 In the Pure Land of the Present Moment
A discourse by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, as told by his disciple SISTER DANG NGHIEM. This is what I heard. Thich Nhat Hanh came to Hollywood to announce that his book, Old Path White Clouds,
would be made into a movie. At that time, Thay had with him a number of
monastic disciples—monks and nuns from Deer Park Monastery and Plum
Village—a number of lay disciples, and many movie stars, directors, and
producers from Hollywood and Tokyo. A movie star in her exquisite outfit stood up, bowed her head gracefully, and asked a question: Dear
Thay, we belong to the entertainment world. We are fortunate to have
become very successful and popular in society. However, many of us feel
lonely, worried, fearful, and desolate. We try to find relief in drugs,
sex, and consumption. We have heard of a place called the Pure Land,
where people live happily and peacefully. Dear Thay, please be kind and
tell us about that land. How can the people in that land live so happily
and peacefully, and how can we get there? Thay smiled, invited her to sit down, and answered gently: There
is indeed a place like that, called the Pure Land of the Present
Moment. That land is not limited in space or time. Speaking in Buddhist
terminology, that land is outside of space and time. Speaking in
terminology of quantum physics, it is nonlocal and nontemporal. Anyone
who carries the passport of mindfulness, concentration, and insight can
enter that land.
Dear
friends, why is that place called the Pure Land of the Present Moment?
It is because the people who live there have the opportunity to practice
living happily right in the present moment. In that land, there are
pine trees singing and flowers rich in colors and forms. The moon and
the stars shine brightly, and there are myriads of other wonders, which
the people who live there have the capacity to be in touch with and
enjoy at every moment of their daily lives. They know how to keep their
minds free and calm and to establish their bodies and minds in the
present moment. Not
only wonders such as the moon and the stars, the pine trees, and the
flowers belong to the Pure Land—the people themselves belong to the Pure
Land. The Pure Land is always available to them, and they practice to
be present for the Pure Land twenty-four hours a day. That is why it is
called the Pure Land of the Present Moment. Furthermore,
dear friends, each morning the people in that land wake up smiling,
aware that they have twenty-four brand new hours to practice living
fully and cultivating compassion for all living beings. They take their
first steps in mindfulness and freedom, aware of the living creatures
underneath their feet, so that they may walk with love and the
commitment to protect life. The people who live there gather flowers of
mindfulness with every action of mind, body, and speech. Whether they
are doing walking meditation, sitting meditation, cooking, washing, or
gardening, they enjoy peace and happiness. The people there do not need
to travel by air out of their land, and yet they can make offerings to
the buddhas of countless other lands with the flowers of mindfulness
they collect. In
the Pure Land of the Present Moment, dear friends, the people know how
to listen to many different kinds of bells—the great temple bell, the
meditation bell, the church bell, the clock chimes, and the telephone
rings—in order to return to their in-breath and out-breath. With mindful
breathing, they become calm, and they can be in touch with the wonders
of life available in the present moment. The
people in that land are aware that their true presence is the most
valuable gift they can offer to those they love and appreciate. All day
long, they know how to raise the quality of their fresh and loving
presence, whether they are shopping, working, using the toilet, washing,
or eating. Dear friends, the people in that land know how to be present
for themselves and for others. What
is more, dear friends, you can see in the Pure Land of the Present
Moment different species of birds, such as blue jays, hummingbirds,
sparrows, and orioles. These birds sing with harmonious, sweet sounds
throughout six periods of the day, and their songs are also bells of
mindfulness. When the people of this land hear these joyous and clear
sounds, they know to come back to their breathing and to practice the
mindfulness of Buddha, dharma, and sangha that is present within
themselves and all around them. Dear
friends, do not think that the birds in the Pure Land of the Present
Moment have been born as the result of past negative actions. Why?
