This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

Happy Hour: Turning Towards Joy; And Honoring Thay

Introduction

So hello and welcome to happy hour, wherever you're joining from, whatever time zone. I see some folks it's morning or afternoon for them in Japan. I see you, hi. And others on the East Coast, 9 p.m., 6 p.m. here in California, etc., and everywhere in the middle too. So welcome, welcome, welcome, warm welcome.

For today's practice, I wanted to invite us to turn our attention to the brahmavihārā^[1] of joy, of muditā^[2]—vicarious joy, or just joy. Turning to joy, to gladness, to happiness. This practice of turning to gladness and happiness can be so happy-making. The Dalai Lama has said that if you're just happy for your own happiness, you have just one chance of being happy. If you're happy for other people's happiness, your odds increase to what, seven billion? Are we at eight billion now? I don't know, it keeps going up every time I hear the statistics of the number of people on this beautiful earth. So happiness, gladness, turning our heart to gladness—whether it's ours or others', gladdening our gladness and the gladness of others, and letting our heart rest in joy. To be nourished in gladness, in its own good fortune and our own good fortune that we often take for granted. We often turn the mind to challenges and difficulties and what's hard, instead of realizing that there are so many things that are going okay.

So with that, what I'd like to invite us to tonight in this practice is, as we engage with other people's happiness, to engage with gladness for them. And of course, the near enemy, which is envy, could arise. And that's okay. You're not a bad meditator, you're not a bad person if any of that arises; we'll work with that. And also, when we turn to our own gladness, to our own happiness, it can be expressed as gratitude. When we're happy for our own happiness, it feels like gratitude.

These are some invitations. And of course, we'll fill in all the details practically—not just talking about it, blah blah blah, there's only so much that talking can do with these topics—but actually feeling into them and experiencing them firsthand for ourselves.

So with that, I think that's all I want to say to set the frame. We're just going to turn towards joy tonight. Yay, happy hour, turning to joy, why not? Let's turn to joy.

I guess there's only one last thing I want to say to frame the topic, and that is: if what's coming up in your heart and your mind is like, "Oh, I've had a hard day, I'm not in the mood for joy. I am just having a really hard time." It's okay. Joy is not forced; joy is nurtured when we gently turn the mind to what is good. Even if you're having a hard day, a difficult time in your body and your mind, just inviting gently. Like a little kitty that's under the bed—kitty, kitty, kitty, just inviting the shy kitty. Turning to what is good: is there something that's going okay? "Well, I have a roof over my head. Yay. I had a nourishing meal. Yay." So just gently, gently. You don't have to go whole hog all the way to joy if that doesn't feel appropriate.

And yet, in praise of joy: the more joy you can contain, the more space there is to be with suffering with resilience for yourself and for others. So turning to joy is not a selfish thing of, "Oh, I'm turning away from suffering. Oh, I'm just going to be a Pollyanna." That's not the idea. The more joy we can contain, the more resilience there can be in our hearts, our bodies, our minds to be with adversity without falling into it, without drowning in it. For it to be balanced with goodness, for service, for the benefit of ourselves and others. So it's for ourselves, others, and the world.

All right, I think I'm now done with the frame I wanted to set. Let's begin the meditation before I add more frames, just kidding. All right, let's land, let's arrive together.

Guided Meditation

Let's arrive in our bodies. As always, we start by landing in this body, in this moment. Tilling the soil before we turn to any gratitude or vicarious joy, just arrive with the breath, with the body.

Just arrive here. Here. Here. Here.

Maybe letting the word "here" be dropped, and for you, at your own pace over the next few minutes, just arrive here. I am here. Letting your body be here. Sensing the sensations of the feet, the hands, and your bottom on the cushion or the chair. Here. Here.

Here. Thoughts arising, gently, kindly release them, as if you're letting a birdie fly. And then here. Oh, this precious body, here. This. Here, simply here with the body, with the breath. Amazing to be here. Presence can feel more expansive. More expansive, being here. Just here.

