The Way Out Is In

Welcome to episode nine 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 True Dedication (Sister Hien Nghiem). Together, they look deeply at the whole concept of engaged Buddhism, and ways in which Thich Nhat Hanh made ancient teachings relevant to day-to-day questions. Additionally, they discuss: how Plum Village is shedding the stereotypes about Buddhist monastic life; how to refresh Buddhism through a hands-on approach and engaging teachings in daily life; what it means to not take sides; the roots of evil; reducing suffering through compassionate action; healing; patience.  Brother Phap Huu digs into: what it means to apply Buddhism in contemporary life; the spiritual dimension of breathing; the importance of communities and practice centers as spiritual refuges; the dynamics of anger coming up; moving from anger to peace in activism. Plus: can you guess the one time it’s best not to do sitting meditation? Sister True Dedication shares insights about: the early events in Thich Nhat Hanh’s life which led to the inception of the engaged Buddhism movement in war-torn Vietnam; Thay’s peace activism and his exile; Buddhism’s potential to deal with injustice; Plum Village monastery’s engagement with the outside world and what this busy community of monastics has to offer it, through retreats and active engagement in various causes. She also delves into ways of handling strong emotions, deep looking, understanding the roots of our suffering, and the importance of dialogue. And what does compassion look like in a time of crisis? How can we listen to those people in our lives who we least want to listen to? Jo remembers his first visit to Plum Village, and tea with Thay. He further muses on: how feeling steady and grounded can act as “the tuning fork” of our being; how we can perpetuate mindful living by simply approaching the world mindfully; failure and criticism. Finally, Brother Phap Huu ends the episode with a guided meditation on embracing suffering with compassion. 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/ List of resources  Engaged Buddhismhttps://plumvillage.org/series/engaged-buddhism/  Mindfulness, Suffering, and Engaged Buddhismhttps://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/interviews-with-thich-nhat-hanh/thich-nhat-hanh-on-mindfulness-suffering-and-engaged-buddhism/The Practice for Engaged Buddhismhttps://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-practice-for-engaged-buddhism/ Please Call Me by My True Nameshttps://plumvillage.org/library/songs/please-call-me-by-my-true-names-poem/ Israeli Palestinian Retreathttps://plumvillage.org/teachings/israeli-palestinian-retreat/  Invoking the Bodhisattvahttps://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/invoking-the-bodhisattva-dharma-talk-by-sister-lang-nghiem-2020-6-21/ Bodhicittahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta Gross National Happinesshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_HappinessGreta Thunberghttps://www.instagram.com/gretathunberg/ Koch brothershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_family Quotes “We need to act with the urgency of today and the patience of a thousand years.” “Thay says that it doesn’t matter if you’re Buddhist, Jewish, or Christian; as long as you’re breathing, you have a spiritual dimension and can practice.” “I’d describe Plum Village as a beautiful oasis, and an engine of healing, transformation, and training. So we’re really training in practical skills that we can later take back into life outside the monastery.”  “The most effective tool in my toolbox is to turn up mindfully, because it gives others the chance to also come home.”  “[Thay] said, when we hear the bombs falling all around us, how can we sit there and do nothing, or sit there and just chant? It’s not enough. Our compassion has to reveal itself.” “In multiple talks, Thay says that everyone needs a spiritual dimension in order to cope with what’s happening in the world, or to themselves. We may have that aspiration, but we need companions to support us. That’s where a community comes in and can be an example, can lead, and can also be a companion.” “When Thay was exposed to peace activists and events and retreats and conversations and dialogue, his realization was that there’s a lot of anger in the peace movement. This became the kernel of Thay’s development of real practices of peace, so that, as an individual peace activist, we have a way to calm our body, to calm our emotions, to keep our mind clear, and to be truly nonviolent in body and mind.” “You could send all the bombs to the moon, but you would still have the roots of war in people’s hearts and minds. It’s not about destroying all the nuclear warheads; it’s about destroying the nuclear warheads that are there because we hate each other, because we resent each other, because we can’t handle the other side politically, because we can’t handle people who have betrayed us. So for Thay, then, the challenge became this much deeper, human one: of creating environments where we can heal, transform, and look deeply, and make use of Buddhist teachings.” “Our practice is to understand the roots of our suffering.” “A bigger impact is what we carry from thought into our daily action, whether by words or by deed.” “Man is not our enemy. It is ignorance, fear, and despair that is the root of all of this negative