Ignorance at Heart (EN subtitles)

by Thich Nhat HanhMarch 17, 2025

This is a 3-minute excerpt from the fourth talk of the five-talk series "Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness" given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on February 22, 1998, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France.

🔔 Video transcript

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"We have a list of 6 kinds of 'phiền não' or 6 afflictions called 'kleshas' in Sanskrit.

"'Phiền não' here is not the kind of little pet peeves we refer to in day-to-day worldly context. 'Phiền não' here can be translated as 'afflictions. Or we can translate it as 'elements or factors that disturb our inner peace, making us restless, making us 7 times crazy, 8 times upside down, causing us pain, sorrow, and grief.'

"Well, the 6 guys of afflictions considered to be the root afflictions, the original afflictions—and the most 'wicked' [Thay smiling], are:

"1. craving,

"2. anger/hatred,

"3. ignorance/confusion,

"4. pride/arrogance,

"5. doubt/suspicion, and

"6. wrong views."

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✩ Full talk's original title: "Bốn Lĩnh Vực Quán Niệm 04 [CPNĐSNC 25] | TS Thích Nhất Hạnh(22-02-1998, XT, Làng Mai)"

✩ Full talk originally posted by Làng Mai (Plum Village's Vietnamese YouTube Channel) on Jul 12, 2023

✩ Full talk given: on February 22, 1998, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France

✩ Excerpt's length: 3 minutes 13 seconds

✩ Watch the full talk with English subtitles and transcript

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SPECIAL THANKS: The translation of this Dharma talk will never be possible without the help and support of Dharma Teacher Chân Cơ from the Maple Village Sangha (Canada).

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REFERENCES (Resources used to translate this Dharma talk): Please kindly refer to the video transcript link for the full list of 45 items.

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

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