Venerable position vi religious  means the most noble position of Master. Why do I say so? Because we cultivate to be enlightened, to be Buddha, but to realize what? It is a problem we Buddhists need to understand. Speaking of this I remind you again, the old days of the Buddha Shakyamuni went to monk, through his studies with the sages but did not reach the goal, he finally left to practice asceticism. After an ascetic practice is not effective, he lives back to normal and comes under the forty-nine days and nights of Bodhi meditation, he is enlightened. After enlightenment He declared a sentence like this:

“I have subdued everything, knowing everything. We do not have any disease. I leave all, kill sex and liberate and realize myself, who is my teacher? "

Immediately that sentence we test ourselves: He can serve all, He does not infect all, He leaves all, He kills the liberated sex and realizes himself, who is the teacher? Thus the realization of Buddha is not taught by anyone. If there is a teacher, there is a teacher but on the contrary no one teaches so no one is a teacher of Buddha. Why is he not enlightened? It is sure that Buddhists also remember, as Buddha declared because he was in order to serve all, know all, not infected with any law, to leave all, to destroy sex and to liberate. It means that the Buddha is able to subdue the inner self, to know all the dhammas of good and evil, to be pure, etc., and he does not suffer from the evil dhammas, does not trap the good dhammas, thus destroying the liberated sex is by self-realization no one is a teacher.

Now all Buddhists are practicing meditation, so what is meditation for? To subdue me, right? The clothes from the body come to our own mind. While meditating, what if I sit for half an hour and spend another ten minutes? Probably ten minutes of bitterness. So if we try to sit for an hour or more an hour, etc ... that is, we have to overcome the hardship of our body. Next comes the inner mind, that is, our thoughts are like a fast flowing water, and this mindfulness is continuously and continuously. So we meditate to overcome all those notions, not to give it a continuous start, slowly calm down until there is no more stirring. Thus, it can serve all of our charismatic thoughts. It is we who have won, entered Meditation. Because samadhi is a quiet inner mind, there is no more whirling. If so, then all the dharma, all the evil deeds will be far away. From there all desires are removed. Thus, while cultivating our minds, we are clear and clear, all defilements are gone and we are enlightened. Which self-enlightenment is our teacher? Self-enlightenment is my available mentality.

We remember the Buddha meditating under the Bodhi tree forty-nine days and nights, the quiet mind in silence, until he turned his mind to the past and remembered countless past lives that had done, where and all how things happen He remembers that what happened yesterday was clearly not flawed, it was called Suffering. When he turned his mind to the future, where would the sentient beings come after death? What leads? He clearly saw beings being led by the karma in the roads, which is the proof of the eye-eye. Thus, the Túc network proved intelligent, the eye of the eye, etc. all the evidence is due to the position that the master, not where, not taught by anyone.

We cultivate Zen is the essence of pure mind in silence. From that pure and calm mind, there is Tri. The mindless mind appears then we know what we have not seen before, it is very clear. I lead a small task for the Buddhists to see, there are Buddhists who cultivate a little bit, when they meditate quietly, suddenly remember which verses I have learned without understanding, when I suddenly recall. Who does this understanding teach? At that time, there was no teacher, no one said, why then I suddenly understood and understood clearly and clearly. Try asking who teaches? It is the phenomenon of Tri thanh sư, small thing is small, the big thing is big.

Thus, we cultivate to attain the Buddha's mind, so that we can be enlightened into Buddha. So where is Buddha? Buddha is available in his place. Wanting to see the Buddha, hard to eradicate all the disturbing clouds, the karmic clouds, if it is clean, the Buddha will appear, not at all. We have been thinking of Buddha everywhere on the mountain for a long time, so we have to climb the mountain to go to the stream, have to go far to find Buddha, but truly Buddha is right there. Therefore, religious practitioners should not have the heart to seek outside but only to devote themselves to destroy negativity, stop idle thoughts. Those things are gone, the silence is gone, the Buddha shows money.

So Buddhist meditation practitioners are near or far away, difficult to do or easy to do, practical or vague? That work is true for me, because I can get rid of the defilements, then I become miserable. When the mind is full of defilements and peace of mind, the mind becomes bright, even where it is, not where it is. So Buddhists who practice meditation must always use the practice to overcome themselves, not to ask others. For a long time, my Buddhists have become used to pleading, now I have to sit and feel miserable. At that time, I was familiar with the Buddha praying for the children to give to the children, now I turned around to observe where the real is not the bad, the bad is the good, the judgment then broke it myself. Seeing that it was hard to get used to, but it was really the right place to practice. The Buddha was like that in the past, now we do the same, it is true that we follow Buddha, I do not know if I follow Buddha or follow me? I advocate following the Buddha, I have to use the Buddha method used in the past, applying to my cultivation will have unbelievable results.

