this year is the 15th year of Plum Village.

[59:26]

And Sound Stroke is producing a compact disc and two tapes about the singing of monks and nuns in Plum Village. I think they are available here in the beginning this afternoon. And Thammy wrote and asked us to say a few things about Brother Fabian. How we should introduce Brother Fabian because Brother Fabian has a number of chants and songs in the CD and the tapes. And he asked him, he said, just tell that I am a happy monk and I love singing and chanting. Brother Fabian, Michael, before he became a monk, he came to Plum Village with his girlfriend several years ago.

[60:28]

And, of course, he put him in the upper hamlet where monks and laymen stay and practice. And he put his girlfriend in the lower hamlet where nuns and women stay and practice. They enjoyed being in Plum Village and they stayed there for a long time. After that they asked permission to go back to America. And in America they decided to go back to Plum Village and become monks and nuns. His girlfriend is now Sister Han Yang who is there. Would you like to stand up for Sister Han Yang? We are very glad to have them

[61:43]

in our community. They are happy monks, happy nuns. Don't believe that they don't love each other anymore. They continue to love each other and more deeply with a kind of love that is much broader. As monks and nuns, they practice the precepts, the mindful manners. And because they have had the chance to practice so that they can bring out more of their calm, their peace, their stability, that is why they understand each other even more. And their love for each other deepens. And they have begun to make the happiness of so many people come to Plum Village as practitioners. When you become a monk or a nun,

[62:46]

it's not because you have suffered so much in the world that you want to avoid suffering. But because there is a kind of energy that is born in your heart, the intention, the desire to make the happiness of not just one person but many people at the same time. That kind of energy is called bodhicitta, the mind of love, the mind of understanding. And when you've got that kind of energy within yourself, you cannot resist the vocation of becoming a monk or a nun. Our brother Michael does not have, did not have, does not have any problem with his parents, his brother and sister. He was very happy within his family. Sister Hangiem also, she has a loving mother,

[63:48]

a loving brother, and so on. And their families have come and visited them in Plum Village. And were very happy to see the happiness of their son and their daughter. The father of brother Phap Hien is a doctor. And he enjoys very much his stay in Plum Village and he learns about mindful breathing. Now he is back and he practices mindful breathing and he teaches his patients mindful breathing. And he is doing very well with the practice he has learned from Plum Village. When you have a chance to practice,

[64:55]

you can bring out your best, your stability, your freshness. And it's much easier for you to establish a relationship with another person, with many other persons. And that is why their understanding and their love of each other has deepened since they become monks and nuns. I would like to introduce to you another young monk, fully ordained already, but only 21. Brother Phap Can, the mirror of the Dharma, he came also from North America. Although he is young, he is a fully ordained monk. He wanted to be a monk since the age of 14 and only at the age of 17

[66:00]

he could have a chance to be ordained. I am very pleased with him. He has made me very happy. And since the time he became a monk, until now, our relationship can be described as perfect. Perfect. I think he is a little bit shy. He is a very happy monk because of many other reasons. One of these reasons is that he has a blood sister who has also become a nun and who is now here also. Sister Yeung Yim. Sister Yeung Yim, please stand up. Big sister. When you become a monk or a nun,

[67:04]

it looks like you are separated from your family. And yet, you are more available to your family than those who get married. Strange, but that has been always the truth. And you become a spiritual supporter of your family. According to the Hindu tradition, when you are young, you are encouraged to enjoy your youth and the five kinds of sensual pleasures. And you become a monk, you practice, you take up the way and practice only when you have grown up, when you have your family,

[68:06]

when you have raised your children properly, and when your children have become adults and then able to take care of themselves. And now, it's time for you to become a monk and practice intensively. But in the Buddhist tradition, it is different. Because in the time of the Buddha, most of the monks were young, most of the nuns were young. Because the Buddha said that my teaching is about living happily in the present moment. Dvipa-dharma-sukha-vihara. If you take up the Dharma and practice, you can enjoy your youth. You enjoy it right now, you don't have to wait until you are old to practice. There is a sutra called Samadhi Sutra. Samadhi is the name of a young monk, about 21 or 22. The son of a wealthy family

