SOURCE in the
public domain HERE
Here is the
last part of the transcription of Thich Nhat Hanh’s talk at Google
Headquarters in September 2011. This is what the great Zen teacher wanted most
to convey to folks working at one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative
tech companies. We can say, therefore, that it is Thich Nhat Hanh’s heartfelt
message to us who live in a busy, hectic, and constantly changing world driven
by the ubiquitous advanced technology that plays a crucial role in everything
today. Special thanks to my research assistant Christine Atchison for helping
me out in this project.
Dealing with pain and suffering / Generating happiness and joy, here and now
Practice (i.e., Buddhist practices) helps us to touch the conditions of happiness in the here and the now so that we can generate a feeling of joy at any moment we want. And that is not too difficult. If you go back to your body, if you bring your mind home to your body, and establish yourself in the here and the now, you will realize that conditions for your happiness are more than enough. And happiness is possible right in the here and the now. So, to generate a moment of joy is possible, to generate a moment of happiness is also possible for a practitioner no matter where and when. And the practice of mindfulness also helps us to recognize a painful feeling [or] a painful emotion when they manifest. [With regard to] a painful feeling, we have a tendency to try to run away from it. We want to cover it up by consumption.
If we listen to music, if we read magazines, if we eat—maybe it’s not because these things bring us a lot of happiness but because we don’t want to get in touch with the suffering; we want to cover it up with consumption. Obesity is an outcome of that. You have a feeling of loneliness, despair, anger, worries in you and you don’t know how to handle those … and that’s why you want to forget; [you want] to run away, and one of the ways is to just consume—some music, magazines, food … [These things] are there in order to help you to cover up your suffering. You do not solve your problem [though]. But the practice consists in going home and taking good care of that pain. Breathing in, I am aware of the painful feeling in me. There is the energy of pain of course, but, as a practitioner, you generate the energy of mindfulness and concentration. And with the second energy you recognize the first energy. [You can say:] Hello there my little pain! I know you are there. I will take good care of you. So, like a mother holding her baby when the baby suffers, the practitioner generates the energy of mindfulness and concentration and go[es] home and take[s] care of the painful feeling, of the painful emotion in him or in her and get[s] that relief. (1:16:44).
On Weathering Strong Emotions
[There are] so many young people who are not capable of handling a strong emotion, and they believe that the only way to stop suffering is to go kill themselves. That is why so many young people commit suicide everywhere. But we know very well that an emotion whether it is strong [or] however strong it is, is only an emotion. … and we are much more than an emotion. An emotion is something that comes and stay[s] for some time and finally goes [away]. Why do we have to die because of just one emotion? That is what you can remind yourself when an emotion manifests in you.
And if you know the practice of mindful breathing/mindful walking, generating the energy of mindfulness, you can very well recognize and embrace that emotion and you are safe. An emotion is like a storm coming and there are ways in order to stand and not to allow the storm to blow you away. The practice of deep breathing in a position of sitting or lying down focuses your attention on the rise and fall of your abdomen, and just that. Stop all your thinking, because the more you think the stronger the emotion can become. Stop the thinking! Bring your mind down to the level of your navel, breathe in deeply, and become aware of the rise and fall of your abdomen. Stay in that position and continue. [If you do those exercises,] your emotion cannot, will not be able to do anything to you. And after five minutes, ten minutes, or even half an hour, the emotion will go [away] and you will survive it. The next time it comes, you will [do] just that. It’s easy enough. You should train yourselves only a few times. And everyday if you know how to do it, try a few minutes. And then after a few weeks it will become a habit. And when that emotion manifests you will remember to practice and you are no longer afraid of an emotion (1:19:44).
