Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks

August 25, 2013. 108-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 orientation talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Transformation and Healing – The Art of Suffering. Peace, happiness, and love are skills we can learn. The art of happiness and the art of suffering. We suffer less if we learn how to suffer. With this start, we are reminded to take care of our happiness and our suffering. Following the introduction, the monastics chant the name of Avalokiteshvara. Following the chant, Thay turns the orientation over to two senior monastics who orientate the retreatants on the practice. http://youtu.be/Yo_El5mr1tY

August 16, 2013. 82 -minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the fifth dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Happy Teachers will Change the World. Topics Third Mindfulness Training - True Love Four Elements of True Love The Kingdom of God is Here and Now Nirvana is the true nature Three Doors of Liberation (Concentrations) Man is made of non-man elements - Deep Ecology Ancestors are alive Birth and death The Three Jewels Sangha http://youtu.be/Og4w_KzAdqU

August 15, 2013. 102-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the fourth dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Happy Teachers will Change the World. We begin with two chants from the monastics followed by a session of questions and answers. Children Will you tell us of a struggle you've had and how meditation and the bell helped you to overcome it? Recalling the dream in an earlier talk this week, how did it make you feel when the secretary said yes to you and not to the other person? Will Thay sing us a song? What made you want to become a zen master? Teens What is the difference between joy and happiness? My father causes much suffering and doesn't practice right view. I have lots of resentment I am fearful. How do I transform my suffering to peace and joy when he has hurt me so much? How did mindfulness help you in your life? How can I bring the practice to life fo

August 14, 2013. 118-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the third dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Happy Teachers will Change the World. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Topics The cloud in the tea Teaching on no birth, no death The tea inside the calligraphy The Four NobleTruths Interbeing - ill being and well being Nothing can survive without food The noble (eightfold) path that leads to well-being The Four Kinds of Nutriments Sutra of the Sons Flesh Right View Mental Formations - the Five particulars Being and non-being No birth and no death Right Thinking Right Speech Right Action http://youtu.be/CDGBJYenn34

August 13, 2013. 91-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the second dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Happy Teachers will Change the World. We begin with two chants from the monastics. Talk for children Story of a dream Thay had 20-years ago. A dream of being a young university student with a famous teacher. A music class. This is followed by a teaching on how to be a good bell master. Main Talk Topics Practicing mindfulness in a meeting Establishing space in the home for practice Slow walking to arrive Mental formations Four Objects of Mindfulness (body, feelings, mind, objects of mind) Selective watering (True Diligence) Eating meditation http://youtu.be/Fr0VxPVIy7k

August 12, 2013. 76-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the first dharma talk for the 6-day retreat with the theme Happy Teachers will Change the World. Topics Listening to the bell Releasing tension in our body with mindfulness at any time Generating joy and happiness Being aware of our conditions of happiness in the present moment The practice of mindfulness can also help us handle a painful feeling or emotion There is a deep connection between suffering and happiness Compassionate listening - mindfulness of compassion Global ethics - how to release tension, reduce pain Sixteen exercises on mindful breathing (briefly mentioned) Store and mind consciousness - seeds 51-mental formations, such as anger and mindfulness The suffering inside the school teacher and inside the student The way out is in - we must take care of ourselves first then for the other person Supportin

August 11, 2013. 55-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2013 Nourishing Great Togetherness teaching tour. This is the opening session of the 6-day retreat. In this short talk, the focus is on the Art of Suffering and how chanting the name of Avalokiteshvara can help open us up to our suffering. In the last segment of the talk we have a teaching on walking meditation. http://youtu.be/5VnWjHZ3lSw

August 2, 2013. 86-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the sixteenth talk of the summer and this is the final talk for the summer. Thay begins a 17-minute teaching for the children on no coming, no going and no sameness, no otherness. He uses a picture of himself as a teenager to illustrate sameness and otherness. Is it the same person as a picture of him today? Thay also uses the flame of a match to illustrate. Is it the same? This is the nature of things and we can see this if we meditate. The teaching of the middle way is a very deep teaching. Thay continues with the adults. The third pair of opposites is no birth, no death and the fourth is no being, no non-being. We can live with no fear if we remove these four pairs of opposites and have Right View. Removes discrimination and produces understanding and compassion.This is enlightenment. Awakening. Interbeing. You Are, Therefore I Am With Right View, we have understand

