Retraite Francophone — Dimanche 17 Mars 2013

A painful sensation, a strong emotion we can bring a relief through the practise and we can go far, we can transform this suffering with the practise we can also generate, create happy moments at any time of the day wa can learn to create joy and happinesses and we can savour some small happiness of every day and it is possible there is a close relationship between suffering and happiness suffering play a certain role in happiness creation it is something important, like when we plant lotus flowers, we need mud so happiness is a kind of flower such as the lotus and happiness needs conditions to be there, like this flower this flower is beautiful it represents happiness but is made of non-flower elements such as rain rain is not a flower, it is a non-flower element which is indispensable to the flower to manifest itself when we look at the flower, we see earth earth is not flower, it is a non-flower element which is essential for the flower's manifestation there are many non-flower elements into the flower and we can recognize those non-flower elements within the flower. If we remove all the non-flower elements from the flower, the flower does not exist any longer. So we learn in buddhism "we can not be, we have to inter-be with all in the world" so the flower can not be by itself it has to inter-be with the sun with the Earth, with rain, with everything so happiness is a kind of flower, it is made from non-happiness elements including suffering. Suffering has an important role in the making of happiness in happiness creation so in the practise we learn to make use of suffering in order to create happiness we talked about art of happiness there is an art to create happiness but we didi not talk about art of suffering how to suffer must be learnt how to suffer must be learnt because suffering is part of Life but if we know how to suffer, we suffer much less, we can learn a lot from suffering we can make use of suffering to create happiness so during this retreat we will consider that, practise together in order to integrate this capacity to manage suffering and create happiness Normally, we do not like to think about suffering we do not like to be in touch with suffering we fear to get in touch with suffering it is not enjoyable to touch suffering that is why we always try to ignore suffering we pretend that suffering is not here but it does is here in us and in the world and the Buddha told us that a deep understanding of suffering will help us transforming suffering if we are afraid to get in touch with suffering it is because we do not know how to generate mindfulness energy with walking meditation and mindfull breathing, we will be able to generate mindfulness energy, and it is exactly with this energy that we can go back to ourself and recognize suffering and embrace it with tendreness doing so, we are not overwhelmed at all by suffering in modern psychology, we talk about consciousness and unconsciousness in buddhism also. Unconsciousness is a part of this part of the consciousness called the "inmost depths consciousness" (store consciousness), in buddhism wa talk about store consciousness and the "mental": store consciousness down there and mental up there In daily life, the unconsciousness produces a lot of thoughts and images You are sat here, and your unconsciousness is working Unconsciousness is producing thoughts, there is a kind of radio which is operating within us. In Plum village we call it "NST": Non Stop Thinking we jump from an idea to another, and it keeps going images, ideas, and we do not have the possibility to stop to recognize the idea, to see if this idea is correct, is right and we do not know why this idea is here, we cannot see its roots in ourselves and the radio keeps going on, unconsciousness brings us food and it is not good food, because those ideas contain suffering, fear, anxiety. Images too. So we are here and keep consuming our consciousness this part of the consciousness. When you think, when you breath in, and if you bring your attention on the breathing in, then you recognize that it is an inbreath that you are doing and this is called "mindful breathing". We recognize that an inbreath is occuring. "I breath in, I know that I am breathing in" It is mind's presence (mindfulness) And when we walk, we can walk mindfully we become mindfull of each step we make. When we eat, we can eat in mindfulness. We are aware that we are here with friends, that the food is on the table, and we are sharing a meal with the Sangha and each moment of the meal can be in mindfulness and it is a practice. When we drink tea, We can drink the tea mindfully. So unconsciousness brings us ideas, representations, images like that and consciousness can do the clarification (focusing) we can stop to look at, recognize the thoughts, images, offered by unconsciousness. Those ideas, images can be exagerated, skewed. Their roots can be wrong perceptions. And we are pushed by those ideas, images and when we talk, when we act, we are influenced by what unconsciousness brings us. So mindfulness is an energy that can help us recognizing what is going on, first, in our body. In our body there may be tension. Tension is always there, but we are not aware that it is there. So I breath in mindfully and recognize the presence of my body. And this mindfull breathing enables me to recognize the fact that I have a body and there is tension in my body. But if there is a lot of tension in my body, there is no well-being So this mindfulness tells me that there is tension in my body and this leads me to make a decision: I am going to practise to relax, to slack this tension And when I breath out, I let this tension go out. I breath in, I know the tension is here in my body, I breath out, I relax. It is counscious' work, mindfulness' work. And if there is a sensation that is occuring in the body, or in the mind, we become aware of this sensation this sensation can have its roots in the body or in perceptions so when