Now as we continue to feel our bodies being here, here, here. Connected, rooted to the earth. Our feet, our bottom on the cushion, our hands, entire body, here. Notice if there is a sense of nourishing, calming, healing, soothing. Just simply sitting in silence with the breath brings to the heart... deliciously here.

Opening up, opening up your heart, your awareness further to any goodness in the body with the breath. Any area of the body that just feels comfortable. Maybe warm, maybe soothed. Letting that in, opening up to it. Letting in what's good. What's calming, soothing, peaceful ease.

Maybe you notice the breath moving smoothly on its own, or, "My hands feel warm, or they feel nicely cool. My cheeks. Maybe my feet feel relaxed and heavy. My legs." Appreciating any parts of this body where there is ease.

Now opening up a little wider, opening the heart a little wider to this ease, to this goodness. Ah, drinking it in. Let it nourish you. It doesn't have to be huge. However it's showing up, however shyly it's showing up, to welcome it. Open the door. Let it in fully.

Now opening wider. As you stay embodied, what is good? What else is good in this moment? Maybe the temperature where you're sitting in your room is comfortable. You have a roof over your head. Dwelling, appreciating the goodness of this gift, this blessing. Glad for your own good fortune. This person who is me.

Maybe feelings of care, love for supportive friends and family around. Happy, glad for the good fortune of this person who is me. Stay embodied. Don't get into your head to think about these, just let them arise in the body and resonate and be appreciated.

Opening up to the good in your life, the gladness that brings up, maybe even joy ever so shyly. Keep breathing, keep in your body. Stay with goodness, with appreciation, with what is good. Challenges, sorrows, fear arises? Say, "Thank you, not now. I'm inviting joy and gladness right now for the benefit of myself and all beings." Simply release, you know you can simply release.

Now if you wish, bring to mind someone who is dear to you. Someone for whom it's easy to feel warmth, care, mettā^[3]. Connect to something that's going well in their life. It may not be everything, they might have challenges and difficulties, that's okay. But is there one area, one blessing in their life that is good? Let your heart open to being happy, being glad, celebrating this good fortune, this blessing this dear being has.

Breathing, feeling embodied, and maybe adding phrases: I am happy. I'm happy for your happiness. May this blessing of yours, may it continue. May it increase. May it never end. What is giving you gladness and happiness, may it increase. I share in your happiness as if it were mine. It is mine.

Imagining them really appreciating this blessing, and you being glad with them, for them. Vicarious joy can feel bright in our heart.

If at any point envy arises, it's okay. You're not a bad meditator or bad person. Simply turning to the pain, to the hurt of wanting this yourself, and holding it with mettā, with care. "It's okay sweetie, it's okay." And see if care for yourself, mettā for yourself, can coexist. Is it possible for it to coexist with gladness for the good fortune of another? If not, then just attend to your own heart with love and care and goodness. Maybe you can be happy for them and hold yourself with tenderness for wanting this blessing in your life. Could it be a "both/and"? Maybe you discover your heart is more generous than you realized.

You can stay with this dear being if you wish, their blessing or blessings. Or invite someone else, another being into your heart space. Bring their blessing to mind and feel happy for them as if it were your own happiness, your own joy. See what's needed right now.

Maybe for the last few minutes, if it feels appropriate for you, including yourself together with these other beings. Opening up, feeling blessings in all your lives. May all our happiness, our blessings, may they continue. May they increase, may they never wane. Simply, I'm glad, I'm happy, I celebrate, I delight in this goodness, in our goodness and our gladness. This.

May I appreciate, I celebrate all the goodness, all the blessings in my life with an open heart, with joy. May all beings everywhere know joy, know the goodness of their blessings. May all beings everywhere be happy and free.

Thank you all, thank you for your practice.

