Dear Brothers and Sisters,

While the Buddhists have 84 thousand dharma doors (methods of practice), the Christians have only one practice – that is praying: Praying to God to be connected with God, to take refuge in God, to committed oneself to God, and to find strength, peace and happiness in God.

Praying is to hold God’s hand and be one with God. Of course, praying this way gives you strength, peace, and happiness, especially in dire, dangerous or hopeless situations normally involving great fears and stresses. Continue reading Praying →

Chào các bạn,

Đạo đức kinh (Tao Te Chinh) của Lão Tử (Lão giáo hay Đạo học, Taoism), Nguyễn Duy Cần dịch, Chương 44:

Danh và Thân, cái nào quí hơn?
Thân và Của, cái nào trọng hơn?
Đặng và Mất, cái nào khổ hơn?

Vậy nên,
Thương nhiều ắt tổn nhiều,
Chứa nhiều ắt mất nhiều.
Biết đủ, không nhục.
Biết dừng, không nguy.
Và có thể lâu dài. Continue reading Lòng tham →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Six Super-Knowledges (Lục Thông) are the powers that the Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas, the Enlightened have. However, even if we are not yet a Buddha or Bodhisattva, but we have a high degree of quietness and love in our heart, we may have some degree of Six Super-Knowledges.

The Six Super-Knowledges are: Continue reading Six Super-Knowledges →

Chào các bạn,

Đạo đức kinh (Tao Te Chinh) của Lão Tử (Lão giáo hay Đạo học, Taoism), Nguyễn Duy Cần dịch, Chương 41 có đoạn:

“Thượng sĩ nghe Đạo,
Cố gắng theo liền.
Trung sĩ nghe Đạo,
Thoạt nhớ, thoạt quên.
Hạ sĩ nghe Đạo,
Cả cười, bỏ qua.” Continue reading Nghe Đạo, nghe Lời →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I have talked about this so often over the years, but I am not sure I’ve got even one reader to understand the point. If you cannot understand the issue of non-understanding, think about this: The Buddha has come 25 centuries ago, and people – the Buddhist churches world wide – still don’t understand him and most of the Buddhists today still act like ignoramuses. Jesus came 20 centuries ago, and look at the Christians and judge for yourself.

It is so shocking to see that the teachings of the Masters are so simple and easy to understand, but throughout the centuries, the number of people who truly understand them can be counted on the fingers of your hands. I have never stopped being amazed at this phenomenon. Continue reading Me and the world →

Chào các bạn,

Trong đoạn cuối của Bát Nhã Tâm kinh có câu: “Bởi chẳng có gì để đạt, Bồ tát nương tựa Bát-nhã ba-la-mật-đa, nên tâm không vướng mắc; vì không vướng mắc nên không sợ hãi, xa lìa mộng tưởng điên đảo, rốt ráo niết bàn”.

Bồ tát xa lìa mộng tưởng điên đảo thì rốt ráo niết bàn. Continue reading Điên đảo mộng tưởng →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We live with people and work with people, therefore communication is a crucial matter in living and working. Good communication helps everyone understand each other more, misunderstand each other less, and therefore make life and work much smoother, more effective, and more pleasant.

Miscommunication – one says something, the other understands something else – is an extremely common daily problem. If you pay attention to the communication between you and someone very close in the family, such as your mom, and count the times you and mom misunderstand each other’s talk, you will find that miscommunication happens daily, each day several times. Continue reading Communication →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Do you know what loyalty is? When you are loyal and when you are not? Try to stop reading for one minute to answer these two questions before you continue reading, so that you can compare your idea to my idea.

I have the feeling that, for the last 50 years, most of the Vietnamese have no idea what loyalty means. A couple of years ago, some young Vietnamese even emailed to ask me what loyalty means. Continue reading Loyalty →

Chào các bạn

Đạo đức kinh (Tao Te Chinh) của Lão Tử (Lão giáo hay Đạo học, Taoism), Nguyễn Duy Cần dịch, Chương 24 có đoạn:

“Tự xem là sáng thì không sáng.
Tự xem là phải thì không chói.
Tự xem là có công là không công.
Tự kiêu căng thì không đứng đầu.

Theo Đạo mà nói thì:
‘Đồ ăn dư, việc làm thừa’
Ai cũng oán ghét.
Vì vậy, người có Đạo không làm.” Continue reading Tự xem là sáng thì không sáng →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We have been trained since we were little that we should live for people to love us and respect us. That is good for babies. But for the adults that is the wrong way of thinking, because it focuses on me, me and me.

When you focus on yourself as the goal of your living, you become a selfish and self-centered person. And you know how those people are. Hopeless! Continue reading Who love who →

Chào các bạn,

Trong Pháp Bảo Đàn Kinh của thiền tông lục tổ Huệ Năng, bài dịch của Hòa thượng Thích Thanh Từ, lục tổ Huệ Năng kể chuyện Huệ Năng chứng ngộ và được ngũ tổ Hoằng Nhẫn truyền y bát. Vì Huệ Năng không biết đọc, không biết viết và chưa hề tu chùa ngày nào trước khi chứng ngộ, ngũ tổ Hoằng Nhẫn phải truyền y bát cho Huệ Năng lúc nửa đêm canh ba và giục Huệ Năng trốn đi vì sợ cả ngàn đệ tử của mình ghen với Huệ Năng, sẽ chạy theo giết Huệ Năng. Continue reading Ghen →

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

The will (ý chí) is the power of our mind to control our thinking and acting. Probably you all, through living experiences, have clearly understood your will and its power – you want to eat something, but your mind tells you not to eat because it’s not good for you, and you don’t eat.

The will is the ultimate function of the mind/heart. Without the will we can not control our eating to stay slim and healthy, or to study hard for the exam, or to remain calm and polite to a person who has just insulted us, or to rise up and live again after getting kicked off (đá giò lái) by our lover/spouse… Continue reading The will →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are talking about teacher and student. In that relationship, most or all people of the world focus on the teacher – the student’s development depends on whether the teacher is good or bad and whether the teacher tries to do a good job.

This kind of relationship is probably good for pupils in the primary school and probably junior high or senior hight at most. Continue reading Teaching and learning →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Confucius said: “Among three persons walking together, one must be my teacher” (Tam nhân đồng hành, tất hữu ngã sư). It means, you have at least 1/3 of people in the world to be your teachers. That is a reminder for you to remember that many people around you can teach you one thing or another.

However, my own experience is a little different: If you are a good learner, Everyone and Everything around you are your teachers. It means, the entire universe can be your teacher. Continue reading Three persons walking together →