The Way Out Is In

If you wish to support our podcast, please follow this link. Thank you! Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. In this episode, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino discuss the concept of ‘trust in life’. Together, they explore how Buddhist teachings can help us to navigate the tension between accepting life as it is and wanting to control it.The conversation further touches on the challenges of modern life, such as information overload and the tendency to seek quick fixes, and how these can be addressed through mindful practices; the role of suffering in personal growth and the importance of being present with one’s experiences; developing inner trust and understanding; the role of mindfulness, direct experience, and discernment in cultivating trust; the significance of simplicity, listening, and the practice of ‘beginner’s mind’ in spiritual growth; the Buddhist concept of aimlessness; and more. Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resources Brother Phap Ling (Brother Spirit)https://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/brother-phap-linh Interbeinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing The Plum Village Traditionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition The Sun My Hearthttps://www.parallax.org/product/the-sun-my-heart/ Mahayanahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Dharma Talks: ‘Redefining the Four Noble Truths’https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/redefining-the-four-noble-truths Ocean Vuonghttps://www.oceanvuong.com/ Dharma Talks: ‘The Noble Eightfold Path’https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-noble-eightfold-path The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Doors of Liberation (Episode #18)’https://plumvillage.org/podcast/the-three-doors-of-liberation-episode-18 Quotes “Trust in God, but don’t forget to tie up your camel.” “Understanding is love, is peace – because, when we understand suffering, we don’t want to create more suffering.” “If we listen deeply, we can see how many conditions we have to generate the understanding that allows us to have joy and happiness in the present moment.” “As a human being, we all have a spiritual dimension, and it’s not far away. It’s not found in a retreat. It’s not found in a monastery. It is everywhere. It’s in the ultimate dimension, the historical dimension. It’s in the trees. It is us. But we’re not able to activate it – our collective culture doesn’t allow us to tap into that. We have been afraid of being sensitive, of having empathy, and it’s hard to be in a world where we’re not conditionedto be with our feelings.” “Thay said not to bring your intellectual mind into Dharma talks, because it will try to agree or disagree. The intellectual mind will try to consume the understanding, which becomes a blockage to deeper understanding of your deepest potentials.” “In Buddhist Zen Mahayana literature, sometimes we have to be a learner, and sometimes we have to let go of the learning because it’s enough. Just practice. Enjoy the present moment.” “Sometimes we draw a graph and think growth is always going up or being solid. But, sometimes, growth is knowing that we’re suffering but not being carried away by it – just being present and holding it and listening to it.”

If you wish to support our podcast, please follow this link. Thank you! Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. In this episode, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino are joined by Zen Buddhist nun Sister True Dedication. Together, they explore the significance and offerings of the Plum Village community – a sanctuary of peace, healing, and mindfulness, in stark contrast to the fast-paced, consumer-driven world outside. The three speakers further discuss the importance of a physical environment for spiritual practice, where individuals can reconnect with their true selves; the value of community living, where monastics share a collective career and work towards the flourishing of the community rather than individual success; the relevance of the five mindfulness trainings, which serve as ethical guidelines for personal and societal transformation; and much more. The conversation also touches upon the need for support to maintain and expand the Plum Village facilities, the importance of generosity, and the impact of supporting engaged monastic communities. Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resources Interbeinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing Plum Village Traditionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition The Bodhisattva vowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_vow The Five Mindfulness Trainingshttps://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/the-5-mindfulness-trainings The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainingshttps://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/the-14-mindfulness-trainings Es Devlinhttps://esdevlin.com/ Rebecca Solnithttps://www.rebeccasolnit.net/ The Way Out Is In: ‘Stepping into Freedom – Live Recording with Q&A Session (Episode #67)’https://plumvillage.org/podcast/stepping-into-freedom-live-recording-with-qa-session-episode-67 The Way Out Is In: ‘Cultivating Joy and Togetherness in the Midst of Hardship (Episode #95)’https://plumvillage.org/podcast/cultivating-joy-and-togetherness-in-the-midst-of-hardship-episode-95 Quotes “Plum Village emerged from our teacher’s vision of how the world could look and feel different from mainstream society. From the beginning, Plum Village has been a community of resistance. We could even call it a community of resilience: a physical environment that holds different values to the mainstream consciousness. We can all recognize those values. It might be unbridled capitalism, craving, consumerism, violence, or excesses of different kinds that we see in our immediate lives, around us, and in the economic and labor systems that we’re a part of. The vision for Plum Village was, ‘What if we create a physical environment that models entirely different values?’ Embodying those values is the resistance. For example, embodying peace, harmony, collectiveness, and community rather than individualism.” “We need to reclaim our sovereignty from the machines of our creation.” “Plum Village is holding an environment of peace and healing and freedom from the rat race; freedom from the world of technological overwhelm.” “At a retreat, we are invited into a space of sharing our generosity in presence. We’re not sitting for ourselves: we’re sitting for the collective. When we are taking care of our emotions, we’re also taking care of the emotions of the collective, because we start to see the interbeing of the individual and the collective, their interconnectedness.” “We

Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. In this installment, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach/journalist Jo Confino explore the importance of silence and its role in personal transformation and spiritual practice. They further discuss noble silence in the Plum Village tradition – a fundamental practice that allows for deep reflection, self-awareness, and connection with the present moment; silence as a space that enables practitioners to listen deeply; the challenges of silence; the contrast between the mainstream emphasis on productivity, noise, and external validation, and the Buddhist approach of valuing stillness, presence, and inner listening as a path to true well-being and happiness; silence as a means to engage more deeply with life, rather than as an escape; embodied listening; and more. The episode concludes with an invitation to take time for silent reflection and to explore the transformative power of silence in our lives. Enjoy! Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resourcesInterbeinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing Being with Busyness: Zen Ways to Transform Overwhelm and Burnouthttps://www.parallax.org/product/being-with-busyness/ Calm in the Storm: Zen Ways to Cultivate Stability in an Anxious Worldhttps://www.parallax.org/product/calm-in-the-storm/ Buddha Path https://buddhapath.com ‘The Four Dharma Seals of Plum Village’https://plumvillage.org/articles/the-four-dharma-seals-of-plum-village Brother Spirithttps://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/brother-phap-linh Brother Phap Unghttps://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/brother-chan-phap-ung ‘Three Resources Explaining the Plum Village Tradition of Lazy Days’https://plumvillage.app/three-resources-explaining-the-plum-village-tradition-of-lazy-days/ Tao Te Ching https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching Bimbisarahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimbisara Devadattahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devadatta Quotes “When we learn to allow ourselves to be in silence, the silence becomes delicious because it gives us an immense feeling of spaciousness. But silence is also very scary if we are not trained in it – scary because we get to see our restlessness.” “The silence that we are learning to cultivate is the stillness that we all need.” “When we engage with the world, we don’t know how to be silent. That is not engaged Buddhism. That is not applied Buddhism. So the middle way is very important. Silence is not to suppress or to bypass what is going on; in our practice, there’s a space and time for everything.” “Silence allows us spaces of deep reflection. Silence is also to hear ourselves.” “Noble silence is the silence of being present.” “There’s a lot to learn in silence, and a lot to discover, as well as to celebrate.” “The silence of listening is an art form and a practice of embodied listening. And that means that we’re not just listening with our minds, but that we need to learn to listen with our whole body.” “We’re not here trying to gain more to enhance our ‘label’; actually, Zen is about seeing our label and letting it go, in order to see our wholeness. Because our wholeness is not limited to ‘I am a monk’, ‘I am a journalist’, ‘I am a coach’, ‘I am a business leader’, ‘I am my technician’. We’re so much more than this.” “Learn to let go. That’s the hardest practice.”