..續本文上一頁He woke up. It was like a miracle. Please don”t think that if someone is in a coma, he is not there or she is not there. She is there in a certain way. If you are to accompany a dying person, you have to be there also—to be there body and mind united in mindfulness, solid without fear. And you have to talk to him, to sing to him or to her, because there is a way that person can hear you. This is very true in many circumstances. Don”t just sit there. Talk to him. Talk to her. Sing to him. Tell stories. This is my experience. Many people come back, wake up because of that.

　　Laura was so happy. She said "Alfred." She called her father. “Alfred,” she said, "Do you know that Thay is here

　　 Do you know that Sister Chan Khong is here

　　" Alfred could not talk, but his eyes proved that he was aware that we were there. Sister Chan Khong began to talk to him, recalling the experiences that we had had working together to stop the war in Vietnam. "Alfred, do you remember that day you were visiting the monk, Tri Quang in Anh Quan

　　 Temple

　　 The United States had just given the order to bomb Hanoi and Thay Tri Quang refused to see any westerners, pacifist or not. He didn”t want to see you and you sit outside and you slip in a sheet of paper and you said, ”I will not live until you see me. I will go on a fast

　　. I am a pacifist. I have come for you, for the people of Vietnam, and not to support the bombing in Hanoi.” And fifteen minutes later, the Venerable opened the door and with a broad smile invited you. Do you remember that, Alfred

　　 "

　　"Alfred, do you remember the time we organized a peace demonstration in Rome

　　 There were three hundred Catholic priests wearing the names of three hundred Buddhist monks in the jail of Vietnam because these monks refused to be drafted into the army. Remember these things

　　" In fact, she was doing exactly the things that Shariputra was doing to Anathapindika. Watering the seeds of happiness, because Alfred got a lot of happiness working for peace. When you are able to do something for the cause of your life, you are happy.

　　During that time, I was doing massage to Alfred”s feet. Because when you die, you may get a little bit numb and you don”t have the feeling that your body is there. So it is very helpful to massage him or her. "Alfred do you know that Thay is massaging your feet

　　" And Alfred, although he could not say anything, his eyes proved that he was aware. We continued like that for five, seven minutes. And suddenly, suddenly, Alfred opened his mouth and pronounced a word. "Wonderful. Wonderful." Two times. And after that he sank back into a coma. We waited for a half hour or more and we have to go to the retreat in Omega.

　　Before leaving, I told Dorothy, his wife, and Laura, his daughter, to continue the practice—talking to him, singing to him, evoking the good memories. I had to give an orientation talk that night. Early in the morning, I got the news that Alfred passed away just a few hours after we left, peacefully, without pain. It”s wonderful to have friends who understand you and support you in this difficult moment. It”s wonderful to be able to be there for your friend in this very difficult moment, but you have to cultivate so that you”ll be solid, you”ll be without fear. Because that is the best way that you can help the other person.

　　This teaching of the Buddha about non-fear, about no-birth and no-death is the cream of the whole body of the teaching. You have come to Plum Village in order to learn techniques to get more solidity, to transform some of your sufferings. Yes, that is good, but don”t miss the opportunity. This is a kind of invitation for you to go deeper, to learn, and to practice so that you become someone who has a great capacity for being solid, calm, without fear, because ou…

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