“Today, 9th Jan 2020. 3rd day of 9 days meditation retreat at Phuoc Son Meditation Center, Vietnam.

This session is the 2nd guide of meditation. My meditation guide will be helpful for you all not to go in the wrong way. But you should not attach to my teachings, not to reject you should listen to my teachings but not to attach. As a meditator, we should emphasize being mindful at every present moment. The object of mindfulness may be different from time to time, person to person. Our own breath or the sounds, the words from my teachings, or any objects within our bodies and minds can be used as the objects of mindfulness.

On the side of the teacher, I will help you all to have the right view; on the side of the meditator, you should try to be mindful at every present moment. This is teamwork together; among meditation master and meditators. We both need to be dutiful. I have been teaching for over 20 years continuously, regardless of time, place, condition, and person. I believe that my student will also be dutiful as I am dutiful in my job. If no one from any side is dutiful, in our activities we are difficult to get success in teamwork.

On my side, I choose to teach meditation by doing all kinds of good deeds. I have been able to do so for many years. There are not many teachers in the world teaching meditation and doing good deeds. There are also not many people in the world who are practicing meditation and doing good deeds together. That’s why most people in the world are getting troubles both in material and mind. Most meditators may not get enlightenment easily but most meditators may not get many troubles in their lives and in mind for sure. We all must practice being mindful and detaching in both meditation centers and society. Doing good deeds like this continuously ensures good results in our lives including our minds.

Practicing mindfulness and detachment is for all, everyone should try participating in this practice. The more we are mindful, the more we can detach. Mindfulness and detachment are our belongings for sure. As a teacher, I am able to be mindful in my teachings; as a student you must be mindful in your listening. We are different from each other but we are doing good deeds together. That’s why we are using our both private mind and group mind together. We should not forget this point. By doing good deeds together we are using both minds, one is our own, another is the total or the combined mind of the whole group. These two different minds are mixing together and competing with each other. Sometimes our personal mind will be powerful but most of the time, the group mind will be stronger. Both of the mind to be used only, neither rejecting nor attaching. We should try to use them in the right way by doing all kinds of good deeds.

We all are members of not only this retreat but also in modern Buddhism. We all are connected with Buddhism nowadays but also with Buddhism in the past and future. We all are connected with infinite Buddha, infinite universe/ living beings/ non – living beings also. As a layperson, we are concerned only with our families, our nationalities/ religions/ countries. That’s why the life of a meditator and a layperson are quite different. What we can see, hear, smell, taste, touch and know are limited but what we cannot see, hear, smell, taste, touch and know are limitless. If we see from the side of a living being, everything and every one concerning with us is important. If we see from the side of the truth or impermanent nature, nothing or no one is important.

Knowing and doing like this is right and good. We should emphasize understanding and do like this, the most important of all. When we are doing good deeds like this we should not emphasize doing like this or not doing like this; experiencing like this or not; knowing/ understanding like this or not; using like this or not. We should emphasize to continue practicing mindfulness and detachment by doing all kinds of good deeds. Being thirsty and greedy, we are sure not to get what we want. Doing like this, we are sure to get as much as we can do.”