Many people find it surprising when I say I don’t often go to temples or read spiritual books, even though deep down, I know that I’m very spiritual and have been practicing mindfulness intuitively for a long time. While I’ve heard of the Blue Cliff Monastery for the last eight years and had always wanted to visit, it hadn’t been at the forefront of my mind until last weekend when I finally made the trip... and despite the rain, I’m so glad I did! I’ll never forget the song ‘Understanding and Compassion’ (Hiểu và Thương) that we sang together as a community, the mindful eating with the tastiest vegetarian food, sharing my learnings with Dharma Choice (Thầy Pháp Tuyển), and learning from him as we walked around the monastery. This conversation, like most of those that I’ve shared on this channel, came together in the spur of the moment ☺️
Watch the full Part 1 of our conversation to learn about the practice that can help you transform suffering and find hope under any circumstances 🕊️🌿 You might also discover why I came here and see a very special person who made a surprising appearance on my show this time 🙆🏻♀️
Hiểu và Thương (Understanding and Compassion) song lyrics
[Vietnamese lyrics]
Anh em ta từ bốn phương trời
Chị em ta từ khắp năm châu
Không phân biệt màu da tôn giáo
Cùng về đây xây đắp yêu thương
Hiểu và thương
Hiểu và thương
Có hiểu mới có thương
Hiểu càng sâu thương càng rộng
Hiểu càng rộng thương càng sâu
Hiểu sâu, thương lớn
Hiểu và thương
Hiểu và thương
[English translation]
Brothers and sisters from all over the world
Siblings from across the continents
No distinction in skin color or religion
Let's come together to build and spread love
Understanding and compassion
Understanding and compassion
With understanding comes compassion
The deeper the understanding, the wider the compassion
The wider the understanding, the deeper the compassion
Deep understanding, profound compassion
Understanding and compassion
Understanding and compassion
Link to watch Part 2: Tame your ego and overcome self-doubt with one practice