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February 13, 2010. This 2-hour dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation into English, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in Dharma Cloud Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village.

On the eve of the Tet celebration, we are offered a very special dharma talk by our Teacher. Over the course of two hours we hear poetry sung beautifully by solo monastics while Thay provides background and discussion. You have to sing the poem and every time you sing the poem you put it to new music depending on the person. Much of the poetry is about the culture and society of Vietnam.

The talk is finished with 12 points given to Vietnam in honor of the 1000 year anniversary of the establishment of Hanoi.

I apologize for the delay in posting this talk, as Tet is now complete and the winter retreat at Plum Village has ended.

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This is the second part of the Attadanda Sutta (#16), a sutra on how to face violence and fear.  The first part is available here.

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This is the first part of the Attadanda Sutta (#16)

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This is the second and final part of the Paramattha sutta on dualistic thinking.

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A sutra on absolute truth.

Here we begin the study of a new sutra from the early life of the Buddha, before the time of monasteries. The sutra is available in two Chinese versions and in the Pali one. We are only looking at a small portion of a much longer text (lines 796-803). This sutra may have been translated in Vietnam before Master Tang Hoi went to China.

The sutra is divided into six sets. Giving. Precept. Endurance. Diligence. Meditation. Deep Understanding. The last part is prajnaparamita. Here we are learning sutra #89.

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The first 30-minutes of the dharma talk are focused on the importance of stopping. Thay talks of the happiness breath and the stopping breath. We must stop in order to look deeply. Vipassana.

In the remaining hour, we finish the discussion on the Tissametteya Sutta, one of the oldest teachings of the Buddha (the 7th teaching after enlightenment). It was written down in sanskrit (Pali Canon) around 200-300 BC and then translated into Chinese in the 3rd century with the help of Master Tang Hoi.

The topic of the sutta is sexual intercourse and the question was posed to the Buddha by a young monk. How do I deal with my sexual energy?

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After nearly two weeks for the Great Ordination Ceremony, transmission of the Lamp, Thay returns to a regular teaching schedule. Here we begin the 10-gatha Tissametteya Sutta, one of the oldest teachings of the Buddha (the 7th teaching after enlightenment). It was written down in sanskrit (Pali Canon) around 200-300 BC and then translated into Chinese in the 3rd century with the help of Master Tang Hoi.

The topic of the sutta is sexual intercourse and the question was posed to the Buddha by a young monk. How do I deal with my sexual energy?

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Thay completes his exploration of the Puràbhada Sutta or The Meeting of Father and Son. We begin at the eight gatha and discuss through gatha fourteen. Our understanding of the muni is more full.

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Image by Geoff Livingston via Flickr

January 7, 2010. This 90-minute dharma talk in Vietnamese, with translation by Sister Chan Khong, was given by Thich Nhat Hanh in New Hamlet, Plum Village.

When you make tea, the first time you add hot water, the tea is very fragrant. It is less fragrant the second time. This sutra from the Theravada Pali is like the fragrant tea with the first hot water.

In addition to talking on basic practices like walking and eating, Thay continues from the Puràbhada Sutta or The Meeting of Father and Son. We begin at the fifth gatha. It is about the value/quality if the person called muni. Anyone can become muni – a deep, silent, serene person.

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Here we continue the theme of the winter retreat with a sutra translation from the third century called Puràbhada Sutta or The Meeting of Father and Son and refers to when the Shakamuni first returned to see his family after enlightenment. It is in the Taisho Tripitaka. The sutra has 14 gathas in the Chinese and here we explore the first four.

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