NOT DWELLING ON THE NONCONDITIONED
(From the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra)
Translated from the Chinese by Thich Nhat Hanh
What does it mean, “not dwelling on the Nonconditioned”? The bodhisattva contemplates the reality of Emptiness but does not take Emptiness as an object of attainment. The bodhisattva practices the reality of Nonappearance and Nonpursuit but does not take Nonappearance or Nonpursuit as an object of attainment. He contemplates the reality of Noncreation but does not take Noncreation as an object of attainment. He meditates on the truth of Impermanence but does not abandon his work to serve and save. He meditates on Suffering but does not reject the world of births and deaths. He meditates on Extinction but does not embrace Extinction. He meditates on Detachment but goes on realizing good things in the world. He meditates on the homeless nature of dharmas but continues to orientate himself toward the Good. He meditates on the reality of Neither-creation-nor-destruction but still undertakes the responsibility in the world of creations and destructions. He meditates on the reality of the Ultimate but still dwells in the world of interdependent origins. He meditates on Nonaction but continues always his acts of service and education. He meditates on Emptiness but does not abandon Great Compassion. He meditates on the Position of the True Dharma but does not follow a rigid path. He meditates on the Unreal, Impermanent, Unoriginated, Nonpossessed, and Markless nature of dharmas but does not abandon his career concerning merits, concentration, and wisdom. Practicing in that way, the bodhisattva is described as “not dwelling on the Nonconditioned.” He has wisdom but does not end his action in the realm of the conditioned; he has compassion but does not dwell in the Nonconditioned; he wants to realize his great Vow but he will not abandon the conditioned world.
THE HEART OF THE PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ
Translated from the Chinese by Thich Nhat Hanh
The bodhisattva Avalokita, while moving in the deep course of the Perfect Wisdom, shed light on the five aggregates and found them equally empty. After this penetration, he overcame all pain.
“Listen, Sariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. The same thing is true with feeling, perception, mental functioning, and consciousness.
“Here, Sariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness; they are neither produced nor destroyed, neither defiled nor immaculate, neither increasing nor decreasing. Therefore, in emptiness there is neither form, nor feeling, nor perception, nor mental functioning, nor consciousness; no eye, or ear, or nose, or tongue, or body, or mind; no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touchable, no object of mind, no realm of elements (from sight to mind-consciousness), no interdependent origins (from ignorance to death and decay), no extinction of death and decay, no suffering, no origination of suffering, no extinction, no path, no wisdom, no attainment.
“Because there is no attainment, the bodhisattva, basing on the Perfection of Wisdom, finds no obstacles for his mind. Having no obstacles, he overcomes fear, liberating himself forever from illusion and assault and realizing perfect Nirvana. All Buddhas in the past, present, and future, thanks to this Perfect Wisdom, arrive to full, right, and universal Enlightenment.
“Therefore one should know that the Perfect Wisdom is a great mantra, is the highest mantra, is the unequaled mantra, the destroyer of all suffering, the incorruptible truth. A mantra of Prajñāpāramitā should therefore be proclaimed. It is this: ‘Gone, gone, gone to the other shore, gone together to the other shore. O Awakening! All hail!’”
CHRONOLOGY OF THICH NHAT HANH’S LIFE
1926
Thich Nhat Hanh is born.
1942
Thich Nhat Hanh enters the Tu Hieu Temple Monastery near Hue in central Vietnam and is ordained as a novice.
1949
Thich Nhat Hanh is fully ordained as a Buddhist monk.
1954
After a century of colonial rule by the French and years of war between the French and Ho Chi Minh’s Communist forces, the Geneva Peace Accords are signed, temporarily dividing Vietnam (with the border drawn just north of Hue). Tensions continue to mount between the North and the South.
1955
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes the Phuong Boi (Fragrant Palm Leaves) Meditation Center in the highlands of southern Vietnam.
1960
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes the Buddhist Student Union in South Vietnam.
1961
Thich Nhat Hanh studies and teaches at Columbia and Princeton Universities.
1963
Buddhist monks in South Vietnam self-immolate as a message to stop the violence, which includes raids on Buddhist temples by the South Vietnamese government.
Thich Nhat Hanh returns to Vietnam.
1964
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Van Hanh University in South Vietnam and founds La Boi Press (with Thich Thanh Tue and Thich Tu Man).
Thich Nhat Hanh founds the project to feed hungry children.
1965
United States president Lyndon B. Johnson sends the first combat troops to Vietnam.
Thich Nhat Hanh writes a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. urging him to publicly oppose the Vietnam War, which Dr. King eventually does.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes the School of Youth for Social Service, a grassroots relief organization that goes on to train 10,000 young volunteer social workers in Buddhist principles of nonviolence and compassionate action.
1966
The School of Youth for Social Service continues its work despite the harassment and murder of many of its members.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes the Order of Interbeing.
