This is a 13-minute excerpt from a Dharma talk given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the Still Water Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France, during the Autumn Retreat 2013. A

🔔 Video transcript

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"To know whether the Buddha is on the bus with us, it's quite easy. If there were fifty people on the bus and there was just one person breathing mindfully, we could say the Buddha was on the bus.

"If two, three, or even five people were enjoying the views and, at the same time, breathing mindfully, the Buddha's presence was palpable. If all fifty people were breathing mindfully, that would be very beautiful. But it might just be wishful thinking.

"For that reason, Thay say, 'We just need one person, one person on the bus breathing mindfully, to tell if the Buddha is with us.' When the Buddha is on the bus or in the car with us, everyone on the bus or in the car will be protected by that energy. It feels much more peaceful and safe."

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✩ Excerpt's original Vietnamese title: "Có Bụt Trong Xe Không? [Thực Tập Căn Bản Làng Mai] TS Nhất Hạnh, Xóm Thượng, Làng Mai 31-10-2013"

✩ Excerpt originally posted: Làng Mai Channel (Plum Village's Vietnamese YouTube channel) on Oct 3, 2021. Please kindly note that this excerpt video was posted as is on Lang Mai YouTube channel without link to the full talk.

✩ Talk given: Still Water Meditation Hall, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France, during the Autumn Retreat 2013

✩ Length: 13 minutes 16 seconds

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RECOMMENDED READING

✩ Chapter on the gatha "Driving the Car". Thich Nhat Hanh, 2006, Present Moment Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living, California, USA: Parallax Press.

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REFERENCES (Resources used to translate this Dharma talk)

1. Thich Nhat Hanh, 2016, At Home In The World: Stories and Essential Teachings from a Monk's Life, California, USA: Parallax Press.

2. Plum Village, n.d., "Sutras / The Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore (Heart Sutra) (Prajñāpāramitā-hṛdaya Sūtra, Taishō 251)," retrieved from Plum Village website

3. Làng Mai, n.d., Từ Điển Làng Mai (Plum Village Dictionary) (only available in Vietnamese), online version retrieved from Làng Mai website

4. Brother Chan Phap Nguyen, 2014, "Why I Chose the Monastic Path," retrieved from Wake Up website

5. Brother Chan Phap Nguyen, 2013, "Continuing the Path of the Buddha"

6. Buddha Path, n.d., "Dharmacharya Shantum Seth" and "Dharmacharya Shantum Seth"

7. Wikipedia, n.d., "Ekaggata"

8. Wikipedia, n.d., "Mantra"

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