Discourse on True Contentment

By Sister Dang Nghiem in collaboration with Thay (Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh)

I heard these words from Thay when he was staying at Deer Park Monastery. Late at night, a group of coyotes appeared.
Their passionate howls made the whole Oak Grove tremble joyfully.
After paying respects to Thay with the right front paw pointing in the direction of the moon,

The elder coyote asked a question in the form of a verse:

People, animals, plants, and minerals are eager to know What conditions lead to true contentment.
Please, Thay, will you teach us?

This is Thay’s answer:

To live in a Sangha,
To have brothers and sisters working in harmony, To serve peoples of all nations—
This is the true contentment.

To have a chance to practice and transform,
To see yourself becoming more accepting and more solid, To recognize that others also blossom—
This is the true contentment.

To be able to reconcile and forgive,
To nurture gratitude to your blood family and spiritual family, To express love through loving speech and deep listening— This is the true contentment.

To have time to sit peacefully for your ancestors, To touch the Earth tenderly with each step,
To eat mindfully in union with the whole cosmos— This is the true contentment.

To create practice centers and hold regular retreats, To turn gymnasiums and theaters into Dharma halls, To bring the Dharma rain into ghettos and prisons— This is the true contentment.

To witness police officers, business people, legislators, Scientists, and war veterans enjoying the Pure Land With their mindful breath and mindful steps—
This is the true contentment.

To provide a joyful environment for young people,
To help them reconnect with their families and society, To show them that there is a beautiful path—
This is the true contentment.

To practice, work, study, and play together,
To be aware of the beauties and hardships of your brothers and sisters, To cherish and protect them as your own marrow—
This is the true contentment.

To live a life simple and uncompetitive,
To come back to your breath as your soul food,
To rejoice in the music of the bell, wind songs, and laughter— This is the true contentment.

To avoid speaking and reacting in anger, Not caught by your ideas and judgments, And to be diligent in beginning anew— This is the true contentment.

To savor the freedom in non-waiting,
To transform the grasping mind into that of true love, To be a kind continuation of your spiritual ancestors— This is the true contentment.

To see all life forms as your brothers and sisters,
To enjoy simply be-in together,
To actively build a beautiful past with your true presence— This is the true contentment.

To rise in the morning with a smile,
To retire each night with peace, content to let go of all,

To know that you have loved and been loved deeply— This is the true contentment.

To live in the world
With your heart open to impermanence and change,
To progress stably on your true path, free of fear and worry— This is the true contentment.

For he or she who accomplishes this, Arriving and at home wherever she goes, Always he is peaceful and happy—
True contentment is in the moment one lives.

This is an excerpt from The River in Me: Verses of Transformation by Sister Đẳng Nghiêm, published by Parallax Press.