This is an excerpt from the second talk of "The Net of Sensual Love Sutra" series, given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in Pháp Vân (Dharma Cloud) Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village on May 06, 2010.

🔔 Video transcript

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"Whenever we look at a tree in the garden, we see that, that tree has many of its roots dug deep in the earth. Thanks to that, it stands firm and solid, green and fresh and magnificent.

"Some trees, at first glance, look quite firm and solid. But after a storm, they get toppled. Other trees, meanwhile, have never fallen over even after two or three storms. We can tell these trees have their roots dug very deep in the earth.

"It's the same for a practitioner. A practitioner needs roots. We need many roots dug deep in the earth to stand firm, solid, and in balance. Otherwise, a gust of wind is enough to make us fall over.

"First of all, there's the root of Trust. We trust the Three Jewels. The Three Jewels here means Buddha (the Buddha nature within ourselves), Dharma (the concrete practices we're practicing every day), and Sangha (the community alongside whom we're practicing).

"The second root is Aspiration or Vow. When we have a deep aspiration, a solemn vow, or a noble ideal, we have strength. Otherwise, we have no energy. We need to want something and want it badly. This kind of aspiration, vow, or ideal brings us tremendous energy. That's our bodhicitta—our beginner's mind.

"Then, the third root is Action. When we have great faith and when we have a great aspiration, very naturally, they manifest as action.

"To have a zest for life, one must be like that tree, with at least three of its roots digging deep into the earth. If we don't have a zest for life, if we have doubts, if we don't have any joy or happiness, it means our roots are getting weak. "

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✩ Full talk's original title: "Chiếc Lưới Ái Ân - Bài 2—Ngày 06 tháng 05 năm 2010" / "2010-05-06-TNH-VNM-Chiếc Lưới Ái Ân-02.mp4"

✩ Full talk originally posted: Vietnamese transcripts by Làng Mai, date posted unknown; Vietnamese videos by Thich Nhat Hanh Archive Library Team, date posted unknown

✩ Full talk given: on May 06, 2010, Pháp Vân (Dharma Cloud) Temple, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France

✩ Watch the full talk with English subtitles and transcript

✩ Excerpt's length: 22 minutes 51 seconds

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

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