How do I stay in the present moment when it feels unbearable?

(Bell) (Bell) How to be in the

present

when

it's

unbearable

? How to be in the

present

when

it is

unbearable

? At Plum Village we say: 'Let's not get caught up in the past or the future', 'Let's get back to the present'. This is the question: how to be in the present when this present is unbearable? It's a very good question. (Laughter) Those who know how to cultivate full consciousness know very well that they must come to the present. When you come to the present, you can find two types of situations. The first type of situation is that there are many conditions for happiness available to you right now, right here.

When you breathe and bring your mind to your body, you focus on the present. You will notice that there are many refreshing and healing items available at this time. Fortunately, there are many terms available right now. And thanks to this verification, it is easy to create a feeling of joy and happiness. You can do this to feed yourself. To feed with joy and happiness. When you come to the present, this is your first discovery. The second type of situation is to come to the present and find a feeling of pain. You feel a painful emotion that is inside you.

In fact, from time to time painful sensations, painful emotions appear. And when they start showing up, you don't want to be there. So you try to walk away, you ignore the emotion. And no one will be there to take care of that painful emotion or feeling. Coming to the present, in this case, does not aim to see the elements of joy and happiness, but rather to be able to take care of the pain that is in us. And transform that pain. Even if the present is unbearable, being in that

moment

is our only chance to do something to ease that pain and transform it.

Most people don't do this because they are afraid that when they come in and feel the pain they are in, the pain will drown them. So their practice is to run away. Invent things from the future to forget everything, go back to the past, forget everything. But the past and the future are mere imaginations. They are not reality. The present is the only one that is real. Many people hide their inner pain not only by fleeing into the past or the future, imagining the hope that the pain will end, that the suffering will end in the future, but this illusion does not last long.

And most people hide their inner pain through consumerism. Reading magazines, watching television, looking for something to eat, listening to music, picking up the phone and talking to someone, everything we do has a purpose: to avoid facing the suffering within us. In this way we allow the inner pain to continue growing. Practicing mindfulness helps us come to the present. Although the present is not pleasant. But in that very

moment

we can understand suffering. And find a way to alleviate the suffering. Transform suffering. The next time you find that the present is unpleasant, don't think that walking away is the best way to go.

No, it could be an option. Stay in the present. Look deeply into the nature of suffering. If you know how to practice conscious breathing, or conscious walking, you will create the energy of total consciousness. And the energy of total awareness gained through practice will help you have enough strength to see the pain and embrace it tenderly. By tenderly embracing your grief, the pain will disappear in a matter of minutes. And, if someone else is practicing with you, the mindfulness and compassionate energies of others will help you. Touching suffering means understanding suffering. And the energy of compassion, the energy of compassion and understanding has the power to heal.

Even those who are with you at that moment after you have healed. If a group of people practice together, tenderly embracing suffering, they will feel a collective energy of compassion that will heal them. And when they suffer less, they can help others do the same. There is a bodhisattva called Kṣitigarbha. Kṣitigarbha promised to go everywhere to help if there was much pain there. Doctors, nurses, social workers, they are doing the same thing. They volunteer to go to places where there is pain on Mother Earth to help people. They are real Kṣitigarbha bodhisattvas, not mere images.

There are very young people working as Kṣitigarbha bodhisattvas. They are not afraid to suffer because they know they can relieve the pain. Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha has within him a tremendous source of energy: his intention, the third type of food, abolition. You realize that you are there, alive. And you want to do something with your life. You want your life to be useful and expressive. Then you vote to help those who suffer. You are no longer afraid to go where there is suffering. And those bodhisattvas need our help. You help them not lose courage after years of service.

We must send them the strength of our courage. They need food and healing. After working in difficult conditions for six months, they return home. And we are there to take care of them, to help them heal, and they will come out the second and third time. Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha also needs help. That is where we are ready to help the youth of Kṣitigarbha to continue working in the rest of the world. If you have compassion in you, you don't mind being in difficult and painful situations. If you have enough compassion in you, you are protected.

You will not be suffocated by the collective energy of the suffering of the people around you. Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha knows well that he needs a sangha to be able to continue for a long time. Therefore, the practice should not be just one on one. Practice should also be part of the group. Let's try to bring family members to the practice. The best way to do this is to become more and more friendly. Smilier, sweeter. And they will believe that the practice will work for them too. Your family and community will have more harmony, more health, more brotherhood.

And your intention is realized more easily. Without the Sangha, without the group, our dream cannot come true. So we try as individuals, but we know that acting as a group, as a sangha, is much better. (Campaign)