Are Billionaires Happy? (EN subtitles)

by Thich Nhat HanhSeptember 5, 2023

This is an excerpt from the Dharma talk given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on April 07, 2005 in Quy Nhơn City, Bình Định Province, Central Vietnam.

🔔 Video transcript

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"That one day, there was an old man sitting on the riverbank reading my book. That book was 'Peace Is Every Step'. The old man looked weary and dressed very simple. The book he was holding in his hands was extremely worn. Perhaps he had been reading it for years — it was an old tattered book with curled pages.

"One of my disciples happened to go by this old man as he was sitting on the riverbank, reading by himself. That disciple stopped by and said,

'You know, there's a mindfulness practice center nearby founded by my teacher. Because I see you're reading my teacher's book, I think it's a good idea to invite you there.'

'Thank you, I'm good. Maybe another time.'

'Well, if you can't make it today, let's make it another day. But could you please let me know your name and address so if there's a Day of Mindfulness, I can go there and pick you up?'

"So the old man took out a business card from his bag. The card read, 'Laurance Rockefeller,' one of the top billionaires in New York."

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✩ Full talk's original title: "Quy Nhơn - Sống Chăm Sóc Gia Đình và Xã Hội - Ngày 07 tháng 04 năm 2005"

✩ Full talk originally posted: by Thich Nhat Hanh Library Archive Team, date posted unknown

✩ Talk given: April 07, 2005, in Quy Nhơn City, Bình Định Province, Central Vietnam

✩ Excerpt's length: 13 minutes 15 seconds

✩ To watch the full Dharma talk with English subtitles and transcript, please stay tuned.

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RELEVANT READINGS:

📌 Thich Nhat Hanh, 2012, Good Citizens: Creating Enlightened Society, California, USA: Parallax Press.

📌 Thich Nhat Hanh, 2011, Our Appointment with Life: A Commentary on The Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone, California, USA: Parallax Press.

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REFERENCES (Resources used to translate this Dharma talk): Please visit the video transcript link for the full list.

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Republished on the Plum Village App with kind permission of Thich Nhat Hanh's Talks channel 🙏

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