[69:10]

in the city of Rajagraha. One day, Samadhi was taking a swim in a river, not very far from the Gritakuta mountain. It was very early in the morning. So after having gone to swim, he went up to the shore of the river and let the breeze dry his body before he put on his monk robe. And a goddess appeared. And there is a conversation between the monk and the goddess. The goddess said, Young monk, you are still very young.

[70:12]

Your hair is very young. Your face is beautiful. You are healthy. Why don't you enjoy the five kinds of pleasures? Why do you seek happiness, some kind of abstract happiness, happiness in the future? It is not timely what you are doing there. You know the five kinds of pleasures are money, fame, good food, sex, and a lot of sleep. Samadhi said, Dear lady, my practice is very timely. I do not sacrifice my youth at all. In fact, I enjoy very much my youth.

[71:13]

I am living happily in the present moment. The Buddha said that the five kinds of sensual pleasures they look very attractive, but there is a lot of danger hiding behind these five kinds of pleasures. If you are not mindful, you can get caught in these kinds of sensual pleasures and will suffer all your life. I have taken up the Dharma in practice. And the Dharma of the Buddha can bring you happiness right away because the Dharma has three characteristics. The first characteristic of the Dharma is dealing with the present moment. It does not deal with the future. It does not concern with paradise or emancipation after you die. In fact, the Dharma is dealing with the real things in the present moment.

[72:17]

This is called samdhitika, samdristika in Sanskrit. And then the second characteristic of the Dharma is akalika. It means it is not a matter of time because the moment when you take up the Dharma and practice, you can be happy right away. For instance, when you learn about mindful breathing, as soon as you begin to practice mindful breathing, you can bring peace, harmony into your body and your mind right away. You don't have to wait for five years or ten years. That is why the Dharma is described to be not a matter of time. Walking meditation, sitting meditation, enjoying a silent meal, mindful breathing, drinking your tea in mindfulness,

[73:20]

all of these can bring you happiness and peace and calm right away. So it is not a matter of time. And then the third characteristic of the Dharma is that everyone can come and see by himself or herself. Ekipasika. It means inviting everyone to come and see by himself or herself. You don't need the mediation of someone else, a priest, a monk. You can come and see by yourself and try by yourself in a direct way. So, young lady, I am not sacrificing my youth. I enjoy very much the present moment. I am not aspiring to some future, abstract happiness at all. And the young lady said, How interesting! Can you explain more to me, please?

[74:22]

And the monk said, And the young lady said, Well, I have only taken up the practice for more than a year. If you want to know more, you have to go to the Buddha in order to ask. The Buddha now is residing in the bamboo grove. You just go there and you ask questions and he will be glad to answer you. The goddess said, Well, you know, it is very difficult to approach the Buddha because the Buddha is surrounded by so many people. So, if you promise that you will bring me over there, then I will follow you. And then the monk Samedi took the goddess to the Buddha and introduced her to the Buddha. And she asked a few questions about living freely and happily in the present moment. And the conversation became the content of the sutra called the Samedi Sutra. It is interesting that today

[75:26]

there are many goddesses like that writing to our monks and nuns and telling them exactly the same thing. Before becoming a monk or a nun, the young people already had their boyfriends or their girlfriends. And because of the fact that they liked so much to become a monk or a nun, they just go ahead and become a monk or a nun. And that is why sometimes their former boyfriends or girlfriends would telephone and write and our monks and nuns they always share the letters with me. I don't know why, but they always share their letters with me. I remember about half a year before she became a nun,

[76:28]