action.” “When we say that, in our tradition, we do our best to not take sides, we don’t deny that people are doing what we would call wrong action or wrong speech, or perpetrating injustice against others and creating harm. What it means is that we position ourselves a little differently, and want to avoid placing blame and the aggressive stance of labeling someone a perpetrator. Because, with our way of looking at things, the perpetrator is themselves also a victim, of their wrong view, and of the wrong way of seeing the world, which is leading to this hate speech or hateful action.” “Man is not the enemy. The enemy is wrong views. And, according to Buddhist teaching, the way to liberate ourselves from wrong views is with deep looking, and with listening, and reexamining what’s going on. And for that, we need a huge amount of compassion and collective energy, which monastics can help to bring.”  “When you’re angry, you are not very clear, you are not very present, and you won’t really see what to do and what not to do. Because, at that moment of energy erupting inside of you, the natural tendency is to act, to punish. Anger goes with punishment; they are very linked. And often we will want to retaliate, to make the ones who made us suffer, suffer themselves. But in Buddhism, we want to break free from that; we see that they make us suffer because, actually, they suffer.” “Taking time to see the hurt that precedes the hatred and the anger, and to give that hurt the witness, the embracing, the holding, and ultimately the healing by bringing it out to the light and saying, actually, it is this hurt that we need to take care of. That work takes time. It’s not the work of one or two days; in Plum Village, those retreats would be at least two weeks long. Fourteen days of breathing, of living simply, of mindful walking, mindful eating, quiet time, sitting and breathing and meditation, as well as the support of a whole community.”  “We cannot possibly build a future unless we’re able to talk to each other, unless we’re able to dialogue across the divide, unless we’re able to respect each other’s differences and different needs.” “When we’re angry at someone, we’re always angry at ourselves. When we see someone else being wrong, we’re always, to some extent, thinking that we’re wrong.”  “There’s enough suffering already, we don’t have to contribute more.” 

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is remembered in a heartfelt podcast episode, focusing on his simplicity, gardening, community building, and teachings. The conversation explores minimalism, consumerism, humility, and the power of smiles. Brother Phap Huu ends with a guided meditation, celebrating Thay's continuation day.

Welcome to episode seven 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, hosts Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner and journalist Jo Confino were recorded in Thich Nhat Hanh’s former residence in Plum Village, the ‘Sitting Still Hut’.  Here, they talk about the yearly Rains Retreat – a 90-day retreat started by the Buddha – including the aspirations and other key concepts at the core of this gathering of practitioners. Brother Phap Huu explains in detail the origins of this ancient tradition, and how it unfolds in Plum Village, including some special insights from this year’s retreat.Both then share their own aspirations, and discuss taking refuge in the sangha, the need to slow down, stillness, getting support from the community for our aspirations, and that even zen masters need constant reminders to practice. (Did Thay need help from the sangha? And is Phap Huu as busy as the others think?)The conversation touches upon our (and their) relationship with ‘stuff’; a free yard sale in the monastery; how to know when we have enough; and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s jackets, and how he relates to his few material possessions. Jo opens up about his youth and the burden of collective pain; letting go of possessions; and getting some of his best creative ideas while sitting still on a train. You’ll also find out where the yellow-orange in our podcast’s logo comes from. And autumnal fruit trees make a cameo appearance. Finally, Brother Phap Huu shares daily tips for beginners’ practice, and ends the episode with a guided meditation to find calm and solidity. 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/ List of resources  Alms Round – The Practice of Love, Humility, and Gratitudehttps://plumvillage.org/articles/alms-round-the-practice-of-love-humility-and-gratitude/  ‘Breathing In, Breathing Out’https://plumvillage.org/library/songs/breathing-in-breathing-out/ The Faces of Manas Revealedhttps://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/live-dharma-talk-by-sister-tue-nghiem-2020-11-29-plum-village/  The Green Mile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Mile_(film) Monastic robeshttps://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/monastic-fashion/ Monkey mindhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_mind Rains Retreat 2021https://plumvillage.org/retreats/info/rains-retreat-2021-gems-of-the-plum-village-tradition/Rains Retreat Opening Ceremonyhttps://plumvillage.org/articles/rains-retreat-opening-ceremony-2021/  The Spirit of the Rain’s Retreathttps://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-spirit-of-a-rains-retreat/ Sister Jina