Note: This Dharma talk series were given by the Zen master during the 1997-1999 period. Due to technological limitations in this period, audiovisual quality is not very good. The Plum Village Editorial Team hopes for your kind understanding.
Original Vietnamese title: “Ý Nghĩa Của Việc Lễ Lạy [CPNĐSNC 8A] | TS Thích Nhất Hạnh(21-12-1997, Xóm Thượng, Làng Mai)”
Originally posted by: by Làng Mai (Plum Village’s Vietnamese YouTube channel), https://youtu.be/2vqArILpi0Q on Mar 22, 2023
Talk given: December 21, 1997, Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France
Length: 36 minutes 22 seconds
This is a teaching on The Meaning of Touching the Earth which is part 8A of the Dharma talk series “Daily training gets the thousand-petalled lotus to burst open,” given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh during a Winter Retreat between 1997-1999 in the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village France, on December 21, 1997.
Transcript
[Thay bowing in]
Dear sangha, today is the 21st of December, 1997. We’re currently in the Upper Hamlet during the Winter Retreat 1997-1998. Please turn to page 24. We’re learning Touching The Earth.
“With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Shakyamuni Buddha.”
In Chinese in Vietnamese pronunciation, “Shakya” was translated as “năng nhân” (i.e. “benevolent person”). And “muni” was translated as “tịch mặc.” “Tịch mặc” means “silent.” The nature of an enlightened being, a sage, is silence. That’s why “muni” means a sage. A monastic. A hermit. Shakyamuni means “the monk of the Shakya clan.”
“With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Maitreya Buddha.”
Maitreya Buddha’s other name is “Từ Thị.” “Từ” means loving-kindness. “Từ thị” means “the one who loves compassionately.” In English, it’s “Mr. Love”. Maitreya. The term “Maitreya” comes from “maitri”. “Maitri” means loving-kindness. Loving-kindness means “offering joy and happiness.” Maitreya means “Đức Di Lặc”, meaning the Buddha of Love.
In the Vietnamese tradition, Tết, or the first day of the lunar calendar, is the anniversary, the day we celebrate the Buddha of Love’s nativity.
“With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Manjushri Bodhisattva.”
Manjushri Bodhisattva symbolizes Great Understanding, the eye of wisdom. In Sanskrit, it’s “Manjushri.”
“With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.”
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva symbolizes Great Action. In Sanskrit, it’s “Samantabhadra.”
“With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Sadāparibhūta Bodhisattva.”
Sadāparibhūta Bodhisattva symbolizes the insight where there’s a recognition, that in everyone lies a potential for Buddhahood, and the seeds of compassion and understanding. So, we don’t dare to disparage, or treat anyone with contempt. In Sanskrit, it’s “Sadāparibhūta.”
Finally,
“With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before the stream of ancestral teachers from India to Vietnam.”
In this earth-touching, we bring to mind all our ancestral teachers, from the Buddha, to Venerable Mahākāśyapa, to Venerable Śāriputra, Venerable Maudgalyayana, Venerable Upāli, and all the ancestral teachers in India, all the ancestral teachers in China, and all the ancestral teachers in Vietnam. In this last earth-touching, we get in touch with all our spiritual ancestors.
In this morning ritual, we touch the earth several times. First of all, we touch the earth before the Shakyamuni Buddha, then Maitreya Buddha, then Manjushri the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding, then Samantabhadra the Bodhisattva of Great Action, then Sadāparibhūta the Bodhisattva of Never Disparaging, and finally the stream of all our ancestral teachers. Which means 6 earth-touchings in total.
While doing these 6 earth-touchings, we need to attain the spirit of the practice. Of course, we don’t touch the earth like a machine. After touching the earth 6 times, in our being, there should be something new, a transformation.
We know, that in our practice, when we touch the earth, we allow ourselves 3 breaths, i.e. 3 in-breaths and 3 out-breaths, to stop and look deeply, to be in touch and to allow the energies of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas to sink in. It’s because, touching the earth is a practice that works miracles in transforming body and mind.
The secret to a transformative earth-touching is when our forehead, arms, and legs are resting completely on the earth, we have to release, we have to let go of the sense of a separate self-entity in us. We learn to let go of everything that we consider the makeup of a separate self-entity. We let go of the things that shut us out, and isolate us.
So while in the position called “ngũ thế đầu địa,” i.e. “forehead and 4 limbs touching the ground,” we have to open our selves up without reserve. Open all the doors of body, heart, and mind. The idea of a separate self-entity needs to melt away. Only then, is that earth-touching considered successful. Only then, can the energies of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, and the spiritual ancestors sink into our being.