I would like to present the following story for Buddhists to see. Nham Dau and Zen Master Tuyet Phong Nghia Ton went to Ngao Son to meet the sky and snow, so the two brothers entered the small temporary temple. Every day Mr. Tuyet Phong was sitting in meditation, while Mr. Nham Dau did not sit. The new Nham Dau reckoned Mr. Tuyet Phong, who sat and meditated like that, said Tuyet Phong:

- I'm not really right.

First-class Lava:

- If you are so real, just see your every passing, the right place will prove to you, where I will not because you chased it out.

Mr. Tuyet Phong recounted:

- When I was in the past, I came to the place where Zen Master Yancheng saw the upper house talking about the meaning of Sac Khong, right there I was allowed to enter.

First-class Lava:

- From now until thirty years later, it is very difficult to talk about.

Enlightenment is the reason that Kham Dau said not yet, thirty years later it is very difficult to talk about that. Thus we see in the time of meditation there are many stages. The first step into meditation is that most of us learn Bat-elegant. To study Bat-elegant is to receive the Noble Truths (The Noble Truths of No, No News of Sac). Entering the door was not a step forward, but not yet a place to save the glass, so Mr. Nham Dau said: "From now until thirty years later, it is very difficult to talk about it." :

- I saw the verse of Mr. Dong Son when I came to enlightenment (Mr. Dong Son passed the bridge, looking under the stream to see his shadow, right away he was enlightened) and made a verse:

Set the part to be forgiven 
The evil thing 
that falls into the middle of the world, the town of 
Kim falls down .

"Spare parts of the evil spirit" are very dark, so don't look elsewhere. Because if you find another place, it is far away, not you. "The needle is righteous," means that it is me. "The needle is disrespectful", but I am not it. Because Mr. Dong Son walked on the bridge, looking at the shadow of his shadow, the shadow was not me but did he leave me? Therefore, it is also me: "The needle is righteous." But I am not it, I am not a shadow, Mr. Dong Son because I realize my shadow but I am enlightened, Mr. Tuyet Phong, I heard this sentence also has a province. Because the province should submit to Mr. Nham Dau, but the First Lama said: "If that is not done, then it is not done yet." It is the second stage.

The first step is to understand the truth, the second stage is to know where you are, besides the fake there is the real thing. The ball is fake but that fake doesn't leave the truth. Knowing that reason has not arrived yet, so the First Lama said: "It is not done yet." Mr. Tuyet Phong added: "One day I asked Mr. Duc Son whether he had conceded his children, he was Duc Son hit a stick and asked me what to say, I was like a barrel at the bottom. ”As the bottom of the box means empty and clean, yet Mr. Nham Dau Luyen:“ You have not heard from the door of the treasure. in the home."

What comes from the door is not the treasure of the house. This verse to simplify for us to understand cultivators must receive their truths. My honesty is always available, but it can't be helped by the outside. We meditate quietly, awake, suddenly the moment when it lights up, it is really ours. As for asking this person, going to the other person, that knowledge is not mine, but one's own.

Later, Tuyet Phong asked more:

- How to do it later?

First-class Lava:

- Later, want to show the great teacher every time from the chest of the chest to export, later we cover the sky with the sky.

Mr. Tuyet Phong immediately got enlightened, so he was called enlightened in Ngao Son (ie at Mount Clao). So the last place is from the side of the chest that comes out, not outside. If it is still outside, it is not extreme. We cultivate from the inner glow, from the inner enlightenment, that is true, is the unconscious mind. This mind is our true, it covers not only limited to the four great bodies alone.

Through the stages, I should say that Buddhists should understand and practice Zen not only once. When we enter into the practice, listen to the Bat-elegant sutras or read the Vajra Sutra, we see that the meaning of Sac Khong is also worth celebrating. From the old days, I see my identity. Not only my own, now I see Sac is No, No is Sac. This is the first province, enlightened but only enlightened, not yet enlightened. When I read a verse, a verse of the Zen masters, I realized and received the meaning of that sentence just as I understood it, while cultivating, it seemed to lighten another stage. This is also a journey. Or fake while cultivating, bring the moral words to discuss with the brother, ask the teacher, the teacher said for a sentence to brighten, lighten up. At that time, it felt like the bottom of the box. Until ever light yourself out, Realizing it all In fact, in this world, it is really true. So in the Zen home, it is innumerable to say enlightenment, and sometimes enlightenment is also three times, not once. I have been cultivating monks and nuns ever since I was a monk until now, seeing a lot of enlightenment, and some people are almost enlightened. This is praiseworthy.

