If you wish to support our podcast, please follow this link. Thank you! Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. In this episode, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino talk about finding beauty and reverence in the most ordinary of things. Jo shares his new book, Between Earth and Sky, which documents his time in Mitla, Mexico, and his journey of deep looking and finding beauty in the seemingly empty land. Brother Phap Huu emphasizes the importance of mindfulness, stopping, and being present to see the wonder in everyday life.The hosts further share the concept of consciousness in everything, and the need for reverence in our habits and interactions. The conversation also touches on reciprocity, the importance of community, and the journey of opening one’s heart through listening and acceptance. The episode concludes with a short meditation guided by Brother Phap Huu, to help listeners ground themselves in the present moment and to recognize the beauty in all life. Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resources Between Earth and Skyhttps://www.parallax.org/product/between-earth-and-sky/ Interbeinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing Plum Village Traditionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition Order of Interbeinghttps://plumvillage.org/community/order-of-interbeing The Way Out Is In: ‘Space, Time, and the Ultimate Dimension (Episode #54)’https://plumvillage.org/podcast/space-time-and-the-ultimate-dimension-episode-54 Mitlahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitla Stephen Mitchellhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Mitchell_(translator) Tao Te Chinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching Samsarahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra Pema Chödrönhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pema_Ch%C3%B6dr%C3%B6n Quotes “We can see beauty everywhere.” “When we feel alive and present on this Earth, what more do we need?” “The first act of meditation is learning to stop. It is learning to take a pause and feel the present moment. And feeling the present moment is more important than thinking about the present moment, because, when we attune ourselves into our own body, into our senses, what we see, what we smell, what we hear, what we touch gives us an opportunity to be in touch with life in the very here and now.” “We can sit and look at a tree or even look at a rock and find all of life in that.” “This is it.” “We want to know what’s out in space, but we don’t know what is in our inner space.” “Depending on how we show up, our way of being can shift and change our whole mental formation, our whole consciousness of reality.” “Reverence creates a sense of reciprocity because, when we have reverence, we are in conversation with whatever is in front of us. So when we think of things as objects, we’re looking at them as separate from ourselves. But when we have reverence for things, we see that they are talking to us as well as we are talking to them.” “The beauty of Zen is turning a simple moment into a beautiful ritual.” “Reverence is a manifestation of our mental formations.” “I invite everybody to hold their next cup of tea, or coffee, or orange juice, with two hands. It shifts you into a different space. A simple action with two hands, and I’m fully present. Just like when we join our palms and offer a bow, it represents the body and the mind that come together.”
