Open the Eyes of Dharma. Many of us, when we first practice or have even practiced for a few years, still do not know what is what. We are still not confident in the practice. When we still do not trust the practice, we still do not see everything around us as the Dharma itself, and we still rely on the teachings of the monks. But the truth is, when we understand our mind, when we have the mindfulness (sati) to look deeply into the mind, wisdom will arise. Every time and every place is an opportunity for us to hear the Dharma. We can learn Dharma from nature, for example from plants. The tree is born from causes and it grows according to the natural process. Right here the tree is also teaching us about the Dharma, but we just don't understand it. Following the natural process, it gradually grows, until buds, flowers, and fruits appear. We only see the flowers and fruits, but cannot bring them inside to consider and be mindful of them. Therefore we do not know the tree that teaches us the Dharma. The fruit appears and we just eat it without thinking about anything; only know that sour, sweet, and astringent tastes are the flavors of fruit. But the tree teaches us about the Dharma of birth and death, the tree shows the story of birth, growth, flowering, fruit, then aging, withering, then death, then being cut off...and one day, the buds The young grow again, and continue the process of birth, growth, old age, and death. (Just like human life). But we don't pay attention, we're not mindful, and we don't see that truth from nature. If we know how to bring the life and death process of trees into our minds and consider it, we will see that the birth of trees and our birth are no different. This body of ours is born and exists depending on the conditions, depending on the combination of the elements earth, water, air, and heat. It also receives macrobiotic food, and grows and grows. All parts of the body change and transform according to their natural nature. It's no different with trees: hair, nails, teeth, and skin—all change. If we understand everything of nature, then we understand everything of ourselves. People are born. Must eventually die. After death they are reborn. Hair, nails, teeth and skin continuously die and reappear. If we know how to practice like this, we will see that plants are no different from us. If we understand the teachings of the monks, we will realize that the plants outside and ourselves are comparable. Conscious species and non-conscious species are no different. All are the same. If we understand the similarities between plants, animals, and humans, we will see that the five aggregates (khandha) that make up us are of the same nature—our body, feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. thinking, and consciousness—all have the same nature. If we understand the nature of our body and mind, we will understand the Dharma. On the contrary, if we understand the Dharma, we understand the five aggregates, how they continuously change and change,they never stop changing, they are constantly arising and dying. Therefore, whether we are standing, sitting, walking or lying down, we should have mindfulness (sati) to observe the mind. When looking at things outside, it is the same as looking at things inside. And vice versa. If you understand that, you will understand Buddha's teachings. If we understand that, we can say that Buddha-nature, that is, the "knower", has been established. It clearly knows what is outside. It clearly knows what's inside. It understands everything that arises. Understanding this, when we sit under the tree we hear Buddha's teachings. Standing, walking, sitting, lying down, we hear Buddha's teachings. While looking, listening, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking, we hear the Buddha's teachings. Buddha is simply the “knower” right inside this mind. It (the knower) knows the Dharma. It knows how to investigate and understand the Dharma. That is not the Buddha who lived thousands of years ago and now comes back to speak to us, but that is Buddha-nature, the "knower" that arises. The mind becomes clear. If we establish Buddha within our mind then we will know everything, we will be mindful of everything, everything is no different from us. We see animals, plants, and mountains as no different from ourselves. We see the poor and the rich, they are no different from us. Black people and white people are no different from us! They all also share similar properties. Anyone who understands this similarity will always feel satisfied with themselves no matter who they are. Whoever understands like that always listens to Buddha's teachings. If we don't understand like that, then even if we spend days and months listening to one teacher after another, we still won't understand the meaning. Buddha taught that enlightenment of the Dharma is simply knowing about nature, about the reality around us; Nature is right here. If we do not understand the ways of nature, then when we experience suffering and pleasure, we will lose our minds following those pleasures and sufferings, creating sadness and regret. To get lost in the objects of the mind is to get lost in all things of nature. When we are lost in nature, we cannot see the Dharma. Enlightened people only see nature (and do not get lost in all things of nature). After arising, all things change and die. The things we make like plates, bowls, cups... all have the same