That said, it doesn’t mean that the energies of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, and the spiritual ancestors are outside of us, and we have to open the doors of our being for these energies to enter into us. Fact is, these energies are already in us. If we can’t open the doors of our being, if we don’t allow it, these energies never get to manifest.
Take the energies of our father. The energies of our father are in us. They are in every cell of our body. This energy can be… corporeal or spiritual. Our father more or less has energies… in corporeal terms, and our father more or less has energies in spiritual terms. We don’t have to look elsewhere to find these energies. They’re already in each cell of our body.
There are people whose fathers live to the age of 90, or 95. They’ve never had cancer. Those healthy cells of their fathers are presently there in their being. If we’re distraught, fearful, or anxious, if we have difficulties in the skin and flesh, we can call up these energies of our fathers, allowing them to come into our being and well up in each and every cell of our body. We let them do their work.
Our father also more or less has spiritual energies. He also has joys, talents, and potentials. But because we live in anger, resentment, and ill-will, because we live in forgetfulness, these energies have been shut out and locked up in each cell of our body.
So, while our forehead, arms, and legs touch the earth, we release all our anger, resentment, and ill-will, we release all preconceived notions, and the idea that we have a separate self. With that, the energies of our father — both corporeal and spiritual, will well up. And we get to be bathed in such energies.
It’s the same with our teacher. He/she/they more or less have energies. And the energies of our teacher are already in each cell of our body. We may be angry with our teacher. Or we may feel distant or far away from our teacher. These feelings and impressions lock those energies up in each cell of our body.
When we touch the earth, we open the doors of those cells. With that, the energies of our teacher naturally come into us, and we become empowered.
The same with the energies of the Buddha. They’re in each cell of our body. That’s why we only need to open the door of our soul for such energies to manifest. That’s why, touching the earth is a practice that performs miracles.
We need to learn to touch the earth the right way successfully. While touching the earth, our forehead must be glued to the ground. The forehead should be glued to the earth. Both of our forearms should also be glued to the earth. So should our lower legs.
We kneel and glue ourselves as much as we can to the earth. And we don’t allow any gaps between our body and the ground. It means, we need to completely let go. We need to surrender ourselves completely. We don’t keep anything to ourselves. All the pride or conceit. All our knowledge. All that we believe to be “me”. All that we believe to be our ‘self’ worth. We have to let them all go and become emptied.
Only then, can the doors of our soul and body be swung open. Only then, can the energies of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, and the spiritual ancestors spring up.
If, while touching the earth, we still hold on to our pride, arrogance, and conceit; still hold on to the belief that we’re the one and only, having achieved such and such; still hold on to any anger, resentment, ill-will; well, the hard shell of the self is still there. Touching the earth that way is pointless.
That’s why we have to let go of everything. We have to let go completely. Only then, can the body and mind be truly open.
When our forehead touches the ground, we open our hands, palms up. At first, our palms join like this, but then we open our palms. Open hands palms up are to show that we have nothing to hide, that we hold on to nothing. We really let go of everything.
And our two hands should be opened straight up like this. Some people even lift their palms off the ground a little bit to show with their hands, that “In my two hands, I have nothing. I really have nothing to hold on to. I’ve completely let go of everything, and all the ideas of me as a separate self.” Only then, can we integrate into the spiritual stream of life, as well as the blood stream of life of all our ancestors.
Because the stream of life is the fullness of life. We’re still caught in the idea of a separate self-entity, that’s why we still feel cut off, that’s why we still feel lonely.
While surrendering completely on the earth, we need to be truly present. Our body needs to become one with our mind. Otherwise, the act of earth-touching will be but an empty ritual.
Being truly present means being mindful. Mindfulness. Mindfulness, first of all, means the presence of body and mind. Body and mind are in oneness.
So, when we stand before the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas, our heart should be one of mindfulness. It means, we need to be truly present. Being truly present means our mind doesn’t go back to the past, nor rush to the future. It’s not being hypnotized or caught in any kinds of worries or ruminations.
We bring the body and the mind into one place. And we’re in touch with the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas — meaning, with the object of our reverence. And mindfulness becomes a source of energy. It gives rise to a great source of energy. And that source of energy allows us to get in touch…
Shakyamuni Buddha here symbolizes our ultimate attainment. Our ultimate destination. Which is the ultimate goodness. The way up.
There are two extremes. One extreme is called “the way up.” A direction that goes up. And the other direction is “the way down.” And the Buddha symbolizes “the way up”. And Mara symbolizes “the way down.”
