We Are Peace

Summary

The talk is a teaching on mindfulness, compassion, and the transformation of suffering through practice. It begins in the context of Plum Village’s 30th summer opening on July 14, 2012, and frames the gathering as a celebration of the sangha. The speaker explains that chanting is not merely ritual but a practice of mindful chanting and mindful listening. The monks and nuns chant the name of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of deep listening and great compassion, to help participants touch the seed of compassion already present in each person. A central theme is that suffering is not isolated or personal in a narrow sense. The speaker emphasizes that one’s suffering carries the suffering of parents, ancestors, one’s people, and society. Because of this, understanding the roots of suffering is essential for compassion to arise. Rather than fleeing pain through consumption, distraction, or busyness, practitioners are encouraged to go home to themselves, breathe mindfully, and hold suffering tenderly. The sangha is presented as a collective source of support: by surrendering to the shared energy of mindfulness, a person can embrace pain, sorrow, fear, and despair and begin to suffer less. The talk repeatedly uses the image of a mother holding a sick baby to illustrate the tenderness needed in this practice. The speaker then turns to the foundational exercises of mindful breathing. He explains that many people live in dispersion, with the mind pulled away by regret, fear, projects, or thinking about the past and future. The practice is to bring the mind home to the body and to the present moment. Breathing in, one knows one’s body is there; breathing out, one releases tension. This reunion of mind and body is described as the basis of true life, because the present moment is the only place where life, healing, and the wonders of existence are available. The talk names three energies generated by meditation: mindfulness, concentration, and insight, corresponding to smrti, samadhi, and prajna. These energies are said to make a Buddha, to bring awakening, and to reveal that happiness is already available in the here and now. The speaker gives many examples of mindfulness in daily life: pouring tea, drinking tea, taking a shower, washing dishes, brushing teeth, urinating, and walking. These ordinary activities become sacred when done with full presence. He argues that holiness is not distant or abstract; it is the lived presence of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. He also links this to Christian language, suggesting that the Holy Spirit can be understood in these terms. Insight is shown as immediate and practical: while breathing, one can realize that one is alive, that one’s feet can still walk, and that life itself is a miracle. Another major section addresses joy, happiness, and freedom. Joy arises when one recognizes conditions of happiness already present, such as fresh air, strong feet, and the support of the sangha. Happiness is deeper and calmer than joy, but both can be generated through practice. The speaker insists that one does not need money, fame, or power to be happy; freedom from fear and regret is enough. He describes the past and future as prisons when the mind is trapped there, and mindfulness as liberation from those prisons. Walking meditation is presented as a celebration of life, with each step a success, a source of peace, and an expression of the Pure Land or Kingdom of God in the present moment. The talk also explores fear in depth, especially fear of death and fear of failure. The speaker explains that fear must be looked into deeply to reveal its components, just as a flower is made of non-flower elements and the self is made of non-self elements. Fear is often rooted in wrong perceptions and illusion. Using the example of birth and death, he teaches interbeing: birth and death inter-are and cannot exist separately. Since cells are dying and being born every moment, death is already present in life, and understanding this can remove fear. Fear of failure is also reframed: failure can be a teacher, while success achieved through wrong thinking, wrong speech, or wrong action is not true success. The speaker emphasizes right action, right speech, and right thinking as the ethical basis of genuine success and human flourishing. The talk concludes with a story about a peace march in New York City, where the speaker and a small group walked slowly and mindfully amid a much larger demonstration. Their quiet, peaceful walking embodied the message that the means are the end: peace must be practiced in the way one walks, not merely demanded as a slogan. This example reinforces the talk’s final message that every step, every breath, and every moment can be an expression of peace, compassion, and awakening. The speaker ends by urging the practice of walking meditation and by affirming that the Kingdom of God is available here and now through mindful presence.