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The Way Out Is In

Meditating on Grief (Episode #30)

The Way Out Is In

Plum Village

Buddhism, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Education

0.00 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2022

⏱️ 63 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to episode 30 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.  This installment is a continuation of episode 26, ‘Meditating on Death’. Here, the presenters, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and journalist Jo Confino, meditate on grief in light of Thay’s passing earlier this year, and on collective and personal traumas.  The episode was recorded soon after Brother Phap Huu’s return from a six-week retreat tour of South America – part of the first global tour by Plum Village monastics after a two-year hiatus.  Brother Phap Huu shares stories from the tour and his return to Upper Hamlet. And: what is it like to be back on the road (or path)?  He further delves into the importance of being in the practice, and of sharing the practice by taking its teachings into the world; the significance of continuing Thay’s teaching tours; the power of reconnecting with the sangha through live retreats; the responsibility and joys of serving; keeping Buddhism relevant; the power of grief and the practice of recognizing sadness; how to be both part of the world and a spiritual person; the beauty of impermanence; and the safest place: the island of mindful breathing.  Jo talks about grief ceremonies; facing old family traumas; healing through grieving; letting go; the energy of activism; sharing the practice of mindfulness with the world; seeing the beauty of the world beyond “bedraggled plants”; and community as essential support for the individual. The episode ends with a short meditation – entwined with a poem by Thay – which is guided by Brother Phap Huu. Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/  With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resourcesPlum Village Communityhttps://plumvillage.org/ Galápagos Islandshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal%C3%A1pagos_Islands  Plum Village on Tourhttps://plumvillage.org/articles/plum-village-on-tour/  Christiana Figuereshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiana_Figueres  Bhikkhuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhu  Gross National Happinesshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness  A Cloud Never Dieshttps://plumvillage.org/a-cloud-never-dies/  The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Doors of Liberation’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqtSdQ8qCYU  Vietnamese boat peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_boat_people  The Other Shorehttps://www.parallax.org/product/the-other-shore-a-new-translation-of-the-heart-sutra-with-commentaries/ Wake Up network (young adults)https://plumvillage.org/community/wake-up-young-practitioners/ OI (Order of Interbeing)https://plumvillage.uk/who-we-are/order-of-interbeing/ Quotes “You think that to give, you lose something – but, actually, to give you’re receiving more.” “The importance is not just being the practice, but sharing the practice.”  “The dharma, the practice, is deep and lovely.” “We plough the fields of our mind, of our consciousness, and we identify the roots of our suffering, and we transform it, and through our transformation, we have ingredients to offer to the world: these practices. And this is what the Buddha did; this is what his sangha did.” “Even though our loved ones may not still be here, through the eye of meditation, we can see them through the new form, by the way they have impacted us – and the experience that they have offered us is now them, in another form, through us.” “Peace is every step.” “Thay always said that once you’ve tasted the dharma, if you take care of the seed, it will become a root for you

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome back, dear friends, to this latest episode of the podcast The Way Out is In. I'm Joe Conefino working at the intersection of personal transformation and systems change

0:26.6

and I am Brother Faphu, a Zen Buddhist monk, a student of Zen Master Tignerhan in the Plum Village

0:32.1

tradition.

0:33.0

And today we are welcoming back Fat Who to Plum Village because he's been halfway around the world.

0:40.0

He's been to Columbia and Ecuador and Costa Rica on the first retreat tour since Thai

0:48.0

past but also since the pandemic ended so we're going to look at what it's like to be back on the road or on the path maybe. The way out to his team. Welcome, I am Joe Confino.

1:17.0

And I am Brother Fapu.

1:20.0

Fapu.

1:21.0

Fapu, welcome back, I've missed you.

1:23.2

Thank you.

1:24.0

It's so lovely to sit in the company of Joe, of Kata, of Paz,

1:30.3

of Bellinim Tung, and in the presence of Thai because we were sitting in our

1:35.4

legendary sound booth now which is Thai's kitchen in the sitting still hot and I have

1:41.0

to say Upper Hamlet is so beautiful and fresh right now just to come back and hear the birds singing

1:47.5

As well as to see all of the young leaves in the trees. It is a new spring. And brother it's not only the birds that are singing it's

1:57.0

Fat Pooh that we're hearing singing again because and because you were missed

2:01.6

and and of course we don't want to sort of start injecting

2:06.0

egoic matter into your head but you are missed brother happy when you're not here

2:11.7

your lack of presence is felt. So welcome home. Thank you. I feel very at home here.

2:21.3

Yeah. So brother we are going to explore what it's like to be back on

2:26.6

tour. I think that rhymed almost. So brother tell us a little bit first where

2:32.4

have you been because you've been away six weeks now?

...

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