Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks

November 24, 2013. 116-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village. This is the third talk of the 2013-2014 Winter Retreat. We begin with two chants (17-minutes) from the monastics. The talk was given in Vietnamese and this is an English translation by Sr. Tue Nghiem. Shares a little about the chant in Vietnamese; it's about love. The purpose of the practice is to generate joy/happiness and to take care of our suffering. How do we do this? We do tis with mindfulness, concentration, and insight. The foundations of the Four Noble Truths in Plum Village. Walking and sitting meditation should be viewed as a privilege. Freedom can be found in our busyness. Every action can bring happiness, it is a path of happiness. A mental formation such as contact is present when three things are present. The organ, object, and consciousness. All three must be present. Mind and consciousness. When is consciousness active? The mind still works when there is no consciousness. This is the store

November 21, 2013. 93-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet of Plum Village. This is the second talk of the 2013-2014 Winter Retreat. We begin with two chants from the monastics. The talk was given in Vietnamese and this is an English translation by Sr. Tue Nghiem.  Story of a poet Thay met in the 1940s in Saigon. Shares a poem called the Dalia. Another poem from the 60s called  Song of April. A flower in the poem is used to teach on manifestation-only and the dharma body. This is the work of Mahayana Buddhism. We can hear the dharma in everything. The Buddha is the flower. Where does the flower come from in manifestation-only?  We can apply this same teaching to our own seeds, such as anger. We don't always see our anger until it manifests, but to say that it is not there is incorrect. It's just hidden.  Text of the 30 Verses of Vasubandhu.  Consciousness has two parts. The subject and object. The two parts rely upon one another to manifest.  Can our mind see the object of reality?

November 7, 2013. 93-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet of Plum Village. We begin with two chants, one French and one Vietnamese, from the monastics. The talk is originally given in Vietnamese and this is an English translation by Sr. Chan Khong.  Just let the dharma talk simply go into our store consciousness. No effort needed. You can be surprised later when the seeds of the dharma sprout.  Noble path. Suffering and happiness are deeply linked.  Waking up this morning, I smile. No judgement. Compassion. Gatha practice. Every second, every minute, every action. Insight can arise from simple practice. Walking. Sitting. Eating.  But it doesn't mean we ignore our suffering.  Story of Vietnamese patriarch - One Concentration. A history lesson on our spiritual ancestors in Vietnam. 

November 17, 2013. 82-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Stillwater Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. This is the first talk of the 2013-2014 Winter Retreat. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Rebuilding our health - mental and physical. Our society seems to be not very healthy. Some come to our retreat to heal and mindfulness can help you heal. If we are mindful, we may see that we are running. Running into the future. We have a habit of running.  So our mindful breathing can help us to stop the running. Breathing is an art. Mindfulness has to go with insight. Insight can get you out of your suffering. This winter we will look at the 51-mental formations. The first five are called universal. Contact Attention Feeling Perception Volition Then we have five particulars. Intention Determination Mindfulness Concentration Insight Right now we are talking about mindfulness. Our consciousness has two parts - store and mind. Our mental formations can move from on

November 3, 2013. 101-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Stillwater Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. We begin with two chants from the monastics followed by a talk on the theme of compassion. Thay begins with a follow-up on the visit to Stanford University where we had the topic of compassion. Sr. True Dedication is asked by Thay to begin the sharing. The talk at Stanford was sponsored by the organization CCARE, The Center for Compassion And Altruism Research And Education Empathy. Research of the human mind. Compassion, empathy, and altruism are innate in us. The nature of compassion is like thunder, according to the lotus sutra. First lesson: There is a relationship between suffering and compassion. Interbeing is the ground of meta-ethics. Compassion is born from understanding. Understanding what? Suffering. And if you know how to suffer then you suffer much less. Second lesson: Compassion should be directed to yourself first. Our civilization has a tendency to want to run awa

November 10, 2013. 94-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Stillwater Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. The sangha is preparing for the upcoming 90-day winter retreat. We begin with two chants from the monastics followed by a powerful teaching on technology with very specific instructions to those participating in the 90-day retreat. Both the audio and video are linked below. It is five days before the winter retreat begins at Plum Village. The great ordination ceremony this coming year will take place beginning May 23, 2014 and the 21-Day retreat, starting on June 1, 2014, will have the theme What happens when you die? For the monastics, during the winter retreat we will stay within the boundaries of Plum Village and this includes not going out on the Internet. There will be no individual email communication and all emails can be sent to one address only and be delivered to you. There is no need to check email. There is absolutely no Facebook too. Facebook is neither good nor evil bu