Because when the conditions are sufficient, they manifest. Safe from
harm and free to soar, these birds also belong to the Pure Land, and
their songs are skillful means to bring the hearers back to the present
moment. Because the people of this land have right mindfulness and right
concentration, whenever they hear the birds singing or the light breeze
fluttering the leaves of the trees, they also hear teachings on
different dharma doors, such as the four noble truths, the noble
eightfold path, the five faculties, the five powers, interbeing,
impermanence, nonself, signlessness, and aimlessness. Dear
friends, do not think that the people of the Pure Land of the Present
Moment do not know what suffering is about. If they did not know about
suffering, how could they cultivate understanding and love in order to
build the foundation of their true happiness? Many among the people of
the Pure Land have had the experience of living in the world of money
and fame, competing ruthlessly and causing suffering to themselves and
many others. However, since they came in contact with the practice of
mindfulness, concentration, and insight, they have been able to change
their lifestyle and find the Pure Land of the Present Moment. They know
how to live more simply and to consume less. Aware that their
environment affects their mind, body, and speech, leading them to either
happiness or suffering, the people of that land come together to build
communities of mindful living based on the five mindfulness trainings.
Precepts, concentration, and insight help the people see what is
happening and know what they should do and should not do. Therefore,
they are no longer pulled into the three lower realms of hells, hungry
ghosts, and animals. Furthermore,
the people of that land know how to take refuge in mindful walking and
mindful breathing in order to remain in the Pure Land. They also know
how to recognize their own unmindfulness and the unmindfulness of others
around them in order to wake themselves up and to come back to the Pure
Land. Dear friends, the Pure Land of the Present Moment has
brotherhood, sisterhood, and concrete practices like that. Dear
friends, the people of the Pure Land of the Present Moment live with
freshness like that of flowers, and each person is a flower in the
garden of humanity. Surrounding them are innumerable species of flowers,
variant in colors and textures and forms. There are flowers blooming on
the ground, flowers on the surface of the water, and flowers on the
faces of the people. The refreshing smiles and the compassionate eyes of
the people in the Pure Land of the Present Moment are truly flowers.
What is more, in the Pure Land of the Present Moment, there are lakes
full of colorful lotus flowers. The white lotuses give out a halo of
white light, the pink lotuses a halo of pink light, the yellow lotuses a
halo of yellow light, and the blue lotuses a halo of blue light. The
fragrance of the lotuses is subtle, wonderful, sweet, and pure. Yet
every lotus has sprung from mud. Dear
friends, we cannot plant lotuses on marble; we have to plant them in
mud. Similarly, peace, joy, happiness, and freedom are flowers
cultivated by understanding, acceptance, and love. Only when there is
understanding of suffering can there be acceptance and love. If there
were no suffering, then how could we understand our own suffering and
the suffering of others in order to accept and truly love them? Dear
friends, in the Pure Land of the Present Moment, we can see the presence
of suffering. However, suffering is the skilful means for us to learn;
it is not an obstacle to our happiness. The people of the Pure Land of
the Present Moment see clearly the inter-being of the lotus and the mud.
Thus, they never have the inclination to run away from suffering. They
know how to embrace their pain and suffering in order to learn from them
and to transform them. Consequently, with the capacity to accept,
understand, and love, they can generate great happiness for themselves
and others. That great happiness is also seen as flowers reflected in
their eyes and their smiles. Dear friends, in the Pure Land of the
Present Moment, it is because the people know how to recognize, embrace,
and learn from their suffering that together they generate abundant
peace and happiness to adorn their land. Dear
friends, in the Pure Land of the Present Moment, people know how to use
the appropriate dosage of suffering—just enough to cultivate their
understanding and love. Every person living there knows how to recognize
and embrace suffering in order to learn from it and transform and heal
himself/herself. The people are no longer afraid of suffering. On the
other hand, they do not allow suffering to overwhelm them or to paralyze
their bodies and minds. Dear friends, that is how wonderful the Pure
Land of the Present Moment is. Furthermore,
dear friends, every person of that land carries in him or herself the
energy of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. They know how to live with their
true humanity. They do not reject their five aggregates. On the
contrary, the people there know how to walk on the land of reality and
to radiate light with each step, each breath, and each position of
