This is True Contentment

This past week, I visited dear friends in the Plum Village tradition, the roots of our local Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community. A discourse was shared that sparked the theme for the month of August ~ True Contentment. Please enjoy this full telling as we explore the conditions that result in happiness and peace.

Discourse on True Contentment

by Sister Dang Nghiem

I heard these words of Thay (my teacher) one time when he was living in the vicinity of Escondido at the Deer Park Monastery in the Oak Grove. Late at night, a group of coyotes appeared, whose passionate howls made the whole Oak Grove tremble joyfully. After paying respects to Thay with the right front paw pointing in the direction of the moon, the elder coyote asked him a question in the form of a verse:

"People, animals, plants and minerals are eager to know
what are the conditions
which bring about true contentment.
Please, Thay, will you teach us?"

(This was Thay's answer)

"To live in community,
to have brothers and sisters working in harmony,
to serve people of all nations ~
this is the true contentment.

"To have a chance to practice and transform,
to see yourself becoming more accepting and more solid,
to recognize that others also blossom ~
this is the true contentment.

"To be able to recognize and forgive,
to nurture gratitude to your blood family and spiritual family,
to express love through loving speech and deep listening ~
this is the true contentment.

"To have time to sit peacefully for your ancestors,
to touch the earth tenderly with each step,
to eat in union with the whole cosmos ~
this is the true contentment.

"To create mindfulness practice centers and hold regular retreats,
to turn gymnasiums and theatres into Dharma* halls,
to bring the Dharma rain into ghettos and prisons ~
this is the true contentment.

"To witness police officers, business people, legislators,
scientists, and war veterans enjoying the Pure Land
with their mindful breaths and mindful steps ~
this is the true contentment.

"To provide a joyful environment for young people,
to help them reconnect with their families and society,
to show them that there is a beautiful path ~
this is the true contentment.

"To practice, work, study and play together,
to realize the beauties and hardships of your brothers and sisters,
to cherish and protect them as your own marrow ~
this is the true contentment.

"To live a life, simple and uncompetitive,
to come back to your breath as your soul food,
to rejoice in the music of the bell, wind song and laughter ~
this is the true contentment.

"To avoid speaking and reacting in anger,
not caught by your ideas and judgments,
and to be diligent in doing beginning anew ~
this is the true contentment.

"To savor the freedom in non-waiting,
to transform the grasping mind into that of true love,
to be a kind continuation of your spiritual ancestors ~
this is the true contentment.

"To see all life forms as your brothers and sisters,
to enjoy simply being together,
to actively build a beautiful past with your true presence ~
this is the true contentment.

"To rise in the morning with a smile,
to retire each night with peace, content to let go of all,
to know that you have loved and have been loved deeply ~
this is the true contentment.

"To live in the world
with your heart open to impermanence and change,
to progress stably on your true path, free of fear and worry ~
this is the true contentment.

"For he or she who accomplishes this,
arriving and at home wherever she goes,
always he is peaceful and happy ~
true contentment is in the moment one lives."

Thay finished the teaching and the coyotes were extremely delighted at what they had heard. At once, they stood up with posture erect and gave rise to another harmonious and joyful howl. The moon smiled contentedly from above as she floated freely in the immense space.

Transcribed from Mindfulness Bell #41, Winter 2005-2006


* Dharma has a variety of meanings of which are the teachings of great beings and the teachings of everyday life