06/11/2026
KNOWING ONESELF, CONQUERING ONESELF.
Most Venerable Zen Master Thích Thanh Từ.
❤️ The essence of our practice lies in clearly perceiving every single thought that arises in our mind.
Most people remain mindful and alert while sitting in meditation but let their guard down once they step out; this is a missed opportunity.
🩷 The goal is to clearly perceive every thought while meditating and to maintain that same awareness of our thoughts even when we are not.
Only by personally herding and guarding one's own mind in this way can one make progress.
If one practices only while sitting but lets the mind drift aimlessly when outside, the quality of the practice diminishes.
It is not ideal to spend only six hours—a mere quarter of the day—in meditation while letting the mind wander freely for the remaining three-quarters.
Therefore, one must strive for self-restraint; whether performing heavy labor or light tasks, one must remain vigilant and not let the mind run wild.
Only then will the practice yield results.
As each person learns to master themselves, they will gradually become proficient.
Zen Master Zhaozhou (Triệu Châu) spent thirty years forging his mind into a unified whole; National Teacher Huizhong (Huệ Trung) spent over forty years on Mount Baiya (Bạch Nhai) without ever descending.
This demonstrates that the practice requires long-term cultivation and constant vigilance; proficiency comes only after a long process—it is no simple matter.
💜 The reason practice fails to progress is often due to laxity—letting the six sense faculties chase after the six sense objects.
We must now awaken, turn inward to discover our true nature, and monitor every thought, preventing the mind from racing outward.
Even if we have only just begun to know ourselves without yet achieving full mastery, that very awareness represents progress.
The Sixth Patriarch said:
❤️ "Do not fear the arising of thoughts; fear only the slowness of awareness."
For to recognize that a thought has arisen is, in itself, an act of awareness. Even if delusive thoughts have not yet ceased, the constant awareness of their arising constitutes constant awakening; over time, these delusions will gradually weaken and eventually clear away on their own.
In the early stages of practice, I often found it difficult and felt as though I was making no progress after years of effort; yet, the longer one practices, the more the wondrous nature of the path reveals itself—a profound clearing occurs before one even realizes it.
Thus, practice is not necessarily difficult; simply engaging in it ensures progress.
❤️ With determined effort, progress is certain.
Chasing after external objects—letting the six senses run wild after the six sense-objects—is delusion; remaining unattached at the very moment of contact between the senses and their objects is awakening.
💝 To see and hear without becoming attached is to be master of oneself—that is awakening.
💖 When practicing, do not fear the presence of delusive thoughts; fear only the failure to recognize them.
If delusive thoughts arise but we are clearly aware of them, we are in control; if we let them carry us far away before suddenly snapping back to reality, we have been deceived by them.
🧡 No one becomes a sage immediately upon starting practice; it requires years of dedicated effort.
Only through the persistent effort to remain constantly mindful can delusive thoughts be fully cleared away.
Even with a desire to practice, if we let our minds drift aimlessly, the cycle of birth and death continues unabated.
Delusive thoughts are the seeds of birth and death; thus, the arising of a thought is considered ignorance—the very cause of the cycle of birth and death.
For the moment a thought stirs, it obscures wisdom.
💖 Practice is a subtle matter; one must clearly perceive one's thoughts in every moment and never lose that awareness.
At the Zen monastery, every hour is a time for practice.
Whether working in the garden, weeding, or tending to the bonsai—whenever a delusive thought arises, one immediately lets it go.
In the kitchen—whether cooking rice or preparing vegetables—everyone works in silence and mindfulness.
💛 When this state is achieved, every activity becomes Zen; the time spent working is no different from the time spent in seated meditation.
💖 I constantly remind the monastics that my time here is very brief; if you remain negligent or half-hearted in your practice, then even if I were to live to be a hundred, it would yield no benefit.
It would be a waste of my ultimate ideal, resulting in nothing.
🩷 Therefore, I urge every monastic to be diligent; practice regardless of the circumstances, and do not give in to indulgence or laxity.
Only when you reach the state described by Master Da An—"the white ox standing right before you, clearly visible all day long, refusing to leave even when driven away"—will you truly be at ease.
Remember, renouncing the worldly life to become a monastic is an extraordinary undertaking.
For worldly people—no matter how brilliant or learned they may be—only discover external things; they cannot perceive the true nature within themselves.
❤️ Knowing oneself and conquering oneself is the noblest and most practical achievement.❤️
💜 If one spends an entire lifetime merely pursuing material wealth and indulging in every pleasure without knowing one's true self, then life is truly meaningless.💜
To thoroughly understand the path of practice, to recognize what is illusory so as not to be misled, and to discover the innate truth within oneself—this is to possess true self-mastery.
🩷 Even if one has not yet completed the practice or attained liberation, should death arrive, one will know how to choose the right path to continue practicing and performing the work of the Buddha.
Conversely, if one does not know one's true self and simply chases after material things until suddenly dropping dead, one will inevitably be dragged by deluded karma and cast into various realms of suffering.
💜 All wealth and worldly pleasures are merely illusions—here one moment and gone the next, laughter turning to tears—transient and impermanent. 💜
❤️❤️❤️ Only by discovering the Buddha-mind within oneself can one find the true source of peace and happiness. 🙏🙏🙏 Therefore, one must devote one's full heart and energy to carrying out this noble and precious task to completion; do not be indifferent or hesitant, letting the days drift by in vain.
🩷 I hope that all members of the Sangha will strive and make a concerted personal effort.
Most Venerable Zen Master Thich Thanh Tu.
(November 13, Year of Giap Tuat – December 15, 1994).
Excerpted from: *Tông Môn Cảnh Huấn 3* (Admonitions and Teachings of the School, Vol. 3).
