PLUM VILLAGE MONASTERY, BORDEAUX, FRANCE

PLUM VILLAGE MONASTERY, BORDEAUX, FRANCE

Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out,

I am blooming as a flower, I am fresh as the dew

I am solid as a mountain, I am firm as the earth

I am free.

Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out,

I am water reflecting what is real, what is true

And I feel there is space deep inside of me

I am free, I am free, I am free.

PEACE IN ONESELF, PEACE IN THE WORLD

Plum Village is a monastic and retreat community, where monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen (the fourfold Sangha) study and practice under the guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh, called Thay (meaning Teacher) by his disciples and students. Thay is founder and spiritual master of Plum Village, where he lives. He inspires, teaches and leads retreats at Plum Village and worldwide on Buddhism and THE ART OF MINDFUL LIVING. He is one of the most revered and beloved Buddhist Masters of our time. Although he is nearly 80 years, his compassionate brown eyes and delightful smile are ageless; his skin is smooth and an inner radiance makes his face glow with a presence that speaks of the Beyond.

Plum Village Monastery is located in the beautiful countryside near Bordeaux, France. It consists of three hamlets: Upper Hamlet (monks and male practitioners); Lower and New Hamlets (nuns and female practitioners). Lay couples are accommodated at all three hamlets. Each hamlet is self-contained, with its own office, reception areas, kitchen, dining halls, meditation halls, library, bookshop, monastic quarters and accommodation for lay practitioners. All hamlets consist of lovely old stone buildings, surrounded by gardens with big shady trees and flowering shrubs, abundant bird life, bamboo groves, lotus ponds and plum trees (hence the name Plum Village).

THE MIRACLE OF MINDFULNESS

Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment.
Breathing out, I know it is a wonderful moment.

Present moment, wonderful moment.

Various meditation techniques are taught at Plum Village. Special emphasis is placed on cultivating moment-to-moment mindfulness. The practice of mindfulness helps one cultivate inner peace through breathing deeply, slowing down, and living fully in the present moment. Bells are used to bring one back to the present moment. The bell plays an important part of life at Plum Village. There is a bell for everything, and you quickly learn not to do anything before the bell has given its instruction or permission. One of the practices at Plum Village is to stop every time you hear a bell, and breathe in and out three times. You stop whatever you are doing whenever you hear the bell of mindfulness and focus all your attention on your breathing. This brings you back to yourself. We often get lost in our activities, physical and mental. [Bell] Listen … listen … this wonderful sound brings me back to my true self …

FEET OF THE BUDDHA RETREAT 2004

“There is nothing to stop you from being in touch with life in the present moment. The question is, do you have eyes that can see the sunset, feet that can touch the earth?” [Thay]

I was blessed to attend my second 21-day retreat with Ven Thich Nhat Hanh and the monastic and lay Sangha. This retreat is held every second year, and it is a wonderful opportunity to receive transmission of teachings every day and to soak up the presence of this remarkable man. Thay is like a clear transparent river and the teachings flow through him, a pure transmission of the Dharma. The theme of the retreat was THE FEET OF THE BUDDHA:

“We shall look deeply into the feet that, while touching the earth, transform it into a Pure Land for all; the feet that have made a deep commitment never to abandon this wonderful bastion of life which is our own beautiful planet Earth; the feet that are always ready to bring us back to our true home, to bring us together as a family regardless of culture, race, belief, or geographical boundaries; the feet that continue to bring the light of Great Understanding and Great Compassion far into the future, so that healing and transformation will always be possible. Let us learn to walk together as a Sangha, so that the Buddha can be present at any time and in any place.”

PEACE IS EVERY STEP

Thay is famous for his walking meditations. He moves slowly and mindfully. During walking meditation with him, time stops and you enter into a different dimension, that of the eternal present moment. It is always present, but we are usually not present, so we miss its incredible beauty. When you become one with the moment, you step into the Kingdom of God / the Pure Land of the Buddha. You are aware of the aliveness and unique beauty of everything. The world around you becomes magical – the sunlight and shadows, leaves on the trees, birds and butterflies and bugs – everything is part of this magical world, and everything is woven together peacefully and lovingly.