August 1, 2013. 96-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the fifteenth talk of the summer and it is a session of questions and answers. Children What can I do so my brother and I don't argue anymore? What can I do to not be stressed in school about time? Why did you choose to make Plum Village? How can get myself to sleep quickly when I have to get up early? If there is an to the world, is there an end to everything? Teens and Adults How do you feel when you are deep in meditation? Have you developed theories of the universe? What does it mean to be a more mindful student and what are their responsibilities to the teacher? A Japanese priest asks a question related to smiling and Japanese culture and Rinzai School. How do I combine smiling and austere Japanese culture? How can the teachings help the people of Spain where unemployment is very high and we have a political crisis? Can a person be mindful and still be "c

July 29, 2013. 119-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the thirteenth talk of the summer. Even the Buddha was a human and suffered. In just one week we can know the art if suffering in order to generate joy and happiness. There is a usefulness to the suffering. We are always trying to run away from suffering. We use consumption to run away fr our suffering. The Buddha teaches us to do the opposite. Do you have time to look deeply at your suffering and the suffering of the other person? Can we listen to the suffering in the world and inside yourself? The chant calling the name of Avalokiteshvara is about listening to the suffering. t's energy can also heal your suffering. The monastics begin the chant at 36-minutes into recording. The main talk begins at 59-minutes. Teaching on signlessmees. We do not have a separate self. We have the practice of hearing the bell to let all our cells and ancestors to listen with us. This is de

July 26, 2013. 90-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the twelfth talk of the summer. The bell of mindfulness. In a short talk for children, this is something Thay wants us to bring home with us when you leave Plum Village. This can help to bring peace to the family. He then tells the story of Henry who was a math teacher in Toronto, Canada. How to be a bell master - Thay provides concise instructions for inviting the bell. The main talk begins at 31-minutes. Karma, retribution, reincarnation teachings have been around a very long time. Before the Buddha. But this is not at the heart of Buddhist teaching. It is the insight of no-self. Teaching on the actor. Impermanence. Sameness and otherness. To illustrate, we hear the story of a serial killer at the time of the Buddha who then joined the sangha. Transformation. The self is only made of non-self elements. We don't need to be dogmatic and caught by words - er can say "self" t

July 25, 2013. 77-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the eleventh talk of the summer and it is a session of questions and answers. Children How can I stop worrying? When I'm angry, how do I let my anger out? What is God? Why do I suffer? What can I do to not have friends exclude me? Adults How can Buddhism help in serious illnesses? What is your teaching on reincarnation? How can you treat ... Question on love? http://youtu.be/_YFO0JufBt4

July 22, 2013. 73-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the ninth talk of the summer. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something. It could be breathing, walking, or washing the dishes. It allows us to know what is happening. In our body, feelings, emotions, and perceptions. It is the energy of mindfulness is holy. Mindfulness can being you insight and enlightenment. Today we explore mindfulness of suffering and compassion. Beginning at 28-minutes, we listen to the monastics invoke the name of Avalokiteshvara to help relieve the suffering in ourselves and in the world. Editor's Note: there is some skipping during the chant, but it's still lovely to listen to. Following the chant, Thay leads the sangha through a few mindful movements. The main talk continues at 49-minutes into the recording. How to listen to the bell. The bell helps us return to our true home. Our true home is not located in space or time but it is in the pre

July 18, 2013. 95-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the seventh talk of the summer and this is a session of questions and answers. Children Why are there bad days and why are there good days? Where does the spirit go when it leaves the body? How did Thay become a monk? What is the difference between the soul and the spirit? How old do you have to be to become a monk? How can I make my mother happy when she is angry with me? Adults Do we have to forgive everything and how can we do that? A question about students and masters. If Buddhism supports the love of nature then why doesn't it support romantic love? How can I help people who have sadness and loneliness in their hearts? Question about the "be yourself. Be beautiful" verse And Mother Earth http://youtu.be/PLBYSYux6Kg