October 31, 2013. 70-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Stillwater Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet of Plum Village. The sangha has recently returned from the North American tour. The talk was given in Vietnamese and this is the English translation by Sr. Chan Khong. We begin with a summary of the 3-month teaching tour of North America that has just ended. Thay shares about the dry earth at the centers in North America and yet the rain came to each during the tour. Because we travel in so many buses and cars, Thay reminds us to be aware of our trip. Walk with the Buddha. Drive with the Buddha. Sit with the Buddha. Be aware of the Buddha with every breath and every moment. How can we have the Buddha in our lives? Example of the bell master, even on the bus, and if that person is the only one with mindfulness and then that person and the energy of the bell can help carry into the sangha. There are many who are thirsty for the practice is large and all our events sold out. We were able to stream th

September 25, 2013. 130-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the first dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Healing Ourselves, Healing the World. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Try the BetterListen Version of this entire retreat - click the image below We bring our mind and body together and come back to ourselves in order to be truly there and be able to stop our thinking. We can get lost in our thinking. When we are mindful and concentrated of our in breath them our mind only has one object. Just breathing in mindfully we can get freedom from the past l, the future, and our projects. Freedom is possible and the healing can start. Topics: Conditions of happiness Habit of running after fame, power, wealth, sensual pleasures Deep looking - insight can release the tension and bring healing Mindfulness is a method to insight using our in breath

September 24, 2013. 120-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the orientation for the 6-day retreat with the theme Healing Ourselves, Healing the World. Try the BetterListen Version of this entire retreat - click the image below Creating a healing environment in our physical and spiritual spaces. How do we produce a thought that is filled with understanding and compassion? Building a sangha or a practice center is one method. In our tradition, we begin by looking at our suffering. We can then recognize the suffering in the other person. This is the first and second noble truth. With this, the energy if compassion arises because you have touched and understood suffering. Tonight, the monks and nuns will chant the name of Avalokitesvara in order to get in touch with suffering and help relieve the pain and suffering of others. As we listen, we should stop our thinking and be co

October 16, 2013. 111-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the fourth and final dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Finding Our True Home. A lesson for the children for when they return to school and how to deal with aggression without being angry or violent. If we do that, then we win. After about 10-minutes we continue with just the adults. We begin with a few unanswered questions from the previous session of questions and answers: I can be mindful of my breath when I sitting or walking but how do I keep mindful of my breath when speaking? Political discourse is deeply toxic and intolerant; how do we consume without the negativity? How can we still be engaged? Please talk to us about grief.  What can you share with teachers and youth so they can walk away and take care of their fears and stress? Can there be peace without war? The topic of our talk today is birth and

October 15, 2013. 103-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. The sangha is on the 6-day retreat with the theme Finding Our True Home. Today we offer a session of questions and answers. How can I practice to have a connection with my father who has passed away? Also, can you talk about becoming a monastic? How can I stop being obsessed with playing video games? How do I practice compassion for those who are harmful to my family and friends? What is the purpose of doing good and creating happiness if they inter-are with suffering? How do I become more stable and confident in the decisions that I make and not to seek assurances from others? How do I work with having too much energy and a fear of burning myself out? I am fearful of the toxic air we are breathing, especially as it related to chem trails, and I am also angry. What can I do as an activist with these feelings? If I cause someth

October 14, 2013. 80-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the third dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Finding Our True Home. The Four Noble Truths. The first is ill being. What is so noble about ill being? We can find a way out through the source of ill being. From the source, you can see the making of ill being. This is the second noble truth. When you see the path that leads to ill being then you can see the path out of ill being. It is a path of joy and happiness. The path of well being. Therefore, according the teaching of interbeing we have both ill being and well being. Ill being The Making of ill being (ignoble path) Well being Path of well being (noble path) Right View. A deep insight. What exactly is Right View? It is when we are not caught by the notion of ill being and well being. Interbeing. If we look at the Diamond Sutra, we are urged to transcend th

October 13, 2013. 105-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the second dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Finding Our True Home. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Brief overview of the Four Kinds of Nutriments from yesterday's talk followed by further explanation on volition followed by consciousness. What is the ultimate concern with our lives? It is important to sit with our partner, our loved ones, to discover what this might be. How can we help each other realize our dream? Suffering is the first awareness…the first noble truth. Many don't know how to handle the pain in ourselves. We have the tendency to run away from ourselves and seek forgetfulness. In doing so, we become alienated from those around us. If we can't take care of ourselves, we cannot take care of our loved ones. Further teaching on how this might apply to a corporate leader. Maybe a new k