The Buddha did not only practice sitting meditation – He walked mindfully from village to village for 40 years teaching the Dharma, and today, we still walk in His footsteps when we follow the Path to Enlightenment taught by Him. We are a continuation of the Buddha and it is possible to walk like a Buddha with the energy of mindfulness. Our body can become the body of the Buddha. We can become a Bodhisattva and continue the Path of the Buddha. As Thay says, the miracle is not (only) to walk on water – the miracle is to walk on this Earth – to see with the eyes of the Buddha and to walk with the feet of the Buddha so that this Earth becomes a Pure Land.

“Here is the Pure Land. We touch it with mindfulness. Walking with mindfulness, with every step we touch the Pure Land. Such steps generate peace, freedom, healing and love. We have the duty and the joy to cultivate mindfulness.” [Thay]

When you are with Thay, you are transported to the Pure Land that has manifested itself around his holy presence, and you know that Paradise on Earth is possible amongst people who live together in love and harmony. The experience of living for three weeks with the monks and nuns in his Monastery (the kindest, nicest people you have ever met), makes a deep impression of how it could and should be, in all places. Plum Village is a refuge where one feels safe, nurtured and protected. The monastics and lay Sangha follow the teaching and wholesome way of living prescribed by the Buddha, which is so nourishing to body and mind, and brings out the very best in yourself. Thay teaches that the Pure Land of the Buddha / the Kingdom of God is here. It is available to us all the time – the question is, are we available to it? With his teachings, practices, and way of living, we learn to touch the Pure Land / the Kingdom in the present moment, more and more often, so that it becomes a reality for us here and now.

“Here is the Pure Land. The wonders of life are all around us – inside of us and outside of us. But we ignore their presence and we loose the Kingdom of God / the Pure Land of the Buddha. Conditions for our happiness are available, but we don’t know how to get in touch with them … You can dwell in the Pure Land 24 hours a day! Our practice should help us to enjoy the Pure Land / the Kingdom of God in the here and the now. We must help people touch the Kingdom / the Pure Land here and now, instead of making promises for the future, after you die. The Kingdom / the Pure Land is alive, and you must be very alive to touch it in the here and now. The Kingdom / the Pure Land is inside your heart.” [Thay]

NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Thay blessed us with amazing teachings on the NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (based on his book entitled “Transformation at the Base: 50 Verses on the Nature of Consciousness”). I feel so privileged to be part of evolution happening, as mankind grows from homo erectus to homo sapiens to homo conscious (conscious beings). We have to awaken the collective consciousness and help the new species of mankind to manifest. Our future depends on this. By spreading the light of wisdom and enlightened understanding, we are helping to create a new vision of non-duality and inter-connectedness within the collective consciousness of humanity. As Thay says, the age-old question is not, to be or not to be … it is to inter-be. Buddhism teaches there is no-separate-self, and one day this Truth will be a lived reality. Homage to the Buddhas and Bodisattvas, and gratitude to the Enlightened Teachers who show us the Way.

“Every step you make in the direction of peace, every smile that you produce, and every loving look that you have, inspires and helps the people around you to have faith in the future.” [Thay]

LEELA was ordained by Thay, at Plum Village Monastery in June 2004, as a member of the Order of Interbeing, and received the Dharma Name: ‘True Stream of Light’.

