The Beauty of Imperfection (Episode #80)

🔔 SENSITIVE CONTENT Disclaimer: The information in this video is not intended to diagnose or treat any mental health condition. If you are in crisis, or in need of immediate assistance, we encourage you to reach out to friends, professionals, and other groups to gain relevant support for your particular situation.

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Welcome to episode 80 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 installment, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach/journalist Jo Confino talk about how to come home to ourselves, why it can be so difficult for people to feel at home in their own skin and to feel that they are enough, and why people go searching for things outside of themselves in order to feel better about themselves on the inside. 

The hosts further explore self-love and self-acceptance; compassion; overcoming perfectionism and feelings of inadequacy; redefining beauty; true generosity; dismantling self; the Buddhist teachings on interbeing and dwelling in the present moment; and more. They also share personal experiences and insights from Thich Nhat Hanh’s own journey to inner freedom and stability. 

The episode concludes with a short meditation guided by Brother Phap Huu. 

Enjoy!

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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/

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List of resources

Interbeing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing  

Brother Phap Linh (Brother Spirit)
https://www.instagram.com/brotherspirit

‘Three Resources Explaining the Plum Village Tradition of Lazy Days’
https://plumvillage.app/three-resources-explaining-the-plum-village-tradition-of-lazy-days/ 

‘Thich Nhat Hanh on Discrimination and Complexes’
https://plumvillage.app/thich-nhat-hanh-on-discrimination-and-complexes

Dharma Talks: ‘What Is the Equality Complex?’
https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/what-is-the-equality-complex

How To: ‘Begin Anew’
https://plumvillage.org/articles/begin-anew

Dharma Talks: ‘The Five Remembrances’ 
https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-five-remembrances-sr-thuan-nghiem-spring-retreat-2018-05-17

The Way Out Is In: ‘Feel It to Heal It: The Dharma of Music (Episode #79)’
https://plumvillage.org/podcast/feel-it-to-heal-it-the-dharma-of-music-episode-79

The Way Out Is In: ‘Shining Light (Episode #63)’
https://plumvillage.org/podcast/shining-light-episode-63 

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Quotes

“Where there’s a stillness, the energy of mindfulness is present.”

“Thich Nhat Hanh would speak about how, sometimes, we have to expand our mind and expand ourselves to see that our suffering is not ours alone: it is a shared suffering. And, also, when we transform the suffering, it is not only our transformation: it is a transformation for the greater collective. And we don’t discriminate about whether it is a small or a large transformation, because all transformations have an impact on the great