October 12, 2013. 100-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the first dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Finding Our True Home. We begin with two chants from the monastics. This morning we heard the Sutra on Knowing a Better Way to Live Alone. What does this mean? Is this a practice of solitude? To live alone means not to have a second person in you. Maybe an object of desire or craving. To live alone is to be completely satisfied with the here and now. There is no need to run anymore. This is the practice of aimlessness. I have arrived. Enlightenment. Happiness. Joy. They are all right here and right now. Walking meditation. What prevents us from arriving? Recognizing habit energy and why is this important. We all have habit energy that push is to do or say something. We can name it and not have to push it away using our mindfulness. We can create a new habit of mindful

September 1, 2013. 118-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is a public Day of Mindfulness when approximately 1400 people came to Blue Cliff to learn about the practice. What is a dharma talk? How to listen? What is walking meditation? Our True Nature What is mindful eating? Healing our suffering Chanting (from 33-minutes to 49-minutes) Conditions of happiness Art of Suffering Understanding and compassion Effortlessness Practice of mindful breathing Joy and happiness Deep listening and loving speech Wake Up Schools What is mindfulness? Four Mantras http://youtu.be/qOK8IjP6MQ4

August 30, 2013. 91-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the final dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Transformation and Healing – The Art of Suffering. Topics How to love - Four Elements of True Love (also known as Unlimited Mind or the Four Brahma Viharas) Maitri (loving kindness) - capacity to offer well being and happiness. Karuna (compassion) - capable of removing the pain Mudita (joy) Upeksha (equanimity or inclusiveness) Continue instructiom on the exercises of mindful breathing (#9-#16) 9: Recognize every mental formations 10: make the landscape of the mind beautiful - gladdening the mind. Watering good seeds. True Diligence (four aspects) 11: concentrate our mind on the mental formation 12: liberating the mind 13: contemplating impermanence 14: contemplating non-craving 15: nirvana 16: letting go Three Doors of Liberation (emptiness, signlessness

August 29, 2013. 117-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is a session of questions and answers during the 6-day retreat with the theme Transformation and Healing – The Art of Suffering. Children Why do people get so angry sometimes and their hearts filled with anger? Why do people have to suffer? What do you have to do to have a calm mind? Teens If you could live your life again, would you choose the same path? My sister (a monastic aspirant) has been staying with the monastics and it's been hard for me. How do I practice non-attachment? What made you decide to become a monk? What is the hardest thing that you practice? How have you detached from your strongest attachments in life? Can we be fast and mindful, especially with sports? Adults A father who has suffered greatly from violence - his son died at Sandy Hook Elementary. What could have happened differently? What cou

August 28, 2013. 105-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the third dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Transformation and Healing – The Art of Suffering. Topics Today President Obama invites us to "Let Freedom Ring" on the 50th anniversary of the MLK speech at the Lincoln Memorial. How do we realize the dream of King? Thay's dream of being a student Being a bell master Establishing a meditation hall in the home Thay's dream is to build a sangha. Harmony. Sisterhood. Brotherhood. Nonviolent action and war in Vietnam MLK, Thay, and Vietnam Why self- immolation is non-violent Beloved Community = Sangha Building Building sangha in France. In exile. Mindfulness today The Four Kinds of Nutriments http://youtu.be/xqyi0hpiZrM

August 27, 2013. 101-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the second dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Transformation and Healing – The Art of Suffering. Topics Tea meditation - a cloud in my tea A cloud in the calligraphy Working with strong emotions Smile to our anger Mindfulness is to embrace and calm Happiness and suffering Four Noble Truths Ill being and well being Second and Fourth as Path and Nutriments Interbeing of pairs of opposites Right View Right Thinking The notion of self (Diamond Sutra) Right Mindfulness Right Concentration Right Speech Right Action http://youtu.be/bAbTMS-WEgM

August 26, 2013. 87-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the first dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Transformation and Healing – The Art of Suffering. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Topics Why do we want to practice breathing-in and breathing-out? We don't have to suffer and we can produce the energy of joy. First exercise of mindful breathing Walking in the kingdom is an end in itself Three Energies: Mindfulness, Concentration, Insight Second exercise of mindful breathing Third exercise of mindfulbreathing - aware of body Fourth exercise of mindful breathing - relax body Fifth exercise of mindful breathing - producing joy Sixth exercise of mindful breathing - producing happiness Seventh exercise of mindful breathing - aware of painful feeling Eighth exercise of mindful breathing - embrace painful feeling Store and mind consciousness with ment