Well, many moments in our daily life, our body and mind go off in the direction of Mara. Every time our body and mind undergo sorrows and sufferings, every time they go in the direction of sorrows and sufferings, in the direction of worries and anxieties, in the direction of unconstructiveness, we know that our body and mind are going in the direction of Mara.
Let’s say, we’re at a dining table. Upon seeing a mouth-watering dish, our mind has enough wisdom to understand that once we ingest that food, we will bear all the consequences. We have that insight. We know very well with our intelligence that if we eat that kind of food, later tonight, we will endure such and such a consequence. We know that.
But there’s an energy from within that opposes and resists, saying, “Go ahead and eat, don’t worry! It doesn’t matter what’s gonna happen. I’ll go take my medication later,” for example.
Well, there’s a struggle between these two. One is insight and wisdom saying, “I should steer clear of that kind of food.” And the other one questions, “Why not? Just go ahead and eat it. Whatever will be will be. I’m practicing living in the present moment, aren’t I?” That’s what we tell ourselves. Taking advantage of the situation. [Thay smiling]
So, at that moment, whether our body and mind go up or down completely depends on us. In what direction are we going?
Well, it depends. When our mind is at one with our body, and when we have the energy of mindfulness, we have many opportunities to turn around for “the way up.” But if the energy of mindfulness is weak, right away, we will give in and go in the direction of “the way down”.
In our daily life, we’re constantly subject to this tendency. Sometimes, we opt for the way up, but sometimes we opt for the way down. We just go on and on like that.
So, the mindfulness practice imbues us with the energy of solidity and stability, so that we can have many opportunities… to go up more than down. And yet, the Buddha, the Shakyamuni Buddha is the exemplar of the-way-up extreme. Every time we know our body and mind is going up, there’s a joy, there’s a faith, and there’s a zest in the practice that is very nourishing for us.
And while doing the 1st earth-touching, then the 2nd one, then the 5th, and the 6th, during the whole time, we know with certainty that this practice is leading us to the direction of the way up. On knowing that we’re going in the direction of the way up, our heart and mind are at peace. We have solidity, inner peace and safety, and joy and happiness. Well, during the whole time touching the earth, we get to nourish these qualities in us, i.e. solidity, inner peace and safety, and joy and happiness.
We can be successful in this practice thanks to this energy of mindfulness.
We have one bodhisattva called the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding. Manjushri. In the Mahāprajña texts, Manjushri the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding holds such an important position.
Because this Bodhisattva is called “the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding,” and “Bát nhã” in Vietnamese is Mahāprajña, meaning “Great Understanding.” And the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding is symbolized by the image of an eye. The Eye of Wisdom. The Eye of Insight.
But what is “Manjushri”? Manjushri is an aspect of the Buddha. The aspect of wisdom, insight, or understanding of the Buddha.
From the historical dimension’s point of view, this bodhisattva is different from the Buddha. But from the ultimate dimension’s point of view, at least we get to know that Manjushri is actually Shakyamuni Buddha. And Manjushri is the quality of Great Understanding in Shakyamuni Buddha. That’s why prostrating before Manjushri also means prostrating before Shakyamuni Buddha.
Manjushri is also in us, because we ourselves also have the seed, the potentiality, of great understanding. When we touch the earth before Manjushri Bodhisattva, we’re, at the same time, directing our attention to the capability to awaken and attain Buddhahood in us.
That’s why, the object of our prostration is not a statue, or a figurine, placed on the altar. Because the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva is just a means for us to get in touch with the true nature of Manjushri, which is present in us.
Manjushri is the aspect of wisdom, insight, and understanding in the Buddha. When we recite, “With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Manjushri,” and touch the earth once, at that moment, we really see that we’re going up. We go in the direction of great understanding. And this energy of mindfulness allows us to get in touch with Manjushri Bodhisattva.
We have another bodhisattva named Avalokiteshvara, or “Quan Âm” in Vietnamese. But Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva signifies an aspect… Another aspect of Shakyamuni Buddha. Which is the aspect of compassion and loving-kindness. Compassion. Loving-kindness.
At least we can say Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is the Buddha indeed. Avalokiteshvara is the aspect of loving-kindness and compassion in the Buddha, because the Buddha is “a living source of perfect understanding and compassion.” (The Refuge Chant)
Understanding is Manjushri. Compassion is Avalokiteshvara. And Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is usually symbolized by the image of an ear. It’s because Avalokiteshvara has the capacity to listen deeply and compassionately. Listen to all of humanity’s cries of suffering. Listen to understand the suffering of all beings, to be present for them, and to help them.