You_are_my_everything.mp3

Forty Eight Vows of Amitabha Buddha

Forty Eight Vows of Amitabha Buddha

These are the 48 Great vows that Dharmakara made before he ascended to Buddhahood: <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 1.”Provided I become a Buddha, if in my Buddha-land there should be either hell, or the animal state of existence, or the realm of hungry ghosts, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 2.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings born in my Buddha-land should retrogress into the three evil realms, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 3.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings born in my Buddha-land are not all of the color of genuine gold, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 4.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings who are born in my land are not all of identical appearance, without any distinction of noble looks or ugliness, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 5.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings born in my land are not possessed of the supernormal ability to remember their previous lives, and the ability to know the events of of a hundred thousand nayuta years of kalpas in the past, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 6.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings who are born in my land do not possess of the divine-eye, which can see a hundred thousand nayuta of Buddha-lands, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 7.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not possess the divine-ear, which can hear the Teachings of a hundred thousand kotis of nayuta of Buddhas, or do not faithfully observe those Teachings, then may I not attain enlightenment <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 8.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not all possess the intuitive-mind, which knows the thoughts of all beings of a hundred thousand kotis of nayuta of Buddha-lands, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 9.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not all possess the heavenly -step, which can of one thought travel over a hundred thousand kotis of nayuta of Buddha-countries in the shortest fraction of a moment, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 10.”Provided I become a Buddha, if there should arise in the minds of any beings in my land the idea of selfishness and covetous thoughts, even with regard to their own bodies, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 11.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not all firmly abide in a concentrated state of meditation and equanimity (samadhi) until they have reached nirvana, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 12.”Provided I become a Buddha, if my light is limited in such a way that it cannot illuminate a hundred thousand nayuta of kotis of Buddha-lands, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 13.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the length of my life is limited, even to a hundred thousand nayuta of kotis of kalpas, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 14.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any being is able to count the number of innumerable pupils in my land — even if it takes a hundred thousand nayuta of kotis of kalpas for all the beings of three million worlds and the whole triple universe, after becoming Pratyeka-Buddhas, to count that number — then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 15.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the lives of the beings in my land are not eternal, except by their own free will whenever they choose to pass away from life, then may I not attain the enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 16.”Provided I become a Buddha, there will be no evil or sinful existence in my land; even its very name will be unknown. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 17.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the innumerable Buddhas of the worlds of ten quarters do not glorify my name, then may I not attain the enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 18.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any sentient being in the ten quarters who hears my name and is thus awakened to the highest faith and aspires toward rebirth in my land, recollects that thought for as few as ten times, that being will be reborn there, with the exception of those who have committed the five grave offenses, or who have blasphemed the Dharma. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 19.”Provided I become a Buddha, then at the moment of death of any sentient being in the ten quarters who has directed his thoughts towards the Bodhi and has cultivated his stock of various merits with a fervent desire for rebirth in my land, if I do not appear with an assembly of retinue before him, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 20.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any sentient being of ten quarters hears my name and then constantly longs for my land and cultivates various essential merits for the purpose of realizing his earnest wish to be born in my country, and then fails to attain that wish, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 21.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any sentient being in the ten quarters is not endowed with a glorious body perfected with the thirty-two attributes (laksanani) of a great being, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 22.”Provided I become a Buddha, the Bodhisattvas whose activities have surpassed the stage of ordinary beings, who practice the universal virtue of Universal Worthy Boddhisatva, and who come to be born in my land will be subject to that one birth only, and then will become Buddha-elect (ekajatipratibuddhas), with the exception of those who, by their own free will, wish to remain in the stage of Bodhisattvahood to serve the Buddhas of ten quarters for the sake of delivering various beings. Then they will wear the armor of their vows and will travel to all worlds, performing their Bodhisattva’s duties and accumulating their stock of merit, converting the various beings whose numbers are as great as the grains of sand of the River Ganges to the highest perfect knowledge. Otherwise may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 23.”Provided I become a Buddha, if those Bodhisattvas in my land, through the Grace of the Buddha, are not able to serve all the Buddhas throughout the countless nayuta of Buddha-worlds within a less than a moment, then may I not attain the enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 24.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any Bodhisattva in my land wishes to use his stock of merit to produce any object to be used before the Buddhas, and if such an object does not appear before him to his satisfaction, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 25.”Provided I become a Buddha, if Bodhisattvas in my land are not able to preach the law of wisdom to completion, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 26.