Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks

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 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

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

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. Trans

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

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

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 Train

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 suffer