we are aware of this sensation, we can see if this sensation came from body or from perceptions. For example, tension in the body leads to an unpleasant sensation, and when we are in touch with this unpleasant sensation through mindfulness, we know well that this sensation comes from the body, and recognize this bodily sensation. And we can do something to take care of this sensation that is not pleasant. Releasing bodily tension engenders a more pleasant sensation, a sensation of well-being. And it is something we can do at each moment of the daily life. If there is a painful sensation born from a perception, we will be able to recognize it because wrong perception always bring painful sensations such as fear, anger etc. So with mindfulness we can recognize the sensation, and if we go on, we will have enough concentration to be able to look deeply into the sensation in order to recognize its roots. A wrong perception can give birth to a painful sensation. We can well look at the perception we will be able to correct this wrong perception, and like that transform the painful sensation. and all is done with the energy of mindfulness. As practitionners, we must possess this capacity to manage a suffering. We must be able to manage a painful sensation, a strong emotion. With what ? With mindfulness energy. So in daily life, we practise, in order to make this mindfulness energy present. During all the day. And with this energy we can recognize what is going on in the body, in sensations and in perceptions. That is why when you come in Plum vilage, you do like all of us, each moment of the daily life, we practise to live in mindfulness. When you have a tea, it is possible to have it mindfully, it means that we stop thinking. If thinkig is here, we are not really with tea. With the mindfull inbreath, we recognize that we are here. In the present moment. That we have a cup of tea in our hand. And that now we are going to drink the tea in peace, in joy. And while we drink, there is no more thoughts, there are just pleasant sensations. You are there, you have nothing to do, just to drink your tea. And we can drink our tea in minfulness, in concentration and in insight (deep looking) we can involve 100% of our body while drinking our tea. we can involve 100% of our mind in the act of drinking tea, really concentrated, on the moment. We know we are here, alive. We know there is a cup of tea in the hand, so we can drink the tea like that and it is the Buddha's way of drinking tea. We can drink tea as a buddha, with mindfulness, with Awakening and when we need to move about, we walk mindfully it means that we do let ourselves being pull down by thinking by unconsciousness. We bring the attention on the breath, and on each step we make. Mindfulness means that we are here, alive. That the World is here with all its wonders. That make a step, touching this beautiful planet is a joy. So we can savour each step in mindfulness. Each step is a happiness. And to be able to savour each step, savour Happiness, we must be free. Freedom is the basis of all hapinesses. Free from what ? Free from forgetfulness, which is the contrary of mindfulness Free from the past, we do not think about it any longer, we are not prinsoner of it any longer We do not think any longer to future, we are not future's prisoner. We are truly free to dwell in the present moment. Because of being free, we can really savour each step we make, walking on Earth is a miracle. So we can well create a moment of happiness at each step. And this happiness can heal and feed us. When you brush your teeth, you can also make it mindfully, and Joy is also something possible while brushing teeth. When you urinate, we can well do this mindfully, and it can be a pleasant moment. When you defecate also. When you wash your hand, the dishes, each moment can be a moment of happiness if mindfulness is here. When you turn on the tap and water flows, if you are inhabited by mindfulness, you will see that it is a miracle, that water came up to you from mountains, from deep down Earth, and you can enjoy water that is passing through your fingers. So each moment can be a moment of Happiness. That is why in Plum village we always say that Mindfulness is a source of joy. A source of happiness. It is an art: be happy with mindfulness. We can transform each moment of our daily life into moments of joy. And this is done easily with Sangha's support. Because others try to do the same thing. Try to walk like that, breath like that, cook like that, wash themselves like that, each moment can be a moment of happiness. So each of us has to learn how to create moments of Happiness. Some small happinesses, and savor those small happinesses at each moment in order to heal, in order to transform ourselves, in order to nourish ourselves. And this is done through management of suffering. If a painful sensation manifests, we know how to do to take care of this suffering. With mindfulness, with walking, we can recognize this sensation we will be able to look deeply into the nature of this sensation, in order to recognize its roots. We can very well transform. And we always can bring relief to this pain, to this sensation. Because this sensation is an energy, an mindfulness is another one. Mindfulness generated by breathing, by walking, by smiling, is an energy. And it is this energy that recognizes the energy of suffering, and embraces this energy of suffering, by the mother's way to take her baby in her two arms. There is a suffering baby, there is a mother with love energy. And love energy of the mother, tenderness starts to penetrate into baby's body. And it does good, it brings right away relief. The same thing is done with this mindfulness practice: when we know how to recognize and embrace pain, we obtain relief right away. Because this is the mum, tenderness, the Buddha, Mindfulness, concentration. And with that we can heal ourselves, heal our own suffering. Mindfulness energy will be able to penetrate in this zone of energy "of suffering" and