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any Bodhisattva in my land does not possess a golden body as strong as the diamond of Narayana, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 27.”Provided I become a Buddha, the heavenly beings and the various properties produced in my land shall all be of supreme beauty and shall abound in boundless quantity, and in an infinity of various forms. If any being therein, even one who even possesses the divine-eye, is able to perceive all the appellations and quantity of such beauties, then may I not attain the enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 28.”Provided I become a Buddha, if any Bodhisattva of my land who possesses even the slightest stock of merit does not perceive the boundless shining beauty of the Bodhi-trees of my sanctuary, their height being at least four million miles, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 29.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the Bodhisattvas of my land do not all possess the wisdom of eloquent oration after having read, recited, and observed the Dharma of the Sutras, then may I not attain the enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 30.”Provided I become a Buddha, if the Bodhisattvas of my land are limited in the wisdom of their oration, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 31.”When I have obtained the Buddhahood, if my land is not so reflective and raidant that it reflects the miniatures of the innumerable, inconceivable and boundless Buddha-worlds in all the ten quarters as clearly as one’s face is seen in a bright mirror, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 32.”After I have obtained Buddhahood, there shall be in my land magnificent palaces towering up from the ground to the void, also lakes, winding streams, blossoming trees, and myriad other properties which are compounded of various jewels and thousands of kinds of perfumes, minutely embellished in the most wondrous state, surpassing all heavenly and human worlds. And the scent of perfumes shall thoroughly pervade the worlds of ten quarters in such a way that when Bodhisattvas smell them, their minds are directed to Bodhi. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 33.”When I obtain the Buddhahood, if the body of any sentient being in the boundless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds in any of the ten quarters is touched by the rays of my splendor, and if that being’s body and mind do not then become gentle and peaceful, in a state that is far more sublime than those of the gods and men, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 34.”When I obtain Buddhahood, if the beings of boundless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds do not attain the “Endurance of Nirvanic Life” (ajatah sarvadharmah) of Bodhisattva, and the deep knowledge of “Adharanamudro” (or dharani) afterhearing my name, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 35.”When I obtain Buddhahood, women in boundless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds across the ten quarters will hear my name and will thereby been awakened in faith and joyful aspiration. Turning their minds towards Bodhi, they will dislike their own female lives, and then, when they are born again, in their next life they will be reborn in male bodies. Otherwise may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 36.When I obtain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas of boundless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds across the ten quarters, having heard my name, after their death [in their next life] will still continue their Bodhisattva-duty until they have obtained Buddhahood. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 37.When I obtain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings of the boundless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds across the ten quarters, having heard my name, will worship me with prostrate reverence, and will joyfully and faithfully perform their Bodhisattva-duty, and will be honored by gods and men. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 38.When I obtain the Buddhahood, the heavenly beings of my land, should they desire a garment, will be able to perceive themselves, as quick as thought, covered by apparitionally produced costumes, excellent to their satisfaction, worthy to be praised by the Buddha, without the work of sewing, washing, dying, and so on. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 39.”When I attain the Buddhahood, if the heavenly beings of my land do not enjoy happiness as great as that of the holy bhikkhus, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 40.”When I attain Buddhahood, if the Bodhisattvas of my land wish to see the boundless, holy, pure Buddha-worlds of the ten quarters, they will at once behold them from the jewel-trees as though their faces were being reflected in a highly burnished, brilliant mirror. Otherwise, may I not attain the enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 41.”When I attain the Buddhahood, if the Bodhisattvas of other worlds, after having heard my name, suffer from any diminution in the functional powers and are not endowed with all sense-organs in completion before reaching the Buddhahood, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 42.”When I obtain the Buddhahood, if the Bodhisattvas in other Buddha-lands whohear my name do not all attain, in one moment of thought, the pure samadhi of emancipation from which they could serve innumerable and inconceivable number of Buddhas [Tathagatas], or if their of their samadhi should come to an end meanwhile, then may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 43.”After I have obtained the Buddhahood, if any Bodhisattva of another land hears my name, that Bodhisattva will, after death, be reborn as a member of a noble family if he or she so desires. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 44.”When I obtain the Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas of other lands, having heard my name, will all obtain a combination of full virtues and will joyfully perform their Bodhisattva-duty. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 45.”When I have obtain Buddhahood, all Bodhisattvas of other lands who hear my name will obtain the samantanugata (the thoroughly and equal samadhi in a fixed state of meditation). Through that samadhi, they will see innumerable and inconceivable Buddhas constantly until they have obtained the Buddhahood. Otherwise may I forbear from obtaining enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 46.”When I obtain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas of my land shall be able to hear the Teaching of the Dharma whenever they desire. (The voices of teaching will present themselves naturally to their ears). Otherwise may I refrain from attaining enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 47.”When I obtain Buddhahood, if Bodhisattvas of other lands, after having heard my name, do not immediately reach the state of never turning back from Bodhi, then I will refrain from attaining enlightenment. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–> 48.”When I have obtained Buddhahood, if Bodhisattvas of other lands who hear my name, do not reach the first, second, and third degrees of Dharma-endurance immediately, or if they turn back from the Buddha Dharma, then I will refrain from attaining enlightenment. Namo Amitabha