properties. A plate is made from cause and effect conditions, such as the material, the will and effort of the maker, and then we use it; Then every day it gets old, chipped, broken and disappears. Trees, mountains, gardens are the same, animals and people are the same: born and then destroyed, existing and lost. When Mr. Aññā Kondañña (Kieu Tran Nhu), the Buddha's first disciple, heard the Buddha preach for the first time, his realization was not complicated or difficult to understand. He simply saw that whatever is born, it changes according to natural conditions, grows old, and finally dies.Mr. Kondañña had never thought about this reason before, or if he had thought about it, it was not clear, so he could not let go, he was still attached to the body of the five aggregates. When he sat attentively listening to the Buddha's teachings, his Buddha-wisdom arose in him. He received a 'transmission' from the Buddha, which was the understanding (knowledge) that all conditioned things are impermanent and unstable. (All conditioned things are impermanent). Everything that is born must change, grow old and die. It's a natural progression. This feeling was unprecedented for him. He truly realized the mind and Buddha-wisdom that had arisen in him. At that moment, Buddha announced that Kondañña had obtained the Eye of Dharma. What does this Dharma eye see? It sees the truth that whatever is born grows old and dies; that is the law of nature. 'Whatever is born' means everything in the world. Whether in material or immaterial form, all things are 'born'. This place refers to all dharmas in the world. Like this body, it is born and disappears. Some people are born and die immediately. There is birth, growth and death. There is birth, growth, old age and death. There is a short life, there is a longer life. But the whole process is like this: After being 'born', it dies and turns into a 'child'. At the 'young' part, it dies and turns into 'middle-aged'. When it comes to 'middle age', it dies and turns into 'old man'. When it comes to 'old age', it dies and 'ends' forever. Trees, mountains, and gardens all have the same nature. Therefore, the vision and knowledge of the “knower” clearly entered the mind of Venerable Kondañña while he was sitting there. The knowledge (understanding) of 'born things' (conditioned things) penetrated deep into his mind, helping him to uproot his attachment to this body. That attachment is the attachment to the body, the cherishing of the body, that is, the view of the body (sakkāya-ditthi). It means that he no longer sees this body as an 'I', a 'self', a 'person', he no longer sees this body as a 'person' or a fixed 'who'. He no longer accepts himself as himself. He saw clearly, thus removing the shackles of 'personal view'. Then the fetters of doubt (vicikicchā) are also destroyed. After eliminating his attachment to this body, he no longer had any doubts about his understanding and enlightenment. Then the shackles of attachment to rituals and customs (sīlabbata parāmāsa) are also uprooted. His practice became straight and correct. Even when this body is in pain, he doesn't hold on to it anymore, he doesn't have any doubts anymore. He no longer doubts because he has removed attachment (in the mind). So, when the Buddha spoke the Dharma, Kondañña opened the Eye of the Dharma. That eye is simply the "one who knows clearly". It sees things in a different way. It sees the natural nature of things. Having clearly seen the natural nature of things,attachment is uprooted and the “knower” is born. Before, he also knew, but there was still a lot of attachment. It can be said in many ways: before that he knew the Dharma, but still had many attachments; or, before that he knew the Dharma, but had not seen the Dharma, or before that he had seen the Dharma, but was not yet one with the Dharma. The Buddha said that "Kondañña sees and knows". What to know? He sees and knows all things of nature. Often they get lost in the things of nature, their mind is lost in this body and its feelings. Earth, water, air, and heat combine to form this body. It is something of nature, an object that we see with the naked eye. That body exists dependent on food, grows and changes until the day it dies. Looking inward, what is observing this body is consciousness—simply the “knower,” pure awareness, awareness. If consciousness is received through the eyes, it is called seeing. If it is received through the ears, it is called hearing; Receiving through the nose is called smelling; receiving through the tongue is called tasting; Receiving through the body is called touching; and receiving through the mind is called thinking. Consciousness is only one, but when it receives different places, it is called by different names. Through the eyes: seeing consciousness (eye consciousness); through the ear: hearing consciousness (auditory consciousness); through the nose: smelling consciousness (nose consciousness); through the tongue: taste consciousness (tongue consciousness); through the body: consciousness touches contact (body consciousness, contact consciousness); and through the mind: consciousness of the mind (consciousness). But no matter which sense of consciousness operates, it is just an awareness, an awareness. According to the scriptures, we call it six consciousnesses, but in fact it is just one consciousness arising at six different sense bases. There are six "doors", but there is only one awareness, that