https://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/sr-dieu-nghiem/ Store consciousnesshttps://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/interbeing-and-store-consciousness/Sutrahttps://plumvillage.org/sutra/  Theravada traditionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada Quotes “The Rains Retreat carries the spirit of being still; not running from suffering or chasing after an idea of happiness. This is an opportunity to return home to oneself, to take refuge in our spiritual family, to enrich and deepen our dharma body with our mindfulness practice, and to continue our teacher’s legacy in our sangha body.” “Even though we devote ourselves to a monastic life and the practice of transformation for ourselves and our spiritual growth, it’s still very important to be connected to everyone in the world.” “Walk just to walk, and do it with ease.” “When we stop is the only time we’re able to face ourselves.” “When we are still, our internal aspirations, voices, and perceptions have a chance to really reveal themselves. Then, we have the clarity to look at them with the eye of a practitioner, in order to take care of them.” “This stillness that we cultivate is not only for our aspiration, our internal stories, or our internal reflection; it is also very important in the present moment, where we need rest or healing. We are so busy. We are not aware of our body. We’re not aware of our posture. We’re not aware of where there is stiffness, of where there’s stress. So learning to be still is an art for healing. And this is very important. To have total relaxation is one of the core teachings in the Plum Village tradition.” “Stop, rest, and heal.”  “In modern Western society, we don’t trust natural processes. We think we need to intervene in some way. But, actually, sometimes the art of simply stopping, of resting, creates the healing.” “Through the stories, the history, and the sutras that we read, we see that even the Buddha, after enlightenment, continued to keep his practice alive – because the practice is a living energy that you have to maintain.” “That evening, the meeting ran late and I went straight home. I was sitting on the train – no computer, no phone, no book, no bag; just me. And I had one of my best creative ideas in years, which manifested into a whole new section of The Guardian. If I’d had my phone, my computer, or a book, I would have filled that time. But because I couldn’t, I just had to stop. And what I realized in that moment was that, when we stop, we allow more than just our mind to take place. Some people call it grace – well, there are all sorts of names, but it exists in those moments.” “If we are constantly busy, we don’t allow for that channel of grace, that openness to life to actually show up.”  “Science is also showing that it’s not that you learn to practice mindfulness once and get the job done; we have to constantly remind ourselves, work with it, practice it, build it.”  “Thay was very selective in his possessions. Not because he’s picky, but because when you have enough, you don’t need more.”

Welcome to episode six 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, hosts Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner and journalist Jo Confino talk about the sacred practice of drinking tea, and why it’s important in a world where grabbing a cup of tea on the go seems to be the norm.  Over a cup of genmai (cloud tea), they discuss bringing the energy of mindfulness into daily life with a cup of tea; sitting with a cup of tea and its power to bring people together; the ceremony behind this daily habit and why enjoying making tea is just as important as drinking it.Brother Phap Huu recalls making his first cup of tea for Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, as his attendant, and doing so again years later, after Thay’s stroke. The brother explains why drinking tea is so significant in a Zen monastery; how to feel at home with a tea kit; and why one should offer and receive a cup of tea with both hands. There’s even an in-depth exploration of the types of tea drunk in Plum Village. Jo recollects Thich Nhat Hanh’s calligraphies and why he poured tea into the ink. He discusses transformative moments in simple gestures, and shares his love of PG Tips and how it can get one through climate talks. The conversation also touches upon slowing down and enjoying the simple things in life; good habits; the cloud in the cup of tea. And have you ever wondered if the tea is experiencing us too? They did.You’ll also experience the mindfulness bell of the Plum Village monastery.Finally, Brother Phap Huu ends the episode with a guided meditation. 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/ List of resourcesThe Tea Inside the Calligraphy https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-tea-inside-the-calligraphy/  Schumacher Collegehttps://campus.dartington.org/schumacher-college/ Kukichahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KukichaHigh-mountain teahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-mountain_tea  Cloud teahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_tea  Bamboo shoots and teahttps://plumvillage.org/articles/bamboo-shoots-and-tea/ Quotes“If you know how to slow down and be more present, allow things to settle, then your way of life will be much better.” “Even a small, simple practice, like drinking tea, contains all of life.” “A woman in the Indian Sangha said, ‘In India, they say if it’s hot, it’s time for tea. If it’s cold, it’s time for tea. If you’re happy, it’s time for tea. If you’re sad, it’s time for tea. It’s something that calms us down.’” “When you drink a cup of tea, you’re not drinking your projects, you’re not drinking your worries; you’re not drinking, you’re thinking. And it’s a real art for being in the present moment.” “There’s something very powerful and symbolic about tea. It’s a chance to come back to ourselves, to relax, to hold something in the palms of our hands – which is itself almost a reverent act, to feel the heat, to smell the aroma. It’s actually a very visceral experience.”