to bring relief. So after one or two minutes of practice, we will be able to have a relief right away. The mum, after taking the baby in her arms, notices that the baby does not cry any longer. Because energy of tenderness, energy of love penetrated into the baby, and the baby suffers less. And the mum can continue. She keeps looking in order to see the cause of baby's suffering. The baby may be hungry, maybe it is too hot, things like that... And when the mum recognizes suffering's causes, she can change the situation very quickly. The same is true with our practice. The first step is recognizing the suffering as it is. Recognize. Simple recognizing. The secong thing is embracing. An energy embracing another one, it is the practice. There is no violence. Because pain is your baby. You must not do violence to your baby. When we embrace suffering, relief comes, and we can go further. We keep embracing our suffering in concentration. With this mindfulness, with this concentration, we will be able to understand this pain's roots, this painful sensation's roots. When we recognize the roots of this pain, we are already on the transformation and healing's path. So mindfulness, concentration and insight on pain will be able to transform and heal. when we practice with a community, it is very much easier. Because everyone is practicing, we can generate a collective energy, and this collective energy will support us in our practice. We talked this morning about this pain in our heart. We can very well let Sangha's collective energy recognize and embrace our pain, and we will obtain a relief. You are supported by other practitioners around you. Because everybody is doing the same thing: trying to live every moment in mindfulness, generating mindfulness, peace and compassion's energies. When a person practices, she can generate mindfulness energy to be really here and now. And as she can recognize suffering, she can generate comprehension energy. Comprehension here is first of all comprehension of suffering. Understanding suffering is something fundamental. And when we understand suffering compassion is born. And this compassion will transform us, and help transforming the other person, the other person's suffering. So in the practitioner person, there is positive energy. Ther is inside of her mindfulness energy, which helps her to be here and now, in the present moment. Which brings comprehension energy and compassion energy, and this person emits a kind of energy around her. You can feel a vibration, healthy, pleasant. It is because this person is inhabited by mindfulness energy, comprehension energy and compassion energy. If you are sat close to a person of this kind, you feel well, better. There is a health vibration, and you can feel this vibration. If a hundred of people have this energy into them, collective energy will be very strong. And we can always take benefits from this collective energy for our own transformation and healing. And we can practice together. Today I am going to propose you some practices that can help us living in mindfulness during the today and tomorrow's days. When I became novice monk at 16, I was already taught to do so. There are some ten or so verses that the novice has to learn in order to practice mindfulness. Each time you wash your hands, there is a small poem, a gatha, a verse to pronounce, recite with minfulness breathing. Each novice receives a small book with around fifty small poems like that for mindfulness practice in daily life. It belongs to monastic culture, but we can share with lay practitioners. When you wake up in the morning, there is a gatha to practice. The first thing is to make an inbreath, and recite the first line of the gatha. In this book, "Songs from the Heart", you can find a hundred of gathas for daily practice. "Waking up this morning, I smile". The first thing we do in the morning: we smile. With an inbreath "Waking up this mornig, I smile". I smile to the World, I smile to myself. It is a beautiful manner to start our day. "I have 24 new hours", for the outbreath. And when you outbreath, you have the right view that you have before you 24 hours brand new to live. It is a donation, it is a Life's gift. 24 brand new hours to live. And you inbreath anew, "I make the vow to live each moment in its plentiness". I will not waste my life, my time, I will live deeply and in happiness each moment that is given to me to live. That is what you recite during the inbreath, then the fourth line "and to put on the World a loving look". My practice, is to try to look people around me with compassion eyes. When we look like that we do not suffer any longer. So a gatha like that is very important. There are hundreds of gatha like that to practice. When I was novice, in Vietnam, we slept with mosquito net because there are a lot of mosquitos. And to remember the gatha, I put an automn leaf on it, and when I wake up, I remember the practice: I inbreath and recite the first line of the gatha. By this time, gathas were not in modern vietnamese, they were in classical chinese and when I became young teacher, I translated all that in vietnamese. And later in english and french. You have hundred of gathas like that to practice. When you poured water to wash hands, there was no tap in those times. In my temple there was no electricity, no running water. We had to go to fetch water from the well, we poured it in the basin to wash our hands and there is another gatha, poem for you to practice. Like that, we stay in mindfulness all the day. And now I would like to share this practice, I propose you that each person choose 4 or 5 gathas to practice, we begin only with 3, 4 or 5. I will first read you some gathas to give you an impression. There is one for you, to use when you open the tap: "water is coming down from the top mountain, water is going up from Earth's depth, water is flowing miraculously to us, my gratitude to it is overflowing." vietnamese version There is a gatha that I loved a lot when I was novice. After