At this moment, you have both the earth and the sky…

'You' could be anyone among us.

eah… I want me to be myself.

Love the Buddha’s teachings, love poems and song lyrics. 

Love the ripened fields and the vast green meadows 

And also love all the birds singing around.

 

I know I have made many mistakes.

Lost so many wonderful moments

Childhood, schools and beloved ones

Actually, I have never been able to be loved

 

So dear, don’t live aimlessly like I did in the past! 

But let's rise up to catch the sunlight.

 

 

Out there, there are so many interesting things

Vast blue skies, spreading the wings of life

 

Each day passed; I repented.

The mistakes that I’ve made

Live each moment with the completeness 

That's something I can do profoundly right now. 

 

This article is just a personal reflection; it's probably not a poem, dear! 

I once wanted to rebel. Rebel to change the suffering that will take place in the future of life. I have experienced all the pain, injustice, patriarchy, disadvantages, and deficiency in the process of developing your personality. I really couldn't stand this kind of tradition and routine; I just wanted to vomit from them. People, on behalf of rights, obligations, positions, and power, are willing to cling to an old way of life that has been abandoned in the West, and even the Buddha also rejected this practice.

Those who dare to stand up to change and contribute a common voice to the community; Sometimes, sooner or later that person will be considered an antiquity sinner. Do you know what old-fashioned ways of education are? It is about forcing others to obey you and believing that your way of doing things is the best, while all others are unreasonable. We must learn to view life and opportunities with insight, be practical and patient on the path of education. Each person has a different psychological perception and approaches to problems. Put yourself in the other person's position to empathize, understand, and love each other. I do not agree with all rigid, imitative ways of working. Although it is true that certain things and steps cannot be done differently because they belong to the realm of conventions, what needs to be changed are the creative steps where we use a dynamic heart to sense more than just a rigid intellect.

Whoever is wise has surely been foolish at times.

Sometimes, from foolishness, wisdom can emerge.

The poem, I wrote, has kept its original value. I hope that both you and I can understand what is meant by being natural, innocent, pure, and clear. These are the qualities of Dhamma. Here and now is “the present place is the truth”.

 

Step into the field of reality,

Breathe in the middle of nowhere,

Light up the wonderful mind,

Bodhi mind does not retreat.

(Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh)

 Is it good? 

Let’s learn to nurture and support each other in this way! No matter who you are, might not you know how to cultivate your Bodhi mind? Don’t let yourself sink deeply and indulge in the five desires. You are worth much more than that.

To attain purity, one must learn to let go. Purity itself is free from defilement. Within us, there are still many seeds of attachment and contamination; everything else is secondary. Be wise in using only what is necessary. Through life experiences, one comes to understand the dangers of the five aggregates. They manifest through the environment to destroy. It is this feeling that covers the Bodhi mind, making you feel weary and indulgent.

Practicing repentance and using means in receiving will greatly aid in the process of transforming and healing negative emotional states. 

In your past, there may have been many deep scars of hurt in your heart. Looking at you, I see this. You are now an expression of who you were before; even though you may have changed in appearance and voice, deep down in your mind, there is still a rebelliousness of a child within you. You rebel both for yourself and position. You don’t want to lose your place in society. Oh, so what is 'the serious and honest person without desires of position and sensual pleasures’. Let’s play a game together! You and I sit together, doing nothing for an hour. Do nothing, including sitting in meditation or sitting quietly; just sit there and do nothing. At that time, do you feel that you exist or disappear? Do you feel restless or comfortable? Come on, dare to try it?

 

You, with your innocent blue eyes on a grand festival day,

Your lips smile, even the mischievous sun seems to fade away.

Like a white stork in a vast green field,

I love you for a moment like a dream.

(Venerable Master Huệ Sỹ).

 

Reality is mysterious in that it differs greatly from what is described in books and newspapers about the 'present moment.' Sometimes, you can feel peaceful even without meditating. Sometimes, peace comes to you without you even seeking it. And sometimes, you can experience complete morality, concentration, and wisdom even while going to the toilet. Even as I write these lines, I am genuinely experiencing the happiness of reality in body, mind, and surroundings, or within myself. I am not overstating; this is the truth. Although this is not the ultimate or final state (for if it were, I would be an Arhat by now). Each person has different kamma. Cultivation is also the process of recognizing all aspects of oneself, both good and bad, non-judgmentally, as they truly are, without relying on imposed moral definitions or concepts. It’s simply a matter of whether something is useful or not in liberating oneself from suffering and the cycle of birth and death. If an evil follows its natural law of cause and effect, it is right, not wrong. Therefore, what is evil or bad? It's just a temporarily established language to initially identify and define its appearance. Once we pass the first step, we must move forward realizing the non-dual truth.

I am learning to forgive myself and others. I look at people with a smile of deep joy and listen without being quick to react or judge. Within me, there is heaven, the moon, clouds, and wind, as well as you. I used to be a tolerant person towards you; now I ask for permission to make that love unlimited.

I always think to myself, if I have only one more day to live, how should I live? I contemplate the meaning of serenity, and I reflect on purity. 

 

Một nhà chung chạ sớm trưa

Gió trăng mát mặt, muối dưa chay lòng

Bốn bề bát ngát mênh mông

Triều dâng hôm sớm, mây lồng trước sau.

 (Kiều poem, 2733-2736)

Monk's room 2,  fresh breeze in the afternoon – 12/2019

 

Tâm Cung

Translated into English by Ho Thi Thuy Duong