This Dharma Talk was recorded on the 12th of November 2023 in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village (France). It is the third talk of the Rains’ Retreat 2023 Sunday Talk series.
0:00: 🙏 Our sister discusses the power of collective energy and mindfulness in sending compassion to areas of need, and the importance of understanding and embracing suffering in order to bring about peace.
1:17: Sending energy collectively has a greater effect than doing it individually.
5:05: The Buddhist contribution to global ethics is based on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
7:23: Recognizing, understanding, and embracing suffering is essential for bringing about peace.
8:57: 💡 Our sister discusses understanding and accepting suffering to cultivate compassion for oneself and others.
8:57: Writing a letter to oneself to recognize and understand one’s suffering
10:12: Cultivating compassion for oneself and others by understanding suffering
13:57: Discovering the seeds of compassion and right view within oneself
14:49: Accepting all aspects of oneself and practicing the Noble Eightfold Path
15:55: The importance of accepting oneself to be able to accept others
16:27: 🤔 Our sister discusses the challenge of dealing with the suffering of loved ones and the importance of finding compassion and understanding.
16:27: Struggling to listen to loved ones’ suffering
17:52: Desire to help but not knowing how to approach it
19:01: Importance of developing intuition and insight
20:24: Exercise on seeing others as a 5-year-old child
22:05: Understanding the fragility of others
24:28: The challenge of dealing with suffering from parents
24:49: 🤔 Our sister discusses the intersection of Buddhism and Christianity, exploring the concepts of suffering, self-awareness, and divine command.
24:58: Our sister had a dream about their father crying, leading to a realization about inner strength and vulnerability.
26:02: Understanding the suffering of others can lead to compassion and reduce anger.
29:26: Comparison of self-awareness in Buddhism and the concept of God knowing one’s suffering in Christianity.
34:00: The idea of Divine command theory in Christianity and the challenges of following moral laws.
35:55: 🧘 Our sister discusses euthanasia, different levels of Buddhism and Christianity, and the concept of Karma energy.
35:55: Euthanasia is discussed, including passive and active euthanasia, and the ethical considerations around them.
38:16: Different levels of Buddhism and Christianity are mentioned, including Deep Buddhism and Popular Buddhism, and the idea of different levels of understanding.
45:18: The teaching of Karma and retribution in Buddhism is discussed, highlighting the energy behind our thoughts, words, and actions.
46:18: 🤔 Our sister discusses the concept of karma in Hinduism and Buddhism, emphasizing the impact of individual and collective consciousness on actions and their consequences.
46:18: Karma has a significant impact on individual and collective consciousness.
48:07: Buddhism rejects the concept of a separate soul and emphasizes impermanence and interdependence.
51:16: Environmental retribution is highlighted as a significant concern for future generations.
54:22: Mindfulness trainings in Buddhism are based on awareness of noble truths and the noble eight-fold path.
55:30: Practicing recognition of suffering and its origin leads to reduced suffering, according to the noble eight-fold path.
56:35: 🌍 Our sister discusses the concept of a global ethic and the interconnectedness of spirituality, understanding, and care for the Earth.
56:35: The importance of understanding and addressing suffering in the context of a global ethic
57:28: Discussion on the practice of obeying the law of God in various religious traditions
57:52: The liberation through understanding in Buddhism and the potential connection to the grace of God
1:06:48: 🌍 The video discusses the interconnectedness of human beings with the Earth and the need to take care of the planet for the well-being of both.
1:07:09: Transformation in consciousness leads to a different way of relating to the Earth
1:09:06: Importance of taking care of the Earth for the well-being of humanity
1:13:24: Concept of evolution and free will in Buddhist philosophy
1:14:49: Uncertainty and probability in quantum mechanics
1:16:45: 🌍 The video discusses the concept of energy and impermanence in the universe, emphasizing that energy cannot be destroyed.
1:16:45: The view of annihilation and nihilism is considered not to be right view.
1:17:08: Everything arises in interdependence and energy cannot be destroyed.
1:18:17: The impermanence of the human race is acknowledged.
Ethics, Mindfulness and the Four Noble Truths
What are the roots of our personal sufferings and the pains of the world? We bring our mind home to re-examine our sufferings, to find a path. How to act. What we ought to do. What we ought to be. Join us in reflecting and applying Thay’s 2008-09 teachings...