Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks

Latest Episodes:

Listening to the Bell and Walking Meditation Jul 19, 2013

Show notes

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 our concentration on walking. http://youtu.be/4fmi9J1-8E0

Five Fingers Living in Harmony Jul 17, 2013

Show notes

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 peace and happiness treaty. How do we work with our mental formations to have a happy and healthy life? First, we try not to water the seeds of suffering. Second, if a seed if suffering exists then we can invite a wholesome seed to manifest. Third, when a good seed is manifesting, we try to maintain the positive energy. Fourth, we try to keep the good seeds alive. This is the practice if right diligence. The art of happiness. The first aspect of the noble eightfold path is right view. The insight of interbeing acquired through meditation. This is followed by right thinking. Free of all notions. No discrimination. The third is right speech. With these we can practice loving speech and deep listening. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are an expression of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Offering Beauty and Freshness Jul 16, 2013

Show notes

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. Recognizing breath is the first exercise. Following breath is the second exercise. The third is recognizing your body. Calming the body is the fourth. With the next set of exercises we move from body to the realm of feelings. Generating joy Generating happiness Recognizing a painful feeling Calm the painful feeling Discussion and explanation of habit energy. We now move to the realm of perceptions. The five universal mental formations: contact, attention, feeling, perception, volition. What are mental formations? Mind and store consciousness along with the manifestation of seeds. Buddhist psychology. Along with five universals are the five particulars: intention, determination, mindfulness, concentration, insight.

Children and their Experience of Divorce Jul 12, 2013

Show notes

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 meaning of prayer in Buddhism? What are the different kinds of prayer in Buddhism? What can prayer offer to humanity? http://youtu.be/3mlCgq3kpK4

Why do we practice walking meditation? Jul 10, 2013

Show notes

July 8, 2013. 100-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 2013 Summer Opening. This is the first talk of the summer. Note: the brief segment at the beginning is missing. We begin with a 25-minute introduction on listening to the chant. The art of suffering. If we know how to suffer then we suffer much less. It's like an organic gardener who knows it is useful to keep the garbage in order to nourish the flowers and vegetables. Understanding suffering is very important and we can use the energy of mindfulness to take care of our suffering. This is the heart of the Buddhist teaching. The first noble truth is there is suffering. The monks and the nuns will practice chanting this morning saying the name of Avalokiteshvara. They are getting in touch with the suffering. The monks and nuns begin chanting the name Namo Avalokiteshvara from 25-minutes to 48-minutes. The main talk begins at 53-minutes into the recording. As meditation practitioners, we should know how to generate peace, happiness, and joy. We can do this while walking, sitting, eating, drinking, etc. We can train ourselves. Listening to the bell is a reminder. Being alive in the present moment. It only takes 2-3 seconds to being mind and body together. We have a 30-minute explanation of how and why we do walking meditation. If you know how to handle the present moment then we are taking care of the future. I have arrived. I am home. http://youtu.be/RNWv9biEGKY

Domains of Mindfulness Practice Jul 06, 2013

Show notes

June 16, 2013. 112-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany. The talk is given in English with consecutive translation into German. This is the final dharma talk of the German Retreat on the theme Are You Sure? We start with the three kinds of energies -- mindfulness, concentration, insight -- and they can produced anytime while doing any activity. We can see things more deeply and remove wrong perceptions. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something. Concentration is the same. Four Foundations of Mindfulness - the four domains or objects of mindfulness. The first domain is body. The second domain are the feelings. The mind is the third object. The final domain is objects of mind - in Buddhist psychology there are 51 mental formations. What is object of mind? The Five Skandhas (also known as the five aggregates). We discuss store consciousness and mind consciousness. Science and Buddhism. Conventional truth and ultimate truth. Transmitter and receiver. What is emptiness? Birth and death. Being and non-being. These are just notions and can lead to wrong views. Right View, part of the noble eightfold path, is the insight that is free from all wrong views. Right Thinking is the kind of thinking that is also free of notions of birth and death, being and non-being. http://youtu.be/A6BDxkApSq0