is awareness, that is this mind. This mind has the ability to understand the truth of nature. If this mind still has obstacles, we say that it still understands through ignorance, Ignorance. At that time, it still understood mistakes and saw mistakes. Wrong understanding and wrong seeing, or right understanding and wrong seeing, that is just an awareness. They call it wrong view (wrong view) or right view (right view), but it is just one thing. Wrong or right also arise from this one place. When there is wrong understanding, we say that Ignorance obscures the truth. When there is wrong understanding, there is wrong view (wrong view), wrong intention (wrong action), wrong action (wrong karma), wrong way of life and work (wrong livelihood)—what also wrong and wrong! But on the other hand, correct practice also arises right there. When there is truth, error will disappear. The Buddha practiced all kinds of asceticism and self-mortification, but he investigated deeply in his mind and finally uprooted ignorance and attained enlightenment. Buddhas and other enlightened beings were also enlightened with the mind, because this body does not understand anything. It doesn't matter whether you feed this body or not, it can die at any time. Buddhas all practice the mind.They are enlightened from within. After considering mindfulness of the mind, Buddha abandoned those two extremes—not pursuing pleasure and comfort, and not pursuing asceticism and self-mortification—and Buddha chose the Middle Way between the two. extreme that Buddha preached in his first sermon. But when we first hear Buddha's teachings, we see that it goes against our wishes. We spend our whole lives loving pleasure and comfort, desiring to be happy, and when we do, we think our lives are good—that's the tendency to chase after pleasure. But it is not the right path. As for the way of living with dissatisfaction, aversion, anger, and self-mortification—that is the tendency to engage in asceticism. These are two extreme trends that should be avoided on the path of practice. The "one who practices" is this mind, the "one who knows". If a good state of happiness arises, we run after it as good—that is the tendency to run after pleasure. If a bad state of suffering arises, we follow it with resistance, aversion—the tendency to engage in suffering. Those two trends are both wrong, they are not the path of a meditator. That is the way of worldly people, including those who only desire to pursue pleasure, and those who only engage in asceticism and pain. Wise people know those two tendencies well, and they abandon them. They are not agitated with pleasure and pain. Those things arise, but they don't stick to them, they let them go and let them happen in their natural way. (They know happiness and suffering, but their minds are not attached to happiness and suffering). This is right view. When someone fully understands this principle, they will have freedom. Happiness and suffering have no meaning to the Enlightened One. Buddha said that the Enlightened Ones have left all defilements. This doesn't mean they run away from pollution, they don't run away anywhere. The pollution is still there. Buddha compared it to a lotus leaf in a pond. The leaves are with the water, but the leaves are not contaminated by the water. (Lotus leaves are waterproof even when submerged in water). Stagnant pond water is likened to the defilements in the mind and the lotus leaf is like the Enlightened Mind. The mind of a practitioner is the same; The mind doesn't run away, it's right there. Good, bad, good, evil, happiness, suffering, right, wrong. . . Cultivators know this clearly. The meditator is simply aware of them, they do not enter his mind. That means, he is not attached to them. A meditator is simply an experiencer. Saying 'experiencer' is a simple way of saying things that are easy to understand. But in the language of Dharma, we say that he has directed his mind along the Middle Path. Things that are happy, painful, good, bad, delicious, bad, beautiful, ugly, right, wrong. . . continuously arise, because those are the attributes of the world. Buddha was enlightened in the world, Buddha considered and observed the world. If the Buddha does not observe the world, if the Buddha has not seen the world, then the Buddha cannot transcend the world. Buddha's Enlightenment is simply enlightenment about this world itself.The world is still there, with all its ups and downs: gain and loss, praise and blame, honor and dishonor, happiness and suffering: it's still there. If there were no such things in the world, there would be nothing to enlighten or understand! What Buddha understands is about the world, the world of phenomena surrounding the human mind and heart. If people continue to run after things all their lives, keep looking for "praise and glory, gain, and happiness", and try their best to avoid the opposite, then they will sink under the weight of the world. Gain and loss, praise and blame, honor and dishonor, pleasure and pain - that is the world. The world always has those things. People lost in the world will have no way out, the world will engulf them. This world follows the law of Dharma, so we call it worldly dharma (loka-dhamma). People live surrounded by ignorance about the world. Therefore, Buddha taught us to develop the path. We can divide it into three parts: morality, meditation, wisdom [morality, concentration, wisdom]—and develop