Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Precious message from Thich Nhat Hanh

Watch deeply the following video of  Thich Nhat Hanh and Br. David Steindl-Rast and Disciples of Thich Nhat Hanh.


The followings are excerpts from the video. I totally agree.

(2:35~: Peace march)
And they shouted from behind, "Can you walk (faster)?" 
And some of them overtook us and looked back at us and saw the way we were. And they transformed
They see (that) we are doing peace, (that) we are not demanding peace. If we are not able to be peaceful and happy in every step, peace march is not a peace march. ... 
The peace movement should be a practice of a community. Peace is a practice. ... I think the peace movement should be a community of practice where people live together in brotherhood, sisterhood.

(7:10~: Walking meditation)
Gratefulness can be felt with every step. You are alive and your feet are still strong enough for you to make steps on this beautiful planet. So, with mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of walking, every step you make brings you home to the here and the now so that you can get in touch with all the wonders of life. And every step like that can be nourishing and healing

During walking meditation you stop the thinking. I think, therefore I'm not truly there. You can feel the contact between your foot and the ground. Mother Earth is there, Mother Earth is in you. And there is a communion between you and Mother Earth. Mother Earth is the mother of all the Saints, all the Buddhas, all the Bodhisattvas

You carry the Mother Earth in you. You can not die, you can transform. It's like a cloud transforming herself into the rain. A cloud can never die. There is no birth, no death. We spoke about birth and death that is on the superficial level. But go deep down, the nature of everything is no birth and no death. From something you can never become nothing. From someone you can never become no one.

(10:01~: Power)
These kinds of powers (money, fame) can not be real powers. And you can become victims of these powers. But there are other kinds of powers that can make you strong.

1. Power of cutting off
The first power is power of cutting off. You are attached to, you are bound to a number of things. And that makes you lose all your freedom. You know that it is destroying you, it makes you not free, but you have no courage in order to cut off. And that is the freedom. And there are those of us who are bound to a number of things that make us powerless. You may think that you can not survive without it, without him, without her, without that kind of position. But maybe it is the very obstacle for your true happiness. So, how to release, cut off. You need power. And that is the first power that is needed for you, that can set you free

2. Power to forgive and to love
The second power is to forgive and to love. Even that person is not lovable but you can still love him or her because you are capable of seeing suffering in him or in her. And your love grows, you become more powerful. And that is love without frontier, without discrimination. That's true love. That is the love of God, of the Buddha. And you have to train yourself in order to love like that. You don't leave anyone outside of your love. All embracing.

3. Power to understand
And the third power is the power to understand. You are no longer afraid. When you understand, you are no longer angry and fearful. And that needs meditation, contemplation. Looking deeply, and then you get the insight, the vision of interbeing, the vision of interconnectedness. And that kind of knowledge removes all kinds of discrimination, separation and deserves very powerful kind of energy. 

If in our community there are those who have these kinds of powers, it's certain that we can make history, we can change history.

(21:51~: Summary)
If in our community there are those who have these kinds of powers, it's certain that we can make history, we can change history. And not fame, political power and wealth. 

(Cf.) http://www.slideshare.net/compassion5151/walking-meditation-62204227


Thich Nhat Hanh and Br. David Steindl-Rast