[Bell]
Dear Sangha, today is April 1st, 2010.
We are currently in the Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall,
Lower Hamlet, Cam Lộ Temple (Nectar of Compassion Temple),
in the Spring Retreat 2010.
Our daily practice regarding the meditation of feeling in the feeling is very important.
Walking from...
our residential quarter
to the kitchen, to the meditation hall,
we should be truly present
in every step and in every breath,
in order to...
check in with ourselves,
in order to recognize what feelings...
are manifesting.
When we practice walking meditation,
each footstep of ours,
make sure that...
it gives rise
to the feelings of joy,
of leisureliness, and of happiness.
The more stable and solid the energy of mindfulness is,
and the more stable and solid the energy of concentration is,
the more joy
we generate
through each footstep.
It is characterized by the quality of nourishment.
It is “the powerful energy of the Dharma practice”.
Meanwhile, the weaker or the frailer
the energies of mindfulness and concentration are,
the less joy we get out of it – even though we walk in meditation just like everyone.
That’s what “the powerful energy of the Dharma practice” means.
It's when the energies of mindfulness and concentration are tremendous.
Walking meditation
is a very important practice
in Plum Village.
Sitting meditation
is...
Obviously it's everyone's favorite.
Many traditions have practiced it, for long. Sitting meditation.
Zazen. A lot. They do a lot of sitting meditation.
But in the Plum Village tradition, sitting meditation is not enough.
We also practice walking meditation.
Practicing walking meditation here doesn't mean
every day there's a time slot dedicated exclusively to it.
But we practice walking meditation all day long.
Whenever we need to move about, we all practice walking meditation.
We know that...
we walk a lot every day.
Not only do we walk in our hamlet, but we also walk from one hamlet to another.
For that reason, we have many opportunities to practice.
In our tradition,
while walking, we should...
we should invest our body and our mind into each footstep.
We want the energies of mindfulness and concentration to be stable and solid.
We want the energy of our Dharma practice to be powerful.
“The powerful energy of the Dharma practice.”
It is powerful or not depends on us,
on whether there truly are mindfulness and concentration in us.
When the energies of mindfulness and concentration are stable and solid,
each footstep brings about joy and happiness.
Very nourishing!
It nourishes ourselves, and at the same time, it also nourishes the whole sangha.
Because when our elder brothers and sisters and younger siblings in the Dharma,
and lay practitioners coming from many places around the world
see us taking mindful footsteps like that, they feel very happy.
Because when we take such mindful steps,
we're generating a huge source of mindfulness, concentration, and happiness.
And together with other fellow practitioners, that...
that collective energy
will be...
will be absorbed into each of us.
It’s like when sitting with each other like this
and there's a sound of the bell.
When there's a sound of the bell,
everybody stops all their thoughts.
They start...
When there's a sound of the bell,
everybody stops thinking
and stops talking.
And they start paying attention to the breathing
They breathe in
consciously,
appreciate their in-breath,
and become aware
of what is present around them.
Their co-practitioners, their Dharma brothers and sisters,
are also practicing the same.
In a sangha who are...
who are practicing mindfulness,
the moment the bell is invited,
the energies of mindfulness and concentration are really powerful.
And friends who’ve just come to Plum Village
for the first time,
on hearing the sound of the bell,
will feel in the air this 'powerful energy of the Dharma practice' generated by the sangha.
It's very palpable.
There are many kinds of silence.
There are many types of silence.
There's the kind of silence that is very...
very frustrating,
very pressurizing.
However, there's also the kind of silence that is very powerful,
very eloquent.
There's the kind of silence that is very thundering.
Here in Plum Village, we use the term “im lặng hùng tráng,“
which, when translated into English, becomes "noble silence" — which is not quite there yet.
"Powerful silence"
or "thundering silence"
sounds much better.
Thundering silence is a term used in...
the Vimalakīrti Sūtra.
When a friend who has come to Plum Village for the first time
sits in the sangha and hears the bell,
they can feel this powerful energy of the sangha.
Because all of us have been mentored,
trained,
and practiced in such a way
that on hearing the bells, we listen with the whole of our body and mind.
The energies of mindfulness and concentration should be powerful.
That is, the energy of our Dharma practice must be of high caliber.
And that powerful energy is not generated by only one person,
but it is generated by an entire...
by the entire collective.
When we take a step, it should be the same.
We should invest our body and our mind entirely into each footstep.
A step taken this way expresses a very powerful energy.
Everybody walks, but this person, while walking,
generates this energy of thundering silence, and generating this powerful Dharma energy.
And that footstep brings that person straight into the Pure Land.
In our sangha, there are some people capable of doing that,
because the sangha is so lucky, so blessed.
For that reason, if you walk while talking,
how can you generate such a powerful, thundering energy?
That's why...
when you talk, you don’t walk.
You’ll stop right where you are.
You speak with all your heart,
and you listen till you're finished before resuming walking.
When you walk, walk with footsteps
that are taken with a lot of solidity,
with a lot of...
freedom.
Taking steps mindfully like that, you are continuing the career
of the Buddha, the patriarchs, and your teacher.
You will be the most filial child
because you can continue the career
of the Buddha, the patriarchs, and your teacher.
Basically, to sum up,
while following our breathing as we listen to the bells,
breathe with our whole being.
Breathe with all our heart, our mind, and our body.
Investing 100% of ourselves into breathing.
The energy will then become powerful.
The same with the footsteps.
Take a step that reverberates throughout the universe.
Because that footstep...
It...
It's brimming and bursting at the seams
with the energies of mindfulness and concentration.
It must be 100%, not less.
100%.
[Audience laughing]
It means when we walk,
invest 100% of ourselves.
Walking like that means
walking wholeheartedly.
Walk for our father.
Walk for our mother.
Walk for the Buddha.
Walk for Thay.
Put this card into your pocket.
Practice diligently.
If it happens that a friend in the sangha
talks while walking, not walking 100%,
take this card out and do this.
[Audience laughing]
Directly from Thay, huh? [Audience laughing]
Those who've already had this card can spare themselves.
Directly from Thay, dear child.
It's a gift from Thay.
Something to bring home.
There's a lot of love.
Keep it, don’t lose it, dear child.
It must be handed directly.
This is directly transmitted (from Thay),
not through another person.