“The cloud is in your tea.”“In the present moment, the way we live, the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we act is a contribution to society, to life. So our actions are already our reincarnation.” “It’s an act of awakening: to wake up to life and smell the fragrance of the tea; you taste it, you feel its warmth, and turn to your body. It’s very simple, but very deep in that moment. If you allow yourself to be in the very here and now, drinking tea is meditation in disguise.”  “This cup of tea in my two hands is mindfulness held perfectly. My mind and body dwell in the very here and now.”  “Having good habits is part of meditation.” “You can have a moment of enlightenment just sitting there drinking your tea.”“Have time for a cup of tea, because it is present for you. You just have to be there for it.” 

Welcome to episode five 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, hosts Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner and journalist Jo Confino talk about connecting to our roots, and the three lineages in Buddhism: spiritual, blood, and land ancestry.They further share about what it means to be a continuation of blood ancestors; transforming the suffering of our ancestors for ourselves and our descendants by healing the past in the present moment; honoring land ancestors and creating harmony with the land we live on; dealing with estranged parents; reconnecting to past wisdom to help a society in crisis; transcending the individual frame of mind.You’ll also discover what the red and white roses mean in the Rose Ceremony which celebrates parents; and why a former Gestapo building was turned into a monastery.Brother Phap Huu recollects growing up in a Buddhist family and its daily ways of honoring ancestors, and what it was like to move from East to West as a child. He also expands on spiritual ancestors; transforming land and memories; the power of collective energy; trees as ancestry.  Jo recalls his mother’s suffering during the Nazi regime, her subsequent journey of forgiveness, and considers the power to heal our parents’ suffering in the present moment. He also comments on the consequences of the lack of connection to ancestors for Western consumerist societies; reports on a feng shui story in Hong Kong; and considers why it’s best to be responsible stewards rather than owners.Finally, Brother Phap Huu ends the episode with a guided meditation connecting us to our parents and ancestors. 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/ List of resourcesThe Rose Ceremony https://plumvillage.org/thay-shares-about-a-rose-for-your-pocket/  Kristallnachthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht  Joanna Macyhttps://www.joannamacy.net/main  Old Path White Cloudshttps://www.parallax.org/product/old-path-white-clouds-walking-in-the-footsteps-of-the-buddha/  Sutrahttps://plumvillage.org/sutra/  Quotes “We are a stream, a lineage, and we have roots and that give us grounding.”  “When I meet somebody, I never meet that person as an individual, I meet their entire lineage.” “I am a representation not of just myself, but of an entire history of a group of people.” “With our ancestors, we can do the things that they were not able to do.”  “If we see that we are our parents’ continuation, we can have more understanding for them and more love for them.”  “Having compassion for our ancestors means having compassion for ourselves, because we are their continuation, and because we will become an ancestor.” “The practice of mindfulness and the teachings of the Buddha tell us that we can transform for our parents, for our ancestors. And if we have that chance, then our descendants can be free from suffering.” “If we heal something in the present, we heal the past, because our ancestors are not just gone and buried. They are in us, so we’re healing both ourselves and our ancestors within us. And by doing this healing, we’re changing our future because we’re not passing that [negativity] on.”  “Whenever you listen to the Buddha’s teachings, ask yourself, ‘How can I apply this to my daily life?’ The teachings have to continue to be renewed because they have to be relevant.” “What have we got? Well, we can shop. We can amass things. But when Thich Nhat Hanh talks about a stream or a river, when we understand that we’re not separate, then that changes the very nature of how we see life. And this idea that we’re coming from somewhere and going somewhere actually creates an ethical responsibility.” “People are talking about the importance of bringing Indigenous wisdom, bringing feminine wisdom. A lot of the wisdom which we have lost is coming back, because the challenges that humanity is facing means that people are recognizing that the past has a lot of the answers that modern society doesn’t.” “Our spiritual ancestors are those who have taught us how to love and understand in our life.” “This idea that we’re a separate self, that we’re born alone, is actually very painful.” “The wisdom from our ancestors is our inheritance, and we have to recognize that they have been there and their past actions are there for us to learn from.” “If I look after this house, if I look after this garden, if I look after these grounds, then they’ll be passed on and then the next person will take it on. And that changes the nature of how I perceive the house, because there’s part of me that wants to put pictures on Instagram saying, ‘Look at my house, look at my garden’. As though by having paid money for it, I am able to feel better about myself because it’s mine. But actually that’s a false idea of ownership.” “My mother, despite being the only remaining member of her family after the Second World War, and despite suffering enormous traumas as a result of the Nazi rise to power, she chose to go back as she got older, to heal those wounds. And not just her wounds; she visited old classmates who had excluded her at school and treated her very badly, she went and gave talks at schools about her experience.” “The great original suffering is to be born.” “If we don’t know anything about our blood ancestry, there can still be lots of data in how we respond to things, which can give us clues about our past. But beyond that, we can find refuge in many other parts, not just about blood family; each of those rivers can offer us a chance to understand ourselves better.” “We all have our traumas. We all have our sufferings. But we can all take responsibility for doing our bit. And that actually does change the world.”

Welcome to episode four 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 True Dedication (Sister Hien Nghiem). Together, they address contemporary environmental crises and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s ethical framework of living, to help us reach a better future – as presented in his new book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.  The three further discuss Buddhist insights into the many existential crises faced by the global community; practical ways people can become empowered; not being overwhelmed by the suffering in the world, and how to work with our emotions to take positive action.  Jo recollects interviewing Christiana Figueres, the architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, including on how the practice of mindfulness was instrumental in her achievements, and the importance of deep listening in global talks.  Brother Phap Huu explains the insight of interbeing; the practice of gratitude; and shares about walking the (sustainability) talk in Plum Village; the ‘no car days’, shifting to veganism during a 800-people retreat, and starting a happy farm to become more self-sufficient and in touch with the Earth as a community of practitioners.Sister True Dedication talks about editing Thich Nhat Hanh’s new book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet; the hardest part of working on a book; Thay’s involvement in the environmental movement since the early 1970s, as a pioneer of deep ecology; the importance of joy and vitality for facing hard times; falling in love with the Earth; accessing the insight of interbeing in our daily lives, and having fulfilled present moments; finding peace and equanimity in a suffering world; practicing deep truth; taking care of our despair.  Finally, the sister ends the episode with a guided meditation. 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/ List of resources Zen and the Art of Saving the Planethttps://www.parallax.org/product/zen-and-the-art-of-saving-the-planet/ Deep ecologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_ecologySpiritual ecologyhttps://plumvillage.org/book/spiritual-ecology-the-cry-of-the-earth/  Sister Chan Khonghttps://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong/The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecologyhttps://www.parallax.org/product/the-world-we-have-a-buddhist-approach-to-peace-and-ecology/Other key books by Thich Nhat Hanhhttps://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/key-books/ Alfred Hasslerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hassler  The Diamond Sutrahttps://plumvillage.org/sutra/the-diamond-that-cuts-through-illusion/   Christiana Figuereshttp://christianafigueres.com/#/ Jo Confino interviews Christina Figuereshttps://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/climate-change-unfccc-christiana-figueresParis Climate Agreement https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement  Blue Cliff Monasteryhttps://www.bluecliffmonastery.org/  Happy Farmhttps://plumvillage.org/community/happy-farm/  A koanhttps://plumvillage.org/bg/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/bat-nha-a-koan/ Quotes “To be able to see heaven on earth is part of our mindfulness practice.” “What we learn in this kind of spiritual practice is that it’s a very embodied, complete, fully human experience of what it means to be alive and to be on this planet.” “If we allow ourselves to fall in love with the Earth, we will know what to do and what not to do to help. When there’s love, the possibilities open up