In the past, I had a feeling that I taught people to meditate, especially during the vacuum phase, I opened the first course with ten people, not daring to accept it. Why so? Because I heard many people say: "watch out for mad meditation," so I experimented with these ten to see if it was crazy. Although I knew I was not crazy, but what about those who followed me? After three years, no one was crazy, so the second course increased to three or four dozen. And now, few hundred people don't see anyone crazy. So I was out of words to people. If you say that mad Zen practice is very harmful to Buddhist practitioners.

We already know the Buddha Thich-ca due to meditating meditation, now why is his disciple meditating mad? Saying so is a painting for Buddhist monks, especially meditation. There is one more thing, some people say that meditation is only for upper-class people to cultivate only, this time I cannot help myself.

I used to feel guilty because of that, but I thought differently later. We have a disease, think that the old people are smart, the old people have the sharp mind, and we are now stupid and stupid. Is it really if you look carefully? In the past there were intelligent people but there were also stupid people. Today too, there are many smart people. So many things the ancient people did not know, now thanks to science and civilization we are known. There are things that the ancient people could not do, but now we can do it, why are we stupid? So now it must be smarter than before! If you are more foolish, in the past, you could only walk, why now you can fly. What was rude in the past, what is so sophisticated now? Who is wiser than in the past, is the cultivator more rabid than the old? How bad! So I don't agree. I say the old people can do it today, we can do it today, only what we do is the same as the old people. Ancient people who are qualified to succeed, if we qualify, will certainly succeed. Assuming that the ancient people were intelligent and superior, and thought themselves to be stupid, that is when they are themselves; but when I can not progress.

In the Zen house there is a saying: "Disciple by teacher is half a virtuous teacher, disciple is more than a teacher to preserve his career." Why is Zen in the house saying so? For example, I cultivated fifty years, now I have a disciple who is as good as me, but I have already lost half of me since I was ten years old. Because of enlightenment, it is equal but merit is not equal, so he loses to the teacher. When the teacher realized that ten disciples were twenty years old, he could keep up with the teacher. So the teacher looks for the better disciple, not wanting the disciple to lose to him. Should not say: "I am in the upper ranks, and the people after the base are lower, not able to practice." The latter still has the capacity as the previous one, only if the latter does not follow the principle of the previous person did then the wrong person is wrong; wrongly cultivating without results.

Recently, I have seen the monks and nuns progress, sometimes some Buddhist monks have progressed. So I am very happy, because our work is not useless, but has real results. Those who desire to cultivate are reduced to afflictions, a hundred parts also reduce a few dozen parts. So there are monks who have advanced. With little practice, the results are few, the results are much higher. All of that result is meticulously illuminated by oneself to realize its truth. Once you have realized it, you will overcome all the difficulties and sufferings in your life. Here I tell another story to clarify this idea. This story is taken from Japan's "Sand Stone Picking" work.

There is a blind man who has missed you for a long time, so that day, he took a stick to find you. Seeing an old friend, he was so happy that he stayed at the place to play and talked late at night. Seeing that, the friend reminded him: "It's too late for me to go", he just came back. The friend who sees the outside is dark and his friend is blind, afraid of danger, so he says:

- Let me burn the lamp, you take it home.

Blind smile:

- I am like a night, a night like a day; Now you light the lamp, I don't see anything.

My friend said:

- Know that. But asking him to hold the lamp, others will not touch him.

It sounds reasonable, so the blind man took the lamp back. Halfway through the street, there was a person who was walking to the other side of the road, and he shouted:

- Don't you see me?

The other said:

- Yes sir, I don't see.

- I took the lamp, but you didn't see it!

- When has your lamp been off.

How do you understand that story? If I don't light myself, even if someone else gives me the light, I won't save myself. The outside light was brought back, it was Huu. Tri was saved by others for me, but I could not save myself, only my eyes could save me. My eyes are bright and unkind, no one teaches but self-lights. Therefore, people who study Buddha or practice Buddhism must exploit their available mind as the most precious.

Next is the story of Duc Son. One day, he stood to see him as Zen Master Sung Tin. Seeing too late, Mr. Sung Tin said:

- You go on vacation.

Duc Son obeyed the monk, lifted the curtain and stepped out. Seeing the outside is too dark, He returned, Mr. Sung Tin asked:

- Why did you come back?

Mr. Duc Son:

- The Venerable Master, dark outside.

Hearing that, Mr. Sung Tin burned the lantern to give to Duc Son. Duc Son just took his hand to receive the lamp, Mr. Sung Tin blew it off. Mr. Duc Son was immediately enlightened. So what is the enlightened Duc? If I find it dark, I have to use the light, but if the light is given by someone else, I cannot light myself. Mr. Duc Son just took the lamp, he immediately blew it off. Right away, Duc Son became enlightened himself, so "that" had to light up himself, not for others to give.