walking, standing, sitting, and lying down in mindfulness. Mindfulness
is the infinite light that illuminates all the comings and goings of the
mind, and its radiance never comes to an end. That is why every person
of that land is said to carry in him or her self the energy of the
buddhas and bodhisattvas. What
is more, the life span of the people of that land is limitless, because
every minute of their daily life truly encompasses the three times:
past, present, and future. They have the capacity to live life deeply,
and that life is continued beautifully. The number of the people of that
land is also limitless. It is not possible to calculate them, so great
is their number. People who know how to wake up and to live in the Pure
Land of the Present Moment always have a great impact on their family,
friends, and society. Their faith and happiness open the upward path for
the young generations to follow. Furthermore, the instant they enter
the Pure Land of the Present Moment, they carry along with them all
their blood and spiritual ancestors. They are able to develop the seeds
of talents, understanding, and love of their ancestors and to transform
their seeds of violence, hatred, and suffering. The Pure Land of the
Present Moment is made of such extraordinary merits and virtues as
these. Dear
friends, in the Pure Land of the Present Moment, the most beautiful
image is that of the many noble practitioners coming together in
communities. These communities are called sanghas. Those who are newly
born into the Pure Land of the Present Moment come to take refuge in
these sanghas, so that they may further cultivate their insights,
compassion, and capacity to live happily and peacefully. How beautiful
is the image of a throng of people of different races, religions,
nationalities, and ages meditating together, listening to dharma talks
together, having dharma discussions together, and enjoying meals in
silence together. Brotherhood and sisterhood are the nutrients
nourishing them. Brotherhood and sisterhood show them the path and give
them such great happiness that they no longer wish to pursue fame,
money, power, and sex. Coming to these sanghas, everyone will recognize
the presence of many noble practitioners. At this point, the movie actress asked: Respected
Thay, is there a relationship between the Pure Land of the Present
Moment, which has much peace and happiness, and the world of samsara,
which is full of busyness, anxiety, and affliction?” Thay said: Although
the two worlds are different from each other, they inter-are, just as
the lotus and the mud do. When our minds have awareness, understanding,
and compassion, and when we know how to dwell in the present moment,
then the Pure Land of the Present Moment manifests. On the other hand,
if our minds are pulled by forgetfulness, straying into the past or the
future and becoming dispersed by busyness, anxiety, and affliction, then
we are back in the samsaric world. Therefore, if we practice mindful
breathing and mindful walking, we can return to the Pure Land of the
Present Moment in that very space and time. Dear friends, the Pure Land
of the Present Moment is portable. Wherever you go, there the Pure Land
is. Dear
friends, while I am sharing with you the Pure Land of the Present
Moment, innumerable noble practitioners all over the world are also
sharing the Pure Land of the Present Moment with their friends—business
people, politicians, educators, scientists, parents, farmers, students,
prisoners. At any point in time and space, there are always noble
practitioners who have direct experience in living in the Pure Land of
the Present Moment. These practitioners see that their friends are
drowning in the world of forgetfulness, anxiety, and affliction. Thus,
they find new dharma practices and skilful means to show their friends
the path to the Pure Land of the Present Moment. Dear
friends, those who have felt worried, anxious, fearful, and desolate
from living in forgetfulness all have the capacity to awaken and to give
rise to confidence in the Pure Land of the Present Moment. This faith
is not blind; it is based on the direct experience of their own past and
present, which means that it is based on their own enlightenment. The
process of awakening to the path and being born in the Pure Land of the
Present Moment may take place right in the present moment, without
having to pass through any difficulties. If a person knows to practice
mindfulness, then with only one to seven mindful breaths, only with one
to seven mindful steps, she can already be born in the Pure Land with
her own five aggregates. Therefore, practicing to enjoy the Pure Land of
the Present Moment is appropriate for people of all different
capacities and backgrounds. Everyone can practice and succeed easily. Thay
had finished speaking. The movie actress, as well as all the monks,
nuns, lay friends, movie stars, directors, and producers from Hollywood
and Tokyo, all had faith in what Thay had shared. They joyously accepted
it and made the commitment to practice in order to enter the Pure Land
of the Present Moment.
Illustration (detail) by Tomi Um.
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