it until completion. This is the path of practice to end the world. Where is the worldly world? It is right in the hearts of all sentient beings who are confusedly following the world! The actions (karma) of attachment to "praise, honor, gain, happiness" and resistance to "criticism, humiliation, loss, suffering" are called the world, the world of the ordinary mind. When those things are present in the mind, the world arises and worldly beings are born. The world was born out of desire and desire. Desire is the birthplace of all worlds. Eliminating desire and desire is to end the world. Another way of calling the path of morality, concentration, and wisdom is the path of Eight Parts, or the Noble Eightfold Path. This eightfold path and the eight worldly dharmas are a pair. What is a couple? If we speak according to the scriptures, we say that 'gain and loss, praise and blame, honor and dishonor, happiness and suffering' are the eight worldly dharmas. Right understanding, right thinking, right speech, right action, right occupation, right effort, right concentration of mind (meditation), right attention (mindfulness) right: this is the eightfold path. These two groups of 'eight' are present in the same place. The eight worldly dharmas lie right here in this mind, in the same place as the "knower"; but because the "knower" still has obstacles, it understands wrongly, and thus it becomes the world. There is only this one "knower", there is no other. Buddha nature has not yet arisen in the mind, it has not yet separated itself from the world. Such a mind is the world. When we practice the path, we practice our actions and speech, the practice also happens in this mind. It's in the same place so they can see each other; The path sees the world. If we practice with our mind and directly see the mind's attachment to the greedy aspects [praise, honor, gain, happiness] of the worldly dharma, then we see the attachment to the worldly things. . Buddha once said: "We need to know the world.It is gorgeously embroidered and shiny like a royal carriage. Fools look fascinated, but wise people are not deceived by their appearance." Saying that doesn't mean Buddha wants us to go around the world looking at everything, studying everything. Buddha simply wants us to observe this mind that is attached to the world. When Buddha told us to look at the world, Buddha did not want us to be attached to it, but Buddha just wanted us to investigate and consider it, because the world is born in this mind. Sitting under a tree we can see the world. Whenever there is desire, the world arises right there. Desire and desire are the birthplace of the world. Destroying desire means ending the world (of the mind). When we meditate we want our mind to be at peace, but it is not. Why so? We don't want to think, but we keep thinking. Like a person sitting on an anthill: constantly being bitten and insecure. When the mind is the world, sitting with our eyes closed we can see the whole world. Joy, sadness, restlessness, confusion – all arise. Why so? Because we have not yet recognized the Dharma. Because the mind is still like that, the meditator cannot endure worldly dharmas, he does not investigate anything. It's like sitting on an anthill. Ants kept biting because that person was sitting right on their house! So we have to do? We have to find medicine to kill ants or use fire to chase them away. But most practitioners don't see it that way. If they feel satisfied, they stick to that satisfaction. When they feel dissatisfied, they stick to that discontent. If you follow worldly dharmas, your mind will become worldly. Sometimes we often think: "Oh I can't practice, the practice seems too deep and advanced for me"... so we don't try to practice. This is because the mind is still full of defilements and obstacles, worldly dharmas are preventing the path from arising in us. We cannot practice diligently to develop morality, concentration, and wisdom. We are like people sitting on a fire ant hill. We can't do anything, ants are biting us all over, we're drowning in confusion and excitement. We don't know how to escape from that seat full of fire ants, we just know how to sit there, struggling, suffering. So, those things always happen with our practice. Worldly dharmas are present in the minds of worldly beings. When those beings want to find peace, those worldly dharmas arise right there. When the mind is still confused and ignorant, there is only darkness there. When understanding arises, the mind becomes clear. Ignorance and understanding are born in the same place in the mind. When ignorance is present, understanding cannot enter, because the mind has accepted ignorance. On the contrary, when understanding arises, ignorance is not there. Therefore, Buddha urged his students to practice with the mind, because the world is born in this mind, the eight worldly dharmas are present right in this mind. The Eightfold Path (The Noble Eightfold Path),That is the investigation and contemplation through meditation and wisdom meditation, we make diligent efforts thereby helping to give rise to wisdom; All of these practices help us gradually loosen our attachment to the world. Attachment, aversion and ignorance (greed, anger, ignorance) become more and more 'lighter', we know them clearly. Whether we gain or lose, praise or blame, honor or dishonor, suffering or happiness, we are conscious and alert about it. We must clearly understand