So I teach Meditation, teaching Zen is just a guide for you to practice, morning or evening is because you are not me. Because I am not able to make you light but only guide this, that ... and then you follow that self-exploitation, self-realization. When I am enlightened, let me know the news. I do nothing for you. That's the truth in religion.

Through these stories, we see that Zen practitioners are people digging their own land to find the pearl in it. When we discover and hold the pearl is the best, most praiseworthy thing of a practitioner. Being called "that" is true, and all we understand, we hear whoever says is just a side. That is the meaninglessness that each of us must see for ourselves.

If it weren't for Master's mind, then perhaps scientists wouldn't have inventions. Because inventions are known, discovering things that no one has ever known; but no one knows who teaches me? Only people who have the will to put all their energy into one thing, then turn themselves on every day, called an invention. The worldly people help the world, so we invent materially, and we cultivate and worry about inventing our availability. "That" is buried, now we have to make it bright, visible. When it is lighted and displayed then what else should we do? Do you want to go to the mountain to die and die?

When I receive the real pearl and know that everyone also has that pearl, but they forget, then we start compassionately loving all, wanting only him to have, I have, others have. Pointing out the pearl of each available person is only equal, unbiased. Although he is a mandarin, he forgets, I also love him like someone else, and the same man who forgets, I also love him as well. Because we only love their love, their forgetfulness. If you say that you are poor, you love, and the rich do not love you, so you are unequal. Loving love, forgetting because they have treasure but don't remember, so those who forget us love, so that compassion is equal. It is because everyone has a treasure, a precious jewel, so even if a man or a woman cultivates the Buddha, it is all. Only forgetting is not possible, remember and try to cultivate it. So Zen Buddhism spirit is very equal,

In the Lotus Sutra, the Dhamma-attainment, there is the Long Lady who is taught by Van-veng. Mr. Van-veng told him Xa-profit-waving: "This girl will become a Buddha", Mr. Xa-profit-waving does not believe in the woman and moreover is the animal, then what is the Buddha. The female long heard that and brought the pearl of the continent to offer to Buddha. Buddha received, Long female asked him Xa-profit-phất:

- I offer pearls, Duc Ton accepted it quickly?

Mr. Xa-profit-echo said:

- want it.

- I became a Buddha so quickly.

At that time, the Long woman hid herself through another country into Buddha. What does that mean? Văn-thù-sư-lợi in the Lotus Sutra is typical for the Uncivil. There have been no-minded monks and men and women have become Buddhas without discrimination.

The woman who is on the face of the minister is different, but in terms of the position of the master, it is equal to the man. So Zen Buddhism always exploits that monk. In the eyes of the Zen, the men and women are equal, everyone can become a Buddha. Monks, male Buddhists or female Buddhists, even the worldly people who have never known the religion have precious jewels, so no one is a poor man, only a person who forgets to be poor.

If we apply cultivation to a place, to be a place to become a Buddha is our right, not a Buddha to make me a Buddha. Most of us want to be enlightened, but we can do it, the Buddha will not be able to do it. We have the right to be Buddha and we also have the right to be hungry for demons and animals. It is because we have that right that we must strive diligently to practice, not to go down. No one punishes us, heaven does not punish, Buddha does not punish but only because I choose the way. Select the way to go down, go down, choose the way to go up, go up, all of them choose.

Some people say that Zen Buddhism says everything towards us, not outside; so do not thanks to Buddha? In fact, we have to understand this: Buddha shows us the way of cultivation, basically the practices are already blessing us. Just as you don't know anything, I show you a little bit that you have a precious pearl, a wise thing, but you have to find it yourself. That is, I have blessed you, not to wait for an accident and to give this, that is to call blessing. Instructing a path, we follow it up to avoid all suffering. That is called blessing.

Again, speaking quietly in the household, like a diligent, intelligent, diligent student who teaches where he learns, understands and practices it all. Do you ask the teacher to give you a high score and a teacher to have it? If it is smart, good at studying, good writing, then definitely teachers have to give high marks. High score is the teacher loves it or at what? At it tries to learn.

Also, our cultivators, if cultivating righteous and diligent, will have good results later. It is also said that the Buddha's life or Bodhisattva's instructions instructed him, in fact it was due to his effort, trying to practice according to their teachings, so the practice of cultivation had results. Thanks to the effort, try to get good grades. Households are like that. Buddha loves us, wants us to progress from our own efforts. Yes, happy and praise Buddha; praise it is a household blessing. END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.25/5/2019.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.