July 16, 2013. 81-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the sixth talk of the summer and this is an English translation from the French. The recording begins with a talk for the children and then the main talk begins (at 18-minutes). Meditation on the corn seed. Meditation is having the time to look and to listen. There is knowledge in this seed and it is alive. Does the plant remember when it was a little seed? Has the corn seed died? Meditation can help us see things that other people cannot see. Looking into the corn plant we can see the seed. A teaching from the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. The exercises of breathing are simple yet can be very profound on us. The first is recognizing. Bringing our attention to our in-breath. We can let go of our past, of our projects, etc. and we can immediately be free. Buddhism is made of three kinds of energy: mindfulness, concentration, insight. The second exercise is to fo

July 19, 2013. 110-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the eighth talk of the summer. Editor's Note: This talk coming slightly out of order as I catch up on the recordings. The sixth (July 16) and seventh (July 18) talk of summer will be posted soon.  Teaching using the meditation on the flame. The flame is there but it is hidden. Maybe in the box? It is hidden by the conditions, and there are conditions that help the flame manifest. Where does the flame go? Her nature is no coming and no going. We know this with mindfulness, concentration, and insight. When conditions are no longer sufficient, the manifestation ceases to continue. The same is true for those we love. This is a very deep teaching. We continue the teaching on the Four Noble Truths. The first is dukkha, translated as ill-being/suffering. The second is the making of ill-being; how suffering is made. This is seeing the cause of our suffering. With the third, we have

July 15, 2013. 96-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the fifth talk of the summer and the beginning of the second week of the retreat. Understanding suffering and listening to the chant. Invoking the name of Avalokiteshvara. The energy of compassion. Chant begins at 22-minutes followed by about 10-minutes of mindful movements. The main talk starts at 55-minutes into the recording. We begin with a 20-minute instruction on listening to the bell. How do we use the bell to practice mindfulness?. No talking and no thinking and we go back to our breathing. The bell is the voice of the Buddha. The voice of the Buddha inside. One in breath is enough to be free. One mindful breath. The bell is here to help call us back to our true home. Walking mediation  (1:17) is another foundational mediation practice. Every step is there to help you arrive in the here and the now. How can we walk on Mother Earth? Using a gatha to help us focus ou

July 12, 2013. 100-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from New Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the fourth talk of the summer and this is an English translation from the French. The recording begins with four chants followed by a talk for the children (at 16-minutes) and then the main talk begins (at 28-minutes). You should plant this question in our heart. A question is a seed. It's a lesson from when Thay was a boy. In my hand are five fingers and each finger has it's name. They live in harmony. How are they a able to do that? We continue from a few day ago (July 9) when we learned about the Sutra on the Full Awareness if Breathing.  The last time we covered the first eight exercises. First we review briefly with mind and store consciousness and the role of seeds. The practitioner had to be present I recognize the mental formation. Recognize each mental formation Beautify/Gladden the mind Watering the good seeds, especially in our relationships. Maybe sign a peac

July 9, 2013. 103-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet of Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the second talk of the summer and this is an English translation from the French. The recording begins with two chants followed by a talk for the children (ends at 12-minutes) and then the main talk begins (begins at 33:40-minutes). What does it mean to say I love you? What is the most precious gift? We can offer beauty and freshness. Meditation can help; the meditation on flower/fresh. How do we cultivate stability? Peace in the body. Peace in the feelings. Peace in the perceptions. This is possible. Joy and happiness too. The practitioner should know how to generate these. What does it mean to cultivate? We need energy, and the first is mindfulness. The next energy, and linked to mindfulness, is concentration. And if these two are strong enough, we can bring about insight. There are 16-exercises of mindful breathing that can help is cultivate these three energies. Recog

July 11, 2013. 82-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Lower Hamlet in Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the third talk of the summer and it is a session of questions and answers. Children Why does the world exist? I don't understand about love because my parents got divorced and they yelled at each other. What does God look like to you? How long are you/I going to live? Teens and Adults When parents get divorced, why do they fight in front of the children and also say they love the children? I have a friend who is always unkind to me and then later he is concerned about me. Why does he do that? How can have stillness and joy? How can transform the guilt inside for my parents getting divorced? I don't know how to deal with my anger, especially when I am angry. What can I do? How do I practice with my parents/grandparents when I haven't met or seen him? A friend is on drugs. How can I deal with being overwhelmed by this person? French Television What is the mean