A Journey Through Mindfulness and Monastic Life

Welcome to episode fourteen 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.

In this episode, presenters Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner and journalist Jo Confino are joined by special guest, Zen Buddhist nun Sister Jina (Sister Chân Diệu Nghiêm). A former abbess of Lower Hamlet in Plum Village, since 1990, Sister Jina has been one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s first European monastic disciples. 

Together, these three delve into what it means to arrive home in our bodies, in the present moment. And what is the present moment?

Sister Jina talks about her path to meditation – from yoga teacher in County Wexford, Ireland, to Plum Village, France, via Hokyoji Temple in Japan; her new book of poetry, Moments of Joy (“Instamatic photographs of my daily life but in words”); and her thoughts on meditation after more than 30 years’ practice.

She also shares further wisdom on Buddhist psychology; self-acceptance and self-healing; the importance of sangha; store consciousness (both individual and collective); the benefits on daily life of practicing meditation; guidance on the spiritual path; gladdening the mind and focusing on what’s right in the world. You’ll also find out how walking meditations can sometimes alleviate migraines. 

Brother Phap Huu recollects moments of joy, wisdom, and support from the former abbess, while Jo tells of an unexpected encounter with a real estate agent.

Informed by memories of how others touch our lives, gratitude runs through the whole conversation. By the way, what are you grateful for today?

The episode ends with a short meditation guided by Brother Phap Huu. 

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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/ 

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List of resources 

Sōtō
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%8Dt%C5%8D

Dōgen Zenji
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgen

Eihei-ji temple
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eihei-ji

D.T. Suzuki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._T._Suzuki

The Mindfulness Bell
https://www.parallax.org/mindfulnessbell// 

Ayya Khema
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayya_Khema 

Wabi-sabi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

‘Discourse on the Dharma Seal’
https://plumvillage.org/sutra/discourse-on-the-dharma-seal/

Moments of Joy
https://www.parallax.org/product/moments-of-joy/

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Quotes

“I have come to the right place in the right way, aware of every step I take.”

“It’s who we are, individually and collectively, that changes the world.” 

“The journey is the goal. It’s walking the path, it’s practicing. And to arrive in every step, every moment. It’s not, ‘I’m going to run because I want to get straight to enlightenment.’ That’s not how to get to enlightenment. In fact, enlightenment, if I’ve understood correctly, is in the present moment: to arrive in every step, to be fully present in every step, to live fully every moment.”

“This present moment holds the past and the future.”

“The present moment is the only moment we have. And if we realize that, we will live our lives differently.” 

“Nowadays you hear a lot about self-compassion; I think that it’s a door that leads to full self-acceptance and to arriving home. The oneness of body and mind. My body is the home of my mind.”

“People tend to look for the problems in life, rather than looking at what’s right.”

“What goes into the mind, comes out of the mind.” 

“We’re not headings, we are beings.”

“[Plum Village in 1990] looked like a very welcoming place. It had a meditation hall, a dining hall, and there were teachings. So, for me, that’s the monastery, that’s what makes a monastery. You have teachings, you have clothing, food, and a roof over your head – what else do you want?”

“I made a distinction between what I called passive thinking – thoughts just passing by – and active thinking: engaging with the thought that passed through my mind and caused pain.”

“If a tree dies in a garden or a forest, the mistake is to give all your attention to that one tree, when actually it’s really important to look at all the other trees that are still healthy and vibrant.”

“I think home is that sense of collecting all the fragments of our life back together.”

“My experience is gratitude, and gratitude is definitely one way to gladden the mind. So look at what is right in our lives. Even if a lot of things go wrong, look for what is still right, and I’m sure we will find something. And then allow what is right to gladden our mind.” 

“Let’s say store consciousness is like the Earth, which contains all the seeds. And the seeds that you water will grow into plants. But when they grow into plants and flower, they become mental formations. And you have positive mental formations, not-so-positive mental formations, and neutral mental formations. So I practice, ‘What do I consume? What seeds do I water? What plants am I growing? What is my garden of the mind looking like?’”