worldly dharmas before we can transform the world, because the world is right inside of us. When we are free from worldly dharmas, it is like we have just left the house. When we enter the house, how do we often feel? We feel like we are walking through the door and entering the house. When we leave, we feel like we have just stepped out of it, into the bright sky, without the darkness like inside the house. The act of mind entering worldly dharmas is like entering inside a house. As for the mind that has eliminated all worldly dharmas, it is like a person who has just stepped out of a dark house and meets the bright sky. So the Dharma must become one with the person who witnesses it for himself. That person knows for himself whether the worldly dharmas are lost or not, and whether the path has been developed or not. When the path has been developed, it obliterates worldly dharmas. The more profound the Tao, the stronger and stronger it becomes. More right view and less wrong view, until the path destroys the defilements—either that, or else the defilements destroy the path! Right view and wrong view, there are only two ways. Wrong views also have their tricks, they have their wisdom—but that wisdom has been misguided. The meditator begins to develop a kind of detached experience. Then that person is like two different people: one in the world and one on the path. Those two people separated, pushed away from each other. As long as the meditator is investigating, there is still that separation, and he continues to practice like that until the mind reaches insight wisdom (vipassana). Or it could be the subtle defilements in vipassana meditation, which is vipassanū! Thus, after having established good results after a period of meditation, when we see those things, we become attached to them. This type of attachment is born from the desire to achieve (obtain) something from one's practice. That is called vipassanū: defiled wisdom [i.e., still polluted wisdom]. Some people practice good results and are attached to it, they practice purity and cling to that purity, or they practice understanding and attach their minds to that knowledge. . (Like a person who, after doing a charitable deed, keeps on being proud or praising the good thing he or she has done; like a person who has just helped a friend and then keeps telling others about his or her good help). Such an act of attachment to goodness or knowledge is called vipassanū, which permeates our practice. Therefore, when you practice vipassanā, be careful! Beware of vipassanū, because they are very close to the mind,Many times you can't tell the difference. But if you have the right perspective you can clearly see those two things, insight wisdom (vipassana) and subtle defilements (vipassanu). If it is the defiled type of wisdom (vipassanū), suffering will often arise as a result. But if it is truly insight wisdom (vipassanā) then it does not give rise to suffering; but there is only peace. All happiness and suffering have been extinguished. You have to practice this yourself to see for yourself. Practicing requires hard work and patience. Some people, when they come here to practice, don't want to be disturbed by anything, they don't want to be rubbed. But there has never been such friction before. We must try to end all friction through friction, rubbing to eliminate all friction. So, if there is friction in the process of practice, that is correct. If there is no friction, that is not right, you just worry about eating and sleeping to your heart's content. When you want to go somewhere or say something, you just follow your desires. The Buddha's teachings are friction. The supramundane opposes the mundane (the supramundane mind opposes the mundane mind, the supramundane dharma opposes the mundane dharma). Right view opposes wrong view, purity opposes impurity. The teachings collide with our lustful desires. In the scriptures, there is a story recorded about Buddha before his enlightenment. At that time, Buddha received a plate of rice porridge (offered by Ms. Sujata). After finishing eating the porridge, Buddha threw the plate into the river and recited in his mind: "If I am about to reach enlightenment, this plate will run against the current.” Really, the plate floated upstream! That disc is the correct vision (right knowledge) of the Buddha, or it can be compared to the Buddha-wisdom that the Buddha was about to reach at that time. Right view and Buddha-wisdom do not conform to the desires and desires of ordinary people. The disc has flowed upstream compared to the Buddha's usual way of thinking, it is "upstream" compared to people's everyday worldly dharmas. Even now, Buddha's teachings are "upstream" with our minds and hearts. Everyone lives and survives according to desire (greed) and struggle (hatred) every day, but Buddha advises them to do the opposite. They want to live according to their worldly understanding, which is stupidity and ignorance, but Buddha advised to do the opposite to destroy that stupidity and ignorance. The Buddha's mind is the opposite of the mind of ordinary mortals. The world calls this body beautiful (billions of people live just to take care of this body, spend time and money to take care of this body, they chase after sensuality, they desire and even kill each other because lust), but Buddha believes that the physical body is not beautiful. They think that the physical body is 'theirs', Buddha said