Thich Nhat Hanh publishes Lotus in a Sea of Fire: A Buddhist Proposal for Peace with a foreword by Catholic Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton.
Thich Nhat Hanh tours the United States with Alfred Hassler, leader of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, to raise awareness about the impact of the war on the Vietnamese people and meets with influential leaders, including Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Thich Nhat Hanh holds a press conference in Washington, DC, releasing a five-point peace proposal to the United States government. On the same day, he is declared a traitor by the regime in South Vietnam.
Thich Nhat Hanh is received by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, in Rome.
The School of Youth for Social Service is denounced by the dean of Van Hanh University.
1967
Thich Nhat Hanh is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who writes in his nominating letter, “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize than this gentle Buddhist monk from Vietnam.”
Thich Nhat Hanh is exiled from Vietnam and settles in France.
Nhat Chi Mai, one of the first six Order of Interbeing members, immolates herself for peace.
1968
Around the United States, hundreds of thousands of people protest their government’s intervention in Vietnam.
In late January, North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front launch coordinated attacks, known as the Tet Offensive, against the major southern cities.
1969
Sister Chan Khong, another of the original six Order of Interbeing members, joins Thich Nhat Hanh in France to assist with the Buddhist Peace Delegation; she is branded an enemy of the regime in South Vietnam and is exiled.
1970
Thich Nhat Hanh, Alfred Hassler, and others from around the world initiate the Dai Dong (Great Togetherness) Project with a view to protecting the planet.
1973
The Paris Peace Accords are signed, ending open hostilities between the United States and North Vietnam. Thich Nhat Hanh is not allowed reentry into Vietnam.
1975
Communist forces capture Saigon, ending the war.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Sweet Potato Hermitage outside of Paris.
1976–77
Thich Nhat Hanh con
ducts an operation to rescue boat people in the Gulf of Siam, but hostility from the governments of Thailand and Singapore makes it impossible to continue. For the following five years, he stays at Sweet Potato Hermitage in retreat—meditating, reading, writing, binding books, and gardening.
1982
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes the Plum Village meditation practice center in southwestern France.
1985
Thich Nhat Hanh and Arnie Kotler found Parallax Press.
1988
Thich Nhat Hanh ordains his first three monastic disciples, among them Sister Chan Khong.
1991
Thich Nhat Hanh is awarded the Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey.
1993
Thich Nhat Hanh meets His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, which culminates in “Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration,” drafted by Father Hans Küng and recognizing the ethical precepts shared by the world’s religious traditions.
1996
On Thich Nhat Hanh’s second visit to India, he meets with K. R. Narayanan (then vice president of India, soon to be president of India), as a result of which the Indian Parliament sets up an ethics committee.
1997
Thich Nhat Hanh founds Green Mountain Dharma Center and Maple Forest Monastery in Vermont, USA.
Thich Nhat Hanh leads mindfulness practice events in Israel.
1998
Thich Nhat Hanh collaborates with Nobel Peace Prize laureates in their appeal to the United Nations, on behalf of the children of the world, to declare 2000–2010 the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence.
2000
Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the White House World Summit Conference on HIV/AIDS.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Deer Park Monastery in California.
2001
Thich Nhat Hanh fasts for peace and in memory of those who died in the September 11 attacks.
Thich Nhat Hanh speaks at Riverside Church in New York City, urging everyone to look deeply before reacting to the events of September 11 and to seek a peaceful resolution.
Thich Nhat Hanh is awarded an honorary doctorate by Long Island University in New York.
Thich Nhat Hanh receives the first Mind/Body/Spirit Award from the Mind/Body Medical Institute, at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts.
2003
Thich Nhat Hanh addresses political leaders at the United States Library of Congress and at a retreat for members of Congress in Washington, DC.
Thich Nhat Hanh is awarded an honorary doctorate by Loyola University, Chicago.
Thich Nhat Hanh introduces the Plum Village revised Buddhist monastic code, the first of very few in the world, during his visit to Korea.
The Thich Nhat Hanh international book archive is founded in Plum Village, France, housing thousands of Thich Nhat Hanh book titles in many different languages.
2005
Thich Nhat Hanh returns to Vietnam for the first time in almost 40 years to visit Buddhist temples, teach, and publish a limited number of his books in Vietnamese.
In Vietnam, he reestablishes two temples: Tu Hieu Temple and Bat Nha Monastery.
2006
Thich Nhat Hanh addresses UNESCO in Paris, calling for specific steps to reverse the cycle of violence, war, and global warming.
Thich Nhat Hanh is listed as one of the 60 Heroes of Asia, along with Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Aung San Suu Kyi, in Time magazine (Asia edition).
