This is a 38-minute excerpt from a Dharma talk given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on April 13, 2000 in Plum Village, France.

🔔 Video transcript

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Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In this talk on "How to Practice When Feeling Down or Anxious," Thay speaks about two ways to practice mindfulness in the face of our inner weather’s vicissitudes. One is “changing the peg” – which we know from “The Main Takeaways of the Discourse on Mindful Breathing” helps gladden the mind as we practice the 10th mindful breathing exercise.

The second way, however, is recommended by Thay as it was how Thay practiced. At one point in the talk, Thay said, “instead of trying to change the channel, instead of finding ways to change the peg, we just leave it there. Let the channel be. Because the wish — the fervent wish, to immediately change the channel can sometimes do more harm than good.”

Please kindly note that in this Dharma talk, Thay uses the Vietnamese word "tâm" multiple times. In Vietnamese, the word "tâm" means both "heart" and "mind," and also, "[i]n Buddhist psychology, mind and heart are often described by one word - 'citta.'" (Jack Kornfield, n.d.).

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Original Vietnamese title 👉 “Thực tập thế nào khi buồn chán, lo âu - Trích Pháp thoại Sư Ông 13/04/2000”

Originally posted by TCT Phượng Trần

Length: 38 minutes 29 seconds

To watch the subtitled talk & read the transcript, please visit this page.

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” May you live in peace and harmony with whatever the weather that’s going on inside and out.

In gratitude and breathing joyfully,

Living Dharma of the Heart 🙏

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Relevant Dharma talks you may be interested in:

Transforming the Fears Inside (February 04, 1993) – Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Is our heart too small? – Excerpted from a Dharma talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh on July 26, 2010

Accepting yourself as you are – Practicing the Sixth Mantra [The basics of Plum Village practice] – Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

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REFERENCES (Resources used to translate this Dharma talk):

1. Wikipedia, n.d., "Xuan Dieu,"

2. Wikipedia, n.d., "Songkran (Thailand),"

3. Wikipedia, n.d., "Cambodian New Year,"

4. Wikipedia, n.d., "Remote control,"

5. Jack Kornfield, n.d., "The Mind and the Heart,"

6. Nguyễn Bính, n.d., "Trời Mưa Ở Huế" (Rainy weather in Hue)

7. Encyclopedia, n.d., "Organic Waste,"

8. Wikipedia, n.d., "Compost,"

9. Wikipedia, n.d., "Nondualism,"

10. Wikipedia, n.d., "Diệu Nhân,"

11. Vanachi, 2006, "Thị tịch kệ - Sinh lão bệnh tử," retrieved from Thi Vien,

12. Lâm Linh, n.d., "Ni sư Diệu Nhân: Tổ Sư Ni tiêu biểu nhất của Phật giáo Việt Nam," retrieved from Vẻ Đẹp Phật Giáo,

13. Wikipedia, n.d., "Lý dynasty,"

14. Liz Walter, 2022, "Rhyme, rhythm and verse: talking about poetry," retrieved from Cambridge Dictionary,

15. Wikipedia, n.d., "Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary,"

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