How can we help those who are suffering, even if they are far away from us?
How can we generate kindness and compassion in our daily life, to cultivate true happiness?

This live replay begins with the monks and nuns of Plum Village chanting "Namo Valo", to generate and transmit the energy of compassion. Our respected elder sister Chân Đức ("True Virtue") explains the meaning behind this chant, and how we can take care of suffering inside and around us at any time. She shares the of practice "metta" meditation, offering several reflections and concrete steps that help us cultivate and share lovingkindness, and responds to the question, "How do you practice the teaching of 'no-birth and no-death' in your daily life?"

Sister Chân Đức begins by explaining the meaning of the chant offered by the brothers and sisters. She shares that when we invoke Avalokiteshvara, we may think of ourselves as connecting with "the Great Being who has the capacity to listen deeply to the suffering of the world". To connect like this is powerful and possible, because this capacity resides within each one of us: to listen, to give rise to compassionate understanding, and to relieve suffering.

As we chant, we generate that energy together and offer it to those in need. We begin with ourselves, and once we have done that, we are able to share that compassion with others: first our loved ones and those physically near to us, and then the wider world. When a group of us comes together like this, the energy can be very powerful. We bring all our mindfulness and concentration into the present moment, and our compassion can reach very quickly where we want it to reach.

Our sister shares that not only in chanting, but in our daily life as well, we should begin by listening to our own suffering. We learn to "come home to ourselves, to recognize, accept, embrace and listen to our own suffering with the energy of mindfulness"(see training #4: https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/the-14-mindfulness-trainings/) This is our life-long practice. Sr Chân Đức shares that one time a student asked our teacher, zen master Thich Nhat Hanh ("Thay"), "Why do we continue to destroy the environment, and discriminate against people of different color? Why can't we stop?" Thay replied, "It is because we have so much suffering inside ourself, and we have not yet been able to take care of that suffering."

Our sister shares the practice of returning to "our island" and taking refuge there. We may regard our body, our feelings, and our mind as rivers, always flowing, always changing. Sometimes "coming home" to this flow of the present moment is not pleasant. Our practice is
simply to sit on the bank of the river with patience and acceptance, to see things "just as they are". This practice can bring us some relief right away, and each time we practice like that our compassion, understanding, and freedom grow.

Sister Chân Đức shares about the practice of "metta", or lovingkindness meditation, step by step. Practicing this regularly can bring a lot of happiness and peace to ourselves and those around us. It is important for us to truly connect to the feelings of joy and happiness that we have experienced, or that we are presently experiencing. This can help us connect to our own deep wish to be happy, safe, and free, and make it easier to open our hearts to all beings, as we see that they have this same wish.
https://stillwatersanghamn.wordpress.com/2014/08/05/metta-means-loving-kindness/

Finally, our sister responds to the question, "How do you practice the teaching of 'no-birth and no-death' in your daily life?" She shares that during a 21-day retreat with the theme "What happens when you die?", the core of Thay's answer was, " *You* don't die": there is death, but there is no "you" or "me"-- no separate self-- who dies. Therefore, Sister Chân Đức shares, her daily practice of these teachings is the practice of non-self.

Our sister shares her contemplations on the life-cycle of a leaf; on our human body (which contains not only human DNA, but also the DNA of bacteria and mitochondria); and on seeing her mother, her father, and Thay in her: seeing them as rivers which are flowing into her, and seeing herself in each of them.

When we practice to see that we are "not the same, yet not different" from our blood, cultural, and spiritual ancestors, it can dissolve our blame, and our sense of being a victim. Our sister shares that this is just how life is: we continue each other. "I am my ancestors-- and I am taking my ancestors in a different direction", an upward path of understanding and love. She reminds us that life is short, and encourages us to make time in our lives to look deeply at our happiness and suffering, and the nature of birth and death.

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About Sr. Chan Duc:
https://plumvillage.org/monastics/dharma-teachers/sr-chan-duc/

For more information, please click here: https://plumvillage.org/contact-us/