So, if we have Great Understanding being symbolized by the image of an eye, here Great Compassion is symbolized by the image of an ear. And when we touch the earth before Avalokiteshvara, we get in touch with the substance of compassion and loving-kindness in us.
We see that in us, there’s also the ability to listen deeply and compassionately. Listen to understand and to love. But first of all, it’s listening deeply and compassionately to ourselves in order to understand ourselves deeply, and come to love ourselves truly. Because without understanding and love for ourselves, understanding someone else, and loving someone else are impossible.
That’s why, these sources of energies are of the Buddha. And these energies are in us. Manjushri is the Buddha, and Avalokiteshvara is also the Buddha.
So, you see that in the sutra, it’s said that Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding, has attained Buddhahood long ago. Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva, but indeed has already attained Buddhahood. That’s what it means. Manjushri is Shakyamuni Buddha. And Avalokiteshvara is also Shakyamuni Buddha.
Another bodhisattva named Samantabhadra, the Bodhisattva of Great Action. Samantabhadra is the energy of Great Volition and Great Action. Great Volition means great aspiration. A great aspiration. And Great Action. For that reason, Samantabhadra is symbolized by the image of a hand. A hand of action.
When we touch the earth before Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, i.e. “With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Samantabhadra,” it means we get in touch with the energy of Great Action in the Buddha.
And Samantabhadra is an aspect in Shakyamuni Buddha. The Buddha is Great Understanding, Great Compassion, and Great Action. This is… Great Understanding. This is Great Compassion. And this is Great Action.
Besides that, we have another bodhisattva named Kshitigarbha the Bodhisattva of Great Vow. Kshitigarbha is a bodhisattva who has a great vow. Kshitigarbha’s vow is wherever there’s suffering, he/she/they vow to be there.
“As long as hell is still unemptied, hell will still be my office, my workplace.” That’s the Great Vow of this Bodhisattva. That’s why Kshitigarbha signifies something called Great Vow.
Great Vow is such a great energy. Once we have the energy of Great Vow, we’re very strong. We’re not deterred by any kinds of difficulties or challenges. It’s really cold out there, below zero, but we still put on our coat and go out. Even when there are a thousand obstacles on our path, we still make it. One will overcome no matter how many rivers or how many mountains. Because in our being, there’s a substance of Great Vow.
So, in Shakyamuni Buddha, there are four Bodhisattvas, i.e. Manjushri the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding, Avalokiteshvara the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, Samantabhadra the Bodhisattva of Great Action, and Kshitigarbha the Bodhisattva of Great Vow. It is these four qualities that make Shakyamuni Buddha.
The same with us. In us, we also have these substances, these qualities. The Buddha is in us. So, these qualities, these substances are also in us. So when we touch the earth, we get in touch with these 4 sources of energies.
Besides that, we also have Sadāparibhūta the Bodhisattva of Never Disparaging. “Never Disparaging” means never ever dare to treat any living being with contempt, and never ever dare to look down on someone being considered unrefined, or ordinary.
Because in that unrefined and ordinary person are also substances of enlightenment and Buddhahood, of loving-kindness and compassion. Because the substances, the seeds, the potentialities of enlightenment, Buddhahood, loving-kindness, and compassion haven’t been touched, nor watered and cultivated, they haven’t yet manifested. So, when we look at someone who’s considered unrefined or ordinary, we need to see for ourselves the non-unrefined, non-ordinary elements in them.
Do you remember the Diamond Sutra? “The Tathagata does not consider those ordinary people as ordinary people. That is why he can call them ordinary people.” It’s been written in the Diamond Sutra.
So, when we look with the eyes of right mindfulness and wisdom, it dawns on us, the substances of great understanding, of great compassion, great action, and great vow are there in those being considered unrefined and ordinary. That’s why we can join our palms and bow down before any living being.
It’s important to keep in mind that this prostration comes from Great Understanding. “Thường Bất Khinh” in Vietnamese means “Never Disparaging.” Never daring to look down on anyone or treat anyone with contempt.
If we’re not mindful, if we don’t have the energy of mindfulness, we can never get in touch with these great Bodhisattvas. That’s why, during the whole time we bow our heads and touch the earth, mindfulness should be filled to the brim within us.
Those who don’t know how to touch the earth need to learn how to do so this afternoon. While joining our palms like this and listening to the chanted text, “With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding,” we should start looking deeply and come to see such substance, such aspect, such energy of the Buddha, meaning the energy of Great Understanding, and we bring our body and mind into one place, and we purposely get in touch with that energy.
Our two palms make a lotus bud, we lift them up to gently touch our forehead. It means, our mind. All of our mind. Then we bring them down and gently touch the heart. It means, with all our mind and our heart, we get in touch with the Bodhisattva. The mind first, then the heart. Then we open our palms and our arms, then we kneel down and touch the earth.