Fear, Anger, and Suspicion Jul 05, 2013

Show notes

June 13, 2013. 76-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany. The talk is given in English with consecutive translation into German. This is the second dharma talk of the German Retreat on the theme Are You Sure? We begin with a story of being in the womb and then our birth. A moment of fear may have arrived at the moment of our first breath after being taken care if the 9-months in the womb. A second emotion arose at that moment too. Desire. Many of our other emotions were also transmitted to us by our ancestors. Obama said that "peace is possible" between Palestine and Israel. But how? Last month Thay also spoke about peace in Korea. The main issue is the amount of fear we have. With no fear, no anger, and no suspicion then we wouldn't need to use nuclear weapons. It's not the weapons. We need to remove the fear, the anger, the suspicion. This is how peace is possible. Right now, both sides are suspicious and fearfully but it has to be removed from both sides. Obama could do this in Korea but making nuclear weapons a condition of negotiation is not going to help in reducing fear. It's not that people don't want to reconcile but there is so much anger and fear. We have to reduce this fear. The American nation is also suffering and experiencing anger, fear, and despair. In 2001, Thay suggested a session of deep listening for the American people and invite those who have compassion and understanding to be present to support the listening seasons. We have to understand our own suffering. This is the same recommendation Thay have to South Korea last month. One solution is to train our leaders to reduce fear, anger, and suspicion. To call on those who know how to do these things. A retreat can be organized so people can come express their fear, their anger, their suspicion. We can practice compassionate listening and look at our block of suffering. When these emotions of anger and fear have a collective energy, it can be so dangerous and there could be a war. Compassionate listening and loving speech. Thay gives a few more examples, such as the work done by Plum Village with Israelis and Palestinians, of how to do this in our lives. Today.

Questions and Answers – German Retreat Jul 05, 2013

Show notes

June 15, 2013. 85-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany. The talk is given in English with consecutive translation into German. This is the fourth dharma talk, a session of questions and answers, of the German Retreat on the theme Are You Sure? Questions Who are we if we are not our feelings, body, perceptions, or consciousness? What is left? Is it okay to suffer and feel for my son who was paralyzed in an accident? What makes a man a man and what makes a woman a woman? Is it important to know the distinction? What should we teach our children? If there is no thinker then how can there be a doer? How do work with feelings of pain, guilt, and shame? I want to reconcile, how can I call my father if he's dead? How can you help someone who is suffering from violent emotions, especially if they can't see it themselves? http://youtu.be/Niw6Aq_L-Dg

Teaching on Consumption and the Fifth Training Jul 03, 2013

Show notes

June 14, 2013. 87-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany. The talk is given in English with consecutive translation into German. This is the third dharma talk of the German Retreat on the theme Are You Sure? Following two chants by the monastics, the talk begins at 16-minutes into the recording. One thing we can be sure of is that there is suffering in yourself and the world. From here, the Buddha built his practice and teaching. Nothing can be by itself alone, it must inter-be with something else. Suffering is the First Noble Truth. Dukkha is ill-being, but we must confirm its opposite as well. This is the Third Noble Truth - the existence of well-being. This way of thinking is the opposite of dualist of thinking and based on Interbeing. How do we explain interbeing? A further explanation of the Four Noble Truths along with a teaching on consumption in relationship to these Truths. In our community, it is the Fifth Mindfulness Training that shows a way out. Everything requires food. What are we feeding ourselves? According to the Buddha, there are Four Kinds of Nutriments. Edible food Sensory impressions Volition Consciousness http://youtu.be/Yyx42tsn0cM

What is Right Thinking Jul 02, 2013

Show notes

June 12, 2013. 102-minute dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh from the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany. The talk is given in English with consecutive translation into German. This is the first dharma talk of the German Retreat on the theme Are You Sure? Following two chants by the monastics, the talk begins at 12-minutes into the recording. We begin immediately with the concept of dualist thinking and Right Thinking. How do we see the interconnection between things? For example, between happiness and suffering or all the elements of a lotus flower. The lotus is made of non-lotus elements. A good gardener knows how to make good use of the mud just as a good mindfulness practitioner knows how to make good use of her suffering. The goodness of suffering. When you understand suffering then understanding and compassion arises - the foundation of happiness. From the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, we have exercises handed down by the Buddha to help our practice with suffering. Generate a feeling of joy Generate a feeling of happiness Recognize painful feelings Calm down the painful feeling Mindfulness is an energy that helps us know what is going on in our body and our feelings. How do we bring relief to our painful feelings and emotions? Three kinds of energies we should try to generate: mindfulness, concentration, and insight. Four elements of True Love and being present for those we love. Taking care of our suffering and our live we can learn to take care of the world. In the last 10-minutes, we get walking meditation instructions. http://youtu.be/3ghtXf5Djg0

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected