Master Minh Niem: Committed to healing, sowing seeds of love

In the middle of the hall full of Buddhists, the blessing bell suddenly rang. The bustling voices of people stopped. The space was quiet with the long ringing of the bell. On the stage decorated with green leaves and fresh flowers, Master Minh Niem meditated in peace and tranquility. When the bell gradually faded, he smiled peacefully, guided everyone to meditate, inviting the peaceful self to reside in the body and mind. He often began his healing Dharma talks in such a gentle and peaceful way. In those quiet moments, he helped those present to leave behind all suffering and let go of all worldly worries.

Master Minh Niem entered the temple to become a monk in 1992, at the age of 17. At the age of 24, he experienced the biggest change in his life. That year, his parents and a cousin died in an accident at the same time. The pain was so great that he collapsed and suffered. He realized that in all those years of practicing, the scriptures could not go deep into his wounds, could not resolve his suffering and pain. That pain also made him lose direction in life. He thought about stopping his path of practice, to step out. He wanted to return to study medicine, to help his siblings.

However, the affinity for practice was still there, so he gave me a chance to think more. Then he retreated to Bao Loc, Lam Dong and stayed there for 3-4 months. Later, he discovered that he was severely depressed. But then nature helped him wake up. Seeing that trees, birds and animals still diligently love and live this life, he thought that he also had to live a decent and brilliant human life. After that, he began to practice the most basic lessons of Vipassana meditation through a book he brought with him. In the next 2 years, he walked mindfully, and the more he walked, the more he felt light-hearted.

In an interview with VietNamNet reporter, Master Minh Niem confided: “I discovered that I had entered a new turning point in my life. I felt myself coming back to life… I put aside the profound scriptures, came into contact with the most ordinary life and knew that I was living. I realized that, before, I had been suffering but had always looked outside, looking for solutions outside, so I failed. When I turned inside, feeling life passing by, I saw that everything was miraculous.” In 2001, Master Minh Niem had the opportunity to come to Plum Village, France and stayed there for 3 years. Here, he met Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Master of Plum Village) and was enlightened by him on many things. It can be said that Master Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Sangha helped Master Minh Niem invite another person in him to come out. Up until now, Master Minh Niem’s method of practicing and bringing meditation into his life has been greatly influenced by Master.

However, when he realized that the Plum Village practice was enough for him and he needed to learn more from other teachers, Minh Niem left. In the US, he met and became the last disciple of Zen Master Sao Tejaniya. Zen Master Sao Tejaniya taught Minh Niem the original Vipassana meditation method for more than 3 months. The Zen Master also taught Minh Niem how to observe the mind. From that starting point, he began to go inward, always observing himself from the shallow to the deep. “When you understand yourself, you naturally accept yourself with your shortcomings, weaknesses, troubles, and sufferings. You no longer criticize, condemn, or accuse it,” said Minh Niem.

After publishing the book Understanding the Heart and becoming famous, Master Minh Niem decided to become a monk to step out of the monk's role, to find another part of himself. In this journey of asceticism, he threw himself into the harshest conditions possible. He climbed mountains and waded through streams, volunteered at farms, nursing homes, especially at psychological healing centers, and became an ordinary person, a servant, not famous. He also went to hoe the land, herd sheep, bathe the elderly, live with the homeless, cook, saw trees, build houses... things that he rarely did, to throw away his ego.

On that trip, the greatest thing that the teacher achieved was the lack of fear that comes from understanding. In addition, the ascetic journey also helped teacher Minh Niem lose a lot of discrimination between people. Teacher Minh Niem shared: “In the past, I still had some discrimination. Now I can embrace everyone. There are no good people, bad people, people who have made mistakes… I can accept everything. After the ascetic journey, I feel that I have lived my whole life, I have had enough. I have everything I need in life. The only thing I have not been able to do is help life and people as much as possible.”

To “help life and people as much as possible”, Master Minh Niem and the Mindfulness Region community have developed many projects that nurture the soul and uplift the public spirit far and wide. Typical examples are the radio series: Peace in the midst of turmoil, Uplifting the soul and Only love remains, which are broadcast on YouTube and Spotify. Master Minh Niem also opened a training course for Healing Meditation Experts in Duc Trong, Lam Dong. The training course not only helps heal wounded souls but also aims to train psychological healers through meditation practice.

Up to now, the training course has attracted more than 300 participants. Most of these people are suffering from certain psychological trauma. Some have just experienced a great shock, broken marriages, broken love... In addition, there are young people who have lost their direction in life, want to stop everything because of exhaustion... A new day at the place of study of Master Minh Niem and the students starts at 4am and ends at 9:30pm. The practice schedule is different every day. Here, students listen to Dharma talks, meditate on hill climbing, meditate, relax, sing Zen songs, garden, cook... Everyone can sit together by the fire at 5am, drink tea and listen to each other's stories. Sometimes, those shares do not receive advice immediately. However, the presence, listening and empathy of everyone is enough to help them ease their suffering and pain.

In particular, every day here, students always hear the mindfulness bell. Every 15 minutes the bell rings. When hearing the bell, everyone will stop everything they are doing to listen, breathe deeply, and return to the present moment. Once familiar, students realize that the mindfulness bell is an effective method to bring the mind back to the present, relieve stress for the body and mind. Through that, each student can regain positive energy for themselves. During the course, students can participate in many activities according to the schedule. However, for meditation, students must practice regularly: When gardening, know that you are gardening; when reading, just focus on reading; when eating, just focus on feeling the food; when walking, be very careful and slow.

Even the way of speaking here is kept to a minimum. The words spoken are just loud enough for the other person to hear... During their days here, students temporarily put aside their work and personal lives to practice mindfulness, find the meaning of life and inner peace. After days of practicing mindfulness, completely letting go of work... almost everyone regains a sense of peace and is re-energized.

Master Minh Niem affirms that in this life, no one does not suffer. It is inevitable, just a matter of how much or how little. However, if we know how to live mindfully right now, that suffering will be greatly reduced, will pass very quickly and will not leave any damage. He also reminds us that this life always has difficulties. But difficulties and suffering are different. He says: “When you are not mature, do not understand, and have not practiced, difficulties can easily turn into suffering. But when you are mature and have practiced, difficulties are just difficulties and do not need to turn into suffering.

Because difficulties turn into suffering because people react to them in an excessive and negative way. Suffering is a psychological reaction, difficulties are circumstances.

You can never avoid situations. But you can prepare yourself mentally. If suffering really happens, don't be afraid. Because suffering will make you much happier."

“In this world, I have not seen anyone who has had a truly profound life, become a great philosopher, a great moralist, a great thinker without going through suffering.

After suffering, people live deeply and calmly. They want to find something more sustainable. So, suffering is not so scary. Every suffering has its positive side,” he added.

Design: Pham Luyen

Photo: Character provided

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