After the two lower legs, two forearms, and the forehead already touch the ground, our hands are open with palms up. Open our palms flat all the way to show that we are now nothing. That we’re no longer a separate self-entity.
With that, we start to swing open all the doors of our soul, all the doors of our body, and all the doors of all the cells in the body, so that the energy of Manjushri Bodhisattva can be resurrected and circulate in our being.
While all of this happens, we follow three breaths, in and out, and contemplate. Contemplate to maintain the state of being opened up and circulated happening in the body and the mind.
So while lying in the position of “forehead and 4 limbs being glued to the earth,” we need to have the strongest sense of mindfulness. We need to follow our breathing, keeping all the doors of the body and the mind open, so that the energies of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, and all the spiritual ancestors manifest.
After touching the earth 6 times like that, in our being there’s transformation. After 3 in-and-out breaths, there should be a muffled sound of the bell. Then, at that moment, we turn our hands around to lean on the earth and stand up again.
And the person who invites the bell — the bell master, needs to be solid in their mindfulness practice so that the time they leave everyone to follow 3 in-and-out breaths will be long enough. Typically, they’ll estimate the time for 3 in-and-out breaths of the community based on that of their own. But to be sure, we add 10 more seconds. Because some people may have longer breaths than we do.
This afternoon, if possible, the whole community should practice touching the earth together. Those who have never known how to do so should learn to do that in particular.
This practice is called “Touching the Earth.” Touching the earth this way, we don’t lose our dignity. Touching the earth this way is not to grovel and beg for something. We touch the earth this way to become one with life, to become one with everything. This kind of earth-touching makes us enormous and great. It empowers us. It does not degrade our dignity.
An earth-touching is considered successful when we can completely let go of all the ideas, what we believe to be our worth, and all the wrong perceptions we have of our ‘self’.
And the last earth-touching is “With one-pointed mind and respect, we bow our heads and touch the earth before the stream of ancestral teachers from India to Vietnam.” We’re those who have roots, who have ancestors. We only suffer, we only feel lonely, when we’re cut off from that stream of life.
That’s why, once we put ourselves in the position of “forehead and 4 limbs being glued to the earth,” once our body and mind completely open, we can get in touch with the streams of life of our ancestors. That loneliness, that pain, will melt away. This earth-touching is particularly healing.
We know that Manjushri the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding has a solid presence in the Mahāprajña texts, i.e. in the Heart Sutra (Kinh Đại Bát Nhã), and the Heaps of Jewels Sutra (Ratnakūṭa, or Kinh Bảo Tích). Samantabhadra the Bodhisattva of Great Action has a strong presence in Flower Adornment Sutra (Avataṃsaka Sutra, or Kinh Hoa Nghiêm). And Sadāparibhūta the Bodhisattva of Never Disparaging has a strong presence in the Lotus Sutra (Kinh Pháp Hoa).
If you want to learn in depth about these Bodhisattvas, we can turn to the Heart Sutra, the Flower Adornment Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra. You can also find Sadaparibhuta the Bodhisattva of Never Disparaging in the Lotus Sutra.
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References
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- Definition of “nhất tâm kính lễ”, https://www.niemphat.vn/tudien/nhat-tam-kinh-le.html
- Definition of “nhất tâm”, https://phatgiao.org.vn/tu-dien-phat-hoc-online/nhat-tam-k4806.html
- Definition of “nhất tâm”, https://vi.wiktionary.org/wiki/nh%E1%BA%A5t_t%C3%A2m
- Definition of “kính lễ”, https://phatgiao.org.vn/tu-dien-phat-hoc-online/kinh-le-k35863.html
- Definition of “năng nhân,” https://phatgiao.org.vn/tu-dien-phat-hoc-online/nang-nhan-k4598.html
- Definition of “thế nào,” https://vi.wiktionary.org/wiki/th%E1%BA%BF_n%C3%A0o
- Definition of “hướng thượng,” https://phatgiao.org.vn/tu-dien-phat-hoc-online/huong-thuong-k34870.html
- Definition of “từ nan,” https://vi.wiktionary.org/wiki/t%E1%BB%AB_nan
- Definition of “phàm phu,” https://vi.wiktionary.org/wiki/ph%C3%A0m_phu
- Definition of “tục tử,” https://vi.wiktionary.org/wiki/t%E1%BB%A5c_t%E1%BB%AD
- Definition of “quỵ luỵ,” https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/qu%E1%BB%B5_lu%E1%BB%B5
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