2007
Thich Nhat Hanh leads three Grand Requiem Ceremonies (one in the three major cities of Vietnam) for peace to all who died in the Vietnam War and its aftermath, and for reconciliation among Vietnamese around the world.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Blue Cliff Monastery in New York.
Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village international practice communities transition from lacto-ovo vegetarianism to veganism, for environmental and other reasons.
Thich Nhat Hanh receives the Doshi Family Bridge-builder Award from Loyola Marymount University in California.
2008
Thich Nhat Hanh initiates the Wake Up Movement, an international movement for young people to come together to practice mindfulness and develop communities for a healthy and compassionate society.
Thich Nhat Hanh creates the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in Germany.
Thich Nhat Hanh delivers an address to the Parliament of India, “Leading with Courage and Compassion,” attended by many political leaders and dignitaries, including Sonia Gandhi and Tara Bhattacharya (granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi).
Thich Nhat Hanh receives an honorary doctorate from Nalanda University in India.
Thich Nhat Hanh is the keynote speaker for the UNESCO Vesak Celebration in Hanoi.
2009
Vietnamese government proxies brutally evict all monks and nuns from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Bat Nha Monastery.
Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the World Parliament of Religions in Melbourne, Australia, via video link.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Magnolia Grove Monastery in Mississippi.
2010
Thich Nhat Hanh’s first calligraphy exhibition, Calligraphic Meditation: The Mindful Art of Thich Nhat Hanh, opens at the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong.
Thich Nhat Hanh launches the Applied Ethics program, training teachers to teach mindfulness in schools across the world.
Thich Nhat Hanh receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
2011
Thich Nhat Hanh addresses political leaders in Washington, DC, on “Leading with Clarity, Compassion, and Courage.”
Thich Nhat Hanh offers teachings at Google headquarters in California on the practice of mindful consumption.
The City of Oakland, California, erects a massive bronze sculpture of Thich Nhat Hanh in the city’s center as one of 25 Champions of Humanity featured in the monument Remember Them.
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism in Hong Kong.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s calligraphies are exhibited with the Chinese calligraphy works of Master Sheng Yen at the Dharma Drum Mountain’s World Center for Buddhist Education in New Taipei City.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s calligraphies are exhibited at the Asian Centre Auditorium, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
2012
Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the United Kingdom Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Thich Nhat Hanh and the monks and nuns of Plum Village hold a flash mob sitting meditation, “Sit in Peace,” in Trafalgar Square, London, attended by 4,000 people.
Calligraphic Meditation: The Mindful Art of Thich Nhat Hanh is shown at Son Ha Temple, Plum Village, France, as part of Plum Village’s 30-year-anniversary celebrations.
2013
Thich Nhat Hanh establishes Thai Plum Village monastery in Khao Yai, Thailand.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s calligraphies are exhibited at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in Thailand.
The exhibit Calligraphic Meditation: The Mindful Art of Thich Nhat Hanh makes its United States debut at ABC Home in New York City.
Thich Nhat Hanh in 1968.
Thich Nhat Hanh enjoying a cup of tea in 1970.
Thich Nhat Hanh meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago in 1966. Thich Nhat Hanh and King gave a radio address to speak out against the war in Vietnam.
Thich Nhat Hanh meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago.
A poster announcing the Buddhist Peace Delegation, which Thich Nhat Hanh established to report on the situation of average Vietnamese people at the Paris Peace Talks (1968–1973). The Buddhist Peace Delegation did not just campaign for peace, but, as expressed in The Miracle of Mindfulness, they practiced peace by cultivating the energy of mindfulness.
A flyer for a talk by Thich Nhat Hanh in New
York City. In May 1966, he left Vietnam on a speaking tour for what he thought would be a few weeks. However, he was declared a traitor by South Vietnam for daring to call for peace. From that time on, he was exiled, and it would be 39 years before he could return home.
Thich Nhat Hanh “inviting” the bell to sound during a summer retreat at Plum Village in the summer of 2009. “I listen, I listen, this wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.”
Thich Nhat Hanh pausing to enjoy the fields and the sound of the bell during a walking meditation at a Mindfulness Retreat at Nottingham University, United Kingdom, in 2010.
Thich Nhat Hanh sitting under the blooming plum trees that give Plum Village its name.
In recent years, the annual Summer Retreat in Plum Village has become an international gathering, with over a thousand guests attending from over 40 different countries to listen to Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and practice walking meditation (pictured), sitting meditation, and living together mindfully as a community.
Thich Nhat Hanh leading a peace walk in New York City in 2009. He continues to teach us that we do not walk for peace, but we walk in peace, planting footprints of peace. It is not a demonstration demanding something but a celebration that peace is possible in every moment, in every step.
Thich Nhat Hanh creating calligraphy in 2009. He has become widely known for his calligraphic meditation works, which embody his insight and compassion.
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The Miracle of Mindfulness (Gift Edition) Page 10