right away. The priorities are clear; we would sacrifice anything for the one we love.” “This [planet] is the source of all life, our shared home, a miracle in the middle of a very spartan cosmos. And we want to do everything to ensure that the Earth can have a healthy and beautiful future, and that humans can have a part in that.” “Through the eons of history, everything comes into manifestation and everything passes. And that’s true of civilizations; civilizations rise and civilizations fall.” “The environment is not outside of you; you are the environment. So interbeing, this insight, lets you see that the way we live, the way we are, is already a contribution.” “It’s important to do one thing well, not to take on the whole weight of saving the planet on your own.” “I have learned to sit well and walk well.”“As children of the Earth, activists for the Earth, and as members of humanity, while doing what we can to save the Earth it is really important to not lose the present moment, because the present moment is life.”“If we lose the present moment, we lose everything. The future is only made of the present moment.” “The beauties of Mother Nature can nourish us and give us the strength we need to keep going, to find balance, and to sustain ourselves.”  “If we know we have done our part, made our contribution, and done our best, that is how we can have peace.”  “Thay once asked the question, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen?’ And he said, ‘Your despair is the worst thing that can happen.’ We have to be vigilant against despair. We have to take care of our despair and metabolize it into the kind of action that can give cause for hope.” “We want to transmit an energy of hope, of possibility, of living fully, and of fearlessness. These are the qualities that future generations will need. And it’s up to us to develop them now.”  “We look for our own happiness. We look for our own success. We look for our own pleasure. And therefore, we act in a way that only relates to our wellbeing; we don’t see how our action has an effect. But with the insight of interbeing, when you have awareness, when you have mindfulness, you start to see how what you consume has an impact on the earth.” “The first thing to do with a meditative practice, a mindfulness practice – any kind of contemplative practice where we’re trying to see how we can help our beloved planet – is to come back to our body, a body that has come from the Earth, and to really touch what it means to belong to this beautiful realm.” “One action contains thousands of actions within it.” “The planet doesn’t need to be saved once. It doesn’t even need to be saved only in the next 10 years. It needs to be saved by countless generations for hundreds and thousands of years to come. So we need to discover truly sustainable ways of being with the Earth, and being with our human nature. Ways that don’t burn ourselves out, and don’t burn the Earth out, so that we can really find peace and simplicity in what we are doing, with a massive resonance across space and time.” “This meditation is about facing something and then being with that fear, being with that grief, listening to it in our hearts, in our bodies. Not repressing it, not pretending it’s not there, but allowing it to be present, embracing it with the energy of mindfulness and compassion in order to metabolize it into not only a quality of peace, but a quality of action that can then follow.” “It can seem paradoxical to accept the likelihood of a very bad end to our civilization in order to have the energy to take actions that will change that destination. It’s a strange reverse engineering, but it’s very powerful as an exercise and it comes from an original Buddhist meditation on contemplating our own impermanence.” “Our next task is to see how we can make the book a force for change in the world, not simply something that sits on the bookshelf.” “Whatever we can do about the future is rooted in the present moment.”

Brother Phap Huu, Jo Confino, and Sister Trai Nghiem discuss mindfulness, concentration, dealing with emotions, awakening awareness, and the importance of resting in today's society. They share insights on personal changes from mindfulness practices and the advanced nature of the 'lazy day' in a monastery.

Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner Jo Confino discuss the concept of impermanence in Buddhist philosophy, emphasizing the importance of living in the present moment and not being attached to anything. They explore how understanding impermanence can help us deal with suffering and create our own happiness. The podcast also includes insights on renewing Buddhism for new generations and the profoundness of Buddhist teachings.

Hosts discuss the meaning of the podcast title, the art of calligraphy, and their encounters with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. They share stories from life in the monastic community and Thich Nhat Hanh's early years as a monk. They also explore the practice of mindfulness and the importance of community. Additionally, they touch on the concept of 'the way out is in' and provide a guided meditation practice.

“The Way Out Is In” is a new weekly podcast by Plum Village where hosts Jo Confino and Brother Pháp Hữu explore how to bring the practise of mindfulness into our daily life. First episode launches on Friday the 13th of August.