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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 45

to gently embrace that suffering awareness of suffering (苦), and exclusive of each other and in true
in ourselves. This is a practice of that is why in Plum Village, we open Maitrī, there is karuṇā, and vice
self-compassion: a practice of non- our retreat with this invocation, versa. True love must contain these
duality and non-discrimination, Namo’valokiteśhvaraya. four elements—loving kindness,
the interbeing of suffering (ill- compassion, joy (muditā), and
being) and the end of suffering Then, as we continue to chant equanimity (upekṣā), and our
(well-being) co-existing as the co- and listen, we open up our heart teacher added two more to the
existence of darkness and light. and send this energy of pure list—respect and faith. Each one

compassion to the people around of us can make our own list of
If we have the sincere wish to be an
us, and to our loved ones. We elements of true love. For example,
instrument of peace for the world,
continue to expand our sphere of I believe patience, acceptance, and
to relieve the suffering in the world
consciousness and send out our forgiveness are also important
and help create harmony and peace,
energy to the whole planet, and to elements of true love.
we need to have the courage to
the areas that are going through
come back to ourselves and touch What about love and attachment
great suffering, such as wars and
the suffering in ourselves. If the – how did the Buddha explain the
natural disasters.
energy of compassion is not rooted difference?
in our own ability to recognize and
This practice of interbeing
embrace our own suffering, the
IS the practice of emptiness. In true love, we allow the other
energy we produce will not be the
Emptiness may be one of the most person to be free. If we are not
authentic energy of compassion.
misunderstood words in Buddhism. free as a person, we cannot be
It is something superficial, a
We’re full of everything that is not truly happy. We should see the
wishful thinking. We can only
a separate self. When we chant other person as who he truly
offer to others what we can offer
and listen in this spirit, we are all is, and according to the law of
ourselves. If we don’t know how to
embodying the insight of emptiness impermanence, each one of us is
be happy ourselves, we cannot bring
and experiencing non-self. constantly changing. We should
happiness to others.
see the other person as a stream of
In a typical Plum Village retreat, Love and compassion are key ancestors, a result of their parents,
500-1,000 people support each teachings of the Buddha. What’s education, society, culture, etc. We
other’s practice by opening the the difference between these two need to be humble in our view of
retreat in this way. It’s much easier practices? ourselves and of the other person.
to come home to ourselves and get
Each person contains a universe of
in touch with our own suffering
We shouldn’t be caught in words. past experiences but a lifetime is not
when we’re surrounded by others
The word ‘love’ has so many enough for us to discover everything,
who are doing the same. In our daily
different meanings for different just as even if an atomic scientist
life, it is the fear of being in touch
people, in different occasions. In were to study the nature of atom
with our own suffering that pushes
the teaching of brahmavihārā, the in his life time, he would still not
us to keep running meaninglessly, four immeasurable mind 四無量 thoroughly understand everything.
whether by means of consumption
心, Maitrī is loving-kindness and
or just being busy. With the support
karuṇā is compassion, and we There are healthy and unhealthy
of the collective energy, we feel
practice each of the four elements in attachments. When we suffer
safe to come back to ourselves,
the light of interbeing. As definition, from an unhealthy attachment
and to accept whatever is present
we can say that Maitrī is a wish to in a relationship, the cause of
within us. This is the beginning of
make someone happy and karuṇā suffering is not the other person
a spiritual journey, as the Buddha
is a wish to relieve the suffering but our attachment to our own
taught in his first dharma talk—the
for someone, but they are not views and expectations. We hold