Pathways through Busyness, Overwhelm and Burnout (Episode #34)

Welcome to episode 34 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.This time, the presenters, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and journalist Jo Confino, talk about the modern diseases of busyness, overwhelm, and burnout, and how Zen Buddhist practices and Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings can help us regain our balance. 

Brother Phap Huu shares his thoughts on busyness in a monastic environment; coming home to ourselves and learning to stop in the midst of crises; the four elements (the practice, the study, the service, the joy); the noble silence practice in a retreat, and becoming one with the silence; learning to stop and listen to ourselves; the practice of deep belly breathing; impermanence. And do you know how the Zen Master himself would face up and deal with overwhelm?Jo shares his thoughts on the Climate Leaders retreat and makes a case for an “age of community.” He further reflects on allowing vulnerability in our overwhelm and busyness; compassion for ourselves; selfishness and selflessness; simplicity in the practice; guilt.  

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

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 

‘Wake Up Humanity 2022’ retreathttps://plumvillage.org/retreats/info/international-wake-up-retreat-2022/ 

Plum Village Retreats Calendarhttps://plumvillage.org/retreats/retreats-calendar/ 

Five Skandhashttps://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Five_skandhas 

Dharma Talks: ‘The Five Skandhas of Grasping and Non-Self’​https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-five-skandhas-of-grasping-and-non-self%e2%80%8b-dharma-talk-by-br-phap-lai-2018-06-08/ 

Songs: ‘The 16 Exercises of Mindful Breathing’ https://plumvillage.org/library/songs/the-16-exercises-of-mindful-breathing/ 

‘Connecting to Our Root Teacher, the Buddha’https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/connecting-to-our-root-teacher-a-letter-from-thay-27-sept-2014/

Thay’s Poetry: ‘Please Call Me by My True Names’ (song & poem)https://plumvillage.org/articles/please-call-me-by-my-true-names-song-poem/ 

‘The Toadskin Hut and Paths of Legend’https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/the-toadskin-hut-and-paths-of-legend/ 

Quotes

“Mindfulness means to be aware of what is happening in the here and now. And when we associate to this practice, a lot of the habits that we have as a practitioner, especially practitioners, we want to feel the good sensation more than the negative. But here, in the spirit of Buddhism, the teachings of the Buddha, when we speak about mindfulness, it is to embrace everything that is happening.”

“A lot of monks in this time, and generations before us, have Zen gardens. They have gardens that they would take care of because that is also a way of directing energy, so overwhelming is an energy. So our practice is learning to identify the energy and directing that energy so that it can bring us back to balance.”

“What I think is core to Buddhist practice is that we can only be useful in the world if we’re in balance ourselves. And it’s not selfish to look after yourself, it’s actually selfless because it’s only when our bowl is full and overflowing that we’re able to naturally give to other people. And when our bowl is empty, actually we’ve got nothing to give.” 

“When you come to our practice in the retreats, this is the first thing we teach everyone: learning to stop. That’s why these bells in the monastery are s