that is not so. They say that the form body is an essential entity, Buddha says it is not. Right view transcends the worldly view. Living beings in the world only live downstream, (few people want to swim against the current). Next, when Buddha left that river,A Brahmin came and offered eight handfuls of grass to the Buddha. The meaning here is like the eight worldly dharmas—gain and loss, praise and blame, honor and dishonor, happiness and suffering. After Buddha received this grass, Buddha decided to sit on the grass cushion and meditate (samādhi). The very act of sitting on a grass cushion is to enter concentration, that is, the mind has transcended worldly dharmas, conquering the world until it reaches transcendence. Worldly dharmas became waste to Buddha, they no longer had any meaning. The Buddha sits on them, but they no longer obstruct the Buddha's mind. Demons came to destroy Buddha, but Buddha still sat there in meditation, conquering the world, until Buddha enlightened the Dharma and completely defeated Mara. Right there, Buddha defeated the world (of worldly dharmas). Therefore, practicing to develop the path is to destroy impurities and obstacles. People today have little faith. After only practicing for a year or two, they already want to get there like Buddha, they want to quickly attain enlightenment. They forget that Buddha, our Teacher, also had to practice continuously for six years to find the path to enlightenment. Therefore, in our place of practice we provide a period of study and a period of self-cultivation. According to the scriptures, a monk needs to undergo at least five Rainy Seasons (ie five years) in the temple before he is allowed to practice. is to be able to go out and live on your own, cultivate yourself. Over those five years, he had studied and practiced quite enough, had enough knowledge, had faith, and had good conduct. A person who has studied and practiced for five years like that, I think he has the ability. But he must really practice for those five years, not just because he has worn the robe for five years. He must really take care of his practice, must truly practice. After the year of the Rainy Season, you may ask yourself: "What is the 'ability to no longer depend' or 'the ability to live on your own' that the Buddha talked about?". Like this, if you really practice for five years in a row like that, then you will know for yourself the virtues you have that the Buddha talked about. After five years of really practicing with your brother or master, you will become capable, powerful in your mind, and become a solid person. At a minimum, after five Rains, you may have reached the first enlightenment stage of the stream of enlightenment (that is, Stream Entering, Sotapanna). Here it is not just five years of this body in the temple, but also five years of actual practice of the mind. You will gain (i) fear of sin, (ii) shame of wrongdoing, and (iii) humility. You no longer dare to do wrong things whether in front of people or behind their backs, whether in bright day or dark night. Why don't you dare? Because you have reached Buddha nature, the "knower". Because you have relied on Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. To truly rely on the Three Jewels, you must see the Buddha. If you rely on the Three Jewels but you don't know anything about Buddha, what's the use? If we don't understand anything about the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, then our refuge is only the body and speech, but the mind still doesn't know anything. When the mind has known Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, it knows Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha for itself.Increase is just the same. Then we can take refuge in it, because the Three Jewels arise in our mind. No matter where we are, we have Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha within us. Such a person does not dare to get involved in evil things. That is why we say that a person who has entered the first level of enlightenment of the noble path (Sotāpāpāra) will never be reborn in the lower realms of suffering. His mind is steady, he enters the stream of the Noble Path, he no longer has any doubts. If he does not reach full enlightenment today, he will certainly reach it one day in the near future. That person may make mistakes, but that mistake is not serious enough to push him or her to Hell, because that person is no longer discouraged from giving in to unwholesome actions of body and speech. A Stream Enterer is no longer discouraged or withdraws from bodhicitta, even though he has died. Therefore, we say that if a Stream Enterer dies, he will also pass through Holy Rebirth, that is, to be born into a saint. That level can no longer retreat, it is impossible, (because that person has boarded the bus all the way to the destination of omniscience and liberation, there is no chance of turning back, there is no way to stop anymore—that is the definition. of the Buddha about the Stream Enterer saints!). Only you can truly practice this and see for yourself, right in this life! In these days, those sitting here who are still skeptical about spiritual practice, and are listening to what I just said, may ask: "Oh really, so what should we do now?". Sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel sad. For what reason? Because we do not yet understand the Dharma. What is Dharma? Just the dharma of nature (natural