Sister Dinh Nghiem came to me and said, Thay, my ex-boyfriend is calling on the telephone. Shall I answer him or not? I said, why not? Please use the speakerphone. To become a monk or a nun, that does not mean you have to end your relationship with all your friends. In fact, you have to practice and help them to enjoy the Dharma. That is why it is your duty to talk to him, to talk to her in order to help her to be freer and to know how to practice the Dharma and to be happier. But in order to be safe, use the speakerphone. Another nun,

[77:31]

three or four months after her ordination, brought to me a letter from her ex-boyfriend. The letter said exactly the things that the Goddess had said to the monk Samedi. I am very angry at you. Why have you become a nun? I remember the good time we spent together in North America. Remember the time when we shared milkshake? Remember the time when we went to the movies together? Remember the time when we were holding hands and my skin is touching your skin? It is so wonderful! Why do you sacrifice your youth and dream of any... dream of some abstract kind of happiness in the future? So that the language is exactly the language used by the Goddess.

[78:35]

Why don't you enjoy the five sorts of sensual pleasures now? Why do you have to bear the hard life of a nun? I am very angry at you and I am very angry at your teacher also. Sister Vui Vien Phuong told me that even after she became a nun, young men still tried to follow her. She was ordained as a novice nun in the Duc Vien temple in San Jose. And after that,

[79:36]

some time after that, she came and practiced and became a permanent resident in Plum Village. Sister Vien Phuong is here and she can sing your Breathing In and Breathing Out in what language? Yes, in what language? Chinese! Breathing In and Breathing Out

[80:41]

Breathing In and Breathing Out Breathing In and Breathing Out I think I don't have time to introduce all of them to you.

[81:42]

Maybe we can continue some other time. Now I would like to ask the brothers and sisters to present to you the incense offering in English. And then maybe praising the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara First is the incense offering in English and then evoking the name of the Bodhisattva of Deep Listening. Shall we stand up? Invite the awakened mind to be truly present

[82:48]

with us now. The fragrance of this incense fills our practice centres, bodies, and minds from all our thinking. The fragrance of this incense collects us and unites us, freezes concentration inside. We offer for that is

[83:56]

Namo Bodhisattva Iyam, Namo Bodhisattva Iyam. The nectar of compassion is seen on the willow branch held by the Bodhisattva. A single drop of this nectar is enough to bring back life in the ten directions of the cosmos.

[84:59]

May all afflictions of this world disappear totally and may this practice centre be completely purified by the Bodhisattva's nectar of compassion. From deep understanding, the flower of great eloquence blooms. The Bodhisattva is standing majestically on the waves of birth and death, free from all afflictions. Her compassion eliminates all sickness, even thought as incurable. Her light sweeps away all obstacles and dangers. The willow branch in her hand, once waved, reveals countless Buddha lands. Her lotus flower, when blooming, becomes a multitude of practice centres.

[86:01]

I bow to her. I see her true presence in the here and in the now. I offer her the incense of my heart. May the Bodhisattva of deep listening touch us with her great compassion. Namo Avalokiteshvaraya. Namo Avalokiteshvaraya Namo Avalokiteshvaraya

[87:11]

Namo Avalokiteshvaraya Chí tuệ bình lên đó, biển tài đứng yên trên sông, sạch chân ai. Cám lộ chữa lạnh chân khấu bệnh hào quán quét sạch biển tài. Liệu biển xuất bày muôn thế giới sẽ nằm ở hết và lâu đài.

[88:14]

Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây. Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây. Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây.

[89:24]

Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây. Chí tuệ bình lên đó, biển tài đứng yên trên sông, sạch chân ai. Cám lộ chữa lạnh chân khấu bệnh hào quán quét sạch biển tài. Liệu biển xuất bày muôn thế giới sẽ nằm ở hết và lâu đài. Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây.

[90:57]

Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây. Cúi đầu ca ngợi dâng hương thỉnh sinh nguyệt từ biển ngây.

[91:34]

@Text_v004
@Score_JH