Reflections and Honoring Thay

So, we have a few minutes for reflection, questions, comments, for whatever you might have observed, what came up for you. In the spirit of service, and the spirit of service to the sangha^[4], like, "Wow, this was an aha moment," or "This was a challenge." It's all okay, so you are invited. You can also type in chat if you like, and if you text me alone privately, I won't read your name, only the share. And if it's public to everyone, I'll read your name.

And I see Rich's hand that has been raised. Yes, Rich?

Rich: Well, I just wondered if it's okay to experience sympathetic joy watching YouTube videos of little babies and puppies?

Nikki: Of course it is! Oh, I see the hearts and the thumbs up are being shared in the Zoom space. Looks like other people are joining in. Yeah, sure, of course, absolutely. Joy is joy, joy is joy. And cats and dogs too, someone said. That's great, cats and dogs. Absolutely. Yes, see the spirit of vicarious joy, happiness for other beings' blessings—it gives you joy, you know. When little children are happy, little children are well taken care of, or they're sweet, it just brings up joy. So yeah.

And I appreciate also the comments that are coming in both privately and also publicly, and on YouTube. And as we started at the beginning of the hour, acknowledging Thich Nhat Hanh's^[5] passing today. What a beautiful, amazing, precious, precious gift Thay's teachings and presence in this world have been to so many. And he also taught so much about peace, about joy, about gladness. Such tenderness, a gentleness in his teaching. So bringing him in again, both at the beginning and now.

So Claire, I see your hand, please.

Claire: Thank you. I loved your topic tonight. It happens to be very appropriate because I had one beautiful day, but in any event, I wanted to share a practice that I've had for a number of years because others might find it helpful. I have two friends in different parts of the world, one's in Switzerland and one's in a different part of the US. And we exchange every day a gratitude list by email of three things that we're grateful for every day. And it's really just been such a rewarding experience for me and I think for the other two women also. It's really changed our lives.

Nikki: Wow, beautiful. Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Claire. I remember you had mentioned it before once, and I think what we tried actually that evening was to have folks connect together if they wanted in the room. So maybe we'll do that again now that you brought it up, and see if people would want to do that. And I wonder if anyone did actually last time. If you did, would you raise your hand or type in chat if you did connect?

Yes, okay, I see Fred, yeah. Yep, you're unmuted, Fred.

Fred: Oh okay. Well, I just raised my hand because I did do it. Great, and with two other folks in the sangha. And we've been doing it nightly since whenever that was, I don't know what, a month, two months maybe. And it's been a great thing to do. So thank you, Claire.

Nikki: Oh, beautiful, lovely. Thank you for sharing, Fred. It's great that you've been doing it the entire month. A couple of other people from happy hour, it's lovely.

And I see other reflections, I think, oh, earlier I hadn't seen Charles Lee. Hello Charles Lee, thank you for the hello, yes. And let's see, moving up and down, yes, that the next Buddha will be the sangha, maybe us. Nam says, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy - Thay." Oh great, thank you Nam for bringing this quote from Thich Nhat Hanh as a way for us to honor him tonight with the topic that we have. Beautiful, thank you. "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." Beautiful Thich Nhat Hanh, lovely.

Eileen says, "I felt joy to see that people worldwide are pausing in their day to reflect on Thich Nhat Hanh's life and to pay tribute to him. What an amazing influence." Yes, I agree, how inspiring really. How inspiring that one human being, this gift of this human being, this simplicity, this simple way of being in the world. You know, in some ways he was a "simple monk," as the Dalai Lama often says, and what an impact. What an impact that he had.

And let's see, seems like there is also a memorial. Ah, Wayne shared this information, I'll read it out loud for those who are joining on YouTube: "We invite you to join our global community online as we commemorate Thay's life and legacy with five days of practice and ceremonies broadcast live from Hue, Vietnam, and Plum Village, France, starting on Saturday, January 22nd. Please see our website for more." And the website is plumvillage.org/memorial. Beautiful, thanks for sharing that.

And I like that you changed your name, whoever you are, Thich Nhat Hanh 22. What a beautiful coincidence that we have been celebrating MLK as well, they were friends. Yes, true. Beautiful, thank you for bringing that up. I'm so appreciative, I'm so touched by the wealth of such beautiful sharing tonight on the chat, that's beautiful.

And Nancy also shares at 7 p.m. tonight as well, apparently there's a program on Plum Village. Oh, Dave says the Plum Village website may have crashed, it's presently unavailable. Wow, maybe they were not expecting so many people from around the world.

So, dear ones, tell you what. Let's take the opportunity tonight to honor Thay in our small groups with the theme of joy. How has knowing him, one of his teachings, something about him inspired you? How has it supported you? Maybe something comes up for you, maybe just the fact that he's been a human being in the world, or maybe you read a book of his, or one of these instructions that have stayed with you. So that is the invitation for tonight's breakout rooms. And if you can stay, please stay. I think it's so lovely to take this opportunity to honor Thay in this way together as a community in small groups.

So I'm creating the rooms now, and please take care. Here we go, I'm going to open the rooms. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and we'll come back with more time for reflections. Okay, here we go, and the rooms will close in about three seconds.

[Breakout rooms commence and then close]

Okay, the rooms are closed, everyone is back. Welcome back. We have a couple of minutes if there are any reflections, if anything came up you'd like to share, you can raise your hand. As I wait for you to raise your hand, I'll read this reflection from Sharon on YouTube, that Thay's meditation instructions on "In-breath, I am arriving; on out-breath, I am home" are an anchor for me. How beautiful. How beautiful, yeah, such beautiful instructions. Actually, years ago he was giving a teaching in Oakland, and I had the privilege to be in his presence. Just what an amazing being, yeah.

I actually found out only through you guys tonight. I've been sequestered working all afternoon, so I didn't hear the news until you shared it through chat, so we get to honor him together. Any reflections, please, we have a minute. Any thoughts that came up in your small group discussion?

Fred, please.

Fred: Well, I'm gonna say this because I think it runs so counter to everything tonight, but as I was saying in the small group, maybe it was this time in Oakland that you were at, Nikki—I remember it as being in Berkeley—but I went with some friends to hear him. I had no idea who he was. It was, you know, 25, 30 years ago. And I just wasn't ready, you know. I know people were bowled over, my friends were, my wife was. And I thought, well, there's something there, but I just wasn't ready for it. And you know, ripeness is all. So I just wanted to say that.

Nikki: Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that, Fred. Thank you, yeah, it's that beautiful. There is readiness, whenever one is ready. Whenever there is a time, then the teacher shows up. Thanks so much for sharing that. And I see your hand?

Participant: Very quick, just because Fred said this. I had a very similar experience, Fred, which was that I was 19 and I went to see him at Spirit Rock, and I wasn't ready. And I thought it was all a little strange. There was all this singing, and my friend and I snuck off into the woods, like, because we weren't supposed to talk, we snuck off in the woods so we could talk! But somehow it got in, you know, I think the seeds got planted somehow.

Nikki: Yeah, exactly, yeah. It's sweet, I'm so appreciating these stories. And I love Jerry saying, "I like your courage, Fred!" [Laughter] Yay. And also I'll share with you that the time—it wasn't 25, 30 years ago, maybe I saw him 10, 15 years ago in Oakland. It was another very large teaching and he was older at that point and slower. And in some way, you know, I really appreciate what he was talking about, and yet there was a lot of pomp and circumstance, the evening went on and on and on. So I'll share that too. And I've loved reading his books. Just the simplicity, Being Peace, has been a go-to for me, just each page is so simple, just so lovely.

All right, I see more hands raised, but we're at 7:02, so let's bring this formally to a close so that people who want to leave can. But I'll stay a couple of minutes extra if people want to stay. And Mark, I see you, I see your hand, I'll stay extra and invite others to do the same.

So thank you all. Thank you for showing up, for practicing, supporting yourselves, each other, and this cultivation for all beings everywhere. May all beings be well. May all beings be free.

Thank you all.