phenomena, natural things), the reality around us, in our body and mind. Buddha said: "Don't be attached to the body of the five aggregates, let go of it, abandon it!" Why can't we let go of the five aggregates? It's just that we haven't seen them or understood them completely. We see them as 'me', we see 'me' in the body of the five aggregates. Happiness and suffering, we consider them as 'us', we see 'ourselves' in happiness and suffering. (Actually, the body of the five aggregates itself is temporary, conditioned, impermanent, so it suffers on its own and has nothing to do with your mind). We cannot separate ourselves from them. When we cannot differentiate, cannot separate ourselves from them, it means we cannot see the Dharma, cannot see nature, cannot see what the reality around us really is. Happiness, suffering, joy, sadness—none of these things are 'me', but we just recognize them as 'us'. Those states come into contact with us and we see for ourselves a 'cluster', called the 'self' (attā'), the 'self'. As long as you still see the 'self', you always see happiness, suffering, this, that,...all kinds of things... Therefore, Buddha taught to destroy that bunch of 'I' (imagined), that is destroying the thought,the shackles of body-clinging in the mind: destruction of body-view (sakkāya-ditthi). When the 'self' (attā) has been destroyed, the "not-me" mind, the selfless mind (anattā) naturally arises. We accept all natural things as ourselves and identify ourselves with all natural things, so we don't really know what nature is. When we encounter good things we laugh, when we encounter bad things we cry. But nature is simply sankhāras. In one of the sutras we recite it says, 'Tesam vūpasamo sukho'—the quieting of mental formations is true happiness. How do we quiet them down? That is, we just need to get rid of our attachments and see them as they really are. So, there is truth in this world. Trees, mountains, and vines all live according to their own truth, they are born and die according to the laws of nature. Just being human is not real. We look at this body and place important things on it, but nature is naturally indifferent, it just is and moves according to its own laws. We laugh, cry, kill, we want to live long, we want to change the universe... but nature is still the same, nature is still as it is, it is the truth. The truth is the truth. This body is born, grows and ages, changes and gets older. It keeps changing in a natural way. Anyone who keeps taking this body as 'himself', as 'me', and carries it throughout his life, will suffer forever. Therefore, Venerable Aññā Kondañña (Kieu Tran Nhu) recognized “whatever is born” in all things, whether material or immaterial. His vision of the world changed. He saw the truth. As he stood up from his seat, he accepted that truth into himself. All arising and passing away were continuously taking place, but he was simply watching them. Happiness and suffering continuously arose and disappeared, but he was simply aware of them. His mind is stable. He no longer falls into the lower, bad realms of suffering (after death). He is no longer too happy or too sad with everything in the world (his mind is calm and let go). His mind was firmly established in mindfulness. That's it! Venerable Aññā Kondañña received the Dharma Eye. He saw nature—what we call sankhāras—as they truly are. Wisdom is the seeing of the truth about sankhāras. It is the mind that understands and sees the Dharma, conquering worldly dharmas. To see the Dharma, we need to be patient and abstinent. We must endure, we must give up! We must practice effort and diligence. Why must we practice effort? Because we are inherently lazy! Why must we practice diligence? Because we are inherently less diligent! Therefore, the way to practice must be like that. But when we have established those qualities in practice, we have eliminated laziness, then we no longer need to use effort. If we have understood the truth of all mental states,If we are no longer attached to suffering or happiness following those states, we also do not need to practice calmness, patience, and hard work, because our mind is already the Dharma. The "one who knows" has seen the Dharma, he is the Dharma. When the mind is Dharma, it stops. It achieves peace. There is no longer any need or desire to do anything special, because the mind is already the Dharma. Outside is Dharma, inside is Dharma. The “one who knows” is the Dharma. The state is the Dharma and the one who knows the state is the Dharma. No need to do anything special anymore. That's one. That's freedom. This nature is not born, so it does not grow old or sick or die. Nature is neither happy nor sad, neither big nor small, neither heavy nor light, neither black nor white. Nothing can compare to it. No convention can compare to it. That is why we say Nirvana is colorless. All colors are just conventions. The state that is beyond the world is beyond all worldly conventions. Therefore, the Dharma is something that transcends the world. That is something each person must see for themselves. It transcends all languages. We cannot describe it with words, but we can only talk about the ways and means to realize it. Whoever has realized it himself has done what needs to be done.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN ZEN BUDDHIST MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.22/6/2024.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.