The Embodied Mind

Summary

This talk is a Dharma teaching delivered at the end of the Winter Retreat 2013–2014 in the Assembly of Stars Meditation Hall at Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, on 9 February 2014. It begins with a guided recitation of mindful breathing and a remembrance of Thay Phap E, an elder monastic who had practiced diligently for many years, had been ill, and had recently passed away. The speaker frames his life and death through the lens of practice, emphasizing impermanence, continuation, and the collective nature of the body. The teaching repeatedly returns to the insight that the body is not a private possession but is made of ancestors, parents, descendants, and the wider Sangha. A major portion of the talk explains the first exercises of the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. The speaker describes how the practitioner recognizes the in-breath and out-breath, follows the breath from beginning to end, becomes aware of the body, smiles to the body, and releases tension. These practices are presented as simple but profound methods for bringing the mind back to the body, ending dispersion, and stopping the internal “Non-Stop Thinking” radio station. The speaker suggests practical supports such as a mindfulness bell on a computer that rings every 15 minutes, reminding practitioners to stop, breathe, and return to embodied presence. The talk then expands into the broader art of generating happiness. The speaker explains that peace is the foundation of joy and happiness, and that these qualities can be generated in every breath and every step. Walking slowly, breathing comfortably, drinking tea, eating, brushing teeth, showering, and even using the bathroom are all presented as opportunities for practice. The speaker stresses that happiness is not something to be sought only in the future; it can be made available in the present moment through mindfulness, concentration, and insight. These three energies are described as the essential substance of happiness. The teaching also emphasizes the intimate relationship between happiness and suffering. Using the image of flowers and compost, or lotuses and mud, the speaker explains that suffering is not an enemy to be rejected but a material that can be transformed. Happiness is impermanent and can turn into suffering if not cared for, just as suffering can be transformed into happiness by a skilled practitioner. The speaker insists that one should not be afraid of suffering, but rather of not knowing how to handle it. This leads into the next exercises of mindful breathing: recognizing suffering and calming suffering. The practitioner is encouraged to name painful emotions honestly, such as sadness, anger, jealousy, or fear, and to avoid suppressing them through distraction, consumption, or escape. To illustrate the method of healing, the speaker uses the image of mindfulness as a mother embracing a crying child. Mindfulness first recognizes suffering, then embraces it with gentleness and love, and finally calms it. This process allows insight to arise, revealing the causes of pain and the appropriate response. The talk argues that these practices are not religious in a narrow sense but universal skills that should be taught in schools, to parents, and to teachers. The speaker points to the suffering of young people, including suicide among adolescents in France, England, Hong Kong, and Japan, and argues that education must include practical training in how to generate peace and handle strong emotions. The speaker mentions that Plum Village has already organized retreats for parents and teachers and suggests that textbooks should be written so these practices can be integrated into education. The final section turns to the Buddhist analysis of consciousness, especially manas, and compares it with Freud’s psychoanalytic model of the id, ego, and superego. Manas is described as a survival instinct that clings to the body as “mine,” seeks pleasure, avoids suffering, and lacks moderation. The ego is portrayed as more realistic and able to inhibit destructive impulses, while the superego is associated with sublimation, transforming raw energies into art, music, architecture, and literature. Buddhism, however, goes further than Freud by pointing to non-discriminative wisdom, in which the boundary between self and other dissolves. In this wisdom, one sees that one’s suffering and happiness are inseparable from the suffering and happiness of others. The talk concludes by calling the community to chant, listen, and practice as one body, transcending inferiority, superiority, and equality, and embodying the insight of interbeing and collective practice.