having breathed with the first gatha, I get up, and with my feet I try to find my slippers. And the gatha is like that: "From morning to evening, each living being must protect itself; if by chance we walk on one of you -it means I risk to crush an insect, something like that under my slippers- it is not because I intend to destroy you, to kill you, and I make the vow that you can reborn right away in the Amitabha Buddha's kingdom." This gatha is to nourish compassion. When we live, we can destroy other's lives and especially small creatures. So to nourish compassion, we recite the gatha, and try our best not to kill living beings, even if they are small. So if we respect life, we have compassion towards small creatures. So we will not have in heart to kill humans around. So it is compassion practice. I propose you, today, four gathas. The first one is when you turn on the lamp. Contact. If you want to turn on the lamp by touching that, you stop a little, and recite with breathing: an inbreath for the first line, an outbreath for the second. Like that: "Forgetfulness, dispersion are like darkness. Mind's presence, mindfulness are like light. I will bring back mindfulness to make this world shine". vietnamese version And if you agree, you can make the vow to practice this gatha today. Each time we touch the button, we stop a little to breath. "let there be light". There are darkness which represent ignorance and dispersion. We often live in dispersion, we are not concentrated, not in mindfulness. So darkness that are there represent ignorance, dispersion. And mindfulness represents the light. I am going to bring back mindfulness for the world to start to shine of beauty. The first gatha is to light the lamp. Second gatha, it is to turn on the tap, to have water. Because we do that every day, we have opportunity to practice. Third, it may be to urinate. Try to urinate in a manner that joy and happiness might be possible during this time. I practice always that, every day. While brushing my teeth, urinating, each moment must be a moment of happiness. A moment of relaxation, and it may become a habit, a good habit. And we start today. We listen the bell. Each time we hear the bell ringing, we stop. We inbreath, outbreath. "I listen, I listen, this wonderful sound brings me back to my true home". Before we make a phone call, we touch our cell phone and breath. There is a gatha for that. We inbreath, we outbreath, two times to finish the gatha. And doing so we are more compassionate, more calm. And conversation's quality will be better. I am going to propose you that: in that book, "Songs from the Heart", you are going to find hundred of gathas like that, but if you want you can write your own gathas for the practice. And if you achieve to make new gathas, you can share them with us. We will enrich the number of gathas here. "While picking up the phone (68), words traval thousands of kilometers, words travel thousand of kilometers, I will build love and confidence, may each of my words be a jewel, may each of my words be a flower". This morning, after the teaching, I invite all of you to join me for a walking meditation. We are going to walk in such a way that each step can bring us peace, relaxation and happiness. We will be able to use collective energy in order to walk as we should. I am sure that healing, transformation are possible during this very retreat. If we practice in a good way, if we follow the instructions of the practice, if we can put in practice all what we learn, transformation, healing can occur even during this retreat. And I would like to tell you that each inbreath, each outbreath can be a help for healing. There is no path to healing, healing is the path itself. So when you make a step like that, in peace, in stoppage, in relaxation, this step helps healing. When you make an inbreath, you can calm your body and your sensation, it is already healing. Healing at each moment. It a something possible. There is here collective energy which supports us. So each moment of the day can be a moment of healing, transformation. So we can have benefits from the Sangha, from collective energy. We can benefit from the opportunity to heal ourselves together. When talk about happiness, "small hapinesses" that everyone can create at each moment. We know that ingredients, components of happiness are already here. For example: Mindfulness. It is written like that in Chinese: this part represents the mind, this part represents the present moment. "Bring back mind to the present moment", it is mindfulness. Mindfulness is a source of joy and hapiness. We have a seed of joy in the depth of our consciousness. We have a seed of happiness in the depth of our consciousness. And we have to make the joy and happiness seeds being watered. Because joy is possible, happiness is possible, because there are seeds of joy and happiness in each of us. It is mindfulness that will touch the seeds of joy and happiness to help them manifest at the conscious level. There is this part of conscious called inmost depths (store consciousness) down there. And seeds are buried here. Good seeds like joy and happiness, and bad seeds like anger and despair. They are all here. The good news is that there are good seeds like joy and happiness seeds that are there. We must give them a chance. Joy seed must be watered. We should use mindfulness energy to recognize those seeds and help them. Each moment of the walk can be a moment of healing, and we should not waste time we have here. When you inbreath, you can make two or three steps. "I inbreath, I inbreath, I inbreath". And when you outbreath, you can make four or five steps. "I outbreath, I outbreath". Later, maybe you will feel that three steps for inbreath and five for outbreath. We must savour each step. Each step is a happiness. And it is possible to heal. Session of walking meditation together. When you will ear the bell, you can come with us at the